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122241520
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[12/23/1999] [1]
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122241520
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[12/23/1999] [1]
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Presidential Electronic Mail from the Automated Records Management System (ARMS)
Automated Records Management System (ARMS) Email from the Office of Policy Development (OPD) Bucket
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122241520
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42-t-26444780-20150017F-Seg2-003-004-2017
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RECORD TYPE: PRESIDENTIAL (NOTES MAIL)
CREATOR: Elizabeth J. Potter ( CN=Elizabeth J. Potter/OU=WHO/O=EOP [ WHO ])
CREATION DATE/TIME:23-DEC-1999 10:54:59.00
SUBJECT: Larry King Live: POTUS DADT
TO: Mary E. Cahill ( CN=Mary E. Cahill/OU=WHO/O=EOP@EOP [ WHO ])
READ:UNKNOWN
TEXT:
fyi
Forwarded by Elizabeth J. Potter/WHO/EOP on
12/23/99 10:54 AM
Elizabeth J. Potter
12/23/99 10:50:33 AM
Record Type: Record
To: Johannes A. Binnendijk/NSC/EOP@EOP, David B.
Peterman/NSC/EOP@EOP, Edward W. Correia/WHO/EOP@EOP, Laura S.
Marcus/WHO/EOP@EOP
cc:
Subject: Larry King Live: POTUS DADT
POTUS remarks essentially maintaining that we need to focus on
implementation of the current policy.
ATTACHMENT 1
ATT CREATION TIME/DATE: 0 00:00:00.00
TEXT:
Unable to convert ARMS_EXT:[ATTACH.D89JARMS29619480O.046 to ASCII,
The following is a HEX DUMP:
END ATTACHMENT 1
Q
We are reevaluating, are we, don't ask, don't tell?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think the candidates are. A lot of them are saying it should
be changed.
Q
What do you think?
THE PRESIDENT: I tried to have a different policy. I tried to say gays should be able to
serve in the military --
Q
Period?
THE PRESIDENT: Without lying about it. But if the military code of justice says that
homosexual acts are illegal, if they keep it, then they'd have to observe that. But when we went
to don't ask, don't tell, it was all we could get through the Congress. The Congress had a veto-
proof majority to reverse the policy I recommended.
Now, a new administration and new members of Congress, they're free to do something
different. What we're doing now -- in August, we issued some new guidelines to try to correct
some of the abuses, because the policy, as it were articulated in '93, has been often abused, and
that's what's led to some of these expulsions, some of this harassment.
The Secretary of Defense is absolutely committed to faithfully implementing the policy.
It's really don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, under those circumstances.
Q
So it's not the policy that's wrong?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I didn't say that. I recommended a different policy, but the
policy is better than the results. That is, if the policy were faithfully applied, we would not have
many of the problems that we've had these last few years, and I think the Secretary of Defense
and the leadership of the Pentagon is now - with these new guidelines and with the work they're
doing to try to make sure people are trained and they understand they're not supposed to go in
and harass people and what can and cannot trigger an inquiry, I think we can make it better now.
[Automated Records Management System Hex-Dump Conversion]