[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 2 (Thursday, January 5, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E38-E40]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            COORDINATOR FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM BILL, H.R. 22

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 4, 1995

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce H.R. 22, a bill to 
preserve the coordinator for Counter-Terrorism Office at the State 
Department. I was pleased that during the 103d Congress, we were able 
to enact into law my amendment to the State Department authorization 
bill to at least temporarily reverse the proposed reorganization plan 
that would have eliminated the Office of the Coordinator for Counter-
Terrorism. That very important and high level, as well as independent 
office, was first established during the Reagan era as a response to 
international terrorism, and it reported directly to the Secretary of 
State. The office faced the cutting-room knife as the new 
administration began in 1993, when it was planned to be merged into an 
office responsible for narcotics and international crime as well.
  [[Page E39]] The State Department is the lead U.S. agency in the 
battle against international terrorism; it is inconceivable in this day 
and age of a renewed threat from terrorism, both at home and abroad, 
not to have this high level, independent, and single function office 
maintained permanently in place. Observers at the heritage foundation, 
and other renowned experts in the counter-terrorism field, have hailed 
the efforts to save that important counter-terrorism office in the 103d 
Congress. Many have urged that we do so again in this Congress.
  I led the preservation fight for that critical State Department 
counter-terrorism office's existence last year; I will do so again this 
year along with many of my colleagues, who recognize what the real 
threat from terrorism is in today's uncertain world of ours.
  My bipartisan amendment in the 103d Congress helped us to maintain a 
permanent statutory office at least temporarily, with the lead role in 
U.S. international counter-terrorism efforts. The position was 
maintained at the high visibility equivalent to the Assistant Secretary 
level in the State Department, reporting directly to the Secretary 
along with the same functions and responsibilities it had as of January 
20, 1993.
  I was especially pleased to have the gentleman from New York [Mr. 
Nadler] who represents Lower Manhattan, the site of the 1993 World 
Trade Center terrorist bombing, join me, along with the gentlewoman 
from New York [Ms. Molinari], the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. 
Saxton], along with many others in the 103d Congress, to help prevent 
the ill-advised planned elimination of that office through merger.
  I am hopeful that this proposal will not be objected to by the 
administration again in the 104th Congress. However, we cannot take any 
chances. So unless we act and send a clear signal before April 30, 
1995, when my current amendment's statutory authority to keep this 
office in existence expires, that vital counter-terrorism office could 
disappear from the U.S. Government's structure and vehicle for 
responding to the threat of international terrorism.
  The U.S. State Department is the lead agency against terrorism 
overseas, while the FBI has the lead domestic role here at home. Both 
have done a good job, and they need all of our support and 
encouragement, and certainly not any diminution of our visible 
commitment to fighting this scourge, especially now.
  Unless we act prior to April 30, 1995, the State Department's 
counter-terrorism office, and the critical and important function it 
plays, could very well still be relegated to a mid-level Deputy 
Assistant Secretary in a multiple function office, responsible for 
narcotics, terrorism, and international crime.
  The international narcotics function alone, as we know, could easily 
consume the proposed new multifunction bureau's Assistant Secretary's 
entire time, focus, and attention.
  In fact, in the 103d Congress the battle against drugs, especially 
overseas did not go well. For example, the State Department's 
international narcotics matter [INM] budget was cut by one-third. In 
addition, we had the disastrous aerial drug trafficking intelligence 
sharing cutoff with source countries Peru and Colombia over a 
questionable legal opinion many view, including President Clinton 
himself as he said on December 9, as ``nutty.''
  The damage from that shootdown policy debacle in these two key source 
nations on our international struggle against narcotics, will take 
years to undo. We also saw during the 103d Congress, that drug use is 
on the rise for the first time since the Carter era.
  Let us be thankful, that we didn't let the administration do for 
international terrorism, what they have done for the war against drugs 
in the last 2 years.
  The United States witnessed an increased level of international 
terrorism directed at American political leaders, citizens, their 
property, and their very safety and security now even here at home. For 
example in 1993, we had the New York World Trade Center bombing, which 
took six American lives--one a constituent of mine--injured 1,000 
people and cost over $600 million in property damage and business 
disruption; never mind the incalculable psychological damage to 
America's sense of internal security.
  We also had the terrorist plots uncovered against commuter tunnels, 
Government facilities, and political leaders in New York City as well 
in 1993. In 1994, we had the deadly terrorist attacks in the Middle 
East, Panama, Argentina, North Africa, Europe, and other spots around 
the globe. Terrorism hasn't gone away in the post-cold-war era, despite 
the hopes of many, and the naivete of some.
  In light of these events, and the developing new loosely knit 
terrorist groups, and other forces promoting terrorism around the 
globe, this is not the time for America to be lowering its guard 
against the horrors and threats from international terrorism.
  We must make international terrorism a high level national priority 
in our foreign policy agenda, and as part of our Government's permanent 
planning and response structure.
  The proposed State Department downgrading of the counter-terrorism 
function would send the wrong signal at the wrong time, both to friends 
and foes alike, around the globe. Former career Ambassador at Large for 
Counter-Terrorism Paul Bremer, an expert in this area, said it best 
when he told the 103d Congress:

     * * * I am disappointed, indeed, dismayed by the 
     administration's decision to downgrade the bureaucratic level 
     of the State Department's office for combatting terrorism. It 
     seems to me this will not only make interagency coordination 
     more difficult and problematic in our Government, but will 
     make us much less effective when we go to our allies or to 
     state sponsors and ask them for help. In my experience, other 
     governments are not often persuaded by importuning Deputy 
     Assistant Secretaries (emphasis added).

  The bill I am introducing today would make permanent what the 103d 
Congress did temporarily in preserving the Counter-Terrorism Office at 
the U.S. State Department reporting directly to the Secretary of State. 
In addition it will elevate the position of coordinator in that Office 
to an Ambassador at Large in an effort to even further increase the 
Office's clout, both overseas and within the U.S. Government 
bureaucracy.
  I am pleased that my colleague and friend from New York, Senator 
D'Amato will introduce a similar bill in the other body. The New York 
congressional delegation, because of the World Trade Center bombing, 
has a particular interest and understanding regarding what is at stake 
when America might mistakenly lower its guard against the terrorist 
threat, either at home, or abroad.
  These bills being introduced here in the House and the other body, 
make it clear there can be no retreat from the struggle against 
terrorism. Let us today go firmly on the record against diminishing the 
U.S. response to international terrorism. I urge my colleagues to join 
in support of this proposal before the April 30, 1995, expiration date 
on the current life of the Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism Office at 
the U.S. State Department.
  Now is the time we must permanently authorize the Coordinator's 
Office and its bureaucratic survival in order to guarantee an 
aggressive and tough U.S. counter-terrorism policy. We will then 
anticipate and expect a no-nonsense aggressive policy from this high 
level independent office we are empowering to undertake this important 
responsibility on behalf of our national interest. Nothing less will be 
expected from the Coordinator's Office once it's status and survival is 
resolved.
  I request permission to enter into the Record a letter I received 
last year from world renowned author, Claire Sterling, who has written 
extensively, and is an expert on international crime, terrorism, 
narcotics, and knows of what she speaks.
  Her letter destroys the arguments of those who have said that the 
terrorism and drugs efforts at the State Department needed to be 
merged, as the administration tried last Congress. I cannot add to her 
cogent, clear, and persuasive arguments in favor of my position against 
such a merger. The letter speaks for itself, and I urge my colleagues 
to read her persuasive arguments as well, and join me in preventing a 
major mistake from being made in America's struggle against 
international terrorism.
  Accordingly, I urge my colleagues to join in support of this proposal 
before the April 30, 1995 expiration date on the current life of the 
Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism Office at the U.S. State Department. 
I request that the full text of this measure be inserted at this point 
in the Record.
                                                  August 12. 1994.
     Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman,
     Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Gilman: As I have been travelling for the 
     past month, it is only now that I have been able to catch up 
     with your letter of July 13.
       I willingly add my voice to those who oppose the State 
     Department's proposal to merge its Counterterrorism Office 
     into the Bureau of International Narcotics Matters. Indeed, 
     the proposal seems to go against all logic.
       It is true that the paths of certain international 
     terrorist groups and narcotraffickers cross occasionally, 
     where such terrorists rely on drug money to help finance 
     their operations. But that is essentially a marginal part of 
     these two altogether distinct and equally insidious problems. 
     The fact that both are of global proportions certainly 
     doesn't mean they can be dealt with as one.
       The world has made enormous progress in containing 
     terrorism since the U.S. took the lead in developing 
     international channels for the exchange of intelligence 
     information and operational collaboration. The knowledge and 
     expertise, the mechanisms, the international relationships 
     that have come of this are highly specialized--unique. The 
     entire pattern for fighting the global drug trade is 
     different.
       [[Page E40]] Should the merger be approved, the fight 
     against terrorism is bound to be downgraded, diminished, 
     subordinated to a war on narcotics that has understandably 
     become a matter of obsessive international concern. Such a 
     shift in our attention and resources would seem to me 
     senseless, dangerous and destructive.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Claire Sterling.
                                H.R. 22

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. COORDINATOR FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM.

       (a) Establishment.--There shall be within the office of the 
     Secretary of State a Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism 
     (hereafter in this section referred to as the 
     ``Coordinator'') who shall be appointed by the President, by 
     and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
       (b) Responsibilities.--(1) The Coordinator shall perform 
     such duties and exercise such power as the Secretary of State 
     shall prescribe.
       (2) The Coordinator shall have as his principal duty the 
     overall supervision (including policy oversight of resources) 
     of international counterterrorism activities. The Coordinator 
     shall be the principal advisor to the Secretary of State on 
     international counterterrorism matters. The Coordinator shall 
     be the principal counterterrorism official within the senior 
     management of the Department of State and report directly to 
     the Secretary of State.
       (c) Rank and Status.--The Coordinator shall have the rank 
     and status of Ambassador-at-Large. The Coordinator shall be 
     compensated at the annual rate of basic pay in effect for a 
     position at level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 
     5314 of title 5, United States Code, or, if the Coordinator 
     is appointed from the Foreign Service, the annual rate of pay 
     which the individual last received under the Foreign Service 
     Schedule, whichever is greater.
       (d) Diplomatic Protocol.--For purposes of diplomatic 
     protocol among officers of the Department of State, the 
     Coordinator shall take precedence after the Secretary of 
     State, the Deputy Secretary of State, and the Under 
     Secretaries of State and shall take precedence among the 
     Assistant Secretaries of State in the order prescribed by the 
     Secretary of State.
     

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