George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

After reassuring Ford that he had no personal animus against Bush, Nedzi went on:
However, his proposed appointment would bring with it inevitable complications for the
intelligence community. Mr. Bush is a man with a recent partisan political past and a probable
near-term partisan political future. This is a burden neither the Agency, nor the legislative
oversight committee, nor the Executive should have to bear as the CIA enters perhaps the most
difficult period of its history.
The Director of the CIA must be unfettered by any doubts as to his politics. He must be free of the
appearance, as well as the substance, that he is acting, or not acting, with partisan political
considerations in mind.
In my judgment, as one buffeted by the winds of the CIA controversy of the last few years, I agree
that a man of stature is needed, but a non-political man.
Accordingly, I respectfully urge that you reconsider your appointment of Mr. Bush to this most
sensitive of positions. [fn 11]
Senator William V. Roth of Delaware sent Bush a letter on November 20 which made a
related point:
Dear George:
It is my deep conviction that the security of this nation depends upon an effective viable Central
Intelligence Agency. This depends in part upon the intelligence agency being involved in no way
in domestic politics, especially in the aftermath of Watergate. For that reason, I believe you have
no choice but to withdraw your name unequivocally from consideration for the Vice Presidency, if
you desire to become Director of the CIA. [...]
If Bush still wanted to pursue national office, wrote Roth, "then I believe the wise
decision is for you to ask the President to withdraw your nomination for the CIA
Directorship." [fn 12] Roth sent a copy of the same letter to Ford.
Through Jack Marsh at the White House, Bush also received a letter of advice from Tex
McCrary, the New York television and radio personality who was also an eminence grise
of Skull&Bones. "Old Tex" urged Bush to "hold a press conference in Peking while the
President is there, or from Pearl Harbor on December 7, and take yourself out of the Vice
Presidential sweepstakes for '76." McCrary's communication shows that he was a warm
supporter of Bush's confirmation. [fn 13]
Within just a couple of days of making Bush's nomination public, the Ford White House
was aware that it had a significant public relations problem. To get re-elected, Ford had
to appear as a reformer, breaking decisively with the bad old days of Nixon and the
Plumbers. But with the Bush nomination, Ford was putting a former party chairman and
future candidate for national office at the head of the entire intelligence community.
Ford's staff began to marshal attempted rebuttals for the attacks on Bush. On November
5, Jim Connor of Ford's staff had some trite boiler-plate inserted into Ford's Briefing
Book in case he were asked if the advent of Bush represented a move to obstruct the
Church and Pike committees. Ford was told to answer that he "has asked Director Colby