[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 19 (Thursday, February 13, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H564-H565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING APPRECIATION FOR THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF AMBASSADOR PAMELA 
                              C. HARRIMAN

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on International Relations be discharged from further consideration of 
the resolution (H. Res. 49) expressing appreciation for the life and 
service of Ambassador Pamela C. Harriman, and I ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McINNIS). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New York?
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I do 
not intend to object, I yield to the gentleman from New York [Mr. 
Gilman] for an explanation of the resolution.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana for 
yielding. I have just been informed by the leadership that there will 
be no further votes today.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with both sadness and gratefulness that I ask the 
House to adopt this resolution concerning the recent passing away of a 
great American, Ambassador Pamela C. Harriman. Her sudden death last 
week left all Americans bereft of a truly dedicated public servant, a 
woman of wide learning and interest and a great patriot. It is only 
fitting that on this day that our Nation pays tribute to Ambassador 
Harriman, that we too mark her passing and remember her life.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that all of our Members will join with the 
gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton], the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. 
Manzullo] and myself, acting on behalf of our Committee on 
International Relations, in putting the House of Representatives on 
record in appreciation of Ambassador Pamela Harriman's life.
  We should bear in mind that as a wife she provided her wisdom and 
solace during the last years of his life to one of the great statesmen 
of this century, New York's Governor Averell Harriman. We should also 
take note of her contribution to the Allied victory over Nazism in 
Europe through her earliest exploits in the field of diplomacy, helping 
to unite as allies the nations of France, Great Britain, and the United 
States. In her capacity as a United States Ambassador Extraordinary and 
Plenipotentiary to France, Pamela Harriman gave the last measure of her 
life to serving our Nation, her adopted country. She brought to this 
task all of her skills and experience in keeping the ties between our 
Nation and France strong despite many troublesome disagreements between 
our nations. She was very much a hands-on Ambassador, working long 
hours, devoting substantial energy to this task.
  Although this resolution has not been formally considered in our 
Committee on International Relations, we did have a discussion on the 
matter on February 4 at our committee's organizational meeting which 
happened to occur on the day of Ambassador Harriman's passing away. At 
that meeting, our committee agreed to a unanimous consent request 
propounded by the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Manzullo] setting out 
essentially the wording and noting our support for moving a resolution 
noting such sentiments on the floor. I wish to commend the gentleman 
from Illinois for his strong interest in making certain that this 
matter was considered in a timely and an appropriate manner.
  Mr. Speaker, for all of these reasons, I believe that support of this 
resolution is merited, and I hope that all of the Members will join 
with us in recognizing Pamela Harriman as a distinguished stateswoman 
and a great American.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
want to join the distinguished chairman of the House International 
Relations Committee in expressing appreciation for the life of a great 
public servant, Ambassador Pamela C. Harriman.
  She became an American by choice and devoted herself to the 
betterment of her adopted country. As the Ambassador of the United 
States to France, she worked tirelessly to build closer relations 
between the United States and its oldest ally. She was a renowned woman 
of grace, wit, charm, intellect, and boundless energy.
  On this day of a memorial service at the National Cathedral for 
Ambassador Harriman, it is altogether fitting that the House of 
Representatives take up and pass this resolution commemorating a great 
American. I join the chairman in congratulating the distinguished 
gentleman from Illinois for sponsoring this resolution.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HAMILTON. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the 
gentleman from Illinois.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. 
Hamilton] for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American Ambassador, 
Pamela C. Harriman. Sadly, Ambassador Harriman passed away earlier this 
month in Paris. Throughout her life she worked tirelessly in service to 
her adopted country, the United States. Most recently she served as 
U.S. Ambassador to France, from 1993 to early 1997, where she helped 
strengthen Franco-American ties while expertly handling such difficult 
and complex issues as NATO expansion, the Middle East peace process, 
the role of the U.N. and multilateral trade.
  How appropriate for Ambassador Harriman's career to take her to 
Paris, for as a young woman she endeavored to strengthen ties between 
Great Britain, the United States and France in the Allies fight against 
Nazi aggression. Before assuming her diplomatic duties in Paris, Pamela 
Harriman sought to enrich the lives of all Americans through her many 
efforts in the fields of politics and arts. She was also the wife and 
friend of Governor Averell Harriman, one of our country's great 
statesmen.

[[Page H565]]

  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join with me in supporting 
House Resolution 49 to express our heartfelt thanks for the life and 
service of Pamela Harriman and to convey our condolences and deepest 
sympathies to the Harriman family.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HAMILTON. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the 
gentlewoman from Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman for 
yielding. We all appreciate his leadership in the international role 
that this country plays.
  To Ambassador Harriman, I am delighted to be able to say that she 
chose America. She chose America. She is certainly an international 
figure and a child of the world.

                              {time}  1515

  We are delighted in her multicultural background, that she chose to 
adopt this country as her native land. She had her own values, but I 
can believe that she truly is one that believed in democracy, for in 
all of her activities she was involved in creating greater 
opportunities for democracy. She believed in diversity. She helped all 
of those who wanted to have a piece of the pie, and certainly, as she 
rose to the Ambassadorship of France, appointed by President William 
Clinton, she made Americans proud. And not only did she make us proud, 
she provided us and encouraged us to engage in peace.
  My hat is off, my heart goes out to the family of Ambassador 
Harriman, and what I will say is that we will truly miss her but she is 
a grand lady, and she is truly a great American.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from California [Ms. Pelosi].
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this time 
to me.
  I too want to rise to pay tribute to Ambassador to France Pamela 
Harriman. As I said earlier today, many of us in this body would love 
to have been at her funeral service today to give thanksgiving and to 
celebrate her great life, but duty called and we had to be on the floor 
for our legislation. Pamela would have understood that, committed to 
duty as she was.
  I said in my 1 minute this morning, and I will repeat now, that in 
this body we have only two portraits. One is of George Washington, the 
father of our country; the other is of the Marquis de Lafayette, a 
friend of our independence, demonstrating our closeness to France. It 
was fitting then that we sent France our finest in the person of Pamela 
Harriman as our Ambassador.
  I know it is a source of great pride to her family that she was 
eulogized by the President of France and given by him the highest honor 
that country can bestow. I know it was a source of great pride that she 
was eulogized by the President of the United States and mourned by the 
First Family. I hope it is a comfort to Pamela's family that many in 
this body and in our great country mourn their loss, our loss.
  To Pamela: Adieu, thank you and love.
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McInnis). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                               H. Res. 49

       Whereas Pamela C. Harriman served her country ably as 
     United States Ambassador to France from 1993 to early 1997;
       Whereas during her tenure as ambassador Pamela Harriman 
     worked tirelessly to bring closer together as strong allies 
     and friends the United States and France;
       Whereas Pamela Harriman worked throughout her adult life in 
     the fields of politics and the arts, enriching the lives of 
     all who knew her and all Americans;
       Whereas during the Second World War Pamela Harriman 
     endeavored to solidify relations among Britain, the United 
     States, and France, contributing her knowledge and her 
     efforts to making the alliance against Nazism a success;
       Whereas as a wife and friend she gave strength and wise 
     counsel to one of the great United States statesmen of this 
     century, Governor Averell Harriman; and
       Whereas until the very end of her life she was renowned as 
     a woman of grace, wit, and charm: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Members of the House of 
     Representatives--
       (1) are grateful for the life and service of this great 
     American; and
       (2) join in conveying their condolences and deepest 
     sympathies to the members of the family of Ambassador Pamela 
     C. Harriman.

  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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