The Department of Defense announced today that Defense
Secretary William S. Cohen has named Warren B. Rudman as a
special advisor on Gulf War illnesses issues. Rudman, a Korean
War veteran and former senator is best known for his co-
authorship of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act. Mr. Rudman served
on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He is currently vice
chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
Rudman is also a partner in the Washington, D.C., offices of the
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison law firm.
Editor's Note: A copy of Secretary Cohen's letter of 30
April, 1997 to Warren B. Rudman is attached.
30 April 1997
The Honorable Warren B. Rudman
1615 L Street
Suite 1300
Washington. DC 20036
Dear Senator Rudman:
President Clinton has made a commitment to veterans of the
Gulf War to "leave no stone unturned" in the government's efforts
to learn the causes and cures of the illnesses that afflict many
who served in Desert Storm. I share that commitment.
When I became Secretary of Defense. I inherited a vigorous
program to assess and improve our response to the concerns of the
Gulf War veterans. That program, directed by Dr. Bernard
Rostker, is producing tangible results. Under his leadership,
the Department of Defense is reaching out to thousands of Gulf
War veterans to develop a more complete picture of events during
the Gulf War, conducting an active dialogue with veterans groups
and Congress, releasing thousands of declassified intelligence
documents and records and aggressively studying events that some
veterans believe may have exposed them to chemicals.
I believe that Dr. Rostker and his team are making steady
and significant progress in their efforts to reconstruct events
and to understand the factors that may have harmed the health of
Gulf War veterans. More than 80 research projects are under way.
Despite these efforts, however, the causes of illnesses that many
veterans suffer remain a mystery.
Both Dr. Rostker and I share President Clinton's commitment
to do everything we can to. understand what happened to veterans,
to provide the best possible care and compensation to those who
are ill and to learn all we can from the Gulf War to reduce the
hazards of future military deployments.
The results of many of our investigations will soon be
available. Our efforts in this. regard must be as thorough and
complete as possible, and I believe an outside review of our
findings will help accomplish that objective. I am pleased that
you have agreed to advise us in these efforts. In addition to
making whatever recommendations you believe appropriate based on
the findings of the investigations, George Tenet, the Acting DCI,
and I ask that you pay attention to the cooperation between the
Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community and suggest
ways to improve the provision, handling and use of intelligence
information during battle.
You have answered your country's call many times -- as a
soldier during the Korean War, as a Senator and now as the vice
chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
I am pleased that you have agreed to take on this job for the
benefit of our soldiers and veterans.
Sincerely,
Bill
