Transition and Personnel

From:r_m_gates@att.net To: john.podesta@gmail.com Date: 2008-11-23 18:11 Subject: Transition and Personnel

John, If you are reading this on a Blackberry, I apologize in advance for its length. As an announcement of the national security team nears this week or next, I thought it would be useful to put down in writing my thoughts on how to go forward during the transition -- drawing on my conversation with the President-Elect. 1. I believe I mentioned to him that once I am named, inasmuch as I alone of the team am already in office, I think the Defense transition team should report to both you and me. That way, I'll know what issues, options and recommendations they are framing and will have an opportunity to shape what they are doing and/or add my own thoughts for the President-Elect. 2. On personnel, I have understood from the outset that this will be President Obama's Defense Department. After reflecting on our conversation, apart from my office staff, speechwriters, press spokesman, etc., the only senior appointee I would like the opportunity to try to persuade to stay on for as long as I am there is the Under Secretary for Intelligence, Jim Clapper, a retired Air Force general and lifelong intelligence professional. As far as the Deputy Secretary, Service Secretaries, Under Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries, I am anticipating they will all change. As I told the President-Elect, I have no candidates for any of these positions at this point. I am willing to look to him and to you and your office for names of candidates for all those positions. I will want to interview those being considered for those positions (and General Counsel) and then will make my recommendation to the President-Elect for his decision. If I am to lead the Department and hold people accountable, the senior-most officials need to know I recommended them to the President-Elect for their jobs. While I would ultimately make the decision on who to recommend to the President, my practice has been to give the Service Secretaries and Under Secretaries considerable leeway in selecting their own subordinates. Finally, even though I do not have a single person in mind for a DoD senior position at this point, I would like to reserve the opportunity to weigh in with the President-Elect should someone come across my radarscreen I had not thought of. 3. To keep the Department running and provide continuity at this crucial time, with the exception of the Under Secretary for Policy -- who I know is planning to leave on January 20, I would like to ask the incumbent Service Secretaries, Under Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries and the Acting General Counsel to remain in place until their successors are confirmed. 4. Finally, a suggestion with regard to the fact-finding trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and the composition of the group. To provide maximum political credibility -- and maximum value of the effort for the President-Elect -- he might want to consider asking the co-chairs of the Iraq Study Group, Lee Hamilton and James Baker, perhaps augmented by one Republican and one Democrat from the Study Group (e.g., Ed Meese and Leon Panetta). No one could acuse any of them of any but the best motives, they would require little preparation, and they have built-in bi-partsian credibility with the Hill and with the media. Just a thought. If the arrangements outlined above (paragraphs 1-3) are okay with the President-Elect and you, there is no need to reply other than to say "good to go". Of course, if he or you want to discuss, I am always available. I leave for the Pacific Northwest for Thanksgiving on Wednesday afternoon, will spend Monday the 1st at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, and will return to D.C. Monday evening. My home phone in the Northwest is 360-422-5810. For what it's worth, if the national security team takes shape along the lines being reported, it will be a very strong one and I look forward to working with my new colleagues (although the Secretary of State and I may need to buy small stools to stand on when being photographed with the National Security Adviser). Bob Gates