All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings
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2. As the clock on the UN resolution keeps running toward the time when force has international authority, what possible official requests can/should a President make of Congress?
If you reply to this memorandum before I return, please hand carry your reply to Brent for “Eyes Only” transmission to me.
Please share a copy of this memorandum with John Sununu and Brent only.
Warm regards.
Dec. 11, 1990
Mr. Dan Jenkins
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Dear Dan,
Your letter came in just in time. Dan Rather or some other expert on the Gulf had just taken a pot shot, and two soldiers had been found out in the desert who wanted to go home—surprise. Anyway I was sitting here, po’d at the world, not because of the Gulf but because I’ve had the gut flu, overworking every orifice. In fact I almost ricocheted some food off of Nurse Major Mary Jackson—she moved a bit slowly. Good sport though, Mary—Anyway your letter came in. I promptly had it copied and sent over to Powell and Cheney. I agree with you on the job they did in those hearings.46 In fact I saw only bits of their testimony, but I cabled them from Uruguay. (incidentally the South American trip went well. Overshadowed by the Gulf Crisis it was, but really it was terrific. Very few hand gestures, no serious demonstrations. There was one small demo in one country. The President apologized; and I said ‘this is a cake walk—Come with me whenever I visit San Francisco.”)
I’ve all but given up Golf except for hitting at Camp David. . . . I just don’t want to risk sending the wrong signal right now to the troops. I even had to cancel my Beeville quail shooting. First time I will have missed in 25 years. I love it, but now I will stay here or at [Camp David]—no hardship however.
Thanks, Dan, for your great letter. When Saddam gets his out of Kuwait please get yours back on up here . . .
I accept my copy of YOU GOTTA PLAY HURT—I won’t run it by the ethics office, not because it exceeds the cash limit,47 but if it’s like semi tough the ladies over there may wear it out before I get the copy back over here.
Thanks, Dan. Hope you have a great Christmas. We will, cause even though the economy is batting .199 and the Gulf is hitting .178, life is treating the Bush family with a WILLIAMS like .401. Thank God for kids and Bar and two dogs and 14 grandkids48 and the great people around here with whom I work—for Friends too. Hang in.
George Bush
Dec. 13, 1990
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF A LETTER FROM PRESIDENT BUSH FOR THE AMIR OF KUWAIT. PLEASE DELIVER ASAP TO HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH JABIR AL-AHMAD AL-SABAH, AMIR OF THE STATE OF KUWAIT.
Your Highness: Now that I am back from my visit to South America, I just want to take a moment to give you my sense of where we stand in the Gulf. I am pleased that all American citizens in Kuwait and Iraq wanting to leave are so doing.49 You know we had kept our Embassy open in Kuwait to administer to our people there. We decided to withdraw our remaining diplomatic staff from Kuwait while leaving the Embassy itself open since with the American community gone, there is no official business for us to conduct there until your government is restored. Your Highness, let me reassure you that for our part, the hostage release has changed nothing and done nothing to diminish either our opposition to negotiation or our determination to see all the relevant security council resolutions implemented in all their parts.
On our upcoming talks with Iraq, we still have not resolved the dates for Tariq Aziz’s visit here and Jim Baker’s there. It is obvious that Saddam’s desire to put off the Baghdad meeting until January twelfth is only the latest example of his desire to manipulate diplomacy to weaken the coalition against him and to make the potential use of force more distant and hence less likely. We will continue to resist this and other such attempts, just as we will resist attempts to link Iraqi aggression against Kuwait with other issues, like the Palestinian issue.
Your Highness, I want to personally underscore to you that our talks will include no compromises, nor partial solutions, no deals and no face-saving gimmicks. We also are stressing to other governments that intend to communicate with Iraqi officials over the coming weeks the need to reinforce this. Saddam must understand that the choice to comply with the UN resolutions is his, or he will risk the consequences of his inaction. I believe we are all in for a great deal of testing of this sort between now and the middle of January as Saddam and his officials will try to do everything to split the coalition and enhance their public posture. Needless to say, we just continue to hold firm and hold together. This is not the time for compromises or for suggestions, public or private, of what Iraq might expect should it withdraw from Kuwait. I know that we can count on you and your Government to stand with us until we succeed in realizing all our objectives without condition or concession. I will stay in close touch with you on my thinking as we proceed, and as always, I would value hearing from you at any time.
With my warm regards
Sincerely,
George Bush.
12-14-90
FROM THE PRESIDENT
TO: Brent/Bob Gates
1. Pan AM 103—reminder:
I’d like to get something on this a.s.a.p.—also need to get it to Assad whenever we can.50
2. Bob—we owe Mrs. Noriega an answer on her request for a visit—conjugal or otherwise.
GB
[I believe the answer to Mrs. Noriega was yes.]
I managed to get on Dan Rostenkowski’s bad side again, this time by calling for term limits, which he took personally.
December 21, 1990
The Honorable Dan Rostenkowski
House of Representatives
Washington, D. C. 20515
Dear Rosty
Hey, nothing’s gone wrong. You look at limitations one way, I look at it another. The President has a term limitation and the Republic hasn’t screeched to a halt.
Our national platform calls for some type of limitation, so this is not something brand-spanking-new with us.
In your case, yes, you’re like that old wine you talk about—better with age; but let’s face it, some old wines get corked.
I can’t believe the term limitation issue is, as you say, “partisan”. Look at the votes in the various states.
In any event, this issue is not going to divide you and me. Go on out to the 8th51 and get some rest so we can slay some dragons in the months ahead.
Oh, yes, real friendships survive these little bumps in the road.
Your friend,
George
Democratic senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia wrote me a letter urging me to get congressional approval before going into battle and urging me to give sanctions longer to work.
Dec. 22, 1990
Dear Robert,
My typing is better than my handwriting so here goes. I simply wanted to thank you for that thoughtful letter re: the Gulf and what to do about it.
I differ with you on a couple of counts. I don’t think we have six months to wait. The economies of Eastern Europe and the Third World and, indeed, our own are being devastated by what Saddam has wrought. The U.N. Resolution must be fully complied with or else the new promise of the U.N. that we helped bring about will be ground into dust. Kuwait is still being brutalized. That Amnesty Int’l report is devastating. I want Congress on board—fully.
Saddam will only unconditionally pull out when he is convinced on two points about which he now has doubts:
1. That the united world will use force against him. And
2. That if that force is used he will lose.
I had not intended to do other here than to say thanks. And, yes, Merry Christmas to you and your family. It is a time, especially this year, to give thanks for our many blessings and to pray for peace on earth.
Most Sincerely,
George
December 24th
Up at Camp David with the family. It’s funny—I tossed around last night, and I had a very interesting dream about Dad. We were driving into some hotel n
ear a golf course, and there was another golf course way over across the fence, though not a very good one. I heard Dad was there, so I went to see him, and he was in a hotel room. We embraced, and I told him I missed him very much. Aren’t dreams funny? I could see him very clearly: big, strong, and highly respected. . . .
I make the call to Norm Schwarzkopf; try to get Max Thurmond;52 call nine kids scattered around the world—enlisted people—several in Saudi Arabia, Alaska, Korea, Panama, and other places as well. They seemed kind of bewildered by the phone call, but nice, very friendly, all appreciative, and no gripes, though it would be pretty hard to do that. Colin Powell reinforced for me the morale of the troops is excellent.
It’s Christmas Eve, and you think of the families and loved ones apart. I read ten or fifteen letters, all of them saying, “Take care of my kid.” Some saying, “Please don’t shoot.” Some saying, “It’s not worth dying for gasoline,” and on and on it goes. But the cry is, “Save my boy—save my boy.” Then I sit here knowing that if there is no movement on Saddam’s part, we have to go to war.
But we’re in a war—little Kuwaiti families being devastated and scared, and even killed this very night. The principle has been set, and we cannot fail. . . .
Dec 31, 1990
Dear George, Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro,
I am writing this letter on the last day of 1991.
First, I can’t begin to tell you how great it was to have you here at Camp David. I loved the games (the Marines are still smarting over their 1 and 2 record53), I loved Christmas Day, marred only by the absence of Sam and Ellie.54 I loved the movies—some of ‘em—I loved the laughs. Most of all, I loved seeing you together. We are a family blessed; and this Christmas simply reinforced all that.
I hope I didn’t seem moody. I tried not to.
When I came into this job I vowed that I would never ring my hands and talk about “the loneliest job in the world” or ring my hands about the “pressures or the trials”.
Having said that I have been concerned about what lies ahead. There is no ‘loneliness’ though because I am backed by a first rate team of knowledgeable and committed people. No President has been more blessed in this regards.
I have thought long and hard about what might have to be done. As I write this letter at Year’s end, there is still some hope that Iraq’s dictator will pull out of Kuwait. I vary on this. Sometimes I think he might, at others I think he simply is too unrealistic—too ignorant of what he might face. I have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that we have tried hard for peace. We have gone to the UN; we have formed an historic coalition; there have been diplomatic initiatives from country after country.
And so here we are a scant 16 days from a very important date—the date set by the UN for his total compliance with all UN resolutions including getting out of Kuwait—totally.
I guess what I want you to know as a father is this: Every Human life is precious. When the question is asked “How many lives are you willing to sacrifice”—it tears at my heart. The answer, of course, is none—none at all.
We have waited to give sanctions a chance, we have moved a tremendous force so as to reduce the risk to every American soldier if force has to be used; but the question of loss of life still lingers and plagues the heart.
My mind goes back to history:
How many lives might have been saved if appeasement had given way to force earlier on in the late ‘30’s or earliest ‘40’s? How many Jews might have been spared the gas chambers, or how many Polish patriots might be alive today? I look at today’s crisis as “good” vs. “evil”— Yes, it is that clear.
I know my stance must cause you a little grief from time to time and this hurts me; but here at ‘years-end’ I just wanted you to know that I feel:
—every human life is precious— the little Iraqi kids’ too.
—Principle must be adhered to—Saddam cannot profit in any way at all from his aggression and from his brutalizing the people of Kuwait.
—and sometimes in life you have to act as you think best—you can’t compromise, you can’t give in—even if your critics are loud and numerous.
So, dear kids—batten down the hatches.
Senator Inouye of Hawaii told me “Mr. President, do what you have to do. If it is quick and successful everyone can take the credit. If it is drawn out, then be prepared for some in Congress to file impeachment papers against you”—that’s what he said, and he’s 100% correct.
And so I shall say a few more prayers, mainly for our kids in the Gulf. And I shall do what must be done, and I shall be strengthened every day by our family love which lifts me up; every single day of my life.
I am the luckiest Dad in the whole wide world.
I love you, Happy New Year and May God Bless every one of you and all those in your family.
Devotedly,
Dad
CAMP DAVID
CHAPTER 14
Peaks and Valleys
January 5, 1991
His Excellency Saddam Hussein
President of the Republic of Iraq
Baghdad
Mr. President:
We stand at the brink of war between Iraq and the world. This is a war that began with your invasion of Kuwait; this is a war that can be ended only by Iraq’s full and unconditional compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 678.
I am writing you now, directly, because what is at stake demands that no opportunity be lost to avoid what would be a certain calamity for the people of Iraq. I am writing, as well, because it is said by some that you do not understand just how isolated Iraq is and what Iraq faces as a result. I am not in a position to judge whether this impression is correct; what I can do, though, is try in this letter to reinforce what Secretary of State Baker told your Foreign Minister and eliminate any uncertainty or ambiguity that might exist in your mind about where we stand and what we are prepared to do.
The international community is united in its call for Iraq to leave all of Kuwait without condition and without further delay. This is not simply the policy of the United States; it is the position of the world community as expressed in no less than twelve Security Council resolutions.
We prefer a peaceful outcome. However, anything less than full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 678 and its predecessors is unacceptable. There can be no reward for aggression. Nor will there be any negotiation. Principle cannot be compromised. However, by its full compliance, Iraq will gain the opportunity to rejoin the international community. More immediately, the Iraqi military establishment will escape destruction. But unless you withdraw from Kuwait completely and without condition, you will lose more than Kuwait. What is at issue here is not the future of Kuwait—it will be free, its government will be restored—but rather the future of Iraq. This choice is yours to make.
The United States will not be separated from its coalition partners. Twelve Security Council resolutions, 28 countries providing military units to enforce them, more than one hundred governments complying with sanctions—all highlight the fact that it is not Iraq against the United States, but Iraq against the world. That most Arab and Muslim countries are arrayed against you as well should reinforce what I am saying. Iraq cannot and will not be able to hold on to Kuwait or exact a price for leaving.
You may be tempted to find solace in the diversity of opinion that is American democracy. You should resist any such temptation. Diversity ought not to be confused with division. Nor should you underestimate, as others have before you, America’s will.
Iraq is already feeling the effects of the sanctions mandated by the United Nations. Should war come, it will be a far greater tragedy for you and your country. Let me state, too, that the United States will not tolerate the use of chemical or biological weapons or the destruction of Kuwait’s oil fields and installations. Further, you will be held directly responsible for terrorist actions against any member of the coalition. The American people would demand the strongest possibl
e response. You and your country will pay a terrible price if you order unconscionable acts of this sort.
I write this letter not to threaten, but to inform. I do so with no sense of satisfaction, for the people of the United States have no quarrel with the people of Iraq. Mr. President, UN Security Council Resolution 678 establishes the period before January 15 of this year as a “pause of good will” so that this crisis may end without further violence. Whether this pause is used as intended, or merely becomes a prelude to further violence, is in your hands, and yours alone. I hope you weigh your choice carefully and choose wisely, for much will depend upon it.
George Bush
[Jim Baker hand-carried this letter to Geneva, where he and Aziz met on January 9. This meeting took the place of my suggestion that Jim go to Baghdad and Aziz come to Washington. The seven-hour meeting ended without an agreement, and Aziz, refusing to take the letter to Baghdad, left it on the table.]
January 6th
It’s our anniversary date—46th anniversary. Not special, like 25th, 10th, 50th, but a wonderful, warm feeling. A feeling of great comfort. I think Bar and I take each other’s love for granted. I guess I do that more than she does. I haven’t really told her often enough how deeply I really feel. She is remarkable, and boy, does she ever stand by her man. . . .
A very supportive phone call from Billy Graham. He quotes from James Russell Lowell’s poem, “The Present Crisis.” “Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide and the choice goes by forever twixt that darkness and that light.” It does hit me pretty hard—That moment’s upon us.
Prayer is important. . . . Billy Graham offers his help and talks about Saddam Hussein being the anti-Christ itself. This is the most momentous decision facing a President in modern times. [Billy] wants to speak out in any way he can, and that would indeed be helpful.
I sent this letter to the House and Senate leaders: