[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11623-S11624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         GULF WAR DRUG TESTING

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I wish to comment briefly on a report on 
damage to United States troops from exposure to Iraqi poison gas back 
in 1991 during the gulf war. This is a subject on which there was a 
joint hearing earlier this week, on Wednesday, of the Intelligence 
Committee, which I chair, and the Veterans Affairs Committee, on which 
I serve, chaired by Senator Alan Simpson.
  During the course of those hearings, we heard from the chief medical 
officer of the Department of Defense, Dr. Stephen C. Joseph, as well as 
representatives from the CIA and the Veterans Administration. The views 
expressed by Senators on both sides of the aisle were that the 
Department of Defense had not done nearly enough to respond to the 
ailments which came out of that exposure to Iraqi chemical warfare 
agents.
  There were those, principally Senator Simpson, who made the point in 
his customary strong way that the evidence was inconclusive, saying 
that people had not shown the effects of the poisonous gas immediately 
and that would have happened if there had really been a problem, and 
was in defense of the Department of Defense.
  Virtually every other Senator--and I think some 14 attended, from 
both sides of the aisle--was very critical of what the Department of 
Defense had done. And perhaps no one was more critical than Senator 
Rockefeller, the ranking Democrat, on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. 
He has sent a letter, which I was about to cosign but could not quite 
review fast enough on Thursday, over to the Pentagon and Secretary 
Perry asking for more action. In that letter, Senator Rockefeller was 
very explicit about what the Department of Defense had not done in 
acting on the complaints of the service men and women in the area.

  This morning the Washington Post has a story, page A18, which I will 
ask to be made a part of the Record as if read in full, which is 
headlined ``Pentagon Alters Stand on Gulf War Testing.'' The second 
paragraph--almost completely reversing comments made at a Pentagon 
briefing Thursday, that is, the day after our hearing--says that our 
troops were not told the drug was being used on an investigational 
basis and might have side effects, but said that information was not 
deliberately withheld from them.
  Mr. President, it is a little hard at this stage to say that where 
you have withheld some key facts, it was not deliberate. After all, why 
wouldn't people on whom the drug was being used on an investigational 
basis be told? How can you say it is not deliberate if you do not tell 
people that they are, in effect, guinea pigs or not tell them that it 
might have side effects. Any person is entitled as a matter of 
fundamental fairness to know that. How can you subject someone to a 
drug testing without them being told that? It is more than a little 
incomprehensible.
  The article then goes on to say: ``On Capitol Hill, Senator John D. 
``Jay'' Rockefeller called on Defense Secretary William J. Perry to 
fire the Pentagon's top health official.''
  Saying that the Department of Defense had squandered its credibility, 
which is a conclusion reached by the staff of a Presidential commission 
which I brought out at last Wednesday's hearing.
  Then the article concludes by noting that Secretary of Defense Perry 
and Deputy Secretary of Defense John D. White ``continue to have the 
full and utmost confidence'' in the health leadership at the Department 
of Defense and that no ``health changes'' in ``health leadership are 
being contemplated.''
  That, of course, again is a little surprising in the context that 
Secretary Perry could not conceivably have had an opportunity to review 
the Senate hearing since he has been at a NATO meeting. And when we 
have a hearing like that and many Senators are present and express 
themselves and facts are brought out, one would at least think that the 
Secretary of Defense would review the matter, or the Deputy Secretary 
also could not have had an opportunity to go through the complex 
matters which were raised at that time.
  I ask unanimous consent a copy of this Washington Post article be 
printed in the Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Post, Sept. 28, 1996]

             Pentagon Alters Stand On Gulf War Drug Testing

       The Defense Department said yesterday it did not 
     deliberately withhold information from U.S. troops in the 
     1991 Persian Gulf War on an anti-nerve gas drug to keep Iraq 
     from learning about U.S. defenses.
       Almost completely reversing comments made at a Pentagon 
     briefing Thursday, it said troops were not told the drug was 
     being used on an investigational basis and might have side 
     effects but said that information was not deliberately 
     withheld from them.
       Researchers are studying whether the drug, pyridostigmine 
     bromide (PB), in combination with chemicals in the Gulf War, 
     might be one cause for illnesses among thousands of veterans.
       On Capitol Hill, Sen. John D. ``Jay'' Rockefeller IV 
     (W.Va.), called on Defense Secretary William J. Perry to fire 
     the Pentagon's top health official. Rockefeller, the ranking 
     Democrat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, told Perry 
     in a letter that the Pentagon has ``squandered its 
     credibility'' on the issue of Gulf War illness.
       The senator did not name a specific official in his letter. 
     But a spokeswoman for Rockefeller, Laura Quinn, said he was 
     referring to Stephen C. Joseph, the Pentagon's assistant 
     secretary for health affairs.
       Perry has been attending a NATO meeting in Norway, but a 
     spokesman said both Perry and Deputy Defense Secretary John 
     D. White ``continue to have the full and utmost confidence'' 
     in Joseph and that ``no changes'' in ``health leadership are 
     being contemplated.''

  Mr. SPECTER. Finally, I now turn to the introduction of legislation. 
I ask this be under a separate heading in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Coverdell). The Chair will advise the 
Senator from Pennsylvania that his time has expired.
  Mr. SPECTER. I ask unanimous consent for 3 additional minutes, Mr. 
President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that, 
following the remarks of the Senator from Pennsylvania, I be recognized 
for up to 10 minutes.

[[Page S11624]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Texas for 
yielding me the additional 3 minutes. She had been presiding and has 
been waiting now to speak, and I will conclude briefly.
  THE PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania is recognized.
  MR. SPECTER. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Specter pertaining to the introduction of S. 2154 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under a previous unanimous-consent agreement, 
the Chair now recognizes the Senator from Texas.

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