[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1660-E1661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 1997

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2159) making 
     appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and 
     related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     1998, and for other purposes:


  Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong opposition to 
efforts to prohibit funding for the School of Americas. For those 
colleagues of mine who may still have concerns about the School of 
Americas, I draw your attention to the language in the fiscal year 1998 
appropriations bill. I believe it adequately and responsibly deals with 
any remaining questions or concerns about the school. Specifically, it 
prohibits the use of international military education training funds 
for the school until: first, the Secretary of Defense certifies that 
training provided by the School of Americas is fully consistent with 
U.S. training and doctrine, second, the Secretary of State has issued 
specific guidelines governing selection and screening of candidates for 
the school, and third, the Secretary of Defense has submitted a report 
on the training activities of the school. For the past 4\1/2\ years, I 
have had the honor of representing the area of southwest Georgia where 
Fort Benning and the School of the Americas are located. I am proud of 
the school. I believe all Americans should be. It is a program that has 
provided professional training to thousands of military and civilian 
police personnel from throughout Latin America--training that includes 
extensive indoctrination in the principles of human rights and 
representative democracy.
  The school's contribution to the transformation of Latin America from 
totalitarianism to democracy has been tremendous. Today, only Cuba 
remains a totalitarian stronghold. Representative government has begun 
to take root in every other country in the region. As the record shows, 
many of the school's 60,000 graduates have played leading roles in this 
transformation.

  If you have an opportunity to talk to these graduates, many will tell 
you that the values they studied and discussed during their stay at the 
school influenced their political thinking and motivated them in their 
country's fight for democracy.
  In spite of this record, the school is once again under attack.
  Without one shred of real evidence, the people who are involved in 
these misguided

[[Page E1661]]

attacks falsely accuse the school of promoting totalitarianism and 
torture. If you get beyond the rhetoric, which can be as deceptive as 
it is emotional, you will find their case is factually based on just 
two things: one, the few graduates who have been involved in human 
rights abuses and two, certain military intelligence training manuals 
which were once used at the school in classes attended by some of the 
students, although not all--which the school got rid of 6 years ago.
  It's true some of the school's trainees have turned out not to be 
nice people. Some, in fact, have been linked to sickening atrocities. 
But this, alone, is not evidence of wrongdoing at the school. As a 
matter of fact, most of the graduates have been among the good guys in 
the region's shift to democracy. Graduates have instituted human rights 
reforms in their militaries, prevented military coups against freely 
elected civilian governments, and have made their soldiers more 
professional servants of democratic governments.
  This whole argument gets a little ridiculous. We know of other Latin 
American human rights abusers who attended colleges and universities in 
the United States. One is the notorious Hector Gramajo of Guatemala, 
who did not attend the School of the Americas but did graduate from 
Harvard. Personally, I think it would be absurd to brand Harvard as a 
school of assassins.
  The military intelligence manuals containing inappropriate material 
never should have slipped by the school's screening process. There were 
prepared by the Pentagon years ago for use by military allies, and were 
adopted at the school as part of the material used in one course. For 
the most part, the manuals were non-controversial and worthwhile. But 
they did contain some material that violated U.S. policy, such as the 
use of psychological stress when conducting interrogations. In a 
review, the Army recognized this material was not acceptable and 
eliminated the manuals 6 years ago.
  I do not defend the manuals, and neither does the Defense Department. 
They were a mistake. But it was a mistake that was corrected years ago, 
and it has nothing to do with the current administration of the school.
  In his own report on the school, Representative Kennedy says: ``We do 
not question the good values and the commitment of the U.S. personnel 
at the school today.'' According to his report, the reason for 
attacking the existing school is to make a fresh start. But that start 
has already been made. The school and its curriculum have undergone 
intense scrutiny over the past few years, and instruction on human 
rights and democratic principles has been exhaustively reviewed, 
sharpened, and expanded.
  The School of the Americas has been investigated and studied by the 
DOD Inspector General's Office, by the General Accounting Office, and 
by an outside private consulting firm. Every course except for the 
computer course has mandatory human rights instruction. Every 
instructor is certified to teach human rights. The school has 
a permanent human rights council and a Board of Visitors on which 
strong human rights' advocates serve. All say the school is effectively 
promoting U.S. policy on human rights and democracy, and in no way is 
violating it.

  This is certainly a cost-effective program.
  For less than $4 million a year, the school is promoting democracy, 
building stronger relationships with our neighbors, and combating 
narcotics trafficking. The school's critics never consider the cost of 
the crimes and human rights violations that were NOT committed because 
of the school's influence. The critics never count the benefits of the 
drug labs taken down, the terrorism prevented, the mines removed by 
trained professionals, the peacekeeping operations. The school teaches 
all of these things, and its graduates carry out these missions day-in 
and day-out.
  Just listen to what the officials and agencies responsible for 
developing and implementing our foreign policy have to say about the 
school.
  Our incumbent drug czar, who served as a former Commander in Chief of 
the U.S. Southern Command, has said: ``As Commander in Chief, my 
responsibilities included furthering the development of professional 
Latin American armed forces that promoted and protected human rights 
and that were supportive of democratic governance. The School of 
Americas was, and continues to be, the Department of Defense's 
preeminent educational institution for accomplishing these goals.'' The 
State Department has stated: ``The School of Americas today is an 
important instrument for advancing our goals for the hemisphere. The 
school's curriculum has changed to reflect the end of the Cold War and 
our commitment to democracy, human rights, and development in Latin 
America.'' The Acting Commander in Chief of U.S. Southern Command, Rear 
Admiral Doran, has said: ``The School of Americas continues to be a 
priority in the CINC's regional strategy and it supports the 
President's National Security Strategy. By training Latin American 
military, police, and civilians, we remain actively engaged in the area 
thereby enhancing American security.'' And Chairman of the Joint Chiefs 
of Staff, John Shalikashvili, has commented: ``SOA remains a critical 
asset in combatting narcotrafficking in Latin America.''
  This is an issue that touches me personally.
  I regularly visit the school. I know the men and women who serve 
there. These are highly trained, dedicated professionals who believe 
deeply in their country and in the country's mission to promote human 
rights and democratic principles everywhere. It is wrong to accuse them 
of violating their trust and working against the interests of democracy 
when all of the evidence reaffirms that this is not true.
  I strongly urge all of my colleagues to visit the school, learn more 
about the job it is doing, and not to rush to judgement on the basis of 
false and unfounded accusations made by people who may have good 
intentions, but who have little regard for the facts.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge our colleagues to support the truth.
  Support the School of the Americas.

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