Overview

William Anthony Kirsopp Lake served as National Security Advisor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. He is most associated with the Clinton administration's deliberate inaction during the 1994 Rwandan genocide; in which an estimated 800;000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred over 100 days while the United States not only refused to intervene but actively worked to prevent the UN Security Council from using the word "genocide;" which would have triggered a legal obligation to act under the Genocide Convention. Lake received intelligence briefings detailing the systematic slaughter but the NSC chose to characterize the killings as "acts of genocide" rather than "genocide" to avoid legal obligations. The administration also blocked UN reinforcements and delayed deploying armored personnel carriers that had already been approved. Lake later acknowledged the failure; calling it one of his greatest regrets. Before the Clinton administration; Lake served in the Foreign Service in Vietnam where he became disillusioned with the war and resigned from Henry Kissinger's NSC staff over the secret bombing of Cambodia. Clinton nominated Lake to be CIA Director in 1997 but he withdrew his nomination amid Republican opposition and questions about his handling of classified information.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

1 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports