PRESS RELEASE
October 10, 1996

MORE THAN 100 FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS PERSONALLY ENDORSE PRESIDENT CLINTON’S FOREIGN POLICY AND HIS RE-ELECTION

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Expressing support for President Clinton’s foreign and defense policies, more than 100 former national security officials -- including retired Ambassadors, military flag officers, and senior State Department, Pentagon, and Presidential advisers -- today personally endorsed President Clinton and Vice President Gore.

The list includes officials who served under Republican and Democratic administrations; flag officers from the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy; and diplomats with service in virtually all parts of the world.

Explaining why they are supporting President Clinton over Bob Dole they wrote, "We salute President Clinton for resisting voices that encourage the United States to turn toward isolationism, to raise protectionist barriers, or to abdicate our global responsibilities. We praise the President’s willingness to use U.S. military power effectively, as he has done in Iraq, Bosnia, Haiti, the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere. We applaud his opposition to irresponsible reductions in American military readiness, diplomatic effectiveness, and intelligence capabilities. We commend his diligent efforts to lead America and the world to a more peaceful and secure 21st century."

The national security professionals, representing decades of experience on every aspect of international affairs, said in the written statement, "We support President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore as the candidates in 1996 best able to provide that leadership and vision."

Clinton/Gore ‘96 Campaign Manager Peter S. Knight remarked, "President Clinton is working hard to build a more peaceful, prosperous and secure future for all Americans, and this letter from these distinguished national security officials shows that we are on the right track."

Among those signing the statement were former arms control negotiator Ambassador-at-large Paul Nitze, former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, former Secretary of Defense Harold Brown, former Attorney General and Undersecretary of State Nicholas Katzenbach, former UN Ambassador Donald McHenry, former Director of Central Intelligence Admiral Stansfield Turner, Special Counsel to President Kennedy Theodore Sorensen, former Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency Paul Warnke, former U.S. Information Agency Director Leonard Marks, former U.S. Information Agency Director John E. Reinhardt, former Ambassador to China Leonard Woodcock, and former Ambassador to the Soviet Union Jack Matlock.

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Statement of National Security and Defense Experts Personally Endorsing President Clinton and Vice President Gore
October 10, 1996

The Imperative of U.S. Leadership

The post-Cold War era presents the United States with national security opportunities, challenges, and dangers that demand strong leadership and clear vision for a much changed world. As national security professionals, representing decades of experience on every aspect of international affairs, we support President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore as the candidates in 1996 best able to provide that leadership and vision.

The Clinton Administration has produced impressive national security accomplishments: breakthroughs for peace in the Mideast, Bosnia, Haiti, Northern Ireland, and South Africa; a sound defense program that has preserved the readiness of our forces while reshaping our military for the 21st century; ratification of the START II nuclear arms control treaty and the end to Russian nuclear missiles being pointed at American targets; securing agreements to remove all nuclear weapons from the former Soviet states of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus; the freezing of the North Korean nuclear weapons program and other steps to enhance security in East Asia; attaining overwhelming adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and indefinite extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty; convictions of the World Trade Center bombers and sanctions against states that support terrorism; enactment of landmark accords to lower foreign trade barriers, boost American exports, and create jobs; bold steps to prevent a destabilizing crisis in Mexico; important efforts to protect the global environment; and initiatives to relieve suffering, encourage democracy, and advance human rights abroad.

We believe strong American leadership abroad remains essential after the Cold War. We salute President Clinton for resisting voices that encourage the United States to turn toward isolationism, to raise protectionist barriers, or to abdicate our global responsibilities. We praise the President’s willingness to use U.S. military power effectively, as he has done in Iraq, Bosnia, Haiti, the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere. We applaud his opposition to irresponsible reductions in American military readiness, diplomatic effectiveness, and intelligence capabilities. We commend his diligent efforts to lead America and the world to a more peaceful and secure 21st century.

National security remains the most important aspect of a president’s job. That is why we are supporting President Bill Clinton to remain our Commander-in-Chief.

National Security and Defense Experts Personally Endorsing President Clinton and Vice President Gore October 10, 1996

The following are individual endorsements and do not represent the endorsement of any affiliated organization. Signatories to The Imperative of U.S. Leadership

Brig. Gen. Hugh S. Aitken, USMC (Ret.)
Clifford L. Alexander, Jr., former Secretary of the Army
Donald M. Anderson, former Consul General, Hong Kong and Shanghai
Amb. Robert L. Barry
Amb. Maurice M. Bernbaum
Amb. Gordon R. Beyer
Amb. Jack R. Binns
David E. Birenbaum, former U.S. Representative to the United Nations
Amb. James J. Blanchard
Amb. William Bodde, Jr.
Amb. William McC. Blair, Jr.
Amb. Paul H. Boeker
Robert R. Bowie, former Assistant Secretary of State
Amb. Peter S. Bridges
Harold Brown, former Secretary of Defense
Amb. William I. Cargo
Barry E. Carter, former Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce
Amb. Anne Cox Chambers
Christian A. Chapman, former Minister to France
Maj. Gen. Arthur W. Clark, USAF (Ret.)
Amb. Herman J. Cohen, former Assistant Secretary of State
Amb. Edwin G. Corr
Amb. John Hugh Crimmins
Amb. Horace G. Dawson, Jr.
Amb. Olcott H. Deming
Amb. Frank J. Devine
Amb. C. Edward Dillery
Amb. Donald B. Easum, former Assistant Secretary of State
Amb. William B. Edmondson
Brig. Gen. Evelyn (Pat) Foote, USA (Ret.)
Amb. Raymond L. Garthoff
Amb. Robert F. Goheen
Amb. Lincoln Gordon, former Assistant Secretary of State
Amb. Lloyd N. Hand, former U.S. Chief of Protocol
Amb. Samuel F. Hart
Amb. Arthur A. Hartman
Amb. H. Kenneth Hill
Amb. Lewis Hoffacker
Amb. Richard C. Holbrooke, former Assistant Secretary of State
Thomas L. Hughes, former Director of Intelligence and Research, Department of State
Amb. Frederick Irving, former Assistant Secretary of State
Bruce W. Jentleson, former State Department Policy Planning Staff
Amb. Geri M. Joseph
Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, former Undersecretary of State, former Attorney General
Amb. Henry L. Kimelman
Amb. E. Gregory Kryza
Amb. Philip M. Kaiser
Amb. Arthur W. Lewis
Amb. Samuel W. Lewis, former Assistant Secretary of State
Amb. James G. Lowenstein
Amb. Ray Mabus
Amb. David E. Mark
Leonard H. Marks, former Director, United States Information Agency
Amb. Richard C. Matheron
Amb. Jack F. Matlock
Charles William Maynes, former Assistant Secretary of State
Amb. Robert J. McCloskey, former Assistant Secretary of State
David E. McGiffert, former Assistant Secretary of Defense
Amb. Donald F. McHenry, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Harry McPherson, former Assistant Secretary of State
Amb. Edward W. Mulcahy
Robert J. Murray, former Under Secretary of the Navy
Amb. Paul H. Nitze
Amb. Donald R. Norland
Amb. Herbert S. Okun
Amb. Henry Owen
Amb. Mary S. Olmsted
Amb. Ronald D. Palmer
Amb. Victor H. Palmieri
Amb. Joseph R. Paolino, Jr.
Amb. Jack R. Perry
Amb. David H. Popper, former Assistant Secretary of State
Amb. John E. Reinhardt, former Director, United States Information Agency
Amb. Robert G. Rich, Jr.
Rear Admiral Horace B. Robertson, Jr., USN (Ret.)
William D. Rogers, former Undersecretary of State
Amb. Peter R. Rosenblatt
Jeremy D. Rosner, former National Security Council Counselor
Amb. Robert M. Sayre
Amb. John D. Scanlan
Amb. William E. Schaufele, Jr., former Assistant Secretary of State
Jerrold L. Schecter, former National Security Council Spokesman
Theodore C. Sorensen, former Special Counsel to President John F. Kennedy
Amb. Ronald I. Spiers
Amb. Andrew L. Steigman, former Undersecretary of State
Amb. Ben S. Stephansky
Amb. Michael E. Sterner
Amb. Phillips Talbot, former Assistant Secretary of State
Maj. Gen. James Taylor, Jr., USAF (Ret.)
John Jay Taylor, former Chief of Mission, Cuba
Admiral Stansfield Turner, USN (Ret.), former Director of Central Intelligence
Cyrus R. Vance, former Secretary of State
Amb. William J. vanden Heuvel
Amb. Christopher Van Hollen
Amb. Julius W. Walker, Jr.
Amb. Paul C. Warnke, former Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
Lt. Gen. Vern Weber, USA (Ret.)
Amb. Robert E. White
Amb. Milton A. Wolf
Amb. Arthur H. Woodruff
Amb. Leonard F. Woodcock
Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., USN (Ret.)