Former President George H.W. Bush received a custom Bennett Award as the inaugural recipient of the International Spy Museum’s William H. Webster Distinguished Service Award. Chosen by a committee of highly regarded former intelligence leaders, honorees of this recognition award demonstrate extraordinary contributions to the intelligence community at the national or international level. They embody the values of Judge William H. Webster, the only person to serve as both DCI and director of the FBI, including honor, integrity, probity, and fidelity to the law.
Prior to his service as the former President of the United States, President George H.W. Bush served as the Director of Central Intelligence, advising the President and heading up the CIA. President H.W. Bush accepted this award in Kennebunkport, Maine alongside former first lady Barbara Bush. The honor was presented in advance of the first annual William H. Webster Distinguished Service Award Dinner, which took place at The Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC on November 29, 2017.
For this custom award, Bennett Awards created a clear acrylic award in the shape of a briefcase. Etched into the briefcase were the Internal Spy Museum logo and binary code snippets. The briefcase as mounted on a black base with a silver plate engraved with the recipient and award names.
The International Spy Museum, a private nonprofit organization, is the only public museum in the United States solely dedicated to the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage and intelligence. Open since July 2002, the Museum features the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. The mission of the International Spy Museum is to educate the public about espionage and intelligence in an engaging way and to provide a context that fosters understanding of their important role and impact on current and historic events. The Museum's collection chronicles the history of espionage, from its inception, to the modern day challenges facing intelligence professionals worldwide in the 21st Century.