[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 12 (Monday, March 26, 2001)]
[Pages 476-477]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to Central Intelligence Agency Employees in Langley, Virginia

March 20, 2001

    Thank you, all. I learned that move from my mother. [Laughter]
    Thank you very much, George. I appreciate your kind introduction. I 
also want to thank you for agreeing to continue to serve as the Director 
of the Central Intelligence Agency. You've done really good work here. 
The people that work here appreciate it, and I appreciate it, as well.
    I also wanted to visit early in my administration to tell you all 
how much I value your work. The CIA and all the members of our 
intelligence community make a vital contribution to our Nation's 
security. I know this firsthand; I'm your customer. [Laughter] I see 
your product every morning at 8 o'clock sharp, and it's always first-
rate.
    I appreciate the work that goes into the briefing. I realize that 
the information inside it contains--represents the work of thousands of 
dedicated and daring men and women, at home and abroad. It is truly an 
honor to be among you and to be in this building.
    I've flown into an airport once called George Bush. [Laughter] But 
I've never been in a Center like this. [Laughter] Seeing that sign on 
the way in, as you can imagine, made me feel really proud. But I was 
also struck by the contrast between today's world

[[Page 477]]

and the world as it looked 25 years ago, when my dad was the DCI.
    To say that a lot has changed is an understatement. Back then, 
America faced an overarching threat, and everything we did, from 
strategy to resource allocation, was oriented to defending against that 
threat. Today, that single threat has been replaced by new and different 
threats, sometimes hard to define and defend against; threats such as 
terrorism, information warfare, the spread of weapons of mass 
destruction and the means to deliver them. Back then, freedom was in 
peril. Today, freedom is taking root in more and more lands around the 
world.
    In retrospect, the world of 1976 looks staid and static compared to 
the revolutions of change that characterize our times. But what hasn't 
changed, what isn't different is the fact that sound intelligence is 
still critically important to America's national security. The 
challenges are new, but we still need your work to help us meet them. 
The opportunities are new, but we need your help to take advantage of 
them. But perhaps most of all, in a world where change, itself, seems to 
be the only constant, we need your help to anticipate change and to 
shape it in a way that favors freedom.
    Yours is a mission of service and sacrifice in a world of great 
uncertainty and risk. America's commitments and responsibilities span 
the world and every time zone. Every day you help us meet those 
responsibilities with your quiet excellence. And nothing speaks louder 
to your legacy of service and sacrifice than the 77 stars on the wall 
behind me.
    The American people aren't told much about your labors. In fact, you 
might be the only Federal agency where not making the newspapers or 
network news qualifies as good news. [Laughter] This is by necessity. 
But you need to know your President knows about your fine contributions 
to our Nation's security. And you also need to know that Americans are 
proud of you and the vital work that each of you does for your country. 
The operations officers, the analysts, the scientists, the technical 
experts, the intelligence officers who work for other agencies--each of 
you is important to the cause of freedom. And for that I say, God bless 
you, and God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 4:25 p.m. in the original headquarters 
building lobby at the George Bush Center for Intelligence.