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IDEC Conference, Miami 4/27/89 [2]
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
2011-2184-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13484
Folder ID Number:
13484-008
Folder Title:
IDEC Conference, Miami 4/27/89 [2]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
15
6
7
FINAL
(McNally/Dooley)
April 25, 1989
10:30 a.m.
Draft five
(IDECBLD)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
BISCAYNE BAY MARRIOTT HOTEL
MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:10 A.M.
((PAUSE)) "This scourge will stop."
((PAUSE)) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
((PAUSE)) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in that
war -- the diversion of precursor chemicals.
In the 19th Century, the scourge of the Americas was
slavery. A struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to
enrich themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their
countrymen.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, cocaine users can no longer claim non-combatant
status. There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to
the demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. The notorious Felix Gallardo --
once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also behind bars in
Mexico. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no longer
the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean nations for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind.
And so today, as this conference concludes, we are presented
with a historic opportunity. Allies in any war must consult --
as partners. And just as you have gathered on seven occasions
for IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the Western Hemisphere, whose
nations are afflicted by this scourge, join with me to work
together toward a Summit on drugs -- and a brighter day for the
children of the Americas.
And I have directed that our nation's new Drug Czar, William
Bennett, take the lead in coordinating this vital initiative.
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of cocaine, and,
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
5
We're going to start right here -- in the United States.
Because all too often that's the original source of the basic
industrial chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, U.S. chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that illegally diverted barrels of
dangerous chemicals -- clearly marked with U.S. corporate logos
-- are routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the materials without which
they cannot produce. No chemicals, no cocaine.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 88 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 88 tons of coke hits U.S.
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that precursor chemicals wreak
when they are dumped in the forests of the Amazon basin. One of
6
today's delegates, the director of narcotics enforcement for
Peru's national police, has told the DEA that as much as 175,000
pounds of sulfuric acid is dumped into the tributaries of the
Upper Huallaga ((WHY-AH-GA)) Valley each year. Anyone concerned
about the legacy of defoliation in Southeast Asia ought to go see
what illegally diverted chemicals are beginning to do to the
Andes right now.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is so severe that last year's drug bill
authorized funds for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean
up hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principal role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law, regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
of course, unilateral action by us is not going to solve
this problem. That's why we commend those governments, like
Colombia and Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical
controls. And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well
as to approve the landmark UN Convention, which includes
precursor chemical controls.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But industry must do more. And I hope that parents groups
and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who
permit their chemicals to end up in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. These companies can make an important contribution
to our nation's fight against illegal drugs. They should make it
their job to join in. No one -- not parents, not churches, not
bankers -- and certainly not chemical makers -- can afford to be
AWOL in the war on drugs.
8
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders: "The topic was:
'If I Were In Charge of The World.' Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
more effective policemen on the streets."
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to the United States. Please tell your
leaders we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And
Godspeed in your noble work.
#
#
#
fordec
and
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 18, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
FOR COMMUNICATIONS
PHILLIP D. BRADY
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND
DIRECTOR OF CABINET AFFAIRS
As we discussed, please find attached draft remarks for both the
President's speech to the Seventh International Drug Enforcement
Conference (IDEC VII) and the President's dedication of the new
Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence Center (C3I) on
April 27th in Miami, Florida.
The IDEC remarks were drafted by the State Department's Bureau
for International Narcotics Matters, principally by Catherine
Shaw (647-6936), in consultation with the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA). The draft remarks for the C3I dedication
were prepared by the Customs Service, which operates the Center
jointly with the U.S. Coast Guard. Kim Bleck in Commissioner
Willie von Raab's office (566-2101) would be an appropriate
contact for further background on the C3I Center program. Also
attached are copies of relevant letters of invitation and "Fact
Sheets" which may be helpful in the preparation of the
President's remarks for these two events.
Finally, please be advised both sets of draft remarks have been
informally reviewed by an ad hoc group which included Dave Miller
of the NSC, Robin Ross of the Attorney General's Office, John
Walters, Chief of Staff to Director Bennett and DEA Administrator
Jack Lawn. It's the consensus of the group that beyond the
fine tuning which they may recommend following circulation of
your office's work product, our primary comment would be that the
rhetoric in the draft remarks for the C3I dedication event could
be significantly toned down.
Hope this is timely and please don't hesitate to ask if I can
provide further assistance in this matter.
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONF.
BISCAYNE BAY MARRIOTT HOTEL
MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:10 A.M.
((PAUSE)) "THIS SCOURGE WILL STOP."
((PAUSE)) THOSE WERE THE WORDS WITH WHICH I OPENED
MY PRESIDENCY. AND IT IS THE CONTINUATION OF THAT
PROMISE THAT BRINGS ME TO MIAMI TODAY.
- 2 -
((PAUSE)) GOOD MORNING. I AM HONORED TO BE HERE
TO TALK WITH YOU. AND I AM THANKFUL TO JACK LAWN AND
THE DISTINGUISHED ENFORCEMENT CHIEFS WHO HAVE COME FROM
THROUGHOUT THE AMERICAS -- ALONG WITH OUR FRIENDS AND
OBSERVERS FROM EUROPE -- TO JOIN FORCES IN A NEW
TRADITION OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION.
I AM HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT WAR. FIRST, TO SEE
COCAINE TRAFFICKING FOR WHAT IT IS: AN ATTACK AIMED AT
ENSLAVING AND EXPLOITING THE WEAK.
- 3 -
SECOND, TO CONFRONT WHAT'S BECOME A WORLD WAR. AND
THIRD -- I HOPE -- TO HELP END A NASTY CHAPTER IN THAT
WAR -- THE DIVERSION OF PRECURSOR CHEMICALS.
IN THE 19TH CENTURY, THE SCOURGE OF THE AMERICAS
WAS SLAVERY. A STRUGGLE OF GOOD AND EVIL, IN WHICH
SOME SOUGHT TO ENRICH THEMSELVES BY ENSLAVING THE MOST
DOWNTRODDEN OF THEIR COUNTRYMEN.
TODAY THE SCOURGE OF THIS HEMISPHERE IS CALLED
COCAINE.
= 4 -
As COMMANDING OFFICERS, YOU KNOW THE HAVOC OF WHICH
WE SPEAK. You SEE IT EVERY DAY ON THE STREETS OF YOUR
CITIES AND IN MOUNTAIN VILLAGES, IN THE HAUNTED EYES
AND BROKEN DREAMS OF A GENERATION OF YOUTH -- OF
CHILDREN -- WHO HAVE FALLEN VICTIM TO A SEDUCTIVE,
NIGHTMARISH NEW FORM OF DEPENDENCY AND SLAVERY.
OUR COUNTRIES HAVE SUFFERED A TERRIBLE TOLL, MANY
FAR WORSE THAN THE UNITED STATES.
- 5 -
DRUG TRAFFICKING IS CALLED THE WORLD'S SECOND MOST
DANGEROUS PROFESSION. THE MOST DANGEROUS IS YOURS --
DRUG ENFORCEMENT.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, I HAD A GLIMPSE OF WHAT MUST BE
ALL TOO FAMILIAR TO MANY OF YOU. I JOINED MRS. EVERETT
HATCHER TO GRIEVE THE DEATH OF HER HUSBAND, A VETERAN
DEA AGENT WHO WAS EXECUTED BY COCAINE COWARDS IN THE
BACK STREETS OF NEW YORK.
- 6 -
A WOMAN OF CONSIDERABLE DIGNITY, SHE PUT RESPONSIBILITY
FOR HATCH'S DEATH SQUARELY ON THOSE ONCE NAIVELY
EXCUSED AS "CASUAL" USERS OF COCAINE.
WELL, COCAINE USERS CAN NO LONGER CLAIM NON-
COMBATANT STATUS. THERE'S BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS.
- 7 -
AND -- THANKS IN PART TO THE DEMAND-SIDE PROGRAMS LIKE
THOSE YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT LATER THIS MORNING -- THIS
MESSAGE HAS BEGUN TO SEAR THE CONSCIENCES OF THE
STOCKBROKERS AND STUDENTS, THE LAWYERS AND THE
HOMEMAKERS AND ATHLETES WHO FINANCE OUR COMMON ENEMY.
THERE ARE MANY IRONIES. DRUG ADDICTION DOES NOT
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST A PERSON BECAUSE OF RACE, RELIGION
OR FINANCIAL STATUS.
- 8 -
IT'S THE GREAT EQUALIZER, SNARING SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF
THE RICH, THE POOR, THE MIDDLE CLASS.
SOMETIMES THE OPPOSITE OCCURS, AND KINGPINS ARE
REDUCED TO PAUPERS. THE OPULENCE OF CARLOS LEHDER'S
LIFESTYLE IS BUT MEMORY NOW AS HE BEGINS HIS JOURNEY TO
THE GRAVE -- LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE -- IN AN ILLINOIS
PENITENTIARY.
- 9 -
THE NOTORIOUS FELIX GALLARDO -- ONCE BOASTING OF HIS
POWER AND WEALTH -- IS ALSO BEHIND BARS IN MEXICO.
STRIPPED OF BLOOD MONEY, THEY ARE NOBODIES, NO LONGER
THE STUFF OF MYTH.
YOUR BUSINESS, THEN -- OUR BUSINESS -- IS TO PURSUE
THESE OUTLAWS TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. To CREATE A
WORLD WITHOUT REFUGE, TO LEAVE NO SANCTUARY, IN YOUR
COUNTRIES OR IN MINE.
- 10 -
I'VE SAID IT BEFORE: THE WAR ON DRUGS IS NO
METAPHOR. WE'VE BEEN SLOWER TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS
ALSO A WORLD WAR, LEAVING NO NATION UNSCATHED, ONE IN
WHICH HONG KONG BANKERS, BOLIVIAN GROWERS, MIDDLE
EASTERN COURIERS AND WEST COAST WHOLESALERS ALL PLAY
INSIDIOUS ROLES. IT IS ESPECIALLY ACUTE IN THIS
HEMISPHERE, WHERE AN EXPLOSIVE CYCLE OF DRUGS,
DEPENDENCY AND DOLLARS HAS ESCALATED CLEAR OUT OF
CONTROL.
- 11 -
THE TIME FOR BLAME IS BEHIND US. FOR TOO LONG, A
SHARP DIVIDE HAS BEEN DRAWN BETWEEN "PRODUCING" AND
"CONSUMING" NATIONS. WELL, "DENIAL" IS A NATURAL PART
OF HUMAN NATURE, AND PROBABLY PART OF A COUNTRY'S
NATURE AS WELL. BUT LET'S FACE IT. AMERICANS CANNOT
BLAME THE ANDEAN NATIONS FOR OUR VORACIOUS APPETITE FOR
DRUGS. ULTIMATELY, THE SOLUTION TO THE U.S. DRUG
PROBLEM LIES WITHIN OUR OWN BORDERS -- STEPPED UP
ENFORCEMENT, EDUCATION AND TREATMENT.
- 12 -
AND OUR LATIN AMERICAN COUSINS CANNOT BLAME THE
UNITED STATES FOR THE VORACIOUS GREED OF THE DRUG
TRAFFICKERS WHO CONTROL SMALL EMPIRES AT HOME.
ULTIMATELY, THE SOLUTION TO THAT PROBLEM LIES WITHIN
YOUR BORDERS.
AND YET, GOOD NEIGHBORS MUST STAND TOGETHER. A
WORLD WAR MUST BE MET IN KIND.
AND SO TODAY, AS THIS CONFERENCE CONCLUDES, WE ARE
PRESENTED WITH A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY.
- 13 -
ALLIES IN ANY WAR MUST CONSULT -- AS PARTNERS. AND
JUST AS YOU HAVE GATHERED ON SEVEN OCCASIONS FOR IDEC,
I ASK THAT THE LEADERS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, WHOSE
NATIONS ARE AFFLICTED BY THIS SCOURGE, JOIN WITH ME TO
WORK TOGETHER TOWARD A SUMMIT ON DRUGS -- AND A
BRIGHTER DAY FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAS.
AND I HAVE DIRECTED THAT OUR NATION'S NEW DRUG
CZAR, WILLIAM BENNETT, TAKE THE LEAD IN COORDINATING
THIS VITAL INITIATIVE.
- 14 -
IDEC DEMONSTRATES THAT WE WILL PUT ASIDE NATIONAL
DIFFERENCES TO DO WHAT MUST BE DONE. TOGETHER YOU HAVE
PUT CARTELS OUT OF BUSINESS, REDUCED THE SUPPLY OF
COCAINE, AND, INCREASINGLY, EDUCATED OUR CHILDREN ABOUT
THE DANGERS OF DRUG USE AND TRAFFICKING. I COMMEND
JACK LAWN, AND EACH OF YOU, FOR HAVING THE FORESIGHT TO
ESTABLISH THIS ORGANIZATION AND FOR DEMONSTRATING THE
COLLECTIVE COMMITMENT TO WORK TOGETHER.
- 15 -
I'VE SPOKEN OFTEN ON THE HORRORS OF CHEMICAL
WARFARE. WELL, CHEMICAL ABUSE IS ALSO CHEMICAL
WARFARE. POISONING OUR STREETS. As DEADLY AS MUSTARD
GAS. AND TODAY WE'RE OPENING A NEW CAMPAIGN TO RID THE
WORLD OF THESE TOXINS.
WE'RE GOING TO START RIGHT HERE -- IN THE UNITED
STATES. BECAUSE ALL TOO OFTEN THAT'S THE ORIGINAL
SOURCE OF THE BASIC INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS NEEDED TO
PRODUCE COCAINE.
- 16 -
Now, U.S. CHEMICAL COMPANIES ARE JUSTLY PROUD OF
THEIR PRODUCTS THAT VASTLY IMPROVE AND EXTEND LIFE HERE
AND ABROAD. BUT FEW AMERICANS ARE AWARE THAT ILLEGALLY
DIVERTED BARRELS OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS -- CLEARLY
MARKED WITH U.S. CORPORATE LOGOS -- ARE ROUTINELY
SEIZED IN THE JUNGLES OF COLOMBIA.
IDEC HELD A PANEL DISCUSSION ON THIS TUESDAY.
THOSE GATHERED HERE UNDERSTAND ITS IMPORTANCE.
TRAFFICKERS HAVE HIT US WHERE IT HURTS.
- 17 -
Now WE'RE GOING TO EXPLOIT THEIR VULNERABILITIES,
CRIMPING THE FLOW OF THE MATERIALS WITHOUT WHICH THEY
CANNOT PRODUCE. No CHEMICALS, NO COCAINE.
WE KNOW IT WORKS IN THE FIELD. MANY OF YOU
PARTICIPATED IN THE "IDEC SIx" OPERATIONS LAST AUGUST,
WHEN THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF 30 NATIONS SAW THE SEIZURE
OF 155,000 POUNDS OF HIGHLY FLAMMABLE ETHER, ALMOST
450,000 POUNDS OF ACETONE, OVER 50,000 POUNDS OF
HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND NEARLY 14,000 POUNDS OF MEK.
- 18 -
THIS PAST JANUARY, COLOMBIAN ANTI-NARCOTICS
OFFICERS UNDER GENERAL MUNOZ-SANABRIA ((MUN-YOAZ SA-NA-
BREE-AH)) -- WHO I UNDERSTAND IS HERE TODAY --
CONGRATULATIONS, GENERAL -- DESTROYED 25 COCAINE
LABORATORIES AND ENOUGH CHEMICALS TO MAKE APPROXIMATELY
88 METRIC TONS OF COCAINE.
THE DAMAGE THAT'S DONE WHEN 88 TONS OF COKE HITS
U.S. STREETS IS PRETTY OBVIOUS.
- 19 -
WHAT'S NOT so WELL UNDERSTOOD IS THE WIDESPREAD
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE THAT PRECURSOR CHEMICALS WREAK
WHEN THEY ARE DUMPED IN THE FORESTS OF THE AMAZON
BASIN. ONE OF TODAY'S DELEGATES, THE DIRECTOR OF
NARCOTICS ENFORCEMENT FOR PERU'S NATIONAL POLICE, HAS
TOLD THE DEA THAT AS MUCH AS 175,000 POUNDS OF SULFURIC
ACID IS DUMPED INTO THE TRIBUTARIES OF THE UPPER
HUALLAGA ((WHY-AH-GA)) VALLEY EACH YEAR.
- 20 -
ANYONE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEGACY OF DEFOLIATION IN
SOUTHEAST ASIA OUGHT TO GO SEE WHAT ILLEGALLY DIVERTED
CHEMICALS ARE BEGINNING TO DO TO THE ANDES RIGHT NOW.
NOR ARE THESE CHEMICAL TIMEBOMBS UNIQUE TO SOUTH
AMERICA. THE PROBLEM HERE IS SO SEVERE THAT LAST
YEAR'S DRUG BILL AUTHORIZED FUNDS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY TO CLEAN UP HAZARDOUS WASTE AT
CLANDESTINE U.S. DRUG LABS.
- 21 -
IN JANUARY, DEA TASK FORCE AGENTS BUSTED A HEAVILY
ARMED HOUSEBOAT LAB ON CALIFORNIA'S SACRAMENTO RIVER.
THE LAB HAD BEEN DUMPING HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND OTHER
RAW WASTE DIRECTLY INTO THE WATER, WITHIN SPLASHING
DISTANCE OF SWIMMING KIDS AND WITHIN CASTING DISTANCE
OF THOSE FISHING FOR SALMON AND STRIPERS.
WHETHER AT HOME OR ABROAD, WE'RE NOT ABOUT TO LET
THE PROUD LABEL "MADE IN THE USA" BECOME A BADGE OF
SHAME.
- 22 -
TODAY, I PLEDGE TO YOU THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL LEAD
THE FIGHT AGAINST ILLICIT SHIPMENTS OF PRECURSOR
CHEMICALS. AND I HAVE ASKED THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO
TAKE A PRINCIPAL ROLE IN THIS NEW EFFORT.
BY AND LARGE, THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY HAS SUPPORTED
US. As A RESULT OF LAST YEAR'S OMNIBUS DRUG LAW,
REGULATIONS ARE NOW BEING DRAFTED TO TIGHTEN CONTROLS
ON THE CHEMICALS NEEDED TO REFINE COCAINE.
- 23 -
AND WE ARE DEDICATING THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO THE
TASK. WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE, WILL BE DONE.
OF COURSE, UNILATERAL ACTION BY US IS NOT GOING TO
SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. THAT'S WHY WE COMMEND THOSE
GOVERNMENTS, LIKE COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA, THAT HAVE
ALREADY ADOPTED STRICT CHEMICAL CONTROLS. AND WE URGE
OTHER NATIONS TO DO so QUICKLY -- AS WELL AS TO APPROVE
THE LANDMARK UN CONVENTION, WHICH INCLUDES PRECURSOR
CHEMICAL CONTROLS.
- 24 -
MANY U.S. COMPANIES, INCLUDING SOME CHEMICAL
COMPANIES, HAVE LONG RECOGNIZED HOW DRUG ABUSE
THREATENS PRODUCTIVITY, CORPORATE IMAGE AND,
ULTIMATELY, PROFITS. MANY IN THE AMERICAN CORPORATE
COMMUNITY HAVE DONATED COUNTLESS HOURS AND MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS TO STOPPING DRUG ABUSE. MY SON JEB TALKS ABOUT
THE SUCCESSFUL "BUSINESS AGAINST DRUGS" PROGRAM HERE IN
MIAMI. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE PROUD OF THESE EFFORTS,
AND GRATEFUL.
- 25 -
BUT INDUSTRY MUST DO MORE. AND I HOPE THAT PARENTS
GROUPS AND STOCKHOLDERS ARE LISTENING TODAY. WE SHOULD
REWARD RESPONSIBLE CORPORATIONS. AND NOT DO BUSINESS
WITH THOSE WHO PERMIT THEIR CHEMICALS TO END UP IN
CRIMINAL HANDS.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE U.S. CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS
DEMONSTRATE THEIR COURAGE AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY BY
ENTERING INTO A TRUE PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR GOVERNMENT AS
WE TRY TO STOP NARCOTICS AT THE SOURCE.
- 26 -
THESE COMPANIES CAN MAKE AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO
OUR NATION'S FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL DRUGS. THEY SHOULD
MAKE IT THEIR JOB TO JOIN IN. No ONE -- NOT PARENTS,
NOT CHURCHES, NOT BANKERS -- AND CERTAINLY NOT CHEMICAL
MAKERS -- CAN AFFORD TO BE AWOL IN THE WAR ON DRUGS.
WITH so MANY CULTURES REPRESENTED IN THIS ROOM,
IT'S INEVITABLE THAT THERE WILL BE DIFFERENCES. BUT WE
SHARE AT LEAST ONE COMPELLING EXPERIENCE.
- 27 -
WHEREVER YOU CALL HOME -- WHETHER BONN OR BOGOTA OR
BOSTON -- PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD ARE BEGINNING TO HEAR
THE CRIES OF OUR CHILDREN, PLEADING WITH US TO STOP THE
DRUGS.
HERE IN MIAMI LAST MONTH ONE ELEMENTARY TEACHER
TOLD OF A WRITING ASSIGNMENT SHE GAVE HER SIXTH-
GRADERS: "THE TOPIC WAS: 'IF I WERE IN CHARGE OF THE
WORLD.' EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE 36 CHILDREN WROTE
THAT THEY WOULD GET RID OF THE DRUGS.
- 28 a
THEY WOULD GET RID OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE BREAKING THE
LAW. THEY WOULD PUT MORE EFFECTIVE POLICEMEN ON THE
STREETS."
MY FAVORITE SPEECHWRITER IS A BASEBALL GREAT NAMED
Yogi BERRA. HE'S BEEN KIDDED FOR DESCRIBING THE 1969
METS AS "OVERWHELMING UNDERDOGS." WELL, MAYBE THAT'S
NOT SUCH A BAD DESCRIPTION FOR THE GOOD GUYS IN THE
FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS. TOUGH CHALLENGES REMAIN.
- 29 -
BUT THE CHILDREN ARE WITH US, AND THE TIMES ARE
BEGINNING TO CHANGE. AND YOGI'S UNDERDOGS DID WIN THE
WORLD SERIES.
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO THE UNITED STATES. PLEASE
TELL YOUR LEADERS WE ARE ANXIOUS TO WORK WITH THEM.
GOD BLESS YOU. AND GODSPEED IN YOUR NOBLE WORK.
#
#
#
(McNally/Dooley)
April 25, 1989
10:30 a.m.
Draft five
(IDECBLD)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
BISCAYNE BAY MARRIOTT HOTEL
MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:10 A.M.
(
(PAUSE)) "This scourge will stop.'
( (PAUSE)) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE)) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in that
war -- the diversion of precursor chemicals.
In the 19th Century, the scourge of the Americas was
slavery. A struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to
enrich themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their
countrymen.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, cocaine users can no longer claim non-combatant
status. There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to
the demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. The notorious Felix Gallardo --
once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also behind bars in
Mexico. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no longer
the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean nations for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
I made
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind.
And so today, as this historic conference concludes, .I.
whore whotions are
present you with an invitation that we ask be conveyed to your
Rassign.
respective capitals. Allies in any war must consult -- as
officited
partners. And just as you have gathered on seven occasions for
this
countries whom
stouge
IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the Western Hemispherenjo:
withme
nations
together to plan strategy and commit resources. I ask that you
of
work together with our nation's new Drug Czar, William Bennett,
offerded
toward a Summit on drugs -- and a brighter day for the children
of the Americas
without
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of cocaine, and,
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
l have directed that our nations new
D my cyar, WB, take the lead in coordinating
this vital effort.
5
We're going to start right here -- in the United States.
Because all too often that's the original source of the basic
industrial chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, U.S. chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that illegally diverted barrels of
dangerous chemicals -- clearly marked with U.S. corporate logos
-- are routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the materials without which
they cannot produce. No chemicals, no cocaine.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 88 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 88 tons of coke hits U.S.
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that precursor chemicals wreak
when they are dumped in the forests of the Amazon basin. One of
6
today's delegates, the director of narcotics enforcement for
Peru's national police, has told the DEA that as much as 175,000
pounds of sulfuric acid is dumped into the tributaries of the
Upper Huallaga ((WHY-AH-GA)) Valley each year. Anyone concerned
about the legacy of defoliation in Southeast Asia ought to go see
what illegally diverted chemicals are beginning to do to the
Andes right now.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is so severe that last year's drug bill
authorized funds for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean
up hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principal role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law, regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
of course, unilateral action by us is not going to solve
this problem. That's why we commend those governments, like
Colombia and Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical
controls. And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well
as to approve the landmark UN Convention, which includes
precursor chemical controls.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But industry must do more. And I hope that parents groups
and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. These companies can make an important contribution
to our nation's fight against illegal drugs. They should make it
their job to join in. No one -- not parents, not churches, not
bankers -- and certainly not chemical makers -- can afford to be
AWOL in the war on drugs.
8
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders: "The topic was:
'If I Were In Charge Of The World.' Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
more effective policemen on the streets."
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to the United States. Please tell your
leaders we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And
Godspeed in your noble work.
#
#
#
with
E.
me
[And so today, as this historic conference concludes, I
present you with an invitation that we ask be conveyed to your
respective capitals Allies in any war must consult as partners.
And, just as you have gathered on seven occasions for IDEC, I ask
that leaders of the Western Hemispheric countries [of our
American neighbors who are afflicted by the scourge of drugs
join together to plan strategy and commit resources. I ask that
you work together with our nation's now "drug ezar, William
Bennett toward a >summit on drugs and a brighter day for the
children of the Americas.
drug scent
[reiterate a approposal which I
made
during the lost year)
lastycar
[your countries]
Brady
1 have directed that our nouti new
dz WB take the lead in CO ocd this
vital effortx You
and so today, as this
historic conference concludes,
we are presented with a historic
opportunity. allies in any
was must consult -- as
partners. and just as you
have gathered on seven
occasions for IDEC, l
ask that the leaders of
the Western Hemisphere, whose
nations are afflicted by this
scourge, join with me to
work together toward a summit
on drugs -- and a brighter day
for the children of the americas.
and l have directed that our
nation's new Drug Czar, William Bennett,
take the bad in coordinating this vital initiative.
(McNally/Dooley)
April 24, 1989
7:30 P.m.
Draft four
(IDECBLD)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
BISCAYNE BAY MARRIOTT HOTEL
MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:10 A.M.
((PAUSE)) "This scourge will stop. "
((PAUSE)) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE)) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in that
war -- the diversion of precursor chemicals.
In the 19th Century, the scourge of the Americas was
slavery. A struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to
enrich themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their
countrymen.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, cocaine users can no longer claim non-combatant
status. There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to
the demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. The notorious Felix Gallardo --
once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also behind bars in
Mexico. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no longer
the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean nations for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind.
And so today, as this historic conference concludes, I
present you with an invitation that we ask be conveyed to your
respective capitals. Allies in any war must consult -- as
partners. And just as you have gathered on seven occasions for
western Hemesphere
IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the Americas join together to
plan strategy and commit resources. I ask that you work together
with our nation's new Drug Czar, William Bennett, toward a
hemispheric Summit on drugs -- and a brighter day for the
americas.
children of the New World.
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of cocaine, and,
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
5
We're going to start right here -- in the United States.
Because all too often that's the original source of the basic
industrial chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, U.S. chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that illegally diverted barrels of
dangerous chemicals -- clearly marked with U.S. corporate logos
-- are routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the materials without which
they cannot produce. No chemicals, no cocaine.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 88 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 88 tons of coke hits U.S.
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that precursor chemicals wreak
when they are dumped in the forests of the Amazon basin. One of
6
today's delegates, the director of narcotics enforcement for
Peru's national police, has told the DEA that as much as 175,000
pounds of sulfuric acid is dumped into the tributaries of the
Upper Huallaga ((WHY-AH-GA)) Valley each year. Anyone concerned
about the legacy of defoliation in Southeast Asia ought to go see
what illegally diverted chemicals are beginning to do to the
Andes right now.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is so severe that last year's drug bill
authorized funds for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean
up hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principal role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law, regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
Of course, unilateral action by us is not going to solve
this problem. That's why we commend those governments, like
Colombia and Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical
controls. And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well
as to approve the landmark UN Convention, which includes
precursor chemical controls.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But industry must do more. And I hope that parents groups
and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. These companies can make an important contribution
to our nation's fight against illegal drugs. They should make it
their job to join in. No one -- not parents, not churches, not
bankers -- and certainly not chemical makers -- can afford to be
AWOL in the war on drugs.
8
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders: "The topic was:
'If I Were In Charge Of The World.' Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
more effective policemen on the streets."
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to the United States. Please tell your
leaders we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And
Godspeed in your noble work.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 23, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
EDWARD E. McNALLY
our
THROUGH:
DAVID DEMAREST
SUBJECT:
"SOUND BITE" VERSION OF THE IDEC REMARKS
I. SUMMARY
Attached for your consideration is a clean copy -- with
suggested "sound bites" underlined in bold type -- of the text
you approved for the IDEC address in Miami on Thursday.
II. DISCUSSION
Of all the events during this week's travels, your address
in Miami holds some of the greatest potential for making real
news.
The first set of sound bites suggested here addresses the
crises in drug enforcement ("Drug trafficking is the world's
second-most dangerous profession") and demand reduction
(
explosive cycle of drugs, dependency and dollars").
Beginning at page four, the second set of "underlined" sound
bites addresses the two substantive areas most likely to make
news:
(1) The announcement that planning has begun for
a hemispheric Summit on drugs. (p. 4).
(2) A call to action for chemical companies to help
stem the flow of precursor chemicals to cocaine
source countries. (pp. 5, 6 and 8 -- "No one can
be AWOL in the war on drugs").
[Note: Two sets of cards have been prepared for your trip.
One includes the "sound bite" underlining suggested above. The
other contains only sparse underlining, tracking the original,
approved text exactly.]
24
(McNally Dooley)
April 21 1989
2:00 p.m. 11:30 a.m.
Draft two three
(IDEC)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
BISCAYNE BAY MARRIOTT HOTEL
MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:10 A.M.
((PAUSE)) "This scourge will stop. M
((PAUSE)) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE)) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in that
war -- the diversion of precursor chemicals.
In the 19th Century, the scourge of the Americas was
slavery. A struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to
enrich themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their
countrymen.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, cocaine users can no longer claim non-combatant
status. There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to
the demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
The
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. Mexico' ^ notorious Felix
Gallardo -- once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also
in Mexico. /
behind bars. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no
longer the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean nations for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind.
[
And so today, as this historic conference concludes, I
present you with an invitation that we ask be conveyed to your
respective capitals. Just as you have gathered on seven
occasions for IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the Americas join
me in a special summit to address the scourge of our times. I
have asked our nation's new Drug Czar, William Bennett, to
organize Land such hold 1 a Summit)-before within the Inext year is out ]]
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of cocaine, and,
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
It starts in an unlikely source country. We're standing in
it. The source country is the United States. That's right --
5
the United States. Our country is the world's leading producer
of three of the key chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, U.S. chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that swollen barrels of dangerous
chemicals -- clearly marked with U.S. corporate logos -- are
routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia. To paraphrase
Madison Avenue, and to state a simple fact: Without these
chemicals, cocaine itself would be impossible.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the chemicals without which
they cannot produce.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 83 metric tons of cocaine.
?
The damage that's done when 83 tons of coke hits U.S.
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that U.S. precursor chemicals
6
wreak in the forests of the Amazon basin. Peru's Upper Huallaga
((WHY-AH-GA)) Valley is awash in U.S.-made chemicals. Countless
acres are barren. Today once-blue waters run yellow, and local
villagers are left to bathe in the toxic soup. Any manufacturers
concerned about the legacy of defoliation in Southeast Asia ought
to go see what their diverted chemicals are doing to the Andes
today.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is so severe that last year's drug bill
authorized funds for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean
up hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principal role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law, regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
of course, unilateral action by us is not going to
7
solve this problem.
That'swhywe alse commend those governments, like Colombia and
Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical controls.
And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well as to
approve the landmark UN Convention, which includes precursor
chemical controls.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But industry must do more. And I hope that parents groups
and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
Bennett.
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
Brady.
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
cicconi-
the source. Perhaps you've seen the advertisements of one such
d
company, encouraging idealistic young Americans to sign on a
because it "lets you do great things.' Well these companies
have the potential answers to a big part of our nation's drug
problem. They should make it their job to provide them. No one
8
-- not parents, not churches, not bankers -- and certainly not
chemical makers -- can afford to be ANOL in the war on drugs.
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders: "The topic was:
'If I Were In Charge of The World.' Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
more effective policemen on the streets."
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to the United States. Please tell your
leaders we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And
Godspeed in your noble work.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
APRIL 22, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON KG for cw
FROM:
EDWARD McNALLY EMW
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DRUG ENFORCEMENT
CONFERENCE IN MIAMI
I. SUMMARY
Attached for your consideration are draft remarks for your
address to the International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC)
in Miami, scheduled for Thursday, April 27, 1989, at 9:10 a.m.
II. DISCUSSION
Initiated in 1983, each year IDEC brings together the DEA
Administrator's drug enforcement counterparts from throughout the
Americas. Several European and Caribbean "observer" nations also
participate. Jack Lawn is currently serving as IDEC VII's
president. The Miami gathering marks the first time the U.S. is
hosting IDEC.
The attached draft includes two elements that may be of
particular interest to the public and news media.
The first is the announcement (in fulfillment of a campaign
promise) that Bill Bennett will seek to "organize" a special
Summit of hemisphere leaders to address the scourge of drugs.
The relevant paragraph is on page four, and is bracketed because
Director Bennett will be advising on Monday, April 24th, whether
the suggested timetable (to "organize" the Summit " before the
year is out") permits adequate preparation for such an
announcement this week. (Alternative sets of cards will be
prepared to allow for either contingency.)
The other area of interest concerns U.S. efforts to stem the
flow of "precursor chemicals" -- essential for refining cocaine.
Although the chemical and environmental issues are well
understood by IDEC (it's on the conference agenda) they have not
yet received much attention from America's "bully pulpits."
(McNally/Dooley)
April 21, 1989
2:00 p.m.
Draft two
(IDEC)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
BISCAYNE BAY MARRIOTT HOTEL
MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:10 A.M.
( (PAUSE) ) "This scourge will stop.'
( (PAUSE) ) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE) ) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in that
war -- the diversion of precursor chemicals.
In the 19th Century, the scourge of the Americas was
slavery. A struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to
enrich themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their
countrymen.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, these users can no longer claim non-combatant status.
There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to the
demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. Mexico's notorious Felix
Gallardo -- once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also
behind bars. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no
longer the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean nations for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind.
[[And so today, as this historic conference concludes, I
present you with an invitation that we ask be conveyed to your
respective capitals. Just as you have gathered on seven
occasions for IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the Americas join
me in a special summit to address the scourge of our times. I
have asked our nation's new Drug Czar, William Bennett, to
organize such a Summit before the year is out. ]]
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of cocaine, and,
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
It starts in an unlikely source country. We're standing in
it. The source country is the United States. That's right --
5
the United States. Our country is the world's leading producer
of three of the key chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, U.S. chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that swollen barrels of dangerous
chemicals -- clearly marked with U.S. corporate logos --are
routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia. To paraphrase
Madison Avenue, and to state a simple fact: Without these
chemicals, cocaine itself would be impossible.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the chemicals without which
they cannot produce.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 83 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 83 tons of coke hits U.S.
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that U.S. precursor chemicals
6
wreak in the forests of the Amazon basin. Peru's Upper Huallaga
( (WHY-AH-GA)) Valley is awash in U.S.-made chemicals. Countless
acres are barren. Today once-blue waters run yellow, and local
villagers are left to bathe in the toxic soup. Any manufacturers
concerned about the legacy of defoliation in Southeast Asia ought
to go see what their diverted chemicals are doing to the Andes
today.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is so severe that last year's drug bill
authorized funds for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean
up hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principal role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law, regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
We also commend those governments, like Colombia and
Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical controls.
And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well as to
approve the landmark UN Convention, which includes precursor
chemical controls.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But industry must do more. And I hope that parents groups
and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. Perhaps you've seen the advertisements of one such
company, encouraging idealistic young Americans to sign on
because it "lets you do great things." Well, these companies
have the potential answers to a big part of our nation's drug
problem. They should make it their job to provide them. No one
8
-- not parents, not churches, not bankers -- and certainly not
chemical makers -- can afford to be AWOL in the war on drugs.
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders: "The topic was:
'If I Were In Charge of The World.' Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
more effective policemen on the streets."
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to the United States. Please tell your
leaders we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And
Godspeed in your noble work.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 22, 1989
Memorandum to Chriss Winston
From:
Jim Pinkerto
Re:
Comments on Rancho and IDEC drafts
The Rancho draft is fine, except for one sentence in the
second graf on page 2 where the poetic sensibility overcomes
meaning. I doubt that the President thinks that any American's
"life ended before it began." That sentence suggests degree of
predestination that we haven't seen since John Calvin's heyday!
I admit that it doesn't sound as evocative, but it would be more
in keeping with the President's optimistic, pro-free will outlook
to say "A life that ended prematurely."
This section brings up one concern that I do have, for this
and future speeches. I think we should always seek to
counterpoint a depressing story -- like the words of this unnamed
Crip -- with an uplifting personal tale of someone, preferably
also a minority youth, who has overcome the same harsh
environment. It's one thing to talk about collective action to
fight drugs, but it's even more compelling to the individual
listener if we can personalize the struggle against drugs in one
heroic life story. After all, these speeches are about hope!
The IDEC speech is full of powerful, escalatory rhetoric. I
wish we were as tough on oil companies as we were on chemical
companies!
I especially like the alliterative "drugs, dependency, and
dollars" on page 3.
My only nitpick is on the last line of graf 4 on page 6.
The correct spelling in this instance is "principal."
#
CC: Roger Porter
Bill Roper
John Gardner
reconcilistion
copy
(McNally/Dooley)
April 21, 1989
2:00 p.m.
BISCAYNE
Draft two
BAY
(IDEC)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
MARRIOTT HOTEL, MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:00 A.M.
10
( (PAUSE) ) "This scourge will stop."
( (PAUSE) ) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE) ) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
the
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
diversion precursor chemicals.
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
that was
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a, nasty chapter in the
annals
of
chemical
warfare.
that
America's Civil War was our worst and bloodiest. It came in the
19th century, when slavery was wasT the scourge of the Americas was slavery. oill
11,
>
struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to enrich
stet
themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their ^ countrymen
2.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, these users can no longer claim non-combatant status.
There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to the
demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. Mexico's notorious Felix
Gallardo -- once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also
behind bars. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no
longer the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
The Uniter
nations
Americans cannot blame the Andean peoples for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
stet
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
stat problem lies within your borders.
And yet good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind. PC And so today, as this historic conference
concludes, I present you with an invitation that we ask be
conveyed to your respective capitals. Just as you have gathered
on seven occasions for IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the
Americas join me in a special summit to address the scourge of
our nation's
our times. I have asked America ^ new Drug Czar, William
Bennett, to organize such a Summit before the year is out
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
are
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cocain e
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of powder, and,
Shere
agriculture products countries.
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
It starts in an unlikely source country. We're standing in
the US
the US
it. The source country is America. That's right America.
5
Our country
The United States ^ is the world's leading producer of three of the
key chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
U.S.
Now, American chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
stet
there
But few a Americans are aware that swollen barrels of dangerous
U.S.
U.S. chemicals -- clearly marked with American corporate logos --
are routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia. To paraphrase
Madison Avenue, and to state a simple fact: Without these
chemicals, cocaine itself would be impossible.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the chemicals without which
they cannot produce.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 83 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 83 tons of coke hits America's
u.s.
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
U.S.
widespread environmental damage that America 2 precursor
in
6
chemicals wreak on the rain forests of the Amazon basin. Peru's
Upper Huallaga ( (WHY-AH-GA)) Valley is awash in U.S. -made
chemicals. Countless acres are barren. Today once-blue waters
run yellow, and local villagers are left to bathe in the toxic
soup. Any manufacturers concerned about the legacy of
South Cart Southeast asia
defoliation in Vietnam ought to go see what their diverted
chemicals are doing to the Andes today.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is so severe that last year's drug bill provided
$
million funds for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up
hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
a
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
al
X
General to take a principle role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
We also commend those governments, like Colombia and
Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical controls.
And we urge other nations to do SO quickly -- as well as to
x
approve the landmark UN Convention on precursor chemicals.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have con
which includes precursor chem trols,
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But the I industry must do more. And I hope that parents
groups and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. Perhaps you've seen the advertisements of one such
company, encouraging idealistic young Americans to sign on
because it "lets you do great things." Well, these companies
have the potential answers to a big part of our nation's drug
problem. They should make it their job to provide them. No one
-- not parents, not churches, not bankers -- and certainly not
chemical makers -- can afford to be AWOL in the war on drugs.
8
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
X
writing assignment she gave her sixth graders "The topic was:
.
"If I Were In Charge Of The World. III Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
more effective policemen on the street.
get rid of those people who are breaking D the law. They would put
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to America. Please tell your leaders
we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And Godspeed
in your noble work.
#
#
#
ups of 20 countries
panel of 15 observous
audience of 2 200 people
/
~ 245 people
ballwom
Document No. 029287 SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
4/21/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
12:00 SATURDAY 4/22/89
DATE:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
WCB
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
WINSTON
CARD
ROGERS
PINKERTON
CICCONI
BENNETT
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide your comments/recommendations direclty to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by 12:00
SATURDAY, April 21. Thank you
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(McNally/Dooley)
April 21, 1989
1999 APR 21 III 3.5
2:00 p.m.
Draft two
(IDEC)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
MARRIOTT HOTEL, MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:00 A.M.
( (PAUSE) ) "This scourge will stop."
( (PAUSE) ) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE) ) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in the
annals of chemical warfare.
In the nineteenth century, the scourge
America's Civil War was our worst and bloodiest. It came in of the
a century when slavery was the scourge of the Americas,
A
Americas was
slavery.
struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to enrich
themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their countrymen. brethren
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, these users can no longer claim non-combatant status.
There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to the
demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. Mexico's notorious Felix
Gallardo -- once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also
behind bars. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no
longer the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean peoples for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind. And so today, as this historic conference
concludes, I present you with an invitation that we ask be
conveyed to your respective capitals. Just as you have gathered
on seven occasions for IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the
Americas join me in a special summit to address the scourge of
our times. I have asked America's new Drug Czar, William
Bennett, to organize such a Summit before the year is out.
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
There are, for
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put example, steps
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of powder, and,
that the United
States can take
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug useto help
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
promote the export
of legitimate
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
having the foresight to establish this organization and for from agricultura I products
your
countries,
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
It starts in an unlikely source country. We're standing in
it. The source country is America. That's right -- America.
0
5
The United States is the world's leading producer of three of the
key chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, American chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that swollen barrels of dangerous
U.S. chemicals -- clearly marked with American corporate logos --
are routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia. To paraphrase
Madison Avenue, and to state a simple fact: Without these
chemicals, cocaine itself would be impossible.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the chemicals without which
they cannot produce.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 83 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 83 tons of coke hits America's
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that America's precursor
6
chemicals wreak on the rain forests of the Amazon basin. Peru's
Upper Huallaga ( (WHY-AH-GA) ) Valley is awash in U.S. -made
chemicals. Countless acres are barren. Today once-blue waters
run yellow, and local villagers are left to bathe in the toxic
soup. Any manufacturers concerned about the legacy of
defoliation in Vietnam ought to go see what their diverted
chemicals are doing to the Andes today.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is SO severe that last year's drug bill provided
$
million for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up
hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principle al role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
We also commend those governments, like Colombia and
Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical controls.
And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well as to
X
approve the landmark UN Convention on precursor chemicals.
which includes precursor chemical
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have controls
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But the industry must do more. And I hope that parents
groups and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. Perhaps you've seen the advertisements of one such
company, encouraging idealistic young Americans to sign on
because it "lets you do great things." Well, these companies
have the potential answers to a big part of our nation's drug
problem. They should make it their job to provide them. No one
-- not parents, not churches, not bankers -- and certainly not
chemical makers -- can afford to be AWOL in the war on drugs.
8
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders. The topic was:
X
"If I Were In Charge Of The World. Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
X
more effective policemen on the street
"
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to America. Please tell your leaders
we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And Godspeed
in your noble work.
#
#
#
1909
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
TIME STAMP
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT STAFFING DOCUMENT
89 APR 21 P6: 23
SYSTEM LOG NUMBER:
2947
ACTION OFFICER: BEERS
DUE:
10 a.m. 22 April
Prepare Memo For Scowcroft/Gates
Appropriate Action
Prepare Memo For Cicconi
Prepare Memo for Hughes
Prepare Memo
Scowcroft
to Winston w/cc to Cicconi
CONCURRENCES/COMMENTS*
PHONE* to action officer at ext.
FYI
FYI
FYI
Basora
Lampley
Reiss
Beers
Leach
Rice
Blackwill
Lewis
Rodman
Brooks
Lowenkron
Rostow
Cabelly
Mahley
Salvetti
Charles
Mandel
Snider
Coulson
McCue
Tahir-Kheli
Deal
Melby
Tobey
X
Donley
Menan
Welch
Dyke
Miller
Working
Ebner
Miskel
Zelikow
Grant
Needels
Haass
Paal
Hoffamann
Pacelli
Hutchings
Pastorino
Jackson
Popadiuk
LaMagna
Porter
Kanter
Rademaker
INFORMATION
X
Hughes
X
Gates (advance)
X
Exec. Sec. Desk
Scowcroft (advance)
X
Secretariat
XWWD
COMMENTS
KB
Logged By Jc
Return to Secretariat
Document
No. 029287 SS
2947
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
4/21/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
12:00 SATURDAY 4/22/8
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
WINSTON
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
BENNETT
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide your comments/recommendations direclty to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by 12:00
SATURDAY, April 21. Thank you
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(McNally/Dooley)
April 21, 1989
2:00 p.m.
Draft two
(IDEC)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
MARRIOTT HOTEL, MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:00 A.M.
( (PAUSE) ) "This scourge will stop."
( (PAUSE) ) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE) ) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
s really
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
This confusing one I issues also bit of ond the is chem stretch its War.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
and carbobic
And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in the
annals of chemical warfare.
a ter a
agreeurreroft
America's Civil War was our worst and bloodiest. It came in idea
a century when slavery was the scourge of the Americas, a
especial in th
S
struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to enrich
Sout
themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their countrymen.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, these users can no longer claim non-combatant status.
There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to the
demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. Mexico's notorious Felix
Gallardo -- once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also
behind bars. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no
longer the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean peoples for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind. And so today, as this historic conference
concludes, I present you with an invitation that we ask be
conveyed to your respective capitals. Just as you have gathered
on seven occasions for IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the
Americas join me in a special summit to address the scourge of
our times. I have asked America's new Drug Czar, William
Bennett, to organize such a Summit before the year is out.
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of powder, and,
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
It starts in an unlikely source country. We're standing in
it. The source country is America. That's right -- America.
5
The United States is the world's leading producer of three of the
key chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, American chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that swollen barrels of dangerous
U.S. chemicals -- clearly marked with American corporate logos --
are routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia. To paraphrase
Madison Avenue, and to state a simple fact: Without these
chemicals, cocaine itself would be impossible.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the chemicals without which
they cannot produce.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 83 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 83 tons of coke hits America's
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that America's precursor
6
chemicals wreak on the rain forests of the Amazon basin. Peru's
Upper Huallaga ( (WHY-AH-GA) ) Valley is awash in U.S.-made
chemicals. Countless acres are barren. Today once-blue waters
run yellow, and local villagers are left to bathe in the toxic
soup. Any manufacturers concerned about the legacy of
defoliation in Vietnam ought to go see what their diverted
chemicals are doing to the Andes today.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is so severe that last year's drug bill provided
$
million for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up
hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principle role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
We also commend those governments, like Colombia and
Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical controls.
And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well as to
approve the landmark UN Convention on precursor chemicals.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But the industry must do more. And I hope that parents
groups and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. Perhaps you've seen the advertisements of one such
company, encouraging idealistic young Americans to sign on
because it "lets you do great things." Well, these companies
have the potential answers to a big part of our nation's drug
problem. They should make it their job to provide them. No one
-- not parents, not churches, not bankers -- and certainly not
chemical makers -- can afford to be AWOL in the war on drugs.
8
with so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders. The topic was:
"If I Were In Charge Of The World." Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
more effective policemen on the street.
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to America. Please tell your leaders
we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And Godspeed
in your noble work.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 21, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR
COMMUNICATIONS
FROM:
NELSON LUND ng
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: International Drug
Enforcement Conference
At the request of James W. Cicconi, Counsel's office has reviewed
the captioned draft remarks.
Counsel's Office strongly recommends that any announcement of a
hemispheric drug summit include a reference to the President's
support for measures designed to make it easier for Latin
American countries to export legitimate agricultural products.
Accordingly, we suggest inserting the following after the first
sentence in the first full paragraph on page 4:
"There are, for example, steps that the United States
can take to help promote the export of legitimate
agricultural products from your countries."
Apart from this substantive matter, we also noted that the draft
remarks uses the word "America" as a synonym for "the United
States." We suspect that some Latin Americans would be offended
by this usage.
We appreciate having had the opportunity to review these draft
remarks.
CC: James W. Cicconi
April 21, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM;
DENISE SCHWARZ
OFFICE OF CABINET AFFAIRS
SUBJECT;
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INTERNATIONAL DRUG
ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
LOG #029287SS
We have reviewed the remarks and have incorporated the
comments. We will also have more comments that will be coming on
Monday morning.
Attachment
CC: Jim Cicconi
Document No. 029287 SS
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
4/21/89
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
12:00 SATURDAY 4/22/89
DATE:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
A
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
WINSTON
P
ROGERS
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
BENNETT
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
A
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide your comments/recommendations direclty to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by 12:00
SATURDAY, April 21. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(McNally/Dooley)
April 21, 1989
1999 APR 2! 3-5 3
2:00 p.m.
Draft two
(IDEC)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
MARRIOTT HOTEL, MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:00 A.M.
( (PAUSE) ) "This scourge will stop."
( (PAUSE) ) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE) ) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in the
annals of chemical warfare.
America's Civil War was our worst and bloodiest. It came in
a century when slavery was the scourge of the Americas, a
struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to enrich
themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their countrymen.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, these users can no longer claim non-combatant status.
There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to the
demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. Mexico's notorious Felix
Gallardo -- once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also
behind bars. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no
longer the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast (what)?
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean peoples for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind. And so today, as this historic conference
concludes, I present you with an invitation that we ask be
conveyed to your respective capitals. Just as you have gathered
on seven occasions for IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the
Americas join me in a special summit to address the scourge of
our times.
I have asked America's new Drug Czar, William
Bennett address,
Bennett, to organize such a Summit before the year is out.
will on Monday,
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of powder, and,
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
It starts in an unlikely source country. We're standing in
it. The source country is America. That's right -- America.
5
The United States is the world's leading producer of three of the
key chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, American chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that swollen barrels of dangerous
U.S. chemicals -- clearly marked with American corporate logos --
are routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia. To paraphrase
Madison Avenue, and to state a simple fact: Without these
chemicals, cocaine itself would be impossible.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the chemicals without which
they cannot produce.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 83 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 83 tons of coke hits America S
streets is pretty obvious. What's not SO well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that America's precursor
6
chemicals wreak on the rain forests of the Amazon basin. Peru's
Upper Huallaga ( (WHY-AH-GA) ) Valley is awash in U.S.-made
chemicals. Countless acres are barren. Today once-blue waters
run yellow, and local villagers are left to bathe in the toxic
soup. Any manufacturers concerned about the legacy of
defoliation in Vietnam ought to go see what their diverted
chemicals are doing to the Andes today.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is SO severe that last year's drug bill provided
$
million for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up
hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principle role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
We also commend those governments, like Colombia and
Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical controls.
And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well as to
approve the landmark UN Convention on precursor chemicals.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But the industry must do more. And I hope that parents
groups and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. Perhaps you've seen the advertisements of one such
company, encouraging idealistic young Americans to sign on
because it "lets you do great things." Well, these companies
have the potential answers to a big part of our nation's drug
problem. They should make it their job to provide them. No one
-- not parents, not churches, not bankers -- and certainly not
chemical makers -- can afford to be AWOL in the war on drugs.
8
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders. The topic was:
"If I Were In Charge Of The World." Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
more effective policemen on the street.
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to America. Please tell your leaders
we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And Godspeed
in your noble work.
#
#
#
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
TIME STAMP
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT STAFFING DOCUMENT
89 APR 21 P 6: 23
SYSTEM LOG NUMBER:
2947
ACTION OFFICER: BEERS
DUE:
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Prepare Memo For Scowcroft/Gates
Appropriate Action
Prepare Memo For Cicconi
Prepare Memo for Hughes
Prepare Memo
Scowcroft
to Winston w/cc to Cicconi
CONCURRENCES/COMMENTS*
PHONE* to action officer at ext.
FYI
FYI
FYI
Basora
Lampley
Reiss
Beers
Leach
Rice
Blackwill
Lewis
Rodman
Brooks
Lowenkron
Rostow
Cabelly
Mahley
Salvetti
Charles
Mandel
Snider
Coulson
McCue
Tahir-Kheli
Deal
Melby
Tobey
X
Donley
Menan
Welch
Dyke
Miller
Working
Ebner
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Grant
Needels
Haass
Paal
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Hutchings
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Jackson
Popadiuk
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INFORMATION
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X
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X
Exec. Sec. Desk
X
Scowcroft (advance)
X
Secretariat
X
X
WWD
COMMENTS
KO
Logged By Je
Return to Secretariat
Document
No. 029287 SS
2947
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
4/21/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
12:00 SATURDAY 4/22/89
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
WINSTON
CARD
ROGERS
PINKERTON
CICCONI
BENNETT
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide your comments/recommendations direclty to Chriss
Winston's office with an info copy to my office by 12:00
SATURDAY, April 21. Thank you
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
1
(McNally/Dooley)
April 21, 1989
2:00 p.m.
Draft two
(IDEC)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: INT'L DRUG ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
MARRIOTT HOTEL, MIAMI, FLORIDA
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1989
9:00 A.M.
( (PAUSE) ) "This scourge will stop."
( (PAUSE) ) Those were the words with which I opened my
presidency. And it is the continuation of that promise that
brings me to Miami today.
( (PAUSE) ) Good morning. I am honored to be here to talk
with you. And I am thankful to Jack Lawn and the distinguished
enforcement chiefs who have come from throughout the Americas --
along with our friends and observers from Europe -- to join
forces in a new tradition of international cooperation.
I am here today to talk about war. First, to see cocaine
trafficking for what it is: an attack aimed at enslaving and
exploiting the weak. Second, to confront what's become a World
War. And third -- I hope -- to help end a nasty chapter in the
annals of chemical warfare.
a terrible
America's Civil War was our worst and bloodiest. It came in idea-
a century when slavery was the scourge of the Americas, a
especially in the
struggle of good and evil, in which some sought to enrich
South
themselves by enslaving the most downtrodden of their countrymen.
Today the scourge of this hemisphere is called cocaine.
2
As commanding officers, you know the havoc of which we
speak. You see it every day on the streets of your cities and in
mountain villages, in the haunted eyes and broken dreams of a
generation of youth -- of children -- who have fallen victim to a
seductive, nightmarish new form of dependency and slavery.
Our countries have suffered a terrible toll, many far worse
than the United States. Drug trafficking is called the world's
second most dangerous profession. The most dangerous is yours --
drug enforcement.
Earlier this year, I had a glimpse of what must be all too
familiar to many of you. I joined Mrs. Everett Hatcher to grieve
the death of her husband, a veteran DEA agent who was executed by
cocaine cowards in the back streets of New York. A woman of
considerable dignity, she put responsibility for Hatch's death
squarely on those once naively excused as "casual" users of
cocaine.
Well, these users can no longer claim non-combatant status.
There's blood on their hands. And -- thanks in part to the
demand-side programs like those you'll hear about later this
morning -- this message has begun to sear the consciences of the
stockbrokers and students, the lawyers and the homemakers and
athletes who finance our common enemy.
There are many ironies. Drug addiction does not
discriminate against a person because of race, religion or
financial status. It's the great equalizer, snaring sons and
daughters of the rich, the poor, the middle class.
3
Sometimes the opposite occurs, and kingpins are reduced to
paupers. The opulence of Carlos Lehder's lifestyle is but memory
now as he begins his journey to the grave -- life without parole
-- in an Illinois penitentiary. Mexico's notorious Felix
Gallardo -- once boasting of his power and wealth -- is also
behind bars. Stripped of blood money, they are nobodies, no
longer the stuff of myth.
Your business, then -- our business -- is to pursue these
outlaws to the ends of the earth. To create a world without
refuge, to leave no sanctuary, in your countries or in mine.
I've said it before: The war on drugs is no metaphor.
We've been slower to recognize that it is also a World War,
leaving no nation unscathed, one in which Hong Kong bankers,
Bolivian growers, Middle Eastern couriers and West Coast
wholesalers all play insidious roles. It is especially acute in
this hemisphere, where an explosive cycle of drugs, dependency
and dollars has escalated clear out of control.
The time for blame is behind us. For too long, a sharp
divide has been drawn between "producing" and "consuming"
nations. Well, "denial" is a natural part of human nature, and
probably part of a country's nature as well. But let's face it.
Americans cannot blame the Andean peoples for our voracious
appetite for drugs. Ultimately, the solution to the U.S. drug
problem lies within our own borders -- stepped up enforcement,
education and treatment.
4
And our Latin American cousins cannot blame the United
States for the voracious greed of the drug traffickers who
control small empires at home. Ultimately, the solution to that
problem lies within your borders.
And yet, good neighbors must stand together. A World War
must be met in kind. And so today, as this historic conference
concludes, I present you with an invitation that we ask be
conveyed to your respective capitals. Just as you have gathered
on seven occasions for IDEC, I ask that the leaders of the
Americas join me in a special summit to address the scourge of
our times. I have asked America's new Drug Czar, William
Bennett, to organize such a Summit before the year is out.
IDEC demonstrates that we will put aside national
differences to do what must be done. Together you have put
cartels out of business, reduced the supply of powder, and,
increasingly, educated our children about the dangers of drug use
and trafficking. I commend Jack Lawn, and each of you, for
having the foresight to establish this organization and for
demonstrating the collective commitment to work together.
I've spoken often on the horrors of chemical warfare. Well,
chemical abuse is also chemical warfare. Poisoning our streets.
As deadly as mustard gas. And today we're opening a new campaign
to rid the world of these toxins.
It starts in an unlikely source country. We're standing in
it. The source country is America. That's right -- America.
5
The United States is the world's leading producer of three of the
key chemicals needed to produce cocaine.
Now, American chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and extend life here and abroad.
But few Americans are aware that swollen barrels of dangerous
U.S. chemicals -- clearly marked with American corporate logos --
are routinely seized in the jungles of Colombia. To paraphrase
Madison Avenue, and to state a simple fact: Without these
chemicals, cocaine itself would be impossible.
IDEC held a panel discussion on this Tuesday. Those
gathered here understand its importance. Traffickers have hit us
where it hurts. Now we're going to exploit their
vulnerabilities, crimping the flow of the chemicals without which
they cannot produce.
We know it works in the field. Many of you participated in
the "IDEC Six" operations last August, when the combined efforts
of 30 nations saw the seizure of 155,000 pounds of highly
flammable ether, almost 450,000 pounds of acetone, over 50,000
pounds of hydrochloric acid and nearly 14,000 pounds of MEK.
This past January, Colombian anti-narcotics officers under
General Munoz-Sanabria -- who I understand is here today --
congratulations, General -- destroyed 25 cocaine laboratories and
enough chemicals to make approximately 83 metric tons of cocaine.
The damage that's done when 83 tons of coke hits America's
streets is pretty obvious. What's not so well understood is the
widespread environmental damage that America's precursor
6
chemicals wreak on the rain forests of the Amazon basin. Peru's
Upper Huallaga ( (WHY-AH-GA)) Valley is awash in U.S. -made.
chemicals. Countless acres are barren. Today once-blue waters
run yellow, and local villagers are left to bathe in the toxic
soup. Any manufacturers concerned about the legacy of
defoliation in Vietnam ought to go see what their diverted
chemicals are doing to the Andes today.
Nor are these chemical timebombs unique to South America.
The problem here is SO severe that last year's drug bill provided
$
million for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up
hazardous waste at clandestine U.S. drug labs.
In January, DEA Task Force agents busted a heavily armed
houseboat lab on California's Sacramento River. The lab had been
dumping hydrochloric acid and other raw waste directly into the
water, within splashing distance of swimming kids and within
casting distance of those fishing for salmon and stripers.
Whether at home or abroad, we're not about to let the proud
label "Made in the USA" become a badge of shame. Today, I pledge
to you that the United States will lead the fight against illicit
shipments of precursor chemicals. And I have asked the Attorney
General to take a principle role in this new effort.
By and large, the chemical industry has supported us. As a
result of last year's Omnibus Drug law regulations are now being
drafted to tighten controls on the chemicals needed to refine
cocaine. And we are dedicating the resources necessary to the
task. Whatever needs to be done, will be done.
7
We also commend those governments, like Colombia and
Venezuela, that have already adopted strict chemical controls.
And we urge other nations to do so quickly -- as well as to
approve the landmark UN Convention on precursor chemicals.
Many U.S. companies, including some chemical companies, have
long recognized how drug abuse threatens productivity, corporate
image and, ultimately, profits. Many in the American corporate
community have donated countless hours and millions of dollars to
stopping drug abuse. My son Jeb talks about the successful
"Business Against Drugs" program here in Miami. The American
people are proud of these efforts, and grateful.
But the industry must do more. And I hope that parents
groups and stockholders are listening today. We should reward
responsible corporations. And not do business with those who --
as of today's warning shots -- permit their chemicals to end up
in criminal hands.
We would like to see U.S. chemical manufacturers demonstrate
their courage and civic responsibility by entering into a true
partnership with our government as we try to stop narcotics at
the source. Perhaps you've seen the advertisements of one such
company, encouraging idealistic young Americans to sign on
because it "lets you do great things." Well, these companies
have the potential answers to a big part of our nation's drug
problem. They should make it their job to provide them. No one
-- not parents, not churches, not bankers -- and certainly not
chemical makers -- can afford to be AWOL in the war on drugs.
8
With so many cultures represented in this room, it's
inevitable that there will be differences. But we share at least
one compelling experience. Wherever you call home -- whether
Bonn or Bogota or Boston -- people around the world are beginning
to hear the cries of our children, pleading with us to stop the
drugs.
Here in Miami last month one elementary teacher told of a
writing assignment she gave her sixth-graders. The topic was:
"If I Were In Charge Of The World." Every single one of those 36
children wrote that they would get rid of the drugs. They would
get rid of those people who are breaking the law. They would put
more effective policemen on the street.
My favorite speechwriter is a baseball great named Yogi
Berra. He's been kidded for describing the 1969 Mets as
"overwhelming underdogs." Well, maybe that's not such a bad
description for the good guys in the fight against drugs. Tough
challenges remain. But the children are with us, and the times
are beginning to change. And Yogi's underdogs did win the World
Series.
Thank you for coming to America. Please tell your leaders
we are anxious to work with them. God bless you. And Godspeed
in your noble work.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 28, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR ANDREW H. CARD, JR.
FROM:
EDWARD E. McNALLY
you
SUBJECT:
TALKING POINTS ON CHEMICAL DIVERSION
In his recent remarks, the President emphasized that:
--
"U.S. chemical companies are justly proud of their
products that vastly improve and help to extend
life here and abroad."
:
"By and large, the chemical industry has supported
[government efforts to reduce chemical diversion].
--
"Unilateral action by us is not going to solve
this problem."
He did not just single out chemical companies, but
noted that "other nations, " "bankers," "churches,"
"concerned parents" and others all had to do their
part.
On February 20, 1989, Time reported on "The Chemical
Connection" -- replete with a photograph of Dow chemical
barrels seized at a jungle drug lab in South America. Time
reported that:
--
"[t]he drug trade is a two way street" in which "the
drug-consumer nations.
[provide] vital raw ingredients
for the scourge
that they often blame exclusively on
coke-producing countries."
-- The "contraband" seized in February's landmark
"Operation Primavera (referred to by the President)
"included containers marked with the logos of Dow
Chemical Co. and Union Chemical Corp."
According to DEA, 15 renegade U.S. chemical distributors
have recently been put out of business for illegally
supplying industrial chemicals to "hundreds" of clandestine
drug laboratories in the United States.
DEA's "Operation Origination" resulted in the seizure of
$17 million in assets, including:
-- RJM Laboratories, San Diego, California
-- Burrito Brothers Chemical Co., Fort Worth, Texas
[Source: Michael McKinnon, Chief, DEA Dangerous Drugs
Investigations Section]
Moreover, the U.S. produces approximately 60% of all
chemicals worldwide, and ranks number one or two in
production of three of the key chemicals needed to refine
cocaine (MEK, Toluene, and potassium permanganate).
U.S. exports approximately 80% of all MEK (Methyl Ethyl
Ketone) global shipments to Latin America.
U.S. exports approximately 90% of all Acetone (also a key
cocaine precursor) global shipments to Latin America.
In the last two years, the U.S. has exported over 10,000
metric tons of MEK to Colombia. But a study of that
nation's industrial requirements concluded that there was
no legitimate need for MEK in Colombia.
Additional U.S. precursor chemical production and export
data -- as well as information on the record chemical
seizures in Operation Primavera -- is attached.
CC:
David Demarest
Chriss Winston
Alixe Glen