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.
“Cooper”3 pages
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
STATEMENT TO THE TROOPS. THE FIRST IS THAT THE FBI IS MAKING PROGRESS IN ITS INVESTIGATION, TO LOCATE THE TERRORISTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DEADLY ACT A YEAR AGO, AND THAT THIS GOVERNMENT IS DETERMINED TO BRING THE TERRORISTS TO JUSTICE. I THINK THE RECENT CAPTURE OF THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE KILLINGS OUTSIDE THE CIA SHOWS THAT WE ARE DETERMINED AND DEDICATED TO BRINGING TERRORISTS LIKE THIS TO JUSTICE, AND WE WILL PURSUE THESE TERRORISTS WITH THE SAME VIGOR THAT WE PURSUED THAT FELLOW. SECONDLY, HE STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF FORCE PROTECTION. HE REPORTED ON HIS RECENT TRIP TO THE GULF, IN WHICH HE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW A NUMBER OF THE INSTALLATIONS OVER THERE, THE ## PAGE 05 RUEKJCS3095 UNCLAS PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE AT AL-KHARJ, FOR INSTANCE, THE PREPOSITIONING SITE IN -- AT CAMP DOHA IN KUWAIT, THE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FACILITY THAT HOUSES THE FIFTH FLEET IN BAHRAIN. AND HE ALSO VISITED A SITE IN OMAN. HE REPORTED THAT HE FOUND THE FORCE PROTECTION MEASURES VERY IMPRESSIVE, BUT NOTED THAT THERE'S NO ABSOLUTE LEVEL OF FORCE PROTECTION, THAT IT REMAINS EVERYBODY'S RESPONSIBILITY ALL THE TIME, AND THAT FORCE PROTECTION IS CLEARLY THE BUSINESS OF EVERY PERSON IN THE MILITARY, EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY. THAT WAS BASICALLY THE GIST OF HIS MESSAGE TO THE TROOPS. Q: COULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE PROGRESS THAT THE FBI IS MAKING IN THE CASE? A: I CANNOT. THAT'S SOMETHING FOR THE FBI TO TALK ABOUT. Q: TODAY THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER, THE BRITISH PAPER, REVEALED THAT MOST OF THE AMERICAN BOMBS AND AIR-TO-GROUND MISSILES ACQUIRED BY ISRAEL IN LEBANON LAST YEAR, WERE SOLD TO THE UNITED STATES' ARMED FORCES AND NOT TO ISRAEL. AND THEY KILLED 200 CIVILIANS AND 14 GUERRILLAS. AND THEY FOUND OUT THAT 1,700 BOMBS AND MISSILES WERE TRANSFERRED FROM U.S. MILITARY STOCKS, WITH NO PROHIBITION ON THEIR USE AGAINST CIVILIANS. WHAT DO YOU COMMENT ON THIS REPORT? ## PAGE 06 .RUEKJCS3095 UNCLAS A: I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT REPORT, AND I'D RATHER NOT COMMENT ON IT UNTIL I HAVE A -- Q: THEY ARE SAYING ALSO THAT SO ROUTINE HAS THE SYSTEM OF WEAPONS TRANSFER FROM U.S. INVENTORIES BECOME, THAT MASSIVE SHIPMENTS OF ORDINANCE TO ISRAEL ARE NOW UNDERTAKEN WITH NO PUBLICITY OR DEBATE IN AMERICA. A: I WOULD SAY THAT ALL ASPECTS OF OUR POLICY TOWARD ISRAEL ARE DEBATED HEALTHFULLY EVERY YEAR. BUT I CAN'T COMMENT SPECIFICALLY ON THAT REPORT, BECAUSE I HAVEN'T READ IT. Q: ARE YOU DENYING THAT SHIPMENT OF ARMS ARE BEING TRANSFERRED TO ISRAEL FROM THE STOCKPILES HERE, WITHOUT ANY DEBATE? A: I'M TELLING YOU THAT I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT ON A REPORT THAT I HAVEN'T READ. Q: WHEN SECRETARY COHEN MET IN SAUDI ARABIA WITH ABDULLAH AND SAUD, DID THAT RESULT IN THEM PROVIDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE KHOBAR TOWERS? A: THIS IS A -- IS A TASK THAT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS
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.