February 1986 GNU'S BULLETIN Volume 1 No.1

4. C compiler

Although I have a portable C and Pascal compiler, it has a serious
drawback: it is a very large program, and intrinsically cannot be made
smaller.  It is also very hard to bootstrap.

The problem is that most of the compiler is written in Pastel, a
super-hairy extended Pascal, and it is also the sole compiler for that
language.  To make it smaller, we must eliminate the hair needed to
compile Pastel; then we will not be able to compile Pastel, so it must
all be rewritten into C.

Len Tower, the sole full-time GNU staff person, is working on this,
with one or two assistants.  He can certainly use more, but they must
be in Cambridge or else be able to communicate on the Internet.

Таки да.