[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 206 (Thursday, December 21, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S19137-S19138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            COMMENDING THE CIA'S STATUTORY INSPECTOR GENERAL

  Mr. SANTORUM. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 201 submitted earlier 
today by Senator Specter and Senator Kerrey.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 201) commending the CIA's statutory 
     Inspector General on his 5-year anniversary in office.

  The Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I join my 
former colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee in co-sponsoring 
a resolution commending the fine work of the CIA's Inspector General, 
Fred Hitz, and congratulating Fred on his 5-year anniversary as the 
first Senate-confirmed Inspector General at the CIA. I had the honor of 
working with Fred's father many years ago, and I would like to say that 
Fred is admirably carrying on his family's very fine tradition of 
public service.
  During the majority of my tenure on the Intelligence Committee and, 
in particular, during my service as Vice Chairman of the Committee from 
1993 until January of this year, I enjoyed the benefit of Fred Hitz's 
wise counsel. Fred's integrity, objectivity, and fine investigative 
skills have served the CIA well as the Agency has confronted a number 
of serious problems in recent years.
  Of special note, the Inspector General's comprehensive investigation 
of the Aldrich Ames spy case provided the Intelligence Committee, and 
indeed, the Nation, with the details of Ames 9-years of treachery, and 
insight into the problems at the CIA which allowed Ames' activities to 
go undetected for so long. The Committee relied heavily on the fine 
work performed by Fred Hitz's office in making its recommendations for 
how to correct the problems which the Ames case brought to light. 
Hopefully, the combined efforts of the CIA's IG and the Senate 
Intelligence Committee will serve to severely lessen the likelihood 
that this nation will be faced with another Ames case in the future.
  Under Fred Hitz's leadership, the CIA's Inspector General's office 
has become an effective, objective and independent institution upon 
which the Members of Congress have come to rely.
  I congratulate Fred on reaching this milestone in his illustrious 
career, and I look forward to many more years of working together on 
intelligence issues which are so vital to the national security of the 
United States.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a resolution on 
behalf of myself, Senator Kerrey of Nebraska, Senator Glenn, Senator 
Bryan, Senator Robb, Senator Johnston, Senator Chafee, Senator Baucus, 
Senator Warner, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts, Senator Shelby, Senator 
Graham of Florida, Senator Kyl, Senator Lugar, Senator Inhofe, Senator 
Byrd, and Senator DeWine commending the Central Intelligence Agency's 
statutory Inspector General on his 5-year anniversary in office.

[[Page S19138]]

  Mr. President, the CIA's statutory inspector general is an issue that 
is near and dear to me, particularly since it was at my initiative that 
this office was established. I, along with a good number of my Senate 
colleagues who served both on the Iran-Contra Committee and the Senate 
Select Committee on Intelligence, had voiced concern with the need for 
objectivity, authority, and independence on the part of the CIA's 
Office of Inspector General. And, working in close collaboration with 
my colleague Senator Glenn, we crafted a provision that in 1989 was 
included in the Intelligence Authorization Act of fiscal year 1990--
subsequently enacted into law--to establish an independent, 
Presidentially appointed statutory inspector general at the CIA. In 
November, 1990, the Honorable Frederick P. Hitz was formally sworn in 
as the CIA's first statutory inspector general.
  As chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I am 
pleased to report to my colleagues that in the 5 years since Fred Hitz 
was sworn in as the CIA IG, the committee has noted a vast improvement 
in the effectiveness and objectivity of that office. This has been due 
in no small measure to the capable leadership of Fred Hitz. While the 
committee has not always agreed with the judgments of the CIA inspector 
general's office, the CIA IG has been fearless in taking on difficult 
and controversial issues such as BCCI, BNL, the Aldrich Ames case, and 
CIA activities in Guatemala--just to name a few. And the work of Fred 
Hitz's shop has been an invaluable supplement to our committee's 
intelligence oversight role.
  Mr. President, there was fierce resistance to the creation of a 
statutory inspector general at the Central Intelligence Agency, and 
there continues to be strong resentment of an independent IG in certain 
quarters of the CIA to this day.
  This should come as no surprise. It is hard to think of another 
Federal agency in the U.S. Government more institutionally resistant to 
having an independent inspector general than the CIA. Accordingly, I 
believe that any CIA IG worth his or her salt would be about as popular 
as Fred Hitz currently is with some of his present and former CIA 
colleagues. It is a mark of his tenacity and integrity that Fred and 
his office continue to tackle the IG's mission of serving as an 
independent fact-finder and, when necessary, a critic of CIA programs 
and operations.
  Mr. President, the statutory CIA inspector general has made the 
Central Intelligence Agency more accountable to the American people. I 
and my Senate colleagues wish to acknowledge and commend the fine work 
of this office, and congratulate Fred Hitz on his 5-year anniversary as 
the first statutory CIA inspector general.
  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, I rise to join my distinguished chairman, 
Senator Specter, in introducing this resolution to acknowledge the 
important role of the Central Intelligence Agency's statutory inspector 
general's office and noting the excellent work of Fred Hitz--the first 
CIA statutory IG who has recently celebrated his 5-year anniversary in 
this challenging position.
  There was, to say the least, some skepticism about the wisdom of 
creating the statutory IG office at the CIA. Indeed, no one should be 
surprised that there was little support in the Agency for the creation 
of a statutory inspector general office. But fortunately, Senator 
Specter and Senator Glenn and others convinced the Senate to support 
this idea, and the office was created. Yet even after enactment, there 
was still resistance to an independent fact-finder within the Agency, 
and some of its persists even today.
  The CIA has a proud but insular culture which tends to resist the 
scrutiny of an independent examiner. Also, because CIA operates in 
secret and undertakes--at the request and direction of policymakers--
activities which the United States must deny, the additional oversight 
of an independent IG is essential. To perform this oversight 
effectively and honestly means to occasionally render strong criticism. 
Those who are criticized are sometimes offended. Their response to 
criticism ranges from the stoic silence we associate with CIA, to both 
attributable and anonymous counter-criticism of Mr. Hitz.
  Mr. President, criticism of the IG by past and present CIA employees 
suggests to me that Mr. Hitz has been doing his job in the spirit 
Congress intended. I do not claim, nor would Mr. Hitz claim, that he 
has done his job perfectly. Few of us attain such a level of 
performance. I and some other members of the Intelligence Committee 
have not always agreed with his conclusions in particular 
investigations. But I would claim the CIA is a stronger, more effective 
organization today because he has been a strong, independent IG, as 
Congress envisioned.
  Congress' own oversight of intelligence activities would be much more 
difficult without the insights provided by an independent IG. At the 
same time, an independent IG must not contribute to a climate in which 
CIA is afraid to take risks when vital U.S. interests are at stake. An 
independent IG must not create an internal empire of inspectors which 
has the same chilling effect on creative action in Government that 
excessive regulation has on business. Like the congressional oversight 
committees, a good IG must ensure that the Agency acts in accordance 
with U.S. law and U.S. values without inhibiting the Agency's ability 
to act boldly.
  From what I see from the vantage point of the Intelligence Committee, 
Fred Hitz has been that kind of IG. I congratulate him on his 
completion of 5 years of service and I congratulate my colleagues who 5 
years ago envisioned what we now agree is a very necessary job.
  Mr. SANTORUM. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table and any statements be placed in the appropriate place in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 201) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 201

       Whereas, because of its concern with the need for 
     objectivity, authority and independence on the part of the 
     Central Intelligence Agency's Office of Inspector General, 
     the Senate in 1989 included in the Intelligence Authorization 
     Act of Fiscal Year 1990--subsequently enacted into law--a 
     provision establishing an independent, Presidentially-
     appointed statutory Inspector General at the CIA;
       Whereas in November, 1990, The Honorable Frederick P. Hitz 
     was formally sworn in as the CIA's first statutory Inspector 
     General;
       Whereas the CIA's statutory Office of Inspector General, 
     under the capable leadership of Frederick P. Hitz, has 
     demonstrated its independence, tenacity, effectiveness and 
     integrity; and
       Whereas the work of the CIA Office of Inspector General 
     under Mr. Hitz's leadership has contributed notably to the 
     greater efficiency, effectiveness, integrity and 
     accountability of the Central Intelligence Agency: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate expresses its congratulations to 
     Frederick P. Hitz on his 5-year anniversary as the first 
     statutory CIA Inspector General and expresses its support for 
     the Office of the CIA Inspector General.
       Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy 
     of this resolution to Frederick P. Hitz.

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