‘A Lot of Death Threats’ Disclosed by Schwarzkopf

Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf has been the target of “a lot of death threats” since his recent triumphant return from the Persian Gulf, he acknowledged Thursday.

Intense security measures were undertaken in preparation for his visit to Louisville, where he reigned as grand marshal of the Kentucky Derby parade. Those measures even included the sealing of all manhole covers along the parade route, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

At an informal press gathering at a Louisville hotel before the parade, reporters and other guests were frisked before entering.

Asked why he appeared to be surrounded by extra security, Schwarzkopf smiled and said: “I didn’t know there was a lot of security.”

The general added, almost off-handedly, that there have been a number of threats against his life since his return home.

“But I’ve got good people around me and the greatest confidence in the American people,” he said.

Such threats are to be expected “when you’re someone of high visibility, as I guess I am,” he added.