George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography - Get a Free Blog

had done on its personnel situation in mid 1976, while George Bush was DCI. It called
for a reduction in the size of the branch by 1350 positions over a five-year period. No
action had been taken. Bush had not rejected it, but neither had he faced up to it." [fn 62]
Turner then proceeded to abolish 820 jobs, which he claims was accomplished through
attrition. Other estimates of the Turner firings range between 820 and 2,800.
The plan Turner implemented was thus according to some the Nelson-Shackley-Bush
plan. Certain activities of the intelligence community were being privatized and farmed
out to such organisms as the National Endowment for Democracy and other such quasiautonomous
non-governmental organizations of Project Democracy. Under Reagan, this
privatization of intelligence operations and their increasing assignment to nongovernmental
organizations was made offocial through Executive Order 12333.
Otherwise, George Bush used his last days at the CIA for his lifelong passtime, servicing
his network. On December 16, he appeared at an awards ceremony in the Bubble at
Langley to present a medal to Juanita Moody of the National Security Agency Product
Organization staff. [fn 63]
During his year at Langley, Bush was especially forthcoming towards Wall Street, above
all towards the family firm. On at least one occasion, Bush gave an exclusive private
briefing, including forecasts on the future development of the world energy market, for
partners and executives of Brown Brothers, Harriman. Such an incident, it is superfluous
to point out, entails the gravest questions of conflict of interest. On another occasion,
Bush gave a similar briefing to the board of directors of the Chase Manhattan Bank. [fn
64]
As always, Bush had special attention for Leo Cherne, the source of so much of the
policy he implemented at the CIA. On November 8, Bush had called Cherne's attention to
a small item in US News and World Report which suggested that "US assessments have
so underrated Russia's strategic buildup that a top-secret study is under way to decide
whether to strip the CIA of responsibility for the estimates and give it to an independent
office answerable directly to the President." Another leak on Team B! Bush told Cherne
that "the attached is the kind of publicity that I am sure you would agree is very
damaging. I really don't think there is much we can do about it at this point, but I worry
about it."
Bush left Langley with Carter's inauguration, leaving Knoche to serve a couple of months
as acting DCI. In early February Bush wrote again to Leo Cherne, with whom he was
now on a first-name basis:
Thanks for that lovely letter you sent me on Feb. 2nd. I already miss our contacts a lot. I will be
leaving for Houston a week from today. [...]
Should you get down that way it would be great to see you. I am joining a couple of Boards that
will bring me East from time to time. I hope to keep up my interest in foreign affairs and in
national politics. It is quite unclear at the moment how to do these things.