[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 71 (Thursday, June 9, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
     OBJECTION TO APPOINTMENT OF CHARLES M. SEARCY TO POW/MIA SLOT

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to express my complete 
opposition to efforts by the Clinton administration to politicize the 
Defense POW/MIA Office by appointing Charles M. Searcy, an anti-Vietnam 
war activist and Clinton/Gore fundraiser, to that office. According to 
a recent Washington Post story, sources at the Pentagon see this 
appointment to the unnamed high-ranking job as a political payoff for 
his campaign organizing and fund-raising. It has also been reported 
that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security 
Affairs, Ambassador Charles W. Freeman, has appealed to Deputy 
Secretary John Deutch to stop this appointment.
  It would be an unconscionable insult to the families of those still 
missing from the Vietnam conflict and to our Nation's veterans if the 
White House proceeded with this appointment. I would think President 
Clinton would be interested in healing his relations with the military 
and our veterans rather than causing greater divisiveness.
  This potential appointment has already attracted widespread 
opposition from the National League of Families of Americans Missing 
and Prisoner in Southeast Asia, the national commander in chief of the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars, the national commander of AMVETS, and the 
national commander of Jewish War Veterans.
  Mr. President, I ask that the statements in opposition to this 
appointment by each of these POW/MIA family and veterans organizations 
be entered into the Record following my remarks.
  According to Mr. Searcy's resume which he prepared in April 1994, Mr. 
Searcy states that he has a strong interest in POW/MIA families. It is 
clear that the largest POW/MIA family organization has no interest in 
Mr. Searcy.
  Mr. Searcy, again according to his own resume, was also involved in a 
fundraising effort among United States corporations designed to support 
the lifting of the United States embargo against Vietnam. As my 
colleagues know, President Clinton's subsequent decision to lift that 
embargo brought widespread condemnation from the Nation's largest 
veterans organizations and the POW/MIA families. For the White House to 
now add insult to injury by putting an anti-Vietnam war, normalization 
advocate in the office charged with accounting for our POW/MIAs is 
deeply offensive.
  Mr. President, it is my sincere hope that the White House will not 
politicize the POW/MIA issue and offend our veterans and the POW/MIA 
families any more than he has already by proceeding with such an 
outrageous appointment.
  The statements follow:

                   VFW Challenges POW/MIA Appointment

       Washington, DC, May 18, 1994.--An effort by the 
     Administration to appoint a former Vietnam War protester to a 
     highly sensitive Pentagon post dealing with the POW/MIA issue 
     is being challenged by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
       The VFW Commander-in-Chief, George R. Cramer of Woodridge, 
     Illinois, today said: ``I am appalled the Administration 
     would appoint Charles Searcy, a Vietnam anti-war protester, 
     to the office responsible for recovering our wartime POW/
     MIAs. We do not believe anti-war protests provided aid and 
     comfort to our POWs or hastened their release. Instead, these 
     actions played into the hands of their communist captors. How 
     did Mr. Searcy show his concern for our POWs by being an 
     anti-war protester? Further, how has he shown his concern for 
     the issue prior to his appointment and since the end of the 
     war?
       ``We acknowledge that Mr. Searcy was a fundraiser and 
     campaign worker for President Clinton during the election. 
     However, his involvement in partisan politics certainly does 
     not qualify him for appointment to a position this important 
     and this sensitive. We believe Mr. Searcy's appointment is 
     irresponsible and insensitive to a large number of veterans 
     and most especially to those of us who fought the Vietnam 
     War. It clearly is not `politically correct.'
       ``The POW/MIA Office is no place for political patrons. 
     Since there are many people available and well qualified for 
     this office, selecting one of the very few veterans who was 
     an anti-war protester is a slap in the face to the rest of 
     us. The President should be able to do better and we urge him 
     to do so.''
                                  ____


             POW/MIA Families Object to Clinton Appointment

       The League opposes the Clinton Administration's appointment 
     of Charles Searcy to the Department of Defense POW/MIA 
     Office. According to League Chairman of the Board Sue Scott, 
     ``In view of Mr. Searcy's background, it defies logic that he 
     would be nominated for any POW/MIA-related position.''
       Alluding to Searcy's participation in anti-war protests as 
     ``the right of every American,'' Mrs. Scott stated, ``Such 
     behavior does not inspire confidence of family members and 
     veterans that Mr. Searcy can objectively pursue POW/MIA 
     accounting goals.''
       Searcy's active involvement with American business 
     corporations interested in lifting the U.S. embargo against 
     Vietnam also brought strong condemnation. According to Mrs. 
     Scott, ``The POW/MIA criteria set forth by President Clinton 
     on July 2, 1993 still have not been met, yet Mr. Searcy 
     advocated that the embargo be lifted. If the Clinton 
     Administration wants to reward Mr. Searcy for his campaign 
     support, some other appointment would be more appropriate,'' 
     said Mrs. Scott, referring in part to the reported $160,000 
     raised by Searcy for the Clinton/Gore campaign.
                                  ____

                                               Jewish War Veterans


                                                of the U.S.A.,

                                     Washington, DC, May 23, 1994.
     President Bill Clinton,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: The Jewish War Veterans of the United 
     States of America (JWV), this nation's oldest, active 
     national veterans' organization opposes the appointment of 
     Charles Searcy to head the Pentagon's POW/MIA Office.
       Mr. Searcy was a Vietnam anti-war protestor, and by these 
     actions, did not help in providing aid and comfort to our 
     POW's in Southeast Asia. In fact, his actions buoyed the 
     Communists and their mistreatment of our POW's.
       His appointment is an insensitive act to veterans, and most 
     especially those Vietnam veterans and those family members 
     who still have loved ones unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. 
     They are owed more than this irresponsible appointment.
       The POW/MIA office is no place for political patronage. 
     There are plenty of distinguished military personnel capable 
     of handling the duties of this office. An anti-war protestor 
     increases the perception, along with the lifting of the 
     economic boycott against Vietnam, that this government is 
     uncaring about the plight of this nation's veterans' 
     community, their dependents and those who are still 
     unaccounted for.
       This decision should be reconsidered.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward D. Blatt,
                                               National Commander.
                                  ____

                                                     May 17, 1994.
     The President,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: I am writing to express AMVETS' 
     concurrence with Senator Thurmond and our strongest possible 
     opposition to the appointment of Mr. Charles Searcy to any 
     position within the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO).
       The one quality required of anyone assigned to the DPMO is 
     that of credibility. Unfortunately, Mr. Searcy's actions 
     following his service in Vietnam have fatally damaged any 
     possibility that he would be viewed as an honest broker on 
     POW/MIA issues. Many families of those still missing 
     sincerely believe that the kind of anti-war activities 
     conducted by Mr. Searcy contributed to the loss of additional 
     American lives and lengthened the captivity of many POW's. 
     His appointment to the DPMO will only increase the appearance 
     of government insensitivity to the strongly held beliefs of 
     those involved with POW/MIA issues.
       Since the actions of the POW/MIA Office have a great impact 
     on the families, AMVETS feels the compassionate and wise 
     decision would be to find another position within the 
     government for Mr. Searcy.
       Mr. President, AMVETS looks forward to your reply and your 
     continued support for America's veterans.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Donald M. Hearon,

     National Commander.

                          ____________________