THE WHITE HOUSE

                    Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                 January 4, 1994

	     
                       REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
               TO CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY EMPLOYEES

	     	  
                           CIA Headquarters
                          Langley, Virginia



10:12 A.M. EST


	     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Mr. Woolsey.  Tony 
Lake and I are glad to be here -- and always seemed to me I ought to 
visit the CIA on a snowy day.  (Laughter.)  Thank you for that warm 
welcome.
	     
	     I wanted to come here today for two reasons.  First, to 
meet you and to thank you, those of you who work for the Central 
Intelligence Agency who devote your lives and your skills to the 
service of our country.  The second thing I wanted to do was to 
commemorate those who have given their lives in the service of the 
country through the Central Intelligence Agency.  Intelligence is a 
unique mission.  Nobody knows that better than those of us who have 
the honor to serve in the Oval Office.
	     
	     When President Truman autographed the photo of himself 
that hangs in this building, he wrote:  "To the CIA, a necessity to 
the President of the United States from one who knows."  
	     
	     Every morning the President begins the day asking what 
happened overnight.  What do we know, how do we know it.  Like my 
predecessors, I have to look to the intelligence community for the 
answers to those questions.  I look to you to warn me and, through 
me, our nation of the threats, to spotlight the important trends in 
the world, to describe dynamics that could affect our interests 
around the world.  
	     
	     Those activities are particularly important now.  The 
end of the Cold War increases our security in many ways.  You helped 
to win that Cold War and it is fitting that a piece of the Berlin 
Wall stands here on these grounds.  But even now, this new world 
remains dangerous and, in many ways, more complex and more difficult 
to fathom.  We need to understand more than we do about the 
challenges of ethnic conflict, militant nationalism, terrorism and 
the proliferation of all kinds of weapons.  Accurate, reliable 
intelligence is the key to understanding each of these challenges.  
And without it, it is difficult to make good decisions in a crisis or 
in the long-term.  
	     
	     I know that working in the intelligence community places 
special demands on each and every one of you.  It means you can't 
talk freely about much of your work with your family and your 
friends.  For some, it means spending a lot of time far away from 
home.  For others, it's meant serving in situations of significant 
personal danger.  While much of your work is sensitive and cannot be 
discussed publicly, I know what you do, I value it, and I respect you 
for doing it.  And I wanted to come here to say thank you.  
(Applause.)
	     
	     The 56 stars carved into the wall here in this lobby 
remind each who passes by this place of the ultimate risks of 

intelligence work.  Each star memorializes a vibrant life given in 
the service of our nation.  Each star reminds of us freedom's high 
price and how the high share some must bear that all the rest of us 
must respect.  My heart goes out to the families and to the friends 
of each of those whose sacrifices are represented here.
	     
	     Two of the stars added just this year commemorate two 
devoted agency professionals who were slain last January entering 
this compound -- Dr. Lansing Bennett and Frank Darling.  All of us 
were shocked and saddened when they were killed and others were 
seriously injured.  The First Lady represented me here at the 
memorial service, but I want to say again personally how much I 
admire the service that they gave, the sorrow and anger we all felt 
and continue to feel about this outrageous act.  
	     
	     The CIA was established over 45 years ago to help 
confront the challenges to democracy.  These stars remind us that the 
battle lines of freedom need not be thousands of miles away, but can 
be right here in the midst of our communities with our families and 
friends.  Jim Woolsey and I know that all of you here today are 
called to a very special kind of public service.  
	     
	     I celebrate your commitment, I appreciate your 
contributions.  As President, I will do my best to learn from you, to 
help you to do your work and to stand by you.  And on behalf of the 
American people, let me say again, I thank you.  (Applause.)

                                 END10:14 A.M. EST



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