[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 111 (Thursday, July 31, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8521-S8523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENT ON THE NOMINATION OF THOMAS W. THRASH, JR.

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am delighted that the majority leader has 
decided to take up the nomination of Thomas W. Thrash, Jr., to be a 
United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia. Mr. 
Thrash is a well-qualified nominee.
  The Judiciary Committee unanimously reported his nomination to the 
Senate on May 22, 1997. The Northern District of Georgia Sixth Circuit 
desperately needs Thomas Thrash to help manage its growing backlog of 
cases.
  We first received Thomas Thrash's nomination in May 1996. He was 
accorded a hearing last Congress on July 31, 1996, but his nomination 
fell victim to the Presidential election year confirmation shutdown of 
1996. The President renominated him on the first day of this Congress 
for the same vacancy on the District Court for the Northern District of 
Georgia, which vacancy has existed since March 1996. He had a 
confirmation hearing on May 7 where he was supported by both Senator 
Cleland and Senator Coverdell and was reported to the Senate by the 
Judiciary Committee 2 weeks later. This is another of the nominations 
that has languished on the Senate Executive Calendar since long before 
the July 4 recess. I am glad that the Republican leadership has allowed 
this nomination to go forward. I congratulate Mr. Thrash and his family 
on his confirmation.


              Statement of the Nomination of Philip Lader

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I rise on behalf of Mr. Philip Lader to 
be Ambassador. Philip Lader is a man of integrity and honor whom I hold 
in high esteem. He has a deep respect for the British people and their 
beautiful country. I know that he, along with his wife Linda, and their 
two young daughters Mary Catherine and Whittaker will represent the 
United States well at the Court of St. James and will make us all very 
proud.
  Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the confirmation of 
Mr. Philip Lader to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom of 
Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I have known Mr. Lader and his 
family for years, and I believe he will work hard to maintain and 
strengthen the long and valuable friendship between our two nations.
  Although he was born in New York, and was educated at Duke 
University, the University of Michigan, Harvard, and Oxford, Mr. Lader 
has called South Carolina home for many years. It is in South Carolina 
where he established himself as a leader in business and education. He 
was associated for 10 years with Sea Pines Co., a developer and 
operator of award-winning recreational communities on Hilton Head 
Island. In addition, he has held the following business positions: 
president of Business Executives for National Security; founding 
director of the South Carolina Jobs/Economic Development Authority; 
director of First Union National Bank (S.C.) and First Carolina Bank; 
director of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce; chairman of the 
South Carolina Governor's Council on Small and Minority Business; and a 
member of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee's Travel and Tourism 
Advisory Committee. In 1981, he founded Renaissance Weekend, a family 
retreat for innovative leaders.
  In education, he served as president of Winthrop College in Rock 
Hill, SC, from 1983 to 1985. During his tenure, Winthrop was awarded 
the National Gold Medal for general improvements in programs. 
Academically, he has served as chairman of the South Carolina Rhodes 
Scholarship Committee, trustee of three colleges, and director of the 
Alumni Association at Duke University. He has taught courses at many 
universities and has been awarded honorary doctorates by five 
institutions.
  Mr. President, for the past several years, Phil Lader has been 
utilizing his business skills in the U.S. Government. He most recently 
served as Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Prior to 
that, he was Assistant to the President and White House Deputy Chief of 
Staff. He has also been Deputy Director for Management at the Office of 
Management and Budget and has been chairman of the National Performance 
Review's Policy Committee, the President's Management Council, and the 
President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency. In addition, he has 
served on the National Economic Council, the President's Export 
Council, the Community Empowerment Board, and the Board of Governors of 
the American Red Cross. Currently, he is a member of the Council on 
Foreign Relations.
  Mr. President, all of the business, academic, and Government 
experience that I have just described are tremendous assets Mr. Lader 
will bring to the Court of St. James. However, Mr. Lader has even more 
to offer this position, both professionally and personally. 
Professionally, he was executive vice president of Sir James 
Goldsmith's U.S. holding company, which was responsible for the 
analysis and sales of lands previously owned by Crown Zellerbach and 
Diamond International Corporations. He was also president of Bond 
University, the first private university in Australia, a British 
Commonwealth nation.
  Personally, the Lader family has strong ties to the United Kingdom, 
particularly England and Scotland. He studied English constitutional 
history at Oxford University and is an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke 
College at Oxford. Further, the ancestors of his lovely wife, Linda, 
emigrated from Henley-on-Thames, just west of London. In fact, her late 
stepmother, Catherine Marshall, was the author of ``A Man Called 
Peter,'' the biography of her husband, the Scottish Presbyterian 
Minister Peter Marshall, who served as the U.S. Senate Chaplain from 
1947 until his death in 1949. Mrs. Lader is a trustee of the American 
University in London.
  Phil Lader is a man of integrity and honor, whom I hold in high 
esteem. He has a deep respect for the British people and their 
beautiful country. I know that he, along with his wife Linda and their 
two young daughters, Mary Catherine and Whittaker, will represent the 
United States well at the Court of St. James and will make us all very 
proud.
  Mr. President, I reiterate my strong support for the confirmation of 
Phil Lader to be Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 
Northern Ireland. I have no doubt that he will live up to the 
commitment he made to the Foreign Relations Committee earlier this week 
and devote his time and energy ``not only to the salient matters of 
diplomacy, but also to the arts and letters, the streets and fields, 
the industries and entrepreneurs, those who innovate and those in need, 
all of which preserve and strengthen the heritage and common causes of 
America and the United Kingdom.''
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.


              Statement on the Nomination of Felix Rohatyn

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I was privileged to be on the floor at the 
time the distinguished majority leader put forth the Executive 
Calendar, including the name of Felix Rohatyn to be the United States 
Ambassador to France. I had the privilege of introducing Mr. Rohatyn to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations. And together with his lovely wife, 
Elizabeth, I assure the

[[Page S8522]]

Senate that they will make an extraordinarily competent team to 
represent our Nation.
  And now, Mr. President, I am going to do something that is unusual. I 
ask unanimous consent that Mr. Rohatyn's statement before the committee 
be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

   Statement by Felix G. Rohatyn Before the Subcommittee on European 
    Affairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, July 29, 1997

       Mr. Chairman and members of the Senate Foreign Relations 
     Committee.
       It is a great honor for me to appear before you today to 
     seek your consent to President Clinton's nomination of me to 
     serve as the next American Ambassador to France. It is also a 
     very emotional experience, for many reasons.
       Let me begin by expressing to you, Mr. Chairman, my 
     appreciation for your courtesies and those of your staff. You 
     have been gracious and helpful to me and to my family in 
     assisting us through this rather daunting process.
       I am, as you know, a refugee who came to this country from 
     Nazi-occupied Europe in 1942. As long as I can remember, 
     going back to those very dark days, being an American was my 
     dream. I was fortunate to achieve that dream, and America has 
     more than fulfilled all of my expectations. To represent, at 
     this time, my adopted country as her Ambassador would be the 
     culmination of my career; to have been nominated to represent 
     my country in France, a country where I spent part of my 
     childhood and with which I have had a lifelong relationship, 
     both professional and personal, seems to me more than I could 
     have ever hoped for.
       I have been fortunate in having had a long and active 
     career in investment banking. Over the last 40 years or so I 
     have provided financial advice to a number of domestic and 
     foreign corporations, mainly involving their activities in 
     mergers and acquisitions. I have also, over the years, served 
     on the boards of directors of a number of large multinational 
     corporations. This activity has included a number of 
     negotiations through which French companies made significant 
     investments in the U.S. and vice versa. This, coupled with 
     the fact that my former firm has an affiliate in Paris, has 
     allowed me to maintain close personal relationships with a 
     number of French business leaders, as well as with leaders 
     from the world of culture, media and the arts. I have also 
     over the years known a number of senior government leaders 
     and have had the honor of being decorated by the French 
     government.
       I believe that my business experience, as well as my 
     relationship with French leaders and my knowledge of France 
     in general, will enable me to represent my country 
     effectively if you choose to consent to my nomination.
       I also believe that our relationship with France is 
     extraordinarily important. Aside from the history of allied 
     cooperation going back to Washington, Thomas Jefferson and 
     Lafayette, we have fought side by side with France in World 
     Wars One and Two, and more recently in the Gulf War. We sit 
     side by side with France in the U.N. Security Council, in the 
     OECD, and in every other major multinational institution; our 
     soldiers are participating together today in NATO's important 
     peacekeeping operation in Bosnia. France is one of our 
     largest trade partners and one of the largest foreign direct 
     investors in the U.S.; we are the largest foreign investor in 
     France. While we have many differences with France, in a 
     variety of areas, I believe that, most importantly, France is 
     a democracy which is our friend and with whom we share our 
     most important values.
       France, like some other European countries, is going 
     through a difficult period of adjustment to the changes 
     demanded by global economic forces. France's success is 
     dealing with her problems is important not only in the 
     context of our bilateral relationship, but also in the 
     context of the future architecture of Europe. The U.S. has, 
     for the last 50 years, encouraged the political and economic 
     integration of Europe. France's role in such integration is 
     critical.
       Mr. Chairman, I have had the great privilege of serving my 
     city and my state at a time when New York City was in 
     considerable difficulty. I hope that you will give me the 
     opportunity, by consenting to my nomination, to represent my 
     country's interests at a time and in a place which is 
     important to the U.S. I can assure you that, should you do me 
     this honor, I will make every effort to do so effectively.


          STATEMENT ON THE NOMINATION OF JAMIE RAPPAPORT CLARK

  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I would like to make a few remarks about 
the nomination of Jamie Rappaport Clark to be Director of the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service. The President nominated Ms. Clark on 
July 9, and I am pleased to report that last Thursday, July 24, the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works reported out the nomination.
  Jamie Clark is an outstanding candidate for the tasks at hand. She 
has worked closely with the Environment Committee staff and Committee 
members' staff on the Endangered Species Act and other tough issues. I 
have heard nothing but glowing reports of her ability to work with the 
Administration and Congress, which will serve her well, if confirmed. 
Throughout her educational and professional experiences, she has been 
involved on a daily basis with the principles of fish and wildlife 
management. Jamie Clark has worked with the Fish and Wildlife Service 
for over 8 years, both at the regional level and at headquarters. For 
the past 4 years of her tenure with the Service, she has held the 
position of Associate Director of Ecological Services.
  Prior to joining the Fish and Wildlife Service, Jamie Clark was the 
lead technical authority for fish and wildlife management on U.S. Army 
installations worldwide. From 1984 until 1988, she managed the Natural 
and Cultural Resources program within the National Guard. She also was 
a research biologist for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute and 
worked for the National Institute for Urban Wildlife as a wildlife 
biologist.
  Jamie Clark's educational background is equally impressive and suits 
her well to the position of Fish and Wildlife Service Director. She 
holds a master's degree (MS) in Wildlife Ecology from the University of 
Maryland and a bachelor's degree (BS) in Wildlife Biology.
  If confirmed, Jamie Clark will be responsible for developing and 
carrying out policies to conserve, protect, and enhance the Nation's 
fish and wildlife and their habitats. A number of challenging tasks 
fall on the shoulders of the Fish and Wildlife Service Director, 
including the management of the National Wildlife Refuge System; the 
implementation of the Endangered Species Act; fish hatchery management; 
recreational fishing programs; management of non-indigenous and exotic 
species; conservation and management of migratory waterfowl and wild 
birds; and the list of responsibilities goes on.
  The Fish and Wildlife Service is an agency with the wonderful but 
difficult task of serving as an advocate for fish and wildlife. It must 
protect these public resources in the face of much criticism and 
question. The Service is charged with fulfilling its own mission in 
light of competing and sometimes conflicting mandates. It also must 
address the contentious issues of private property rights, water 
rights, and takings. The Service has done a remarkable job in recent 
years of developing initiatives that deal with many of these issues. 
The internal guidance documents for permits; the new safe harbor, 
candidate conservation and ``no-surprises'' policies; the policy for 
Native American rights; and the streamlining initiatives for federal 
agencies have all led to better implementation of the Endangered 
Species Act, better public relations, and ultimately better protection 
for the species.
  I am confident that Jamie Clark has the experience, insight, and the 
strength to lead the Fish and Wildlife Service to continue these 
initiatives and develop new ones through the challenges ahead. Thank 
you.


            statement on the nomination of edward gnehm, jr.

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it is a great personal pleasure for me to 
express my congratulations to Ambassador Edward Ghehm, Jr. as the 
Senate completes its action on his nomination to be Director General of 
the Foreign Service. I have known Edward Ghehm, or Skip, as his friends 
call him, since the days when we were in college together. He and I 
were college roommates for 3 years. Skip has been a brother to me since 
we first met. I know him better than any investigator could hope--and 
there isn't anything I know I wouldn't share, from his sense of humor 
to his work ethic. Skip has always put God and Country first. He has 
lived a motto that says, ``If what you did yesterday still seems 
important, you haven't done much today.''
  It doesn't seem all that long ago, we were both attending George 
Washington University here in the Nation's Capital. We used to dream 
about the future. I can tell you, we never dreamed that ``someday'' 
we'd both be before a congressional panel, me as the junior Senator 
from Wyoming, and Skip as the President's nominee for a key State 
Department post.

[[Page S8523]]

  Through the years, we have kept track of each other. I have been very 
proud, but not surprised, that Skip has gone on to accomplish great 
things in his career with the State Department. I've lived around the 
world through my brother.
  Skip has been a man for our time. A quick glance at Skip's duty sheet 
will show that whenever there has been a ``hot spot'' in the world 
community that warranted the careful attention of the State Department 
and a search for ``the right one''--someone with a great sensitivity to 
a tense foreign situation and strong diplomatic skills to help find a 
solution--Skip was often the one they called.
  To name a few of his tours of duty with the State Department, Skip 
has served in the Vietnamese Embassy, he has been in Nepal, and he has 
been stationed in many posts in the Middle East.
  Skip was a part of the team that negotiated hostage releases. He has 
been in charge of evacuating Embassy families. Each change of 
administration has sought out his expertise, his counsel, and his 
active participation in our foreign policy. When Operation Desert Storm 
became necessary, once again Skip was there, serving as our Ambassador 
to Kuwait. You'll remember the proud moment when the American flag went 
back up at our Embassy--Skip was the person you saw raise the colors.
  Most recently, Skip has been serving as the Deputy U.S. 
Representative to the United Nations.
  Ambassador Gnehm is a man of great character, strongly held 
principles, and the greatest integrity you could hope to find. He has 
earned the respect of those he works with, and his counterparts in the 
foreign countries and Embassies in which he has been assigned.
  Skip is the perfect choice for the Foreign Service. He has always 
seen the foreign service as his best chance to serve--to make a 
difference. And he has made a difference. He has the experience and the 
determination it takes to succeed. He's a proven leader who understands 
the need to follow orders and the direction of our foreign policy. He 
possesses the finest of administration skills. I have no doubt that the 
wealth of talent he possesses will enable him to lead with confidence. 
As always, Skip will do a fine job and produce results.
  It is with great pleasure that I support his nomination.


     NOMINATIONS OF GEORGE OMAS, JAMES ATKINS, AND JANICE LACHANCE

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, we have had some others cleared. Therefore, 
I ask unanimous consent that the Senate continue in executive session 
to consider the following nominations on the Executive Calendar, the 
nominations of George Omas, James Atkins, and Janice Lachance which 
were reported from the Governmental Affairs Committee today, that the 
nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, any statements relating to the nominations appear at the 
appropriate place in the Record, and the President be immediately 
notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The nominations considered and confirmed en bloc are as follows:


               federal retirement thrift investment board

       James H. Atkins, of Arkansas, to be a Member of the Federal 
     Retirement Thrift Investment Board for a term expiring 
     September 25, 2000.


                     office of personnel management

       Janice R. Lachance, of Virginia, to be Deputy Director of 
     the Office of Personnel Management.


                        Postal Rate Commissioner

       George A. Omas, of Mississippi, to be a Commissioner of the 
     Postal Rate Commission for a term expiring October 14, 2000.

  Mr. Lott. I yield the floor.

                          ____________________