THE WHITE HOUSE

                    Office of the Press Secretary

_______________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                    April 19, 1995

                      STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

                          The Briefing Room


5:30 P.M. EDT
	     
	     THE PRESIDENT:  The bombing in Oklahoma City was an
attack on innocent children and defenseless citizens.  It was an act
of cowardice, and it was evil.  The United States will not tolerate
it.  And I will not allow the people of this country to be intimidated
by evil cowards.

	     I have met with our team, which we assembled to deal with
this bombing.  And I have determined to take the following steps to
assure the strongest response to this situation:
	     
	     First, I have deployed a crisis management team under the
leadership of the FBI, working with the Department of Justice, the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, military and local
authorities.  We are sending the world's finest investigators to solve
these murders.
	     
	     Second, I have declared an emergency in Oklahoma City.
And at my direction, James Lee Witt, the Director of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, is now on his way there to make sure we do
everything we can to help the people of Oklahoma deal with the tragedy.
	     
	     Third, we are taking every precaution to reassure and to
protect people who work in or live near other federal facilities.
	     
	     Let there be no room for doubt -- we will find the people
who did this.  When we do, justice will be swift, certain and severe.
These people are killers, and they must be treated like killers.
	     
	     Finally, let me say that I ask all Americans tonight to
pray -- to pray for the people who have lost their lives, to pray for
the families and the friends of the dead and the wounded, to pray for
the people of Oklahoma City.
	     
	     May God's grace be with them.  Meanwhile, we will be about
our work.
	     
	     Thank you.

                                 END5:33 P.M. EDT



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