President George H.W. Bush in White House National Security Directive 26: "Access to Persian Gulf oil and the security of key friendly states in the area are vital to U.S. national security. … Normal relations between the United States and Iraq would serve our longer-term interests and promote stability in both the Gulf and the Middle East."
– George Bush Presidential Library and Museum – 41, “White House National Security Directive 26 – Subject: U.S. Policy Toward the Persian Gulf,” Oct. 2, 1989, Accessed online 3/10/2016,