WHITE HOUSE SEEKS NOMINEE TO HEAD CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504340003-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 24, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: March 3, 1987
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/24: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504340003-6
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGEAd woo
White House
Seeks Nominee
To Head CIA
Gates's Withdrawal, Rebuff
By Tower Trigger Rush
To Find New Candidate
By JANE MAYER
And JOHN W&W
..Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
WASHINGTON- White House officials
were left scrambling last night to find a
prestigious nominee to head the Central In-
telligence Agency after former Texas Sen.
John Tower turned down the job following
Deputy CIA Director Robert Gates's with-
drawal.
White House sources said Mr. Tower, a
lawyer, turned down the job, citing finan-
cial considerations. But some congres-
sional sources speculated that Mr. Tower,
former chairman of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, doesn't want the post
because, in some cases. he would report to
Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.
Last night, some White House officials still
were trying to persuade Mr.Tower to ac-
cept the post.
White House officials said they expected
to have a new nominee by today or tomor-
row. Sources said that among those still
under consideration are former National
Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft, U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Vernon
Walters. and also some Democrats, princi-
pally former National Security Adviser
Zbigniew Brzezinski. Like Mr. Tower, re-
tired Lt. Gen. Scowcroft was a member
of the highly praised commission that
President Reagan designated to investi-
gate the Iran-Contra scandal. Gen. Scow-
croft s office said he was out of the country
and unavailable for comment.
Another possible candidate, retired
Adm. Bobby Ray Inman. who headed the
National Security Agency, was deputy di-
rector of the CIA and now heads his own
high technology consulting firm in Austin.
Texas. He reiterated that he doesn't want
to return to government service. In an in-
terview last night, he said: 'I haven't been
.approached, and if I were I would say
no.
Originally, according to new White
House Chief of Staff Howard Baker, the
president had hoped to announce a re-
placement for Mr. Gates yesterday.
Mr. Gates, who has been acting director
of the agency since William Casey under-
went surgery for brain cancer last Decem-
Wt1LL J11