[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 10, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14801-S14802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RETIREMENT OF SENATOR NUNN

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a great U.S. 
Senator, Senator Sam Nunn. After 23 years, it is difficult to envision 
a U.S. Senate without our esteemed colleague from Georgia. There is no 
doubt that had he run again in 1996, he could have won and won easily. 
Had he decided to stay, he would have remained the most influential 
Senator on defense and one of the most effective conservative Democrats 
overall.
  Senator Sam Nunn's intellectual depth on defense and national 
security matters is unparalleled in this body. He has been a staunch 
and unyielding proponent of a strong national defense and has 
demonstrated a keen interest in the wide breadth of defense issues.
  His thoughtfulness and dedication to what he thinks is best gives him 
an extraordinary amount of credibility that the Senate will sorely miss 
when he leaves. On many occasions he has been mentioned as a possible 
nominee for Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, or even as 
President of the United States.
  Although Sam Nunn is best known as an authority on defense issues, he 
has played a prominent role on other major issues as well. He is well 
known for his indepth knowledge of foreign affairs. His voice on human 
rights and civil rights has always evidenced a progression and 
sensitivity in seeking solutions. He is a prominent member of the 
Governmental Affairs Committee where he held hearings on wrongdoings in 
many areas and recently pertaining to some in the health insurance 
industry.
  Having come from a farming family, he has fought for sound 
agricultural policy and has been a champion of the often misunderstood 
cotton and peanut programs. He has been a major moderating influence on 
our party through his work on the Democratic Leadership Council. He has 
fought long and hard for a balanced budget and believes in the 
constitutional amendment requiring the same.
  His great-uncle, Carl Vinson, served for 50 years in the House of 
Representatives chairing the Naval Affairs and the Armed Services 
Committee. Recently in Honolulu, as we were celebrating the 50th 
anniversary of V-J Day, the end of World War II, we had various 
ceremonies on the aircraft carrier named for his great-uncle, Carl 
Vinson.
  The seat which he now occupies was held for nearly 40 years by the 
late Richard Russell, who is a revered Senator and who also served as a 
chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Since he came to the Armed 
Services 

[[Page S 14802]]
Committee in the 1970's, Senator Nunn has backed a strong national 
defense. No one in the Senate did more to bring about the breakup of 
the Communist regimes in the old Soviet Union. He has also attended to 
the details of defense policy, at one time chairing the Manpower 
Subcommittee in helping to shape the Reserve Force structure and callup 
procedures that allowed the United States to respond quickly to Saddam 
Hussein's aggression in the summer and fall of 1990.
  He also worked on the Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act of 
1986, which simplified the military chain of command and granted 
considerable power to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  In my judgment, Sam Nunn will go down as one of the giants of the 
Senate. His leadership and foresight will be missed here, but I am 
confident that we will enjoy those same qualities through other avenues 
that Senator Nunn undertakes and other projects that he tackles during 
the years to come.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. THURMOND addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I rise today to express my profound 
sorrow upon hearing the announcement by the senior Senator from 
Georgia, my close and trusted friend, Sam Nunn, that he will not run 
for another term in 1996. His departure at the end of this Congress 
will surely mark a point of great loss to this body. I truly believe 
our future collective efforts will be notably diminished by his 
absence.
  I recall very clearly when Senator Nunn first joined the Senate in 
1973. It was evident to me from the outset that he was a man of 
integrity, ability, and dedication, and that he would maintain the 
highest standards for both his personal conduct and the quality of his 
work. He was appointed to serve on the Committee on Armed Services when 
Congress convened in 1973, and in 1974 he was named chairman of the ad 
hoc Subcommittee on Manpower and Personnel. In 1975, when the 
Subcommittee Manpower and Personnel was actually formed, he was named 
its chairman and he served in that capacity for 6 years, until 1981. In 
1983, 10 years after he joined the Committee on Armed Services, he 
became the ranking minority member until 1987, when he became the 
chairman of the committee. He served with great distinction in that 
capacity for 8 years, and during that time he earned the respect of 
leaders around the globe for his wisdom, statesmanship, and insight.
  Among his many accomplishments in the Senate, there are two which 
particularly stand out. First is the Nunn-Lugar program of reducing the 
possibility of nuclear war by actually removing nuclear weapons. This 
initiative has been carried out in a manner which promotes mutual trust 
and respect between the United States and Russia, and its consequences 
have reached far beyond simply dismantling weapons. Second is the 
manner in which Senator Nunn guided the legislative program during the 
turbulent post-cold-war drawdown of the Armed Forces. His highly 
skillful work, both inside and outside the Congress, ensured our Armed 
Forces would remain as strong and viable as possible.
  I believe history will note what all of us here already know, that 
Senator Nunn led the Committee on Armed Services and guided the 
national agenda on defense matters through some of our most challenging 
periods with exceptional skill, courage, and wisdom. His high standards 
of excellence, his ability to view an issue from all relevant angles 
and perspectives and analyze problems across all different levels, 
combined with his high intelligence and strong leadership skills, have 
resulted in a wisdom of effort which has benefited the entire Nation.
  We have heard many hours of debate in this Chamber about defense and 
national security matters. All too often that debate has focused on 
very narrow aspects of the issues, and the major points of the larger 
issue are easily lost. Senator Nunn has a well-earned reputation for 
returning our debate to the larger, principal issue and pointing out 
the implications of various courses of action. He has been able to 
illustrate how defense is only one element of national security, and 
how national security is only one element of national policy. Senator 
Nunn's ability to recognize the primary issue and guide the process to 
a meaningful conclusion have served our Nation and this body very well 
these past 23 years.
  Throughout his 27-year career in political life, Senator Nunn has 
exemplified strong, selfless devotion to duty to our Nation and its 
citizens. He represented his constituents well and faithfully, and 
remained mindful of the national interest. He well deserves his 
reputation as a figure of high international stature. We will remember 
him as a man of dignity and high purpose.
  Mr. President, our Nation owes Senator Nunn its deepest appreciation 
for his truly distinguished service. I am pleased that he intends to 
remain engaged in public policy matters, and I wish him and his wife, 
Colleen, continued success and happiness in all future endeavors.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

                          ____________________