REMARKS AT ASSOCIATION OF FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00777R000401130001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 22, 2014
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 10, 1989
• Content Type: REPORT

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Remarks at Association of Former Intelligence Officers
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William H. Webster
Director of Central Intelligence
Arlington, Virginia
April 10, 1989
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Thank you very much, Walter.* It's great to be here and see such a
tremendous group that means so much to us in supporting what we're doing
today. I'm particularly pleased that you took time to mention Justice Powell's
honorary board membership. We've been great friends. Some of you may not
know that because of his background in ULTRA and in intelligence I selected him
to administer the oath of office when I was making my move from the FBI to the
Central Intelligence Agency. He wrote me a letter and said that being DCI was the
only job that he had ever really aspired to. I offered to trade, but it was a little late.
I was here in 1986, three years ago, wearing another hat. A great deal has
happened since that time. But it's nice to look out and see Ray Wannall and Ed
O'Malley and to realize that the FBI is very much a player in AFIO, just as it is in the
Intelligence Community. Later, perhaps, I can talk a little bit about what we are do-
ing in the Intelligence Community together?not just CIA and FBI, but NSA and
DIA and all the military services.
During these last two years, I have traveled more than I anticipated, and I
have spoken with many groups around this country and overseas?from academic
'forums to congressional committees to groups inside the bubbles in embassies
around the world?but I am especially pleased to be here today. This group, I
know, understands as I have come to understand the special privilege and the spe-
cial satisfaction of serving in intelligence. And you, of all others, understand that
what we need to produce good intelligence is a clear mission, talented people,
sufficient resources, and the ability to protect our sources and our methods. I'd
like to talk to you this afternoon about what we've been doing and why we've
been doing it, and why, in spite of the occasional slings and arrows of outrageous
publicity, more people than ever before are interested in intelligence work.
Before I do that, however, I'd like to take this opportunity to say just a few
words about who has contributed so much to intelligence and to
AFIO over the years. couldn't be with us today?I understand he's in
Europe?but I'm sure he wouldn't mind my reading you a letter that I have sent to
him.
I told Li "I would like to express my great appreciation for the
exceptional support you have given to the intelligence profession during your eight
and a half years a Executive Director of-the Association of Former Intelligence
Officers.
? Walter Pforzheimer, Chairman, Board of Directors, Association of Former Intelligence Officers.
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"In your dealings with the media, the Congress, and the public, you have
done much to promote understanding and support of the Intelligence Community
and our vital mission. I would like to especially recognize your instrumental role in
managing AFIO's Academic Assistance Program. This program is proving very
successful in helping to educate our nation's youth on the role and functions of in-
telligence. The relationships that AFIO is establishing with college professors
around the nation also help the academic community to appreciate how much the
Intelligence Community can benefit from their expertise, ideas, and perspectives
on the issues we face.
"I commend you for your dedication, your professionalism, and your
patriotism in almost 38 years of service to and support of intelligence. Please ac-
cept my best wishes for your future success."
I wanted to read that to you because I wanted to congratulate
personally for all that he has done for intelligence and for AFIO. And I'd like to con-
gratulate the new Executive Director, Dave Whipple, who I'm confident will build
on leadership and accomplishments.
I promised earlier to tell you some of what we've been doing. And I want
you to know that I deeply appreciate your strong interest in keeping up with
what's happened in intelligence since the time you wrote the reports and sent the
cables.
You have to be aware that while our mission has not changed, the number
of people who scrutinize what we do and how we do it has grown substantially.
Earlier in the luncheon, I was talking to Walter, who was telling me about his DCI
saying that there wasn't enough to do with congressional affairs, and so he was
also making him Assistant General Counsel, reporting to Larry as well. I recall that
Dick Helms told me?and I think it is in our figures?that CIA then gave 175 con-
gressional briefings on average a year. Many of you may remember when only a
few classified papers went from the Agency or the Bureau or the Pentagon to ei-
ther house of Congress. You may also recall that classified briefings to congres-
sional committees were given only by the most senior officials. Today a number of
congressional committees closely examine the Intelligence Community's activi-
ties, and the number of individuals who see classified material far exceeds the re-
stricted number of the past. We gave over 1,000 briefings last year. In my view,
that's probably too many, for it increases the number of people who are required
to provide this information?some of them younger and not as prepared to take
the heat that comes with this kind of responsibility.
Our relations relations with Congress have always involved balancing the need for a
candid relationship with the need to protect intelligence sources and methods. It's
my firm view that truth builds trust. But there are many things that we simply can-
not safely discuss in large forums of staffers and committee members. And we
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have had to work these problems out. Under the current guidelines, when briefing
Congress, an officer who feels uncertain about answering a particular question is
instructed not to go around it, but to simply say: "I'm not authorized to answer
that question, but I'll take it up at headquarters." And I think this approach is
working. I've got some beautiful bruises and I've had a few battles, not all of
which I've won, but we have managed to protect our sources and our methods in
this way. And I think we are building a relationship that is built upon trust, knowing
that what we provide, we provide carefully and truthfully. And we work with the
committee chairman and vice chairman in trying to limit those things that should
only be shared with a very few people, often only the chairman and vice chairman
themselves.
Another area that commands enormous press attention is the use of covert
action. I want you to know that I support covert action. I believe it is extremely im-
portant for us to have this capability to help implement our nation's foreign policy
in those areas where overt action simply will not work. And I have consistently
conveyed my support for this to the Congress and to others who are interested. I
think it's important for us to have a managed covert action, so that we can defend
what we do and demonstrate that it was done with the approval of the
policymakers of the country, including the President, after careful consideration on
our part, and that we should not be accused of being loose cannons, for we are
actually a very vital part of our nation's foreign policy.
These, of course, are some of our bread-and-butter issues and my views of
how they are changing. The changing requirements of congressional oversight,
the continued importance of protecting sources and methods, and the continuing
need for covert action are probably no surprise to you.
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I'd like to spend a little time looking at several other current issues where
we do see some change. There has been a dramatic increase in the number and di-
versity of subjects the Intelligence Community is now required to address, the
number of consumers who use our product, and the resources we need to provide
what is asked of us.
Much of our effort is still focused on the Soviet Union?I recall there were
days when over 85 percent of our resources were on the Soviet target?and that
focus is not likely to change. Yet we are also spending more time and resources
collecting information on Third World nations. A major issue that we're address-
ing at the present time is the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological
weapons and the spread of ballistic missiles?an emerging problem in the Third
World made more complicated by the potential for combining ballistic missiles
with chemical and biological warheads. The spread of such weapons and
sophisticated delivery systems is a very real threat to regional security and,
indeed, to global security.
Intelligence gathered on the Third World now has an impact that extends
beyond the borders of a single region, and it calls for knowledge and understand-
ing that transcends a single discipline. Thus, it will not surprise you that we are in-
terested in both the political and the economic stability of countries in all regions
of the world. We are also concentrating on interdisciplinary problems such as
intirnational terrorism, narcotics trafficking, technology transfer, and hostile
intelligence activities.
Interagency efforts have become and will continue to be increasingly
important. In addition to the work being done by the Intelligence Community staff
and the interagency working groups, I have supported and established a number
of centers to coordinate our efforts in key areas. It simply is required today.
Centers in counterterrorism and counterintelligence pull together analysis and
operations and have produced impressive results.
During the past four years there have been nearly 300 cases in which some
form of counterterrorist actions?efforts to prevent terrorism, notifications of
threats, and so on?were taken on the basis of intelligence information dissemi-
nated by the Intelligence Community. Now we can't say that in all those cases the
information we provided or the measures we took were solely responsible for the
preventions, but they clearly had a role and that's important to us. The investiga-
tion of the explosion on Pan Am 103 is another example of how the Counterterror-
ist Center is working with other components of the law enforcement and
intelligence communities. I think they are doing an exceptional job of reconstruct-
ing the cause and the nature of the explosion and pulling together the information
that points to who may be responsible.
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One of the concerns that I have, frankly, is that policymakers may become
impatient with the process and begin to make open statements about those
believed to be responsible without having considered the implications of such
accusations on our foreign policy and how we will proceed from such conclusions.
Last April, I established a Counterintelligence Center to improve the
effectiveness of counterintelligence activities within both the CIA and the Intelli-
gence Community. The Center works to protect our foreign operations and the se-
curity of our components against penetration by foreign security or intelligence
services. This is a matter of great concern both for us and for Congress, and I be-
lieve that we have gotten out in front of the curve on this. I recently talked about
these issues with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and I pointed out
that despite the political and economic changes under way in the Soviet Union, we
have no evidence that the force of their intelligence effort has abated. If anything,
it has increased, although it appears to be taking a less visibly confrontational
form.
In counternarcotics, we have seen a bit of the future and have even watched
it arrive. And again, in an effort to be out in front of the curve, and to be ready to
assist Bill Bennett, we have established a Counternarcotics Center to better
integrate our intelligence efforts. You may not have known that more than 30 gov-
ernment agencies are involved in our national program to fight drugs and the
Intelligence Community provides information to well over half of them. It's been a
disorganized effort within CIA; important and valuable work was being done by
the various directorates, but without any real coordination or any real sense of
thrust, because narcotics had not been thought to be a central part of our mission.
But with the 1988 elections, in which both political parties made narcotics
perhaps the most important and central issue, it was clear that the Intelligence
Community would have to reassess the priority that it was giving to the issue and
consider a more coordinated and effective way of operating. I have met with Bill
Bennett and talked with him a number of times, and I am confident that the
Intelligence Community will continue to have a role?and have an even more
prominent role?in this effort. Many problems face us in this area. The use of intel-
ligence in law enforcement efforts is fraught with certain kinds of problems. The
use of intelligence as evidence creates problems in protecting our sources and our
methods. And I think we have to make an important effort not to allow the
Intelligence Community's limited resources to be consumed by producing mere
tactical evidence?intelligence that can be supplied by others who are assigned to
such work. We can, of course, through our computer spinoffs, direct tactical
intelligence as we.get it, and that is useful But basically, our mission must be the
broader role of intelligence?identifying sources with information on fields, crop
growth, major players in the drug enforcement effort, money laundering, and
worthy intelligence of that kind?rather than giving an increasing share of our
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resources to the purely tactical effort. That's going to be a matter of discussion. I
wanted to talk about it with Bill Bennett and try to get him on board before he be-
gan to use his bully pulpit, which I want him to do, but not about us.
Coordinated effort continues to be key to the production of our National In-
telligence Estimates. Here we make sure that the entire Intelligence Community is
represented?NSA, CIA, DIA, and all the contributing members. This process of
give and take, which many of you no doubt remember, still assures us that we are
giving policymakers our best assessment. Careful analysis and coordination is our
best protection from being accused of "cooking the books," both now and in the
future. And we have changed some of the process so that even the greatest cyn-
ics cannot assume that anyone, particularly myself, is manipulating it to achieve a
personal policymaking end.
While I cannot tell you, in this forum, the number of people who receive our
publications, I can tell you that the number reflects a very substantial increase in
the demand for intelligence.
And the increased demand for intelligence mirrors the Intelligence Commun-
ity's increased need for resources. While we have developed sophisticated
technical collection systems that provide more and better data, we must recognize
that more data is a mixed blessing. We have needed more people to sift through
this data, to analyze it and tell us what it means.
I just came back from talking with people who are helping us recognize, sort
through and use this increasing volume of intelligence that we are gathering
through all the various means that we have. It is encouraging, but it only
underscores the problem. And now with glasnost in full run in the Soviet Union
and the Soviet Bloc countries, more and more information in the public print is of
interest to us, and it is becoming increasingly challenging for us to collect and ab-
sorb it all. And leaders in business and the professsions are coming home with in-
formation of great value to the Intelligence Community?there's more and more
for us. So it's a big challenge, but I think we're on our way to solving it.
We've also had to contend with the current budget reality, recognizing that
our ability to fund programs is shrinking, while what is demanded of us in
intelligence is growing. Sometimes the choices are really heart rendering. And we
do all this in a time when the President and the Administration are very supportive
of intelligence and want us to have our share of the resources?indeed, perhaps
even more than a pro rata share of the resources from which our budget is drawn.
But, we are trying to deal with a major deficit problem, and the money is just not
going to be there as we would like it to be.
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You all know that budget reductions are being made in order to reduce that
deficit, and this is very much on my mind because I presented our Intelligence
Community budget to the Congress quite recently. In fact, I have spoken to three
congressional committees about our budget in the last three months. And I've had
private meetings with senior members of the committees who had particular
concerns. You know how difficult these decisions are when it comes to determin-
ing which programs must be cut or even postponed or dropped. In the Intelligence
Community developing a single satellite is an entirely new program. It's not a
question of dropping a squadron or an aircraft carrier, as painful as that may be.
It's a question of dropping an entire program, and that makes it very, very difficult
and challenging.
After a period of sustained growth in the intelligence budget, we now must
do less against a worldwide intelligence challenge that has not abated to suit our
tightened budget.
Perhaps the best example of our expanding responsibilities is in the area of
arms control and treaty verification. The INF Treaty calls for the United States to
monitor about 120 facilities inside the Soviet Union. But a START treaty, if
approved, could involve monitoring as many as 2,500 weapons locations spread
throughout the Soviet Union. And if we add to that the need to support
conventional arms talks and to coordinate that support with our NATO allies, we
begin to see the immensity of our task?a task that will involve all parts of the In-
telligence Community.
We do, however, have a strong national security team and a President who
has a great appreciation for intelligence. Many of you have known him and worked
with him and you know that he understands intelligence and he believes in it. He
wants to keep it away from policymaking, but he wants to use it as the foundation
for determining policy. During his eight years as Vice President, he was briefed ev-
ery morning by officers from the CIA's Directorate of Intelligence. And now, as
President, he continues to receive daily briefings from our current intelligence
people. I was with him this morning. The President is very good at taking in the in-
formation, asking the tough questions, and making sure that we are tasked to
keep him up to speed in the areas of interest to him.
Our relationships with Secretary of State Baker and Secretary of Defense
Cheney have been excellent. As you might expect, we also have an excellent
working relationship with Brent Scowcroft and Bob Gates.
Another intelligence professional that I've been working closely with since I
first arrived at the Agency?and someone whom many of you know?is Dick Kerr.
Dick has been an important part of the Central Intelligence Agency and the
Intelligence Community for nearly 30 years, serving as an analyst, a manager, a
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member of the Intelligence Community staff, and Deputy Director for two different
directorates within the Agency. And now, I'm depending upon him as Deputy
Director of Central Intelligence to help me ensure that policymakers have the
information that they need. I thought that it was another nice signal that President
Bush took time to come to participate in Dick Kerr's swearing-in as Deputy
Director.
Not only do we have talented officers, but we continue to attract top people
who want to join us. At the CIA alone, some 100,000 men and women each year
express an interest in working for intelligence. And the actual applications are
coming in at the rate of 1,000 a month. You have no doubt read about the
protests on some college campuses where CIA recruits. Interestingly enough,
these protests and the publicity they generate often work in our favor. Our
recruitment centers are inundated with resumes after every campus demonstra-
tion. But we're not responsible for the demonstrations.
I've tried to make a point of testing the waters myself. And in the last two
years I have visited a number of college campuses, including Dartmouth and Yale,
where protest activity has not been uncommon. I have been treated with respect
and interest, and people invariably come up to see me after the program to talk
about their personal interest in pursuing a career in intelligence.
The Intelligence Community is selective, and with good reason. We offer an
opportunity to be part of a mission?a mission that instills a sense of purpose and
provides a sense of accomplishment. There are sacrifices as well. Intelligence is,
more than most services, dependent upon individual acts of patriotism, offered
without expectation of personal glory.
Last December, President Bush, then President-elect Bush, came back to
the Central Intelligence Agency. He spent about three hours with us, receiving
briefings, renewing acquaintances, having lunch with some of our young stars at
the GS-14 and -15 level. His visit stirred personal memories. And I think one of his
most poignant moments was spent as he stopped with Brent Scowcroft and John
Sununu in our headquarters foyer to gaze at the stars which represent our fallen
comrades?clearly touched by their courage, remembering their lasting contribu-
tions.
In the last two years, I have visited over 30 intelligence facilities here and
abroad. I've seen tremendously important work being done by dedicated men and
women ?scientists, linguists, clandestine operators, the whole range of talents.
And in a society that is open, delivering on our mission in a secret way is quite a
challenge. And I have the greatest admiration for the men and women who are
willing to accept the enormous responsibilities of intelligence and still keep the se-
crets of their successes.
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My association here with AFIO has made me realize that intelligence is a life-
long commitment. Fulfilling the mission and keeping the secrets does not ever
really end. You whO have served in intelligence continue to contribute. Your
programs, which promote an understanding of intelligence, have done much to
build public support for our vital mission.
I hope that we will continue to attract those who are best suited to carry out
our mission?those who are risk takers, but not risk seekers. People who are dedi-
cated and responsive to law and discipline. People who understand and play by
the rules. People who are not preoccupied by fame or fortune, but who see in our
work a way to express their highest aspirations for a safer and a better world. You
in AFIO must help us find them, for this is what it is all about. This is why you
served, why we serve today, and why, God willing, enormously talented and
dedicated Americans will be joining us for the great challenges, not yet entirely de-
fined, that will be waiting for us tomorrow.
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