Clinton Y2K Concerns

President Clinton said he expects "no major national breakdowns" at the end of the year after receiving the fourth and final report from the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion.

Accompanied by Council head and top Y2K presidential adviser John Koskinen, Mr. Clinton told reporters Wednesday he wants the Y2K computer problem to be remembered as the "last headache of the 20th century, not the first crisis of the 21st."

"I am confident the Y2K problem will not put the savings or the safety of the American people at risk," the president said, indicating that everything from air traffic control systems to Social Security payment systems will work as they should.

But he added that the United States still had concerns about the Y2K readiness of some small businesses, developing countries, schools and hospitals. He called for greater contingency planning to handle problems caused by the glitch that could scramble computers on Jan. 1.

"Alert organizations armed with good contingency plans can fix Y2K problems in short order," the president said.

He cautioned all organizations against delaying preparations any further and provided a toll-free telephone number — 888-USA-4Y2K — for information on becoming Y2K-compliant by the end of the year.

While breaking little new ground, the report noted that the best-prepared sectors continue to be the federal government, power and water utilities, airlines and rail companies and telephone services. It predicted a "high degree of confidence" in those areas.

The new study also debunked worries about a misfired nuclear missile.

"Y2K problems will not cause nuclear weapons to launch themselves," the White House promised. "Nuclear weapons launch requires human intervention."

The so-called Y2K problem exists because many older computers and software programs recognize only the last two digits of the year and could mistakenly interpret "00" as 1900.