[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6609-S6610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FORMER ALABAMA SENATOR JEREMIAH DENTON AND THE DENTON AMENDMENT PROGRAM

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, former Alabama Senator Jeremiah Denton was 
recently honored at a luncheon and conference here on Capitol Hill for 
a significant amendment he sponsored and secured passage of in 1984. 
The event honoring Senator Denton was hosted jointly by our colleague 
Senator DeWine of Ohio and Matthew:25 Ministries in Cincinnati, which 
operates a relief program for schools, orphanages, and clinics in 
Nicaragua.
  This amendment passed as a part of the Defense authorization bill on 
October 19, 1984. It allowed, for the first time, the shipment of 
humanitarian goods from non-profit groups free of charge on military 
planes on a space-available basis. These goods include school, medical, 
and agricultural supplies and range from hospital beds to pencils.
  Congress approved the legislation in order to resolve various legal 
questions involved in such shipments and in order to take advantage of 
unused space on military vessels in Central America in times of crisis. 
It has since been expanded to encompass most of the world, and to date, 
more than 10 million pounds of goods have been shipped to needy 
countries. In fiscal year 1995, the program was used to transport 
approximately 2 million pounds of humanitarian goods to 21 different 
countries. It is now known widely as the Denton Amendment Program. 
Senator Denton was a member of the Armed Services Committee while in 
the Senate.
  Groups such as Gay Construction of Decatur, AL, have used the program 
to ship 40,000 pounds of medical and school supplies to orphans in 
Albania. The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi used it in March 1995 to 
send 4,000 pounds of medical supplies and clothing to a small village 
in the Honduras.
  Under the Denton program, the Department of Defense pays for the 
extra fuel used by its planes due to the heavier loads. The U.S. Agency 
for International Development pays for inspection costs, which are 
usually very small, and the Department of State monitors compliance of 
shipments to be certain they are consistent with American foreign 
policy initiatives.
  Senator Denton was once a Navy pilot who was shot down over Vietnam 
on July 18, 1965. He spent 7\1/2\ years as a prisoner-of-war in a camp 
in Vietnam. He first received national attention during a 1966 
interview his captors arranged with a Japanese television station. 
During this interview, he defied his captors' order to condemn American 
policy, saying he would support the U.S. Government's position as long 
as he lived. He also blinked the word ``torture'' in Morse code into 
the camera. The message, which was picked up by Naval intelligence 
officers, was the first confirmation that American POW's were being 
beaten and generally mistreated by the North Vietnamese. Senator 
Denton's ordeal was documented in his book, ``When Hell Was in 
Session,'' which was also made into a movie.
  As a military pilot and naval aviator, he had seen the poverty that 
existed in many countries, especially in Central America. He also knew 
that there was often empty space on cargo flights and that pilots often 
made ``dry runs'' in order to maintain their edge. When he put these 
facts together, the idea for his amendment came rather easily.
  I commend and congratulate former Senator Denton for his strong 
leadership roles in both the Armed Forces and in the U.S. Senate. I 
also salute him for the tremendous sacrifices he made for his country 
during the Vietnam war. The Denton Amendment Program is an outstanding 
example of how the concern and efforts of one individual can make a 
real difference in the world.

[[Page S6610]]



                        MESSAGES FROM THE HOUSE


                         enrolled bills signed

  At 12:03 p.m., a message from the House of Representatives, delivered 
by Ms. Goetz, one of its reading clerks, announced that the Speaker has 
signed the following enrolled bills:

       S. 1136. An act to control and prevent commercial 
     counterfeiting, and for other purposes.
       H.R. 3029. An act to designate the United States courthouse 
     in Washington, District of Columbia, as the ``E. Barrett 
     Prettyman United States Courthouse.''

  The enrolled bills were signed subsequently by the President pro 
tempore [Mr. Thurmond].

  At 4:19 p.m., a message from the House of Representatives, delivered 
by Mr. Hays, one of its reading clerks, announced that the House has 
passed the following bills, in which it requests the concurrence of the 
Senate:

       H.R. 3005. An act to amend the Federal securities laws in 
     order to promote efficiency and capital formation in the 
     financial markets, and to amend the Investment Company Act of 
     1940 to promote more efficient management of mutual funds, 
     protect investors, and provide more effective and less 
     burdensome regulation.
       H.R. 3107. An act to impose sanctions on persons making 
     certain investments directly and significantly contributing 
     to the enhancement of the ability of Iran or Libya to develop 
     its petroleum resources, and on persons exporting certain 
     items that enhance Libya's weapons or aviation capabilities 
     or enhance Libya's ability to develop its petroleum 
     resources, and for other purposes.

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