On August 6, 1990, “Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney flew to Riyadh [Saudi Arabia] at the head of an American delegation and read out to King Fahd bin Adbul Aziz and the senior Saudi princes a message from President George [H.W.] Bush. ‘We are prepared to deploy these forces to defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,’ the message said. ‘If you ask us to come we will come. We seek no permanent bases. And when you ask us to leave, we will go home.’ ”
– Jonathan Randal, Osama, Pages 105-106