Specifically I have never received nor would I ever entertain a suggestion, from whatever source and for whatever reason, to slant the intelligence product. I would never consider abusing my authority as Director of Central Intelligence for the purpose of manipulating results of professional analysis of intelligence data. I have complete confidence that CIA and intelligence community analysts working on this type study would resign before they would do what your article suggests.
In one short article, Secretary Kissinger, CIA analysts and, by inference, myself, have been maliciously slandered. I hope you will try to partially correct the damage by printing this letter.
George Bush
Director
Central Intelligence Agency
Despite a last-minute surge in the polls, President Ford lost to Jimmy Carter. That meant even more detailed briefings for the new President-elect.
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT:
Meeting in Plains, Georgia
19 November 1976, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
PRESENT:
President-Elect Carter
Vice President-Elect Mondale
George Bush
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The following subjects were covered:
1. Personal. I discussed the DCI situation, expressing my strong view that the DCI should have direct access to the President; that the President should have confidence in the DCI; and that the organization at CIA and the Community would be strongly supportive of the President . . .
2. I briefed him generally on Agee30 . . . although I did not go into all of that detail. I did make clear that he was being thrown out of England by the British, that I was concerned what would happen if he came back to this country and tried to get across to the President-Elect that Agee was not simply a disenchanted former CIA employee who wanted to clean up the Agency. Rather he was something much more sinister.
General Comments
As I look back on it, there is one strange thing. There was no comment and almost no questions during the entirety of the briefing above. The briefing lasted almost an hour, covered a list of highly sensitive subjects and the President-Elect never indicated that he thought these operations were good or bad, that he was surprised or unsurprised. He registered no emotion of any kind, asked for little follow-up and frankly seemed a little impatient at the end of my presentation of these items. Perhaps it was because he knew that there was a full plate waiting for him in the next room of several more hours of briefings. I am unable to give an opinion at this juncture as to whether the President-Elect plans major reorganization of the Intelligence Community, whether he supports human intelligence or not, whether he was pleased that we have these special arrangements and that we have such excellent sourcing. I frankly just don’t know.
Addendum to Carter Briefing.
I emphasized the need to be very careful using the telephone. I gave him some indication of the Soviet capabilities to read phone calls, to copy thermofax transmissions and to penetrate in many ways. . . .
George Bush
Director
December 5, 1976
Dear Mr. President [Nixon],
I just can’t tell you how much I appreciate your Thanksgiving Day letter. Both Barbara and I are very grateful.
I have loved my work at CIA. The people are unselfish, dedicated, able, and patriotic. They have given me full support from the very beginning.
I told our President Elect that I felt he should have someone here who has his total confidence and who will have total access to him. In this troubled climate in which CIA is a target for irresponsible criticism in the press and on the Hill, the Director cannot lead forcefully without full Presidential support.
I have a feeling of work unfinished, a fascinating job, in a sense just beginning, but because of the “access” and “confidence” factors it is the time to go.
I will always be grateful to you for the assignments you gave me—the UN and the RNC—both complicated, each rewarding.
Now, we will most probably head back to Texas—by mid February. I want to keep up my interests in foreign affairs and national politics. I also must work for a living; so the future like the past will be a challenge.
One of these days, if agreeable to you, I will come by to call.
In the meantime my thanks to you for your letter and for the opportunities you gave me to serve my country. Love to Mrs. Nixon.
Sincerely,
George
December 8, 1976
H.E. Ambassador Yakov Malik
USSR Mission to the U. N.
New York City, N. Y. 10021
Dear Yakov,
I see that you are leaving New York. I just want to wish you the very best as you return to your home.
It was for me a pleasure serving with you at the U. N.
. . . I will leave government soon (Jan 20th) and we will probably go back to Texas.
Some day maybe I will get a chance to visit Moscow—If I do maybe I can get you to buy me a glass of vodka.
So long, my friend, good luck.
George
I enlisted the help of an old friend to come lift the spirits of everyone at the CIA as they prepared for yet another transition.
December 10, 1976
Mr. Lionel Hampton
New York, New York 11220
Dear Lionel,
You and your entire band were a tremendous hit! I have gotten an unbelievable amount of favorable “vibes” on your appearance. Your appearance was, in my view, great for morale here at CIA.
All of us want to thank you for donating your time and the band’s time. What a wonderful Christmas present. It was most generous of you.
. . . From a grateful Agency and a grateful Director, thanks for coming our way. . . .
Your friend,
George Bush
January 19, 1977
TO MY FELLOW EMPLOYEES:
It’s time to go now, and yet it seems as if I have just begun.
First, I want to say Thank You to all. I have never been associated with any institution that gives its leadership more cooperation and more support. I wish I could thank each of you personally.
As I leave the Agency and the Intelligence Community there are a few personal observations I would like to make.
First, I believe it is essential that the American people give this Agency its full and unqualified support. The world we live in demands no less. The support for the Agency was shaken during the height of the public hearings in 1975. It was shaken even more by the endless stream of allegations which were untrue but which were given great attention.
This is changing now, and it is changing for the better. We are still slugged at times with unfair criticism, but the sensationalism is giving way now to legitimate inquiry; the adversary relationship with Congress has given way to thorough and constructive oversight; the frantic search for reorganization and dismantlement has given way to a legitimate search for ways to improve things.
It is essential that CIA continue to work with the Congress, with the rest of the Executive Branch, and to some degree with the public, to demonstrate that CIA the Reality is very different from CIA the Myth. We are cooperating fully with all concerned; and this is bound to result in the Truth. We honor the Truth; we do not fear it.
Secondly, we should continue to strive for fair and better legislation to protect sources and methods of obtaining intelligence. We should do all we possibly can to guard against unauthorized leaks, and I strongly urge that we have a reawakening of the need for present and past employees to honor their security commitments. No foreign intelligence organization can be run without careful adherence to security, and we should be ever mindful of the fact that security is everyone’s job.
Thirdly, I am pleased with the way the President’s Executive Order has been faithfully implemented. All components have cooperated fully. As a result we are operating within the guidelines—guidelines designed to safeguard the rights of privat
e citizens. To deserve the confidence of the American people, we must continue to operate, as we are now, within the law, responsive to Congressional and Executive oversight. I congratulate all for working to make the Executive Order effective.
Lastly, a word about the dedication here. I have been privileged to serve in many fascinating assignments in public and private life, but nowhere else have I ever encountered the same degree of unselfish dedication to country as I have encountered here at CIA. I thank each and every one of you for the cooperation you have given me over the past year. I know you will give our new Director the same support you have given me.
I am leaving CIA now, but I take with me many happy memories. Even the tough, unsolved problems don’t seem so awesome; for they are overshadowed by our successes and by the fact that we do provide the best foreign intelligence in the world. I am leaving, but I am not forgetting. I hope I can find some ways in the years ahead to make the American people understand more fully the greatness that is CIA.
Sincerely,
George Bush
CHAPTER 8
“Fire in the Belly”
After being gone for ten years, Barbara and I moved home to Houston. I was sad to leave the CIA, a job that I loved. But it was great to get back to Texas. Now my main challenge was to figure out what came next in my life. Suggestions came from everywhere.
January 24, 1977
Mr. George Champion31
Economic Development Council of New York City, Inc.
New York, New York 10016
Dear George,
I don’t know if I can write a book or not and I have not been overly enthusiastic about the “kiss and tell” post-Watergate trend.
On the other hand, as you point out, I have had a fascinating series of assignments and maybe there is a story there. In any event, the CIA has been the greatest of them all and I wouldn’t mind letting the world know what the institution really is like—a vast contrast from the gore and lies that I read in the press. . . .
Sincerely,
George Bush
January 29, 1977
Mr. James S. McDonnell
McDonnell Douglas Corporation
St. Louis, Missouri 63166
Dear Mr. Mac,
I was deeply touched by your phone call. That you would consider me for membership on the Board of McDonnell Douglas is a high compliment and honor.
Mr. Mac, I have been thinking about it and it is with great reluctance that I have decided I should not be considered further. Frankly, I worry about conflict of interest. Your firm has done fantastic work for CIA and, given the extraordinary climate that we are living in, I am afraid my joining your Board would work against the good relationship that now exists. It would be unfairly alleged that I had capitalized on CIA business in order to get on your Board. Normally I wouldn’t worry about the critics, but I just don’t want to do anything that would bring more notoriety to CIA, nor would I want to do anything that would work to your detriment. . . .
Sincerely,
George Bush
February 14, 1977
Mr. Bayless Manning
Council on Foreign Relations
New York, New York 11220
Dear Bay,
How does a guy who is: (a) blessed by having had fascinating government assignments, (b) now going back to Houston as a private citizen, (c) has not lost his interest in national politics, and (d) has been spoiled as DCI with the totality of the information available to him—how, from Houston, does he informationally on foreign affairs, stay alive?
I am going home. I have made enough broad contacts to make a living, but I would welcome any suggestions from you as to how to stay informed. I hope this is not an imposition on our friendship.
Yours very truly,
George Bush
March 9, 1977
Dear Gerry [Bemiss],
. . . I thought I would be returning to boredom and quietude—not so.
There have been a lot of little speaking requests before small associations of one kind or another—I’m doing a few.
There has been getting settled in this little office—one at the 1st Int. Bank in Houston where I will spend 1 day or so a week.
There have been offers of Boards which require sorting and contemplation. I will do 4 or 5 so I can a) pay our bills b) move around the US and to some degree abroad.
There has been some politics—a meeting with among others Simon, Connally, Baker, Mosbacher, Brock . . .1
There has been moving—selling a house . . . and moving into our new neat house.
There has been withdrawal symptoms. I’ve been tense as a coiled spring hopefully not a shit about it, but up tight.
There has been the joy of seeing old friends here but the pain of leaving old friends there.
Today I went back to CIA. I saw our President swear in Stan Turner as DCI. The President, who I think is doing darn well, dwelled too much I thought on past abuses—and I found myself thinking Mr. President, these are great people, they have been through all this bad stuff, now lift them up and lead them.
There is a missing of stimulating talk. I just get bored silly about whose daughter is a Pi Phi or even bored about whose banging old Joe’s wife. I don’t want to slip into that 3 or 4 martini late late dinner rich social thing. There is too much to learn still.
I think I want to run or at least be in a position to run in ’80—but it seems so overwhelmingly presumptuous and egotistical; yet I’ll think some on that.
I am going on the Trilateral Commission2 and will attend the fall meeting in Bonn.
We will go to Maine for most of August. I may even try to write there.
I write this on the plane heading home.
I feel warm inside—my return to CIA made me feel this way. The future, though uncertain looks OK . . .
There’s a lot I’ve left out. Bar’s great job on our house—The joy of our grandson,3 the normalcy of things.
But, somehow I will churn until I can find the formula to be involved, to be doing. It’s not the need for the head table or the Washington protocol. It’s a funny feeling that we’re running out of time and I don’t want to spend what’s left of it learning to putt—
Poppy
March 25, 1977
Mr. H. Ross Perot
Electronic Data Systems Corp.
Dallas, Texas 75235
Dear Ross,
. . . I went on Bobby Stewart’s Board4 and the Board of two of his subsidiaries. This is a part-time commitment. They pay me as a consultant and I give about two days a week. I am also on the Board of Eli Lilly and Texasgulf. I have decided not to get back in the oil business; though I may participate in a deal or two from time to time.
I do want to keep up my foreign affairs interest as best I can and also my interest in the national political scene. I will be doing some speaking for the national Party from time to time. I do not have politics out of my system (I guess I never will); but I do not want to make a run for governor here in Texas in 1978. . . .
Thanks, Ross, for your interest in me. You called when I was kind of down. Though things didn’t work out, I will always be grateful for your interest. Needless to say, if I can ever be helpful to you or your people down here in any way, please don’t hesitate to call.5
Love to Margot, in which Bar joins me.
Sincerely,
George Bush
George W., who was living in Midland working in the oil business, decided to run for Congress. I wrote this note to GOP political consultant Eddie Mahe Jr.
7-25-77
Eddie,
George is off and running in Midland. The Party poohbahs are not thrilled,6 but the guy is energetic, attractive, he grew up in Midland and has lots of friends. I’d say he’s an underdog now, but he’ll acquit himself well I’m sure. I’m tickled pink about this.
Other political churning going on—nothing definitive yet.
Stay in touch.
Best ever,
Geor
ge
November 8, 1977
Mr. Richard A. Moore
Washington, D.C. 20036
Dear Dick:
I saw that Yale story and I’ve told them on several occasions that I am not interested. I must confess such consideration is flattering.7
Mother is here as I dictate this letter and she keeps telling me that she wishes I would take this. I think she thinks that my other plans for politics in ’80 will be backbreaking and killing.
We’ve got lots to talk about. I will be up soon. In fact, we are going to be there on the 8th but you probably won’t have gotten this letter by then. It’s just for a quick dinner. . . .
Let’s stay in touch. Thanks for your great letter.
Warmest regards,
George Bush
A man named Michael Randall Hewitt wrote and asked if I could write his one-year-old nephew, David Robey, a letter. He planned to give David a scrapbook of letters from “leaders” on his twenty-first birthday, in 1997.
Dec. 11, 1977
Dear David,
Your uncle asked me to send you this note—what a guy he must be to think in these terms.
Anyway, what does the future hold. I can’t see too far down the road, but I have been Ambassador in China, I have headed the CIA and the Republican Party, and I’ve been in Congress and Ambassador at the U.N. I also built a business. So, you can see I’ve had lots of exciting things to do.
All of them lead me to the conclusion that our Country is unique. We care about ourselves and about the rest of the World. I’m convinced that when you get to be 21 we’ll still be going strong.
I’d like to think that we’d reach agreement with the Communist Powers under which they would not try to impose their system on the free world. I doubt that will happen. We must stay strong, David, so they will not attempt to impose their values on us by force. Right now they are moving, predominantly the Soviet Union, to achieve military superiority over the U.S. We must not let that happen.
All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings Page 30