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.
AND EMOTIONAL AREA, BUT IT'S AN AREA IN WHICH WE MUST MAKE PROGRESS IF WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CARRY OUT THE MODERNIZATION PROGRAM WE THINK IS NECESSARY FOR THE NEXT CENTURY. Q: ON THAT ISSUE, THERE'S BEEN SOME ANALYSES THAT INDICATE THAT IF THE CONGRESS DOESN'T LIFT THE 60-40 RULE, THAT THE PENTAGON WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRIVATIZE KELLY AND MCCLELLAN -- EVEN IF THE COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROVES THAT TO BE THE BEST DEAL. HAVE YOU ALL HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHETHER -- PAGE 04 RUEKJCS3096 UNCLAS A: WELL, WE ARE STILL HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL GET SOME RELIEF FROM THE 60-40 RULE. THE SECRETARY HAS SENT LETTERS TO CONGRESS ON THAT. WE'RE ASKING FOR 50-50, WHICH GIVES US SOME RELIEF. AND WE CAN MAKE COPIES OF THOSE LETTERS AVAILABLE TO YOU, IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN THEM ALREADY. BUT I THINK WE MADE SOME AVAILABLE LAST WEEK, AND THERE WERE SOME NEW LETTERS EITHER LATE LAST WEEK OR EARLY THIS WEEK. Q: YOU DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU COULD PRIVATIZE THOSE UNDER 60-40? A: IT WOULD BE MORE COMPLICATED, OBVIOUSLY, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE ASKED FOR RELIEF. WE HAVE ASKED FOR 50- 50. ALL ASPECTS OF THIS ISSUE ARE CONTROVERSIAL, AS YOU KNOW. BUT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE CASE THAT -- AS THE PRESIDENT MADE IN 1995, THAT THERE SHOULD BE A COMPETITIVE ASPECT IN TRYING TO RESOLVE THESE PROBLEMS. AND 50-50 WOULD GIVE US MORE ROOM TO ALLOW COMPETITION. Q: HAS SECRETARY COHEN RECEIVED ANY TYPE OF BRIEFING ON THE ROSWELL REPORT? AND IF SO, WHAT WAS HIS REACTION? A: I AM NOT AWARE THAT HE DID, SO I CAN'T REPORT ON HIS REACTION. PAGE 05 RUEKJCS3096 UNCLAS Q: COULD YOU TAKE THAT QUESTION? A: SURE. Q: THANK YOU. A: JUST A SEC' -- GEORGE? Q: JUST A SHORT [INAUDIBLE]. YOU SAID THAT WE DON'T NEED 10,000 TROOPS THERE TO HELP IN DRUG PATROL. ASIDE FROM THAT, COULD YOU SPARE THAT MANY TRAINED TROOPS TO DO THAT JOB? THE COMMANDERS TELL ME THEY DON'T HAVE THAT MANY TO SPARE. A: [PAUSE] THE TROOPS ARE STRETCHED NOW, AS YOU KNOW. THE OPERATIONAL TEMPO AND THE PERSONNEL TEMPO IS VERY HIGH. TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, WE RESPOND TO THE DIRECTION WE GET FROM CONGRESS AND THE DIRECTION WE GET FROM THE PRESIDENT. WE ALWAYS RESPOND TO THE DIRECTION WE GET FROM THE PRESIDENT, THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF. BUT RIGHT NOW THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A NEED FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10,000 TROOPS. WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH THE FORCE THAT WE HAVE PROVIDED TO THE BORDER PATROL OPERATIONS ALREADY. I DON'T SEE A HUGE DEMAND, ON THE PART OF GENERAL MCCAFFREY, OR ON THE PART OF THE PRESIDENT, TO SUPPLY LARGE NUMBERS OF ADDITIONAL TROOPS. I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE SUPPORT WE'RE PROVIDING ALREADY.
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.