Charles Bass Quotes

Some people have said, in so many words, that I'm kind of wooly-headed in believing that the Iranians would see not having nuclear weapons as more in their security interest than not.

I was the principal negotiator for the Department of Defense, when I was secretary of the Navy, on the issue of Toshiba technology concerns with American submarines.

Counterterrorism, counterproliferation, and counterintelligence are staples. The four countries of highest interest - Russia, China, Iran and North Korea - are constants.

The committee's finding that China stole sensitive technology from U.S. weapons research labs is alarming.

I think most Americans believe that although it's better not to use military force if you can avoid it, that the world simply doesn't provide us the luxury of giving away military force as an important tool of foreign policy.

I remain committed to a balanced policy, which will protect our national interests both on our eastern border - I mean with Russia - and of course with the European Union.

Let me remind you all that the first task of American foreign policy is to reduce threats to the United States.

Putin has a lot at stake here and restoring the relationship with the United States, and there are already signs as Sandy mentioned that he's moving in the right direction to begin to ascertain that their trade with Iran is not used for the production of nuclear weapons.

Our failure to properly deal with Germany and Japan early cost the world dearly later on. We dare not make the same mistake with China.

China has legally purchased high performance computers, advanced machine tools, and semiconductor-manufacturing equipment from several American companies.

United States foreign policy, which includes national security, is literally disintegrating before our eyes.

George W. Bush has much to evaluate: he has presided over the most sweeping redesign of U.S. grand strategy since the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

A political society does not live to conduct foreign policy; it would be more correct to say that it conducts foreign policy in order to live.

… countries that are behind in their industrial and scientific development are tempted at times to steal those technologies from other countries.

On behalf of endangered American interests ….

China remains too important for America's national security to risk the relationship on the emotions of the moment.... No government in the world would have tolerated having the main square of its capital occupied by tens of thousands of demonstrators.

Mr. President, you won’t even sell milk technology to us.

Why do we give money to people who hate us?

We started … feeding the Soviets bad technology, bad computer technology, bad oil drilling technology. We fed them a whole lot, let them steal stuff that they were happy to have.

The only remaining superpower doesn’t have enough interest in what’s going on in the world to organize and run an espionage service.

So the Chinese have at last given us the grounds and the ‘incident’ which we have so long desired.

Now the situation is perilous, and the Powers are glaring at us like tigers eyeing their prey, all trying to barge into our country. Considering the financial and military situation in China today, we will of course try and avoid a war … But if our powerful enemies try and force us to yield to demands to which we cannot possibly consent, then we shall have no other alternative but to rely on the justice of our cause and to unite and fight.

Frankly I'm a bit concerned when it comes to U.S.-China relations.

Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is one of the most important objectives of our national security policy, and I strongly advocated for and supported the economic sanctions that brought Iran to the negotiating table.

We must engage with China to try and put as much pressure on North Korea as possible.