[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 87 (Friday, July 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
        SPEECH OF FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION DIRECTOR FREEH

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, in my role as ranking Republican on the 
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce-Justice-State, it has been my 
pleasure to get to know the Director of the FBI, Louis Freeh. He is a 
forceful, determined Director who brings years of experience as an 
agent and a prosecutor to the position of Director.
  Director Freeh is currently on a trip to Germany, the Slovak 
Republic, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Russia to establish 
cooperative relationships with the law enforcement officials of those 
countries. He realizes that, in a post-cold-war, interdependent world, 
it is vital that we work together to control organized crime and 
international terrorism.
  Organized crime recognizes no borders. In addition, in the wake of 
the crumbling of traditional state structures in Eastern Europe and the 
former Soviet Union, organized crime is quickly attempting to fill the 
vacuum. In some regions it has become the de facto government.
  This is not only a problem for the countries of Europe and Asia; it 
is a growing problem for the United States and for our citizens and 
companies operating abroad. Indeed, these crime organizations are 
beginning to operate in the United States as well.
  On Tuesday Director Freeh gave a speech in Berlin that outlines the 
crime problems being faced by Eastern Europe and the former Soviet 
Union.
  He outlines three areas of concern. First, the possibility of the 
diversion of nuclear materials to criminal or terrorist organizations, 
or to outlaw nations; second, the growth of organized crime throughout 
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union; and third, the resurgence 
of hate crimes.
  However, Director Freeh is not merely attempting to share American 
know-how with these countries; he realizes we have much to learn to 
solve our own crime problems. Most importantly, he is offering them a 
partnership with the law enforcement organizations of the United States 
in a cooperative effort to attack crime and terrorism. He proposes 
turning many of the people and resources that were committed to the 
cold war to the important goal of defeating our common enemies in the 
crime world.
  I believe the Director is making a vitally important effort. I 
commend him for his vision, and I ask unanimous consent that his speech 
be reprinted in the Record so that we can all benefit from his 
insights.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  There being no objection, the speech was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

Speech of Louis J. Freeh, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, at 
  the Rotes Rathaus (Berlin City Hall), Berlin, Germany, June 28, 1994

       I want to express the gratitude of the United States 
     Government for the opportunity to meet with German officials 
     to discuss grave crime problems of such great concern to both 
     of our countries.
       We deeply appreciate the work of parliamentary State 
     Secretary Lintner in making the arrangements for the round 
     table discussions that have just been concluded.
       We are equally grateful to Mayor Diepgen and the Berlin 
     Senate for their assistance, especially for approving the 
     Rotes Rathaus as the site of our discussions
       The talks here today launch a series of discussions with 
     law enforcement officials of 11 European nations.
       Oor delegation hopes to build substantially on the 
     foundations of joint efforts already begun with some 
     countries and to create new cooperative programs against 
     crime with nations with which we now have relatively few law 
     enforcement ties.
       Moreover, President Clinton, Attorney General Reno, 
     Secretary of State Christopher and Secretary of Defense Perry 
     fully support this trip and I will report back to the 
     President who, as you know, will make an historic trip to 
     this city on July 12.
       The makeup of the United States delegation shows how 
     seriously my country views these new efforts to build 
     cooperation against a wide range of existing and potential 
     crimes.
       One member is Ronald K. Noble, the Assistant Secretary of 
     the Treasury for Law Enforcement, who supervises such 
     important agencies as the United States Customs Service, the 
     Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Secret 
     Service. We are fortunate that he will continue to have those 
     important law enforcement responsibilities as Under Secretary 
     of the Treasury for Enforcement, to which he is being 
     promoted.
       Another member of our delegation is Ambassador Robert S. 
     Gelbard, Assistant Secretary of Sate for International 
     Narcotics Matters, he leads the efforts of the Department of 
     State in dealing with diplomatic processes to develop 
     international cooperation in attacking drugs and other 
     serious crime problems.
       A third important member of our group is Thomas A. 
     Constantine, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement 
     Administration, which is the lead agency in the United States 
     in the fight against drug trafficking.
       And I am Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
     which has responsibilities for investigating organized crime, 
     violent crime, and a wide range of other offenses.
       Our visit here today would not have been possible without 
     the encouragement and support of an American official with 
     whom German officials have close working relationships--
     Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
       His contributions in the fight against our common cause 
     problems will become even more notable because he is in the 
     process of being nominated by President Clinton to be the 
     Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs.
       It is fitting for us to begin our series of talks with 
     European nations by coming here to Germany.
       Last year, President Hans Zachert kindly invited me to 
     Germany shortly after I became Director of the FBI. We had 
     very productive discussions, and I also met then with 
     Interior Minister Kanther and Parliamentary State Secretary 
     Lintner.
       Discussions and briefings I received from the BKA gave me 
     valuable insights into German law enforcement's experience 
     with organized crime groups from both Italy and Eastern 
     Europe.
       I want to stress at the beginning that I have not embarked 
     upon this journey to criticize European nations because they 
     have crime problems or to pretend the United States has none.
       To the contrary, the United States faces enormous crime 
     problems. Organized crime has been a national plague since 
     the 1920's. Consumption of illicit drugs occurs on a scale 
     that is an international scandal. The number of violent 
     crimes is the shame of the civilized world.
       We have come here for the best of reasons. We want to learn 
     from the countries of Europe.
       We want to share with Europe the bitter lessons we have 
     learned in the United States.
       We want to offer all possible assistance in working with 
     the countries of Europe in developing new joint programs 
     against crime problems that harm all of us now and may cause 
     untold suffering in the future.
       Our concerns focus on three major problems:
       First, the possibility that nuclear weapons or nuclear 
     materials may be stolen in parts of the former Soviet Union 
     and wind up in the hands of terrorists or rouge nations;
       Second, the growth and spread of organized crime in Russia 
     and other parts of Eastern Europe--organized crime that can 
     inflict vast suffering and even erode the stability of 
     governments;
       Third, a resurgence of hate crimes that are a threat to 
     decent people everywhere.
       The police in the United States, Europe, and other parts of 
     the world are facing new and difficult challenges--and the 
     problems may well grow even worse in the years ahead.
       Traditionally, each nation has policed its own problems, 
     with relatively few cooperative programs of any magnitude 
     crossing borders.
       What we might term trans-national policing really did not 
     exist until some 10 years ago.
       It began far behind the success of international crime. Law 
     enforcement in much of the world is still behind.
       Among other things, we must clearly recognize the dangers 
     that international crimes poses to all nations and take steps 
     to repel it and eventually defeat it.
       The struggle will not be easy.
       Thirty years ago, it was considered a significant event 
     when a few kilograms of heroin were smuggled into a country.
       Today, crime syndicates can rapidly set up whole new drug 
     distribution structures in different parts of the world 
     before the criminal justice system even detects them.
       The police forces of the civilized nations, those nations 
     seeking to live under the rule of law, must develop a new 
     sense of purpose.
       There must be new levels of cooperation among nations, and 
     law enforcement must become more international in scale if we 
     are to cope with unprecedented crime at unprecedented levels.
       Change. That is the key word on which police departments of 
     every nation must focus.
       Policing is vastly different today than it was in the 
     1970's. It will be far different, too, in the soon-to-arrive 
     21st century.
       Police in the United States have had close relations for 
     some time with England, Italy, Germany, and Canada.
       But there must be an expansion of international policy 
     cooperation--not just a few nations, but the world community 
     of law-abiding nations joined together against the common 
     enemy of crime.
       Nations may have differences in ideology or politics or 
     economics. But as we are seeing clearly now, criminals do not 
     recognize borders except to manipulate them. Criminals do not 
     look at any system of laws or ideology except to exploit 
     them.
       In the United States, when we talk about police officers, 
     we usually use the word ``cop.'' What we need world-wide are 
     cop-to-cop relationships that transcend borders and narrow 
     interests, cop-to-cop relationships that focus on protecting 
     the law-abiding people of all nations. Equally important are 
     the relationships of prosecutors and other criminal justice 
     professionals. It must be a team effort.
       The priority must be on detection, investigation, and 
     apprehension--in short, on solid investigative work based on 
     nation-to-nation cooperation.
       Priorities for such cooperation include efforts against 
     drug trafficking, organized crime, murder, extortion, a range 
     of other violent crimes, and theft of agents of mass 
     destruction--whether they be stolen nuclear weapons or stolen 
     chemical or biological weapons or their highly dangerous 
     components.
       No matter what differences nations may have in ideology or 
     politics, there is a fundamental need to build these cop-to-
     cop programs. Criminals will do anything to achieve their own 
     ends and care nothing about the politics of the people they 
     destroy.
       Professional law enforcement officials of every law-abiding 
     nation urgently need the legal framework and tools to 
     transform the concept of international law enforcement from a 
     catch-word into a reality.
       No one needs to give up their national autonomy. I am 
     speaking here of cooperation.
       To give one example, what if a police officer or prosecutor 
     in nation A discovers a plot by a gang in his country to 
     kidnap or murder a child who is a resident of nation B? 
     The official in nation A is going to call a counterpart in 
     nation B and save the life of the intended murder victim.
       This has nothing to do with ideology or politics.
       It has everything to do with what every truly professional 
     police officer and criminal justice official in any country 
     recognizes as his basic responsibility: The rule of law and 
     the protection of the innocent and law-abiding.
       Let me explain what I mean by a professional police or 
     criminal justice official. He, or she, is free of corruption. 
     Is fair. Is more dedicated to gather evidence and arresting 
     felons and protecting people than anything else.
       These officials dedicate themselves to fight crime. No 
     matter what other differences may exist, policemen and 
     criminal justice officials of all nations have a common 
     enemy--and the common enemy is crime.
       Law enforcement professionals have recognized this for a 
     long time.
       It's time for everyone else to do the same.
       Criminal organizations are growing and spreading. Crime 
     groups are branching out and going into partnership with 
     other crime groups on an unprecedented scale. Crime groups 
     develop working relationships, deals, cartels, joint 
     ventures, mergers--anything that will help them make money, 
     kill their opponents, neutralize the police, and in effect 
     begin to destroy governments.
       Organized crime groups are working to supplant 
     governments--and any government that ignores that fact does 
     so at its own peril.
       Organized crime cares nothing about the improvement of life 
     for the people. Organized crime groups do not care if their 
     efforts lower the standard of living, enslave vast numbers to 
     drugs, reduce the amount of food available to whole 
     populations, stifle education, or threaten human health 
     through large-scale poisoning of the environment.
       To combat all of these threats, law enforcement 
     professionals in all countries must develop new levels of 
     cooperation.
       I view the law enforcement professional as someone who is 
     effective, honest, above-board, open, and dedicated to the 
     well-being of the public.
       At the opposite end of the scale is the secret-policeman--
     who cares nothing for the rule of law, the sanctity of human 
     life, or the true rights of the people.
       Law enforcement professionals cannot function properly 
     unless they are respected by the people they are sworn to 
     protect.
       History teaches us that no police force has ever been 
     successful for very long unless it has the support of the 
     people. In a totalitarian nation, the secret police may think 
     they are succeeding because the people fear them, and in the 
     short run such secret police may be successful in some 
     things.
       But in the long run, secret police defeat themselves 
     because they receive no respect, no real support, and they 
     find themselves largely unable to obtain the truth or 
     reliable witnesses or compelling evidence. In fact, in a very 
     short time secret police, like dictatorships, so warp reality 
     that they would not recognize the truth if it fell on them.
       An inscription in the courtyard of the FBI in Washington, 
     D.C., captures something of the needed philosophy. It says: 
     ``The Most Effective Weapon Against Crime is Cooperation . . 
     . The Efforts of All Law Enforcement Agencies With The 
     Support and Understanding of the American People.''
       In the past, the FBI did not always live up to that 
     important message. But we are determined now to cooperate 
     with other law enforcement agencies and other nations, and to 
     work always for the enhanced safety and betterment of people.
       Nations that value freedom are faced with exceptionally 
     difficult crime problems. Some observers have even suggested 
     that the forces of decency will not win. But I believe the 
     opposite--that the rule of law will prevail. History shows 
     that freedom is now the prevailing tide.
       Fifty years ago, Western Europe was in ruins following 
     World War II but its people were determined. With their own 
     hard work, and a helping hand from others, the nations of 
     Western Europe were able to rebuild. And as an integral part 
     of that rebuilding, they retained democratic systems.
       In showing what free people could accomplish under the most 
     difficult circumstances, an example was set for all to see. 
     It was a subtle but crucial factor in the eventual fall of 
     communism in Eastern Europe.
       Where communism once existed, we see now the emergence of 
     democratic nations and the far-reaching impulse for 
     freedom. However, democracy cannot exist without hard 
     work. Democracy must be nurtured and protected.
       In that complex process of democracy, law enforcement must 
     play a crucial role.
       I firmly believe that what is needed today is a new 
     approach, a new dimension in cooperation by nations against 
     the worst kinds of lawlessness. I think of it as an 
     international alliance against crime.
       It would be an unprecedented program: The nations of Europe 
     and the United States would do everything within their power 
     to assist each other, 24 hours a day, against the very worst 
     crimes.
       Where large-scale crime problems now exist, we would all 
     summon the needed expertise information, and cooperation to 
     jointly fight to solve them. Where new crime problems are 
     erupting, we would all join them together quickly to defeat 
     them before they assume massive proportions.
       One important focus of these efforts for a new 
     international alliance against crime must be on the nations 
     that have emerged from the breakup of the old Soviet Union 
     and on the newly-freed nations once in the category of iron 
     curtain countries.
       This new international alliance also must develop greater 
     law enforcement ties with all of the countries of Western 
     Europe--nations that also face growing crime problems, 
     especially drug use.
       In the United States, critics said decades ago that we were 
     doing law enforcement on the cheap. The ghastly toll of 
     violent crime and drug use that followed show clearly the 
     folly of doing far too little much too late.
       We are making strong efforts to repel crime but the 
     problems are grave. For example, in 1992, the last year for 
     which figures are available, there were nearly two million 
     violent crimes reported to police in the United States.
       That dread total includes 23,700 murders, 109,000 forcible 
     rapes, 672,000 robberies, and 1.1 million aggravated 
     assaults.
       Now you may see more clearly why I emphasize that I am not 
     criticizing the countries of Europe for having crime 
     problems. The United States has crime problems that sometimes 
     seem beyond belief.
       In the final analysis, each nation must develop its own 
     remedies and help fashion its own salvation. But there is 
     much that all of the liberty-loving nations can do to help 
     each other.
       The United States must help set an example by tough 
     enforcement: for example, the nation's high level of drug 
     consumption helps to fuel the increases in organized crime 
     power in much of the world. That simply will not do. We must 
     sharply and permanently reduce trafficking and drug use.
       As a step that can be taken now, the United States must use 
     its expertise to help other nations to improve their crime-
     fighting and crime-reduction capabilities.
       This is the way a new international alliance against crime 
     could deliver the most immediate benefits. We will provide 
     the best of our technical assistance to other nations. They 
     will provide their best technical assistance to us.
       In doing so, we can all aid immeasurbly in the priority 
     task of building new democratic institutions that will 
     prevail even in the worst storms.
       Despite the magnitude of its own crime problems, the United 
     States has developed police techniques that could be of great 
     value to many nations.
       Here are a few examples:
       New investigative techniques to fight violent crime.
       New techniques to solve complex money-laundering and 
     financial crimes.
       Development of intelligence systems needed to fight 
     organized crime successfully.
       Systems to prevent and discover police or government 
     corruption.
       New forensic techniques.
       The great crime-solving ability of DNA tests.
       And the knowledge of how to set up large-scale, automated 
     finger-print systems.
       The United States also can make even more significant 
     contributions in the future in our on-going programs to train 
     at our Federal law enforcement academies the policemen and 
     other criminal justice personnel from a number of European 
     countries.
       In doing those things, we can help in the fight against a 
     common enemy--organized crime that is growing in parts of 
     Eastern Europe and spreading into Western Europe and the 
     United States.
       Why do we place a priority on cooperation against crime?
       The perils are great. We don't want organized crime from 
     Russia and Eurasia gaining a powerful position in the United 
     States. Neither do we want to see such organized crime 
     ruining nations in Europe. We have had a tragic experience 
     with organized crime in our country--watching it become an 
     almost indelible part of our society. We don't need more such 
     problems--and neither do the countries of Europe.
       The Eastern European nations must also help themselves. 
     They must have a resolve to fight crime that cannot be 
     thwarted. They also must make adequate resources available to 
     their own police departments.
       We need to do as much as possible to make certain there is 
     adequate training, equipment, laws, and democratic systems in 
     those nations where police departments have been rising out 
     of the ruins of former governments whose rule was based on 
     terror.
       There are clear differences between the two systems. The 
     old systems were based on repression, on an absence of human 
     rights. The new systems are based on freedom and respect for 
     the rights of all and the protection of the public.
       The old secret-police systems were like something out of a 
     Kafka novel, and we hope they are gone forever. Wishing will 
     not make it so. But hard work on the part of all of those who 
     love liberty will make it possible for democracy and the rule 
     of law to flourish.
       Even with the cold war over, we know that a need continues 
     to maintain our national security.
       At the same time, it may be possible for all of the former 
     cold war adversaries to divert to priority law enforcement 
     and crime reduction projects a fraction of their cold war 
     budgets.
       For example, I know that in the United States we have 
     another national need as great as national security--and that 
     is the urgent and growing priority to more effectively 
     protect our domestic security and our people from the ravages 
     of crime.
       A fraction of the funds from their cold war budgets also 
     would be money well spent by other governments in 
     protecting their people against crime and in making 
     certain that new democratic institutions thrive.
       It also might be possible for nations to devote to anti-
     crime programs some of the personnel and some of the 
     technology that formerly were used in the cold war.
       There are the best of reasons for all of us joining 
     together in these efforts.
       The common enemy of crime has grown to terrible dimensions. 
     Unchecked, it might some day even rival the atrocities of old 
     ideologies now abandoned.
       If we need an example of how bad crime might get, we have 
     only to summon the example of a nuclear weapon falling into 
     the hands of terrorists or a terrorist nation.
       If that should happen, virtually any nation on Earth could 
     be the target of that nuclear weapon, or of the next one that 
     might be stolen. Even a terrorist nation might come to 
     realize that it could in turn be the target of another group 
     of terrorists.
       We must ask ourselves who these nuclear terrorists might 
     be. They might be a terrorist country. Or they might be 
     revolutionaries. Or they might be people driven by racial or 
     religious or political hatreds.
       We must ask ourselves what the potential targets of these 
     terrorists might be. There would be many potential targets. 
     Every government has its enemies. Where might the first 
     terrorist nuclear weapon be detonated? We only need look at 
     the map of the world. The dreaded nuclear blast might occur 
     anywhere--in your city or mine.
       The key factor in defeating crime and terrorism is 
     cooperation by all of the world's nations.
       We know that decency and democracy and the rule of law 
     eventually can prevail, even after the greatest of tragedies. 
     And for an example we have to look no further than the great 
     city where we meet today.
       Berlin and Germany rose from the ashes of Nazi rule in 
     World War II. East Germany and East Berlin survived the long 
     twilight of communism. Now, for the first time in its 
     history, Germany is united, free and democratic. What a great 
     honor to be welcomed in this historic city which will soon be 
     your capital again.
       Vast resources were used in Berlin during the cold war. 
     Thousands of police guarded the wall--on both sides. It was 
     policeman against policeman. Let me raise one possibility for 
     the types of actions we all might pursue.
       All of the countries of Europe could use some of those cold 
     war resources against crime. They could join together to 
     fight all of the catastrophic crime problems--drugs, 
     violence, corruption, terrorism. And the United States and 
     other nations will join you in the effort.
       If we do not form our international alliance against crime 
     to meet these problems head-on, international criminal groups 
     will succeed. Once entrenched, they are difficult to defeat.
       As we begin this historic law enforcement trip to bring our 
     friendship and assistance to eleven countries, we look 
     forward to providing practical cop-to-cop assistance and 
     support to our new partners. The only requirement for this 
     commitment is that we all remain dedicated to the democratic 
     rule of law and renounce the practice of secret and 
     repressive policing.
       I am not suggesting that the nations of Europe are the only 
     ones with crime problems, past or present, or that some 
     European nations are alone in denial of human rights.
       In the nuclear area, for example, there have been stories 
     for years that nuclear materials have been stolen in the 
     United States. And the United States simply has to do a 
     better job in making sure no thefts occur in the future.
       In another area of serious concern, Europe has had its 
     share of ``ISMS'' that have led to terrible injustices. 
     Today, the neo-nazis or skinheads or other groups cause 
     serious concern.
       But the problem is not Germany's alone.
       In the United States, there also have been grave 
     injustices. For example, some police in our South failed for 
     decades to protect blacks and others. The Ku Klux Klan and 
     other groups committed grave crimes and intimidated law-
     abiding citizens, often without being bothered by police.
       All of that changed, of course, when Congress began to pass 
     civil rights laws and the FBI finally began tough enforcement 
     programs against those who terrorized blacks, Jews, 
     catholics, and others in the South.
       Even now, hate crimes are a serious problem in the United 
     States. The FBI has started a program to gather statistics on 
     hate crimes. The latest figures, just being released, show 
     that more than 7,600 hate crime incidents were reported to 
     police in the United States in 1993.
       The thing that all of us must do is to learn all of the 
     lessons of the past and then apply them in developing the 
     best possible law enforcement systems.
       Police must be dedicated to the protection of the people. 
     They must be honest. They must be free of any kind of 
     corruption or taint. They must believe in the rule of law, 
     and they must be willing to stand in the bright light of 
     public scrutiny.
       People who are newly free are like people who have a long 
     history of freedom: they do not want to give up liberty and 
     democracy. They do not want to go back to the bad old days.
       But free people are demanding. They want to be safe to 
     enjoy the blessings of democracy. They are not willing to 
     exchange political slavery for the slavery of drugs or of a 
     dictatorship of fear imposed by organized criminals.
       Where there is no rule of law, there is only chaos. Out of 
     chaos can come only dictatorship. Out of dictatorship can 
     come only terror, fear, suffering, death.
       The choices are very clear. We can let the forces of 
     darkness win by default. Or we can create police and law 
     enforcement systems that protect the people, defeat the 
     criminal gangs, and ensure the benefits of freedom.
       We have no time to waste. The enemy has already broken 
     through the gate. The life-and-death problems are upon us.

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