Documents / Official release
This unclassified cable from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs contains the transcript of a DoD news briefing that Kenneth H. Bacon gave at the Pentagon on June 24, 1997. Bacon calls himself the warm-up act to the Air Force's Roswell UFO report. He says Air Force investigations found natural or aircraft explanations for alleged UFO sightings. The rest of the briefing covers Khobar Towers, troops on the border, a meeting with Greek officials and base closures.
“The Pentagon”4 pages
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
## PAGE 02 RUEKJCS3095 UNCLAS A: IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE FOUR-MAN PATROL HAS COOPERATED FULLY WITH DOMESTIC LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES. THEY REMAINED FOR FOUR DAYS IN THE AREA. AT THE END OF FOUR DAYS, THERE WAS NO MORE DEMAND OR REQUEST FOR THEM TO PROVIDE INFORMATION, AND THEY LEFT. THAT IS MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HAPPENED. THE MARINES HAVE LAUNCHED THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION OF WHAT WENT ON. AND THE JOINT TASK FORCE SIX, WHICH RUNS THE BORDER SUPPORT OPERATION, HAS ALSO DONE AN INVESTIGATION, AND THAT INVESTIGATION, WHICH I'VE READ IN DRAFT FORM, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN IN FINAL FORM, CONCLUDES THAT THEY WERE FOLLOWING PROPER PROCEDURES IN RESPONDING TO AN ATTACK AGAINST THEM. THEY RESPONDED THE WAY THEY'RE ALLOWED TO, IN SELF-DEFENSE. NOW, THE MARINES ARE LOOKING INTO IT, AND THERE IS A CIVILIAN PROCEEDING GOING ON, AT THE SAME TIME. AS I SAID, THE MARINES HAVE COOPERATED WITH THAT. Q: ANY RESULTS ON THE TODAY'S MEETING BETWEEN THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE APOSTOLOS TSOHATZOPOULOS AND THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILLIAM COHEN HERE AT THE PENTAGON? A: I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO ANYBODY WHO WAS AT ## PAGE 03 RUEKJCS3095 UNCLAS THE MEETING YET. THEY WERE PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT A WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES -- SECRETARY COHEN WAS -- STARTING WITH NATO ENLARGEMENT, WHICH OF COURSE IS AT THE TOP OF EVERYBODY'S LIST RIGHT NOW. THEY WERE ALSO GOING TO TALK ABOUT BOSNIA AND THE PROGRESS OF THE SFOR MISSION IN BOSNIA. THEY WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT CYPRUS, AND THEY WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES IN THE AEGEAN. THOSE WERE THE MAIN ISSUES OF CONVERSATION THEY WERE PLANNING TO COVER. Q: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON THE EXTENSIVE MEETING BETWEEN THE GREEK MINISTER OF DEFENSE APOSTOLOS TSOHATZOPOULOS AND THE UNDERSECRETARY JAN LODAL YESTERDAY AT THE GREEK EMBASSY? A: I AM. AFRAID I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT. Q: AND LAST NIGHT, IT WAS REPORTED THAT YOUR AMBASSADOR IN ATHENS, THOMAS NILES, PROTESTED TO THE GREEK GOVERNMENT REGARDING THE WELL-KNOWN ISSUE OF THE UPGRADING THE F-4 GREEK FIGHTERS BY U.S. OR GERMANY. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT? A: I AM AFRAID I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT. WE'LL TRY TO GET INFORMATION ON THAT. Q: WELL, THE CINCS THAT ARE IN TOWN FOR THE CINC CONFERENCE, WILL THEY MEET AS A GROUP WITH THE PRESIDENT? OR ## PAGE 04 RUEKJCS3095 UNCLAS WILL ANY CINCS INDIVIDUALLY MEET WITH THE PRESIDENT?. A: I DON'T BELIEVE THE CINCS ARE MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT THIS TIME AROUND. AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL CINCS WILL BE MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT, EITHER. Q: YOU MENTIONED THE STATEMENT OF COHEN TO THE TROOPS. COULD YOU JUST PARAPHRASE WHAT THAT STATEMENT IS, TO GIVE IT A LITTLE BIT ON CAMERA? A: SECRETARY COHEN MADE BASICALLY TWO POINTS IN HIS
Official release, from the nara collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 8 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.