FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Upontoday's announcement of his retirement, we gratefully acknowledgethe many contributions of Eljay Bowron as Director of the UnitedStates Secret Service.

Thelaw enforcement missions of the Secret Service are many andvaried. In addition to the protective services that the SecretService provides for the President, Vice President and otherdesignated protectees the Service maintains its status as aleading agency in the prevention and investigation ofcounterfeiting and other financial crimes.

Ittakes a leader with special talents and dedication to oversee abureau with such vital responsibilities. The events over the pastfew years alone show how Director Bowron met that challenge.

Inaddition to actively participating in the Treasury Department'scomprehensive review of White House security, Director Bowronoversaw the Service's protection of the President, Vice Presidentand certain other candidates in the 1996 Presidential election.He also led the Service's massive protection undertakings duringthe 50th Anniversary Session of the United Nations, at which morethan 150 heads of state benefited from the Secret Service'scomprehensive protection, as well as during additional visits byforeign leaders during the 1996 Olympic Games.

TheTreasury Department will miss Director Bowron's manycontributions, and we wish him well in his future endeavors.