George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

On November 5, Ford received Mrs. Shadrin at the White House. Mrs. Shadrin recalled
Ford as "cold and austere," a man whose "eyes seemed glazed over like a bullfrog's while
I talked." Ford was unwilling to make any committment on behalf of Shadrin. In the
meantime, Bush had allowed Copaken to interview several CIA clandestine officers,
including the last CIA contact to see Shadrin, one Cynthia Hausmann. This was
considered a highly unusual favor by the DCI, even though Hausmann's cover had
already been blown by Philip Agee. But in the end, Mrs. Shadrin concluded that her
husband had been set up by the CIA, and that "she had been a fool to believe anything
told her by George Bush...." [fn 57]
Related dimensions of Bush's intrigues at the CIA can only be hinted at. There is for
example the case of Ralph Joseph Sigler, an army segreant who worked as a double agent
with the east bloc until he was found brutally murdered by electrocution in a motel in
April, 1976. Among Sigler's belongings was a photograph of himself together with CIA
Director Bush. [fn 58]
The question raised by these cases was almost universally dodged during the 1988
election campaign: "Do the American people really want to elect a former director of the
CIA as their President," as Tom Wicker posed it in the New York Times of April 29,
1988. "That's hardly been discussed so far; but it seems obvious that a CIA chief might
well be privy to the kind of 'black' secrets that could later make him-- as a public figure-subject
to blackmail." Here is one area where we can be sure that we have only scratched
the surface.
As he managed the formidable world-wide capabilities of the CIA during 1976, Bush was
laying the groundwork for his personal advancement to higher office and greater power
in the 1980's. As we have seen, there was some intermittent speculation during the year
that, in spite of what Ford had promised the Senate, Bush might show up as Ford's
running mate after all. But, at the Republican convention, Ford chose Kansas Senator
Bob Dole for vice-president. If Ford had won the election, Bush would certainly have
attempted to secure a further promotion, perhaps to Secretary of State, Defense, or
Treasury as a springboard for a new presidential bid of his own in 1980. But if Carter
won the election, Bush would attempt to raise the banner of the non-political status of the
CIA in order to convince Carter to let him stay at Langley during the period 1977-81 as a
"non-partisan" administrator.
Carter and Bush were not destined to get along. Carter wore the mask of the cult of
Dionysios, demanding that the secrets of the inner temple be thrown open to the plebs for
which he pretended to act as tribune. Bush wore the mask of the temple of Apollo, and
argued in public for the sanctity of state secrets and the priority of covert operations
while he secretly deployed his own irregular armies. Carter had implicitly attacked Bush
during the early phases of the presidential campaign in an August 12 speech in which the
Georgian had denigrated the Ford Administration as a "dumping ground for unsuccessful
candidates, faithful political partisans, out-of-favor White House aides and
representatives of the special interests." That day, Bush had travelled to Plains, Geergia
to provide Carter with a five-hour intelligence briefing. Reporters asked Bush about