What do you say when the president calls? | Forensic Files

a few days before Christmas of um 1992 President Clinton's been [Music] elected and I was at home uh packing
getting ready with my family to go to California and I got a call from Warren Christopher who was handling the
transition on the National Security side and he said uh uh Jim you suppose you could come to Little Rock and talk to
the president-elect about the CIA job I had met Bill Clinton at a dinner party in Georgetown a year and a half two
years before so I said well Chris um I'm on my way to California with my family for Christmas could I come after New
Year's or do we really need to talk about it between Christmas and New Year's and he said well actually you
ought to come today and I said today was met by a staffer and she said we'll come pick you up at 11:30 this
evening so I get picked up and mine Albright and I are sitting outside his governor's office uh waiting to see him
it was Clinton Standard time so it was after midnight I uh was shown in and it's the only time he and I were ever uh
Alone Together one-on-one and he's from Northwestern Arkansas and I'm from Northeastern
Oklahoma and we talked mainly about good places to fish uh on the Illinois River
we talked about both Arkansas and University of Oklahoma football uh uh uh it was a delightful
conversation at one point he said do you think the CIA director ought to express
positions on policy and I said the only way you ought to do it is in a handwritten note to you and he said I
agree with that I think that's right well I went to back to the hotel and the next morning early I got a call
a staffer called me and said we're going to pick you up at a little after 1200 for a 12:30 press conference so I called
Chris at The Campaign Headquarters and I said Chris it's 11:00 and I'm told they're going to pick me up in half an
hour does the president want me to be director of Central Intelligence and he said yeah sure that's what he wants and
I said well you know he never asked and I never answered and I'll never forget Chris said well I tell you what come on
over to the press conference and we'll get it sorted out I said you know Chris I think I'd like to know before the
Press conference he said uh oh okay well just a minute and he went away and he said I stuck my head in his office and
asked him and he said yeah sure that's what he wants and I said well okay I guess

James Woolsey served as director of the CIA from 1993-1995 under the Clinton Administration. He describes how he was chosen for the job. Hear more from Woolsey and 11 other CIA directors in "48 Hours Presents: The Spymasters - CIA in the Crosshairs" airing Saturday, May 21, 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Brief Summary

Jim Woolsey recounts his meeting with Bill Clinton about becoming CIA Director in 1992, sharing personal anecdotes and the appointment process.

Key points

Meeting Clinton. A pivotal late-night meeting with President-elect Clinton about the CIA job.
CIA Director Decision. Uncertainty about the CIA director position before a press conference.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It was a delightful conversation.

Reflecting on the meeting with Clinton.

1:29WatchMay 17, 2016

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