Last week the State Department issued a travel advisory warning Americans to defer travel to Saudi Arabia and urged Americans living in the Kingdom to leave.  On June 18 Secretary of State Colin Powell told an interviewer, "If they (American expats) leave, then the terrorists have won."  At the daily press briefing on June 21, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher addressed the questions of the "mixed messages."

This item of interest provides transcripts of the Powell interview and the Boucher press briefing as well as links to related materials.

Secretary Powell Interviewed on "The Michael Reagan Show" -- June 18, 2004

[Portions not related to US-Saudi relations omitted.]

MR. REAGAN:  There are people, Mr. Secretary, who would say, with the beheading now of Mr. Johnson, that this is more aimed at the Saudis and their hierarchy, in trying to undermine their leadership and bring down their leadership than anything else.  Is there any truth to that?

SECRETARY POWELL:  Well, they certainly are doing it to strike at us, but also to strike at the Saudi regime.  And the Saudi leaders -- and I just spoke to the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia less than 10 minutes ago, and he was expressing his condolences over the death of Mr. Johnson -- the Saudi leaders know what they're up against.  They know that they have to redouble their efforts to fight terrorism, to fight the terrorism that is within their borders, but also to join the worldwide campaign against terrorism.  And we have been encouraging them and they have been responding in such efforts as cutting off the funding to charitable organizations that have a terrorist link to them.

And so I think we will see the Saudis now, knowing the nature of this threat, redouble their efforts and work even more closely with us and go after these folks even more vigorously with no quarter given.

MR. REAGAN:  But there is a huge civilian population that goes into Saudi, works there like Paul Johnson, coming from the United States and other places.  What will this do to that population that goes there to work or that's working there now?  Will it undermine that and send them home?  And they are people that are needed by the Saudi Government.

SECRETARY POWELL:  It is certainly a concern of ours, but the people who are there have a pretty good understanding of the risks that they are taking in being there.  And they tend to be sort of wildcatting kinds of folks in the oil industry.  And I think they will do more to protect themselves, both to have area protection -- I know the Saudis are going to do a lot more to have area protection -- and then individual protection.  And I have spoken to some of the CEOs, I spoke to the chairman of Mr. Johnson's company the other day, and I know that the companies will be doing more to protect their citizens -- and their employees, I should say.

And so I hope that between these additional efforts and the passive measures also being taken to know who's inside the kingdom, who's sneaking in, who's coming in, those kinds of measures will encourage people to stay and continue to do the job.

If they leave, then the terrorists have won.  And I don't think either the Saudis, the Americans, or these brave folks who work in Saudi Arabia want the terrorists to win.

MR. REAGAN:  Is part of the problem of not being able to find the Johnsons when they are kidnapped because of the lack human intel that we have on the ground, that we had under, say, Bill Casey?

SECRETARY POWELL:  I don't know that I can say that.  It's, you know, it's difficult to find somebody who is suddenly swept off the streets somewhere, kidnapped and taken away.  And if the kidnappers do not give you some signal, some sign, something that is actionable, it is not impossible to keep somebody hidden, and the best intelligence system might not be able to find it.

Intelligence also tends to require a degree of time to build up a body of evidence so that you can, you know, find out where somebody is.  Sometimes it works quickly, sometimes not.  Last week, of course, or two weeks ago, I guess it was now, we had a break and got some good intelligence where we were able to rescue the Italians who had been kidnapped and do it safely.  But it doesn't always work out that way.  Sometimes, unfortunately, it works out as it has for Mr. Johnson.

MR. REAGAN:  There is some talk that, in fact, Mr. Johnson was killed long before that 72-hour period was up.  Do you know anything about that?

SECRETARY POWELL:  No, I have no way of knowing that.  This is all breaking news, Mike, and we just got confirmation that he actually is dead.  And so I can't tell you when he was killed.

Source: US State Department

U.S. State Department Daily Press Briefing -- June 21, 2004

[Portions not related to US-Saudi relations omitted.]

QUESTION: On Saudi Arabia, it seems like there are mixed messages coming out of the State Department whether private citizens should stay or shouldn't stay in Saudi Arabia. The Travel Warnings have said that, since April, have said private citizens, American citizens are urged to depart. Powell, however, in interviews on Friday was encouraging people to stay. Which is it?

MR. RICHARD BOUCHER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I don't think the Secretary was encouraging people to stay. Our advice has been and remains that Americans should defer travel to Saudi Arabia and Americans who are in Saudi Arabia should depart. We understand the difficulties with the current security situation, but we think Americans need to take our advice.

We recognize the individual difficulties that the current security situation puts people in, but we think our best advice must be for Americans to consider to leave, and that is the Secretary noted that fact in his -- I think the regional newspaper interview, if you read the transcript.

QUESTION: Yeah.

MR. BOUCHER: There are going to be some people who stay. We recognize that. We hope that they will listen to our advice carefully; but we will also do what we can to work with their companies to see that they can still be safe. And we're also working with the Saudis, more generally, supporting them in their efforts against terrorism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to try to create the kind of environment where everybody can feel comfortable working there and not have to worry about their safety.

QUESTION: Well, isn't that an acknowledge that the Saudis, try as they might, cannot assure the safety or cannot be relied upon? Because, you know, Americans are -- although 90 percent of the work done in the oil fields is done by Saudis -- Americans are important in Saudi Arabia in assisting the oil program.

George.

QUESTION: The Secretary told Michael Reagan Friday afternoon that it would be a victory for the terrorists if the Americans left.

MR. BOUCHER: The Secretary addressed that I think also in the other interview, in the regional roundtable, as well, and he noted that our advice is and remains that Americans should defer travel. We don't want to see a crippling of the Saudi oil industry. That would be a victory for the terrorists. We expect Americans to consider our advice, and the Secretary noted the advice, that is, they leave. But there are going to be some who remain and we certainly don't want to see a crippling of the oil industry.

Teri.

QUESTION: Although the Saudis have denied this, does the U.S. have any suspicion that there were any Saudi security officials who somehow cooperated in the abduction of Mr. Johnson?

MR. BOUCHER: You know, that's -- I think that's a charge that was made by the killers or people claiming to be the killers that was posted on an extremist website. It's totally unconfirmed. We know that terrorists have, including people from al-Qaida, have impersonated Saudi police and military in the past. We have no evidence to suggest that Saudi security personnel were in any way complicit with the kidnapping of Mr. Johnson.

Elise.

QUESTION: But you're not discounting it altogether? I mean, you are -- are you investigating this? I mean, when you detain terrorists, whether it be in Afghanistan or Guantanamo, you talk to them and try to elicit information. Do you hear those things?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm sure investigators will and should pursue whatever leads they have on whatever accomplices or assistance people might have gotten. I'm just saying we don't have any evidence at this point.

QUESTION: Richard, just I'm kind of confused by your answer to Barry -- the question, two questions ago. We don't want to see a crippling of the Saudi oil industry; that would be a victory for the terrorists. Are you saying, are you meaning to suggest that if all the Americans heeded your advice, all Americans in Saudi Arabia heeded your advice and left, that that would cripple the Saudi oil industry?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I don't think -- I don't think I could quite go that far. They obviously have capabilities and personnel. So our advice remains to all Americans that they should -- they should leave.

QUESTION: I don't understand how those two things go together then -- I mean --

MR. BOUCHER: I think your colleague asked me about victory for the terrorists and what context those remarks would be seen in, and this is the context that I gave.

QUESTION: Well, maybe I misread the transcript of the Secretary's radio interview, but I don't think he said crippling of the Saudi oil industry. He just talked about Americans leaving.

MR. BOUCHER: I think I gave the context for the remarks about Americans leaving, but we wouldn't want to see Americans leave to the -- we wouldn't want to see the result of Americans' departure be a crippling of the industry. In mean, that's the logic behind the statements that the Secretary made. I'm not trying to change our basic --

QUESTION: Okay, okay. But then, logically, you're saying that if all Americans did leave, it would cripple it, right?

MR. BOUCHER: No, I'm not necessarily saying it would. I'm saying, I guess it might, it could have an effect. And the reason one has to be -- recognize that there is, as the Secretary did, that there are other sides to this is that we wouldn't want to see that.

Sir.

QUESTION: Can we go further on Saudi.. different, in connection with terrorism? According to the -- I mean -- Los Angeles Times, they are saying that there was a connection, Saudi and Pakistani connection, according to the Commission that was investigating 9/11 attack, that they are the one who helped and settled the 9/11 attacks and they are behind the 9/11 attacks against the United States. Do you have any comments on the report by the Los Angeles Times?

MR. BOUCHER: I didn't see that particular report. I know that the information coming out of the 9/11 Commission about financing and things like that has been reported fairly widely.

I think, first of all, you have the statements of the Saudi Government about what they did. I think also you have a conclusion in the report -- that I have somewhere around here -- that --

QUESTION: It was reported in India, both Saudi and Pakistan.

Source:  U.S. Department of State

Related Resources:

• SUSRIS Terrorism Timeline
• Interview on The Michael Reagan Show
  Secretary Colin L. Powell
  Washington, DC -- June 18, 2004

• Roundtable with Regional U.S. Newspapers*
  Secretary Colin L. Powell
  Washington, DC -- June 18, 2004

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