[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S18180-S18181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED 
          AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1996--CONFERENCE REPORT

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the conference report.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, this bill has a section, section 609, 
which I feel jeopardizes the new chapter in relations between the 
United States and Vietnam which began last July. With President 
Clinton's announcement at that time that he was prepared to establish 
full diplomatic relations with the Government of Vietnam, and with the 
subsequent steps to open an embassy and begin trade discussions over 
the last few months, the two-decade long campaign to obtain the fullest 
possible accounting of MIA's in Southeast Asia truly entered a new 
stage and a more positive phase. That progress I think is threatened by 
this section and I wish to go on record as opposing it.
  I understand the objective of the authors of the amendment. They 
want, as I do, to resolve the issue of accountability of the MIA's, and 
they believe this is the best way to achieve that objective. And while 
I agree with the objective, I disagree with the means which they have 
proposed.
  I supported the President's decision to establish relations. I have 
been over there a number of times. And I continue to believe, and 
evidence supports it, that increased access to Vietnam, not reduced 
access, leads to increased progress on the accountability issue.
  Resolving the fate of our MIA's has been and will remain the highest 
single priority of our Government. Under no circumstances should it be 
any different. This Nation owes that to the men and women and the 
families of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this 
country and for freedom.
  In 1986, I was chairman of the Veterans' Committee, and I was 
appalled to learn at that time that we had no firsthand information 
about the fate of the POW/MIA's because we had no access to the 
Vietnamese Government records or to the Government or to the military 
archives or to the prisons. We could not travel to crash sites. We had 
no opportunity to interview Vietnamese individuals or officials.
  That has changed now. The American Joint Task Force, the JTF-FA 
personnel located in Hanoi now have access to Vietnam's Government and 
to its military archives and prisons. They are free to travel to crash 
sites and interview Vietnamese citizens and officials.
  As a result of these and other positive developments, the overall 
number of MIA's in Vietnam has been reduced significantly through a 
painstaking identification process. Most of the missing involve men 
lost over water and other circumstances where survival and 
identification is doubtful.
  Most, if not all, of the progress has come since 1991 when President 
Bush established the office in Hanoi devoted to resolving the fate of 
the MIA's and supported further activity by President Clinton. Opening 
this office ended almost two decades of isolation, a policy which, in 
my opinion, failed to meet our goals.

  In 1993, opponents of ending our isolationist policy argued that 
lifting the trade embargo would mean an end to Vietnamese cooperation. 
Well, this was not the case. As the Pentagon assessment from the 
Presidential delegation's trip to Vietnam earlier this year notes, the 
records offered are ``the most detailed and informative reports'' 
provided so far by the Government of Vietnam on missing Americans.
  So let me state firmly here that while we have made progress, we 
should not be satisfied, and we should continue to push for greater and 
greater results. But there are limits to the results we can obtain by 
potentially--potentially--turning to a failed policy which remains 
rooted in the past and is dominated by the principle of isolation. We 
have reached those limits. It is now time to continue a policy of full 
engagement with access and involvement.
  Being represented in Vietnam does not mean forgetting our MIA's. 
Having an embassy there does not mean that we agree with the policies 
of the Government of Vietnam. But it does help us promote basic 
American values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the 
marketplace.
  When Americans go abroad or export their products, we export an idea 
and an ideal. We export the very ideas that America went to fight for 
in Vietnam. Moreover, diplomatic relations give us greater latitude 
toward the carrot-and-stick approach. So do economic relations, as 
evidenced by the administration's trade team which recently visited 
Vietnam for the first time after relations were established.
  Retaining diplomatic relations will also advance other important U.S. 
goals. A prosperous, stable and friendly Vietnam integrated into the 
international community will serve as an important impediment to 
Chinese expansionism. Normalization should offer new opportunities for 
the United States to promote respect for human rights in Vietnam.
  Finally, competitive United States businesses which have entered into 
the Vietnamese market after the lifting of the trade embargo will have 
greater success with the full faith and confidence of the United States 
Government behind it. The amendment in question could jeopardize all 
this progress and put us back where we were several years ago, which is 
nowhere. Now I understand that the President plans to veto this bill 
for a variety of reasons, including because of this amendment. As the 
administration has told us, it ``regrets the inclusion of extraneous 
language in the bill related to the presence of United States 
Government facilities in Vietnam.'' As a result, I expect that the bill 
will come back to us, to the conference committee, to be considered 
again. I hope at that time this section will be removed, or at least 
modified in a way which will not stop progress down the road which has 
already led to many positive results.

  Mr. President. Let me conclude by repeating what I said last July 
when we first moved toward establishing relations with Vietnam, when I 
said that I hope that step will continue this country's healing 
process. I think now, as I thought then, that the time has come to 
treat Vietnam as a country--and not as a war.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Mr. MURKOWSKI. I thank the Chair. And I again want to thank my good 
friend from West Virginia for his accommodation. I wish him a good day.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, both the chairman and the ranking member of 
the Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Subcommittee deserve a great 
deal of credit for the many months of hard work--and it is hard work--
that they have put into the fiscal year 1996 Commerce-Justice-State 
appropriations bill.
  This is the first time that the distinguished Senator from New 
Hampshire [Mr. Gregg], has chaired the appropriations conference. He 
did so very ably. I congratulate Senator Gregg on his success and 
keeping his mind on track throughout the conference on this very 
important, complex appropriations bill.
  I wish to recognize the outstanding efforts of the distinguished 
ranking member of the subcommittee, Senator Hollings, on this bill. On 
November 9, 1966, a new Member came into this Senate. And for these 29 
years and 28 days it has been my good fortune to serve with Fritz 
Hollings. He is a man of sterling character. He is absolutely 

[[Page S 18181]]
fearless. He is a man of great courage with supreme dedication to his 
work. He is smart, and he does what he thinks is best. It is the right 
thing to do.
  It has been a pleasure for me to work with Senator Hollings on the 
Appropriations Committee these many years. He has been a fine 
subcommittee chairman, has always been most cooperative with me in the 
years that I was chairman. I could always depend on him to carry his 
part of the load, and then some. His knowledge and expertise in all 
areas of the Commerce-Justice-State Subcommittee's jurisdiction are 
well known and unequaled in the Senate.
  For two decades he has served on the Commerce-Justice-State 
Appropriations Subcommittee, served with great distinction, and has 
worked tirelessly throughout his years of service as a member of that 
subcommittee and as its chairman to ensure that the many important 
programs and activities that are funded by the subcommittee received 
fair treatment and equitable treatment, often at times of severe 
budgetary constraints.

  I understand that the President has indicated he will veto this 
conference report for a number of reasons. I can assure all Senators 
that such a veto will in no way reflect upon the outstanding work of 
the chairman and ranking member, Senator Gregg and Senator Hollings. 
The Senate and the American people are in their debt.
  It is with great pleasure that I take this moment to express my deep 
appreciation to Senator Hollings, a man whose heart is as stout as the 
Irish oak and as pure as the lakes of Killarney.
  I also want to compliment the staff. He has an excellent staff, and 
so does Senator Gregg, the staff of the subcommittee; Mr. David Taylor 
and Mr. Scott Corwin for the majority; Mr. Scott Gudes for the 
minority. There is no better--no better--along with Lula Edwards and 
Emelie East. They deserve our gratitude and our thanks.
  Now, Mr. President, we pass out a lot of encomiums in this body. But 
I try to be reserved in doing so. I want to close with just these 
words. I salute Senator Hollings, my old friend of these 29 years and 
28 days.

     When a man does a deed that you greatly admire,
     Do not leave a kind word unsaid
     For fear to do so might make him vain
     Or cause him to lose his head;
     But reach out your hand and tell him, ``Well done,''
     And see how his gratitude swells.
     It is not the flowers we strew on the grave;
     It's the word to the living that tells.

  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. HOLLINGS addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
  Mr. HOLLINGS. My good friend, the distinguished Senator, has been so 
generous. I hasten to add I am not leaving. It would be most 
appropriate here for me to tell of my admiration in one sense, but then 
they would say it is tit for tat.
  I have served under Senator Byrd as leader; I have served under him 
as our chairman. He is the one remaining in the U.S. Senate who 
maintains the decorum, the dignity, the civility that is so fundamental 
to the good working of this body. So to hear from him on this 
occasion--I join with him in congratulating our distinguished chairman 
of the subcommittee for his difficult and hard work. I have apologized 
in the sense of not being able to vote for the bill, but I think that 
is understood in the light of the constraints and what has been 
contained therein.

  But let me genuinely thank my good friend. You make some good friends 
in this service here. And there is none better than my friend, Bob 
Byrd, the Senator from West Virginia, and I really thank him.
  Mr. BYRD. I thank the Senator.
  Mr. GREGG addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
  Mr. GREGG. I also wish to thank the Senator from West Virginia, who 
has been of tremendous assistance to this committee, obviously. I was 
sort of dropped into this committee out of the clear blue, and with the 
help of the Senator from South Carolina, the Senator from West 
Virginia, Members on our side have been able to struggle through the 
effort. I think we have produced a bill that is, if not supported by 
the other side, hopefully at least respected by the other side.
  I also wish to thank Senator Hatch, who was very helpful in this 
undertaking, and Senator Helms, and especially the staff on both sides 
of the aisle who have already been mentioned, of course, Scott Gudes 
and Emelie East, and David Taylor and Scott Corwin, Lula Edwards, and 
Vasiliki Alexopoulos on our side. They worked incredible hours, just 
overwhelming hours, under tremendous intensity. I do not know really 
how they do it.
  It is extremely impressive. I think what they all deserve is a good 
vacation in New Hampshire, and I hope they come. We would love to have 
them come up and relax.
  Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 
about 8 minutes as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is 
so ordered.

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