For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 20, 2001
Remarks by the President to Central Intelligence Employees
CIA Headquarters Langley, Virginia
Listen to the President's
Remarks
4:25 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: 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. (Applause.) 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 8:00 a.m. 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 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 over-arching
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Today, that single threat has been replaced by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 responsibility 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. (Applause.)
END
4:30 P.M. EST
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