DCI'S MESSAGE TO THE CIA WORKFORCE ON THE BOMBING OF THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN BELGRADE MAY 13, 1999

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0001082126
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: June 22, 2015
• Document Release Date: September 17, 2009
• Case Number: F-2000-00007
• Publication Date: May 13, 1999

DCI's Message to the CIA Workforce
on the
Bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade
May 13, 1999
I wanted to let you know my thoughts
about NATO's bombing of the Chinese Embassy
in Belgrade.
We are still investigating exactly what
happened here at CIA and in the Intelligence
Community, and Secretary Cohen is doing the
same at DoD. But we know enough at this point
APPROVED FOR
RELEASE^DATE:
15-Sep-2009
 to say that the Intelligence Community bears a
significant share of the responsibility.
CIA misidentified the Chinese Embassy as
the Yugoslav Supply and Procurement
Directorate. In addition, the extensive process
concentrated within DoD to validate, check and
approve targeting recommendations did not
catch the initial error, principally because DIA,
NIMA and EUCOM databases did not contain
the correct location of the Chinese Embassy.
 3
There is plenty of blame to go around, but
we can take no comfort in that. We cannot
minimize the significance of this. And we will
not hide behind excuses such as stretched
resources or time pressures. It is precisely when
the pressure is intense -- and life or death
decisions are being made -- that the President
and the American public expect us to provide
the best intelligence in the world. Clearly, in
this case we failed to do that. We did not do
our job.
 As professionals, we must stand up and
take responsibility for our mistakes. We have
an even greater responsibility to do everything
in our power to prevent this kind of thing from
happening again.
Several changes already have been made
here, at NIMA, and at DIA. I will report back to
you shortly on additional steps we will take to
address the problems that contributed to the
bombing of the Chinese Embassy.
 CIA began an effort last Saturday to look at
what happened here at the Agency and to
recommend corrective actions. I have put an
Intelligence Community team together to do the
same thing across the Community. I have asked
that the report be completed next week.
I know better than anyone the excellent
work that the dedicated men and women of this
Agency and the Intelligence Community do
every day - work that is vital to peace and
stability all around the world. And that
includes the great work that we have done on
 Kosovo - life-saving work that you can be
proud of and that I am proud of. The bombing
of the Chinese Embassy stands in contrast to an
otherwise outstanding performance.
Our work remains indispensable to our
nation. I believe that the President and the
Congress and the American public
fundamentally understand that. I know that
CIA is the world's best intelligence agency, bar
none, and I will continue to say so whenever I
get the chance. That does not mean we are
 infallible. And it certainly does not mean that
we cannot do better. We can and we will.