JUDGE WEBSTER'S HIGH STANDARD

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-01448R000401660100-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 100
• Publication Date: May 9, 1991
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/23 :CIA-RDP99-014488000401660100-1
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The Washington Post
The New York limes
The Washington Times __
The Well Street Journal _
The Christian Science Monito
New York Daily News _
USA Today
The Chicago Tribune
Judge Webster's High Standard
William Webster resigned yesterday, an unoffi-
cial casualty of the Persian Gulf war.
After the derring-do and double-talk of William
Casey, Mr. Webster's dYscretion and candor as
Director of Central Intelligence were a refreshing
change. He reined in lawless covert operations and
rebuilt trust on Capitol Hill. President Bush could
use a successor with Mr. Webster's probity and
judiciousness. ~
He pleased Congress, and annoyed the White
House, by his willingness to give timely notice on
covert operations and his refusal to shape his?
intelligence reports to the Administration's political
needs. At the same time he was- roundly if not
always justly criticized for notable intelligence fail-
ures, including belated assessments of the Soviet
economic collapse and Saddam Hussein's designs
on Kuwait. Still, the C.I.A. did far better than others
in anticipating developments.
Despite pressure to name his own man, Mr.
Bush kept Mr. Webster on. The Director survived
intermittent White House sniping until the gulf war
eroded his support at both ends of Pennsylvania
Avenue. He irritated the White House when, faith-
fully reflecting the intelligence community's as-
sessment, he argued that economic sanctions were
working. But just before Congress voted on the war
he reversed himself, thus looking like a White House
pawn and damaging his credibility in Congress.
Mr. Bush's hint that he might appoint Robert
Gates, his deputy national security adviser, to head
the C.I.A. alarms anyone familiar with the long
battle for an accountable intelligence agency and
unvarnished intelligence assessments. Ronald Rea-
gan proposed Mr. Gates for the post four years ago
but was forced to withdraw the nomination by a
Senate troubled by Mr. Gates's evasive testimony
about the Iran-contra scandal.
It was then that Mr. Reagan turned to Mr.
Webster, who .ha?-already built a commendable
record as F.B.I. Director, curbing agency abuses
while effectively combating domestic racketeering
and terrorism.
In choosing a replacement, President Bush
would do well to keep Mr. Webster's qualifications
in mind. Until the gulf war, he earned widespread
respect by combining an outsider's perspective
with an insider's know-how.
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Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/23 :CIA-RDP99-014488000401660100-1