[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 42 (Monday, October 23, 2000)]
[Pages 2499-2500]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Resignation of Barry R. McCaffrey as Director of 
National Drug Control Policy

October 16, 2000

    General Barry McCaffrey, USA (Ret.), has informed me that he will 
step down in January as Director of the White House Office of National 
Drug Control Policy, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank 
and commend him for his extraordinary work in meeting one of our 
Nation's most pressing challenges. General McCaffrey has brought to his 
post the same professionalism, dedication, and leadership that have 
exemplified his 40 years of steadfast service to our Nation.
    In accepting this post in 1996, General McCaffrey retired from the 
United States Army as its youngest and most decorated

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four-star general. He had served and commanded with honor from West 
Point to the Dominican Republic to Vietnam to the Persian Gulf and, 
finally, as Commander in Chief, Southern Command. He was twice awarded 
the Distinguished Service Cross, our Nation's second-highest military 
honor.
    In the nearly 5 years General McCaffrey has led our war on drugs, we 
have made significant progress both at home and abroad. We have 
dramatically increased our counter-drug spending and launched a $1 
billion public-private media campaign to educate young people about the 
dangers of drug use. Our efforts are paying off. Adolescent drug use in 
the United States dropped 21 percent in the past 2 years alone, and 
drug-related murders are at their lowest level in a decade. And working 
with our international partners, we have helped to significantly reduce 
coca cultivation in Latin America and helped to build a level drug-free 
playing field for the world's Olympians.
    Our Nation and my administration have benefited greatly from General 
McCaffrey's outstanding dedication, enterprise, and leadership. He has 
been a valued member of my Cabinet, and I am grateful for his sound 
counsel. I am confident that he will continue to serve our Nation with 
honor and distinction in the years ahead. The First Lady and I wish him 
and his wife, Jill, all the best in their new endeavors.