[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 5 (Tuesday, February 3, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H195-H201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE RONALD V. DELLUMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 1997, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, it is with mixed feelings that I address 
the House today and preside over this special order. On the one hand, 
we honor a truly outstanding American and Member of this body. On the 
other hand, he will be leaving as a Member of the United States House 
of Representatives on February 6. It is with that as a prelude that I 
precede my remarks.
  I might also say, Mr. Speaker, that we had intended to take this 
special order up at 5 o'clock this evening, and there are those who are 
still traveling back to Washington from their districts that I know 
would wish to be a part of this. Hopefully they will submit their 
statements for the Record at a later time.
  Mr. Speaker, in the early and middle years of the 1800s, there was a 
giant of an orator who spoke in this body and also spoke in the other 
body, the United States Senate. His name, of course, was Daniel 
Webster. I doubt if anyone has been measured to his status or his level 
until my friend Ron Dellums, who is one of the finest orators of our 
day, and, I think, of any day and time in this body, came along.
  A few years ago, after a very interesting debate, a young page 
approached me outside the chamber and remarked that Congressman Dellums 
was undoubtedly the finest speaker in the House of Representatives, to 
which I agreed with the young gentleman's observations.
  As our colleague and good friend Ron Dellums prepares to close this 
chapter of his life, 27 years as a Member of Congress, I would like to 
say a few words about the man and about the legacy.
  He is one of those rarities, a native who was born in Oakland, 
California. He served in the Marine Corps, used the GI Bill to go to 
college, and worked as a psychiatric social worker, a skill he put to 
good use here years later in this Congress.
  How would I describe him? First, he is a friend. He is a teacher, he 
is a role model. He is also a man of passion, of eloquence, and of 
intelligence, as anyone who has observed him in countless House debates 
knows so very well.
  He has a liberal badge that he wears with honor, and has been a 
leading figure in that part of the Democratic Party for over a 
generation. He demonstrated his courage on several occasions, of his 
convictions, and he used his position and status as a Member of 
Congress to draw public attention to an issue he considered important.
  I believe it was Speaker Newt Gingrich who once described Ron Dellums 
as the ``Conscience of Congress.''
  Ron Dellums's accomplishments in the Committee on National Security, 
formerly known as the House Armed Services Committee, and here in 
Congress are numerous. He was the first African-American to serve on 
the House Armed Services Committee in 1973. He was the first to serve 
as a subcommittee chairman, which was Military Construction, from 1983 
to 1989. He was the first to serve as the Chairman of the full 
committee, from 1993 to 1995.
  He has been a longtime opponent of large defense expenditures. At the 
same time he has always supported, always supported, those measures 
designed to improve the welfare of the men and women who served our 
Nation in uniform, as well as their families.
  He worked closely with the former Secretary of Defense, Bill Perry, 
to promote procurement and reform legislation, which passed, Mr. 
Speaker, with bipartisan support in 1994.
  Maybe his most significant accomplishment in Congress occurred with 
the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, which prohibited new investment in 
South Africa. It capped a 15-year effort on his part and passed with 
overwhelming support as a result of his persistence. Less than 10 years 
later, in 1994, he traveled to South Africa and witnessed the 
inauguration of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa.
  Ron Dellums can take justifiable credit for having been a leader on 
that issue in Congress and having contributed to the remarkable and 
positive outcome in South Africa.
  But as part of his legacy here in Congress and on the committee on 
which I serve, Ron Dellums conducted himself in exemplary fashion, with 
fairness, I will repeat, with fairness; with integrity, I will repeat, 
with integrity; and, of course, with the highest of dignity.
  As both Chairman and ranking member of the committee, he was 
committed to the democratic process. Yes, he had strong views about 
many issues the committee dealt with, arms control, defense spending, 
individual weapons systems, and many, many more, but he was 
scrupulously fair, to ensure that all points of view were heard and 
were considered, so that no one, no Member was shut out of the 
democratic process, whether it be in committee or here on the floor of 
the House.
  While Congressman Dellums took his responsibilities seriously as a 
Member of this body, as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee 
and as ranking member of the House Committee on National Security, he 
maintained a down-to-earth attitude about himself. He remained a 
friend; approachable and bright. When asked for advice, he gave it; 
when asked for friendship, he gave it.
  Congressman Dellums can take great satisfaction that he leaves this 
body, this Congress of the United States, having made a difference, a 
major difference.

                              {time}  1530

  We can also have the knowledge that he leaves many friends here. We 
hope he will maintain contact with each of us. We wish him and his 
family health. We wish them happiness and success. We wish them the 
very, very best in the days and years ahead. I am proud to call him my 
friend, I am proud to call him my colleague. We will miss him.
  I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Sisisky).
  Mr. SISISKY. Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to say everything in my 
heart about Ron Dellums. However, I must follow up on my colleague from 
Missouri concerning a speech that Mr. Dellums gave concerning apartheid 
in South Africa. It has been my custom when I do not know how I am 
going to vote on a subject, I come to the floor, not in front of the 
television set, but come to the floor to see how Members really conduct 
themselves. I am one of the oldest Members in the House of 
Representatives, I believe, so I can say

[[Page H196]]

from experience, I have heard a lot of speeches in my lifetime, both 
before World War II, after World War II. I have never heard a speech 
like that in my life. I was in doubt, and it was not just the words 
that he spoke. It was how he conducted himself and the feeling that 
just permeated, permeated this House of Representatives.
  I know how proud he must be to return to South Africa and see the 
peaceful transformation of government, and I can tell my colleagues 
that there were a lot of people involved, but I can tell my colleagues 
this, that he is the one that is most responsible.
  I have known Ron now for 16 years, and without question, he is the 
fairest chairman I have ever served under. I remember a chairman I had 
in the State legislature where a member of another party was shouting 
something, said, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, this is not fair, and he 
picked up the rule book and he said, young man, show me in this book 
where the chairman has to be fair. He was fair, and I do not know a 
single Member of this body, both Democrat and Republican, that served 
on his committee who would disagree.
  His faith in democracy has always been the hallmark of his belief 
that everyone deserved their say, and that is what led him to fight for 
his views on the committee. But it also is what led him as chairman 
just as forcefully for the committee bill and the will of the majority, 
even when their views were not his own. The ability to do that is truly 
the mark of a truly great man.
  It is also the mark of a great man that Ron is respected by all men 
and women, as I said before, on both sides of the aisle. I can assure 
my colleagues that he won their respect the old fashioned way: He 
earned it.
  Throughout the year when I went through my chemotherapy, Mr. Dellums 
would call me or my staff to see how I was doing and let me know that I 
was on his mind and his heart. Believe me, it meant a lot to know that 
every time Ron saw my staff, his first concern was about me.
  Now, having been here 16 years, there are a lot of stories that I 
could tell about Ron Dellums. But Ron, you will be thankful to know 
that I will not tell them. But there is one story that does a pretty 
good job of explaining how I feel about you.
  Several years ago, when Ron was still chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Procurement of the House Committee on National Security, we were in 
markup, and we were debating something, and I do not even remember what 
it was. It obviously was not aircraft carriers, because 
uncharacteristically for me, I had not said anything. So when you 
looked in my direction, I started putting in my 2 cents, because I 
thought you wanted me to. When you cut me off, I said I only started 
talking because you looked like you had expected me to say something. 
And you replied, Mr. Sisisky, I was not looking at you, I was looking 
at the brother behind you. And you were talking about my staff guy.
  I later learned that when he saw you the next day, he told you that 
the next time you saw him, do not say the brother, say my brother. And 
that goes for me too. From the bottom of my heart, I wanted you to know 
what an honor it is for me to have known you and to call you my 
brother.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee 
(Mr. Clement).
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I have not had the opportunity to know Ron 
Dellums as long as many others have. I have only been in Congress 10 
years where many of the others have served with him as many as the 27 
years that Ron Dellums has been in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  Congressman Dellums was born in 1935 in Oakland, California. As a lot 
of my colleagues know also, he served in the Marine Corps from 1954 to 
1956. He sure got a lot of formal education, and he was also a 
psychiatric social worker in California as well, and I am sure that 
helped him a lot serving in the United States House of Representatives.
  He was elected to the Berkeley City Council, but then, in 1970 he had 
the opportunity to run for the United States Congress and defeated an 
incumbent who had been here for a number of years.
  Ron Dellums is a special kind of person because he really meets 
people extremely well, and as I have heard so many people say, he sure 
has changed a lot since he has been here as well. He is not the same 
person as he was when he was first elected to the U.S. House of 
Representatives and was sworn in in 1971. But we all mellow over the 
years, but what Ron Dellums has done, from talking to others and 
watching and observing myself, he really listens to what one has to 
say. He really cares about what one has to say.
  I will never forget when he had the opportunity to move up as 
chairman of the Committee on National Security, which is now chairman 
of the Committee on National Security, and a lot of people wondered, 
what kind of chairman would he be? Should I support him, or not? But he 
had made so many friends over the years, even though some of them may 
have differed with him on various issues. But one can have a difference 
of opinion without having a difference of principle, and that is why it 
was really unanimous, or almost unanimous, for him to be chairman of 
the Committee on National Security.
  We remember his battles and his fights concerning South Africa and 
his fight for freedom and independence. We know of his friendship with 
Nelson Mandela and always standing by Nelson Mandela's side. I have 
also heard that his grooming sure has changed over the years too from 
bell bottoms to one of the most best dressed Members of the United 
States House of Representatives. He is a passionate leader of the old 
school, eloquent in his causes, and dignified in so many ways. He is 
intelligent, he is forceful, he is firm, he stands up for what he 
believes is right in the best interests of the Ninth Congressional 
District in California, the State of California, and the people of 
America.
  The world has changed, Ron Dellums has changed from Cold War to the 
end of the Cold War, from Vietnam to Bosnia, South Africa, and 
everything else he has done and what he has accomplished for the best 
interests of America and the best interests of the world, and for world 
peace, and to keep a strong national defense. Congratulations, 
Congressman Ron Dellums.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from St. Louis 
(Mr. Clay), my fellow Missourian.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, Congressman Ron Dellums has been one of the 
most effective and dynamic Members to serve in this Congress during the 
27 years that he has been a Member. I was here when the young fellow 
came 27 years ago, so I know what he has meant to this body. He has 
been an inspiration both to his constituents and to his colleagues in 
his tremendous dedication to this body and to the people of the Ninth 
District of California. He has elevated both to new heights.
  Ron Dellums came to Congress as a young firebrand to champion causes 
deemed unpopular by those who opposed social justice and racial 
equality. He was an early leader in the battle for civil and human 
rights at home and abroad, a committed advocate for the homeless, the 
downtrodden and the dispossessed. Dellums was an outspoken supporter of 
protecting the environment before much of our Nation even recognized 
the need for better environmental protection laws. He has been an 
eloquent and distinguished voice on behalf of millions of neglected men 
and women in developing nations around the world.
  In 1970, Dellums came to Congress as an anti-Vietnam War peacenik 
with a vision of a better future for our Nation. In those days, no one 
imagined that he would one day emerge as chairman of the powerful House 
Committee on National Security. But his keen mind and sharp intellect 
allowed him to perceive things and events that were not yet to come.
  Dellums is a visionary who recognized early in his career that in 
order to be effective in dismantling the military industrial complex 
and in redirecting the vast resources of government, he had to develop 
an intrinsic understanding of how the whole system truly functioned.
  When he was asked why he joined the Committee on National Security, 
Ron Dellums said, and I quote, ``I did not join the Committee on 
National Security to learn about missiles, planes and ships. I joined 
because I knew I would need to become an expert in this field in order 
to argue successfully for military spending reductions that would

[[Page H197]]

free up resources for the desperate human needs that I see every day in 
my community.''
  So Ron Dellums became an expert. Then he led the battles to free up 
resources for human needs, and soon the wind was at his back and his 
community and the Nation reaped the fruits of his labors.
  Mr. Speaker, on the surface, Dellums is suave and debonair and 
charming, dynamic, intelligence, dapper, eloquent, urbane, hip and 
cool, but beneath the surface, Dellums is much more. He is heartfelt 
sincerity, utterly committed to serving the cause of justice and 
determined to eradicate racism and sexism. Congressman Dellums will 
forever rank among the finest and most effective Members that have ever 
served in this body. He is a man of grace and integrity. I am proud to 
have served in this body with Ron Dellums and proud to call him my 
friend.
  Mr. SKELTON. I thank the gentleman from Missouri. I yield to the 
delegate from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Christian-Green).
  Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN. Mr. Speaker, it has truly been a privilege and 
an honor to serve for even this brief time with a gentleman of the 
caliber of Congressman Ron Dellums. This weekend the Congressional 
Black Caucus joined in a dinner tribute to Congressman Dellums and the 
legacy he will be leaving not only to our caucus, but to the entire 
Congress of the United States.
  As I join my colleagues in toasting this great leader and public 
servant, I, as a new Member, reminisced about the few times that we 
were able to spend time together and thanked him for the lessons that 
are inherent in the story of his life and time in politics, lessons of 
courage, of character, of principle, of integrity, and of unswerving 
commitment and service.
  Ron, I would be sad at your leaving the House at this time, except 
that you have given us so very much and enriched our lives and the work 
of this House so greatly that your presence and your impact will remain 
with us for many years in Congresses to come. We also take comfort in 
knowing with a certainty that in leaving you would never abandon the 
causes to which you have devoted all of your life, but that wherever 
you go and whatever you do, you will always be our strong, active and 
dedicated partner in the yet unfinished work of bringing justice and 
peace to our country and to the world.
  So it is with great pleasure that I join all of my colleagues in 
saying a heartfelt thank you. We also thank your constituents who sent 
you here to represent them and us these 28 years, and the family who so 
graciously shared you with us and this country. And we ask for God's 
continued blessings on you and on them, and may God go with you, my 
brother.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Taylor), who is also a member of the Committee on 
National Security.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Skelton) for yielding.
  I am going to divert a little bit from the course. Everyone has 
spoken at great length of Ron's social commitment to our Nation, but I 
think very few realize how much he has done for the defense of our 
Nation, and I do not think he ever got the credit that he deserves for 
that. For the 2 years that the gentleman was Chairman of the Committee 
on Armed Services, I want the people to what know he has done.
  I happen to come from shipbuilding country. It is the major employer 
where I live. Our country was once a great maritime power and, up until 
1980, we were building about 100 commercial ships a year.
  One of the ironies of the Reagan years that most people do not 
realize is, while the defense structure of our Nation went up 
incredibly during those years and we were building many warships, we 
went from building 100 commercial ships a year to none by the time 
President Reagan left office.
  The year that Ron Dellums assumed the chairmanship of the House 
Committee on Armed Services, this great Nation built fewer merchant 
ships than the Nation of Vietnam. They built one.
  One of the legacies that Ron will always carry with him is that, 
working with his committee, he spearheaded the effort and made it 
possible for the National Shipbuilding Initiative to become law, for 
our Nation to take the first steps toward becoming a maritime power 
again.
  The loan guarantee program that the gentleman from California allowed 
to become law and that he spoke so eloquently for started the first 
Federal loan guarantees of U.S.-built commercial ocean-going ships 
since 1980.
  Since that date, because of his actions, because of his forceful 
commitment, the loan portfolio now stands at $2 billion and 260 vessels 
have either been built or being built. This is a Nation that on the day 
Ron Dellums took over the committee was not building one. That is $1.1 
billion for U.S. flag vessels; $670 million of vessels that are being 
built by Americans to be exported; and $130 million for something that 
the gentleman personally worked to include and that is the 
modernization of our shipyards so that we could remain competitive with 
our counterparts around the world.
  Specifically, there are 17 commercial ocean-going vessels that have 
been built as a result of Ron Dellums' good work. Fifteen of them are 
double-hulled tankers, so that in the future, if a ship hits a rock or 
hits another vessel and is carrying oil or chemicals, the chances are 
nine out of ten that it will not leak into the oceans or the rivers of 
the worlds.
  Ships are being built in the district of the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Sisisky) at Newport News. They are being built in the district of 
the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan). They are being built in, of 
all places, the home State of F. Edward Hebert, the State of Louisiana. 
I think Mr. Hebert would certainly want to apologize for some of the 
shabby treatment that Ron got early on in his career, but he was 
magnanimous to take care of those folks when he had the chance.
  Two passenger ferries, five shipyards are being modernized, and one 
shipyard is being reopened as a result of that. There are approximately 
200 liquid, dry cargo, and power barges that have been built as a 
result of this.
  At this present time, there are 20 applications totaling $1.2 billion 
on file, again, for a Nation that was building no commercial ships on 
the day Ron Dellums took over.
  But it is not just that. I think in his life and in what he preaches, 
he believes in peace through strength. I think the best way we would 
agree to prevent a war is to be so strong that no one wants to go to 
war with us.
  In the 2 years that Ron Dellums was Chairman, 13 Navy combatants were 
authorized, including six DDGs Aegis class destroyers, the finest in 
the world; one LHD; one aircraft carrier; two Navy oceanographic 
vessels to search the seas for places to hide our submarines and places 
for the enemy to hide theirs; two support ships; and one mine warfare 
ship. Because it became so apparently clear during the Gulf War how 
vulnerable this Nation was and how the world's traffic lanes for ships 
were vulnerable to the use of mine warfare.
  So in addition to all the good things that the gentleman has done 
from the heart, I think this is something that he did to strengthen our 
Nation and prevent the next generations from having to go to war and, 
above all, to put Americans like my family and his family, the people 
from Oakland and the people from South Mississippi, to give them the 
chance to make things here in this Nation, things that are important 
for what the gentleman once described as an ``island Nation.''
  Mr. Speaker, I say to Ron Dellums, ``God bless you and thank you for 
what you have done.''
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Meek).
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Skelton) for giving me this time and also thank the 
Speaker for giving me time to give some privilege to one of the finest 
men I have ever met and one of the finest Congresspersons we will ever 
know.
  This man brings dignity to the word Congressman. He brings grace. He 
brings poise. He brings intellect, which is so direly needed here in 
Congress. He brings that.
  As I have said many times, Ron Dellums reminds me of a Shakespearian 
actor. His gait reminds me of it, his

[[Page H198]]

elegance, his articulation, his knowledge of the issues. Ron Dellums is 
``A Man for All Seasons,'' and he has shown us that here in the 
Congress.
  He is a man of peace who boldly, as Chairman of the powerful 
Committee on Armed Services, kept peace at the top of his agenda. He 
was able to make peace and armed services compatible to each other. And 
with that he set a pace, he set a model for this Congress.
  Throughout his leadership, the fiery anti-war activist surprised his 
critics with his stewardship of the committee. He did what he was 
constitutionally prepared to do when he came into this Congress and 
that was to carry out the Constitution yet be very, very noble and 
dedicated to his constituents.
  He was not just civil. He was courtly.
  Many times, Mr. Speaker, I would come to the floor just to hear Ron 
Dellums' speech. I did not really care what he said, but to hear him 
speak and the way he articulated, the way he stuck with the issues, the 
way he was able to debate the question and was able to get along with 
people who did not agree with him and to give them facts and carry 
those facts through.
  Every Congressperson could learn something if they were to sit and 
listen to Ron Dellums. He is always in command of the legislative 
details. He does not come here to fool anybody with buffoonery. He 
comes here with facts, fair and polite to witnesses and restrained in 
expressing his own views on defense policy. He managed floor debate on 
defense issues so efficiently, Mr. Speaker, that he won praise from 
many of his ardent critics.
  During times of peace, Ron Dellums has consistently advocated for a 
defense builddown, economic conversion planning, and efforts to retrain 
workers and to provide community impact aid during this period.
  Ron Dellums is a futurist. He has looked to the future while many of 
us were able to stay right with the past or to stay right in the 
future, he has gone forward into the future.
  Not one with a hidden agenda, Ron Dellums pretty much places things 
right on the line. If he did not agree with you, he would go into the 
crowd of 39 Members of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was the only 
one who had a different opinion, but he brought his opinion, and he 
openly discussed it, and he won many of us over.
  Much of his thinking on the military is outlined in his book, Defense 
Sense: The Search for a Rational Military Policy. That brings out the 
scholarly acumen of Ron Dellums, how he is able to convert his ideas 
and to put them on paper.
  The other scholarly aspect of Ron Dellums is his intellect in 
articulating what he feels. He is an intellectual. He is an idea man. 
He loves ideas, and he loves to debate them. That is Ron Dellums.
  Mr. Speaker, I will not talk any longer, but my colleagues should 
know what I know about what he did for South Africa when he helped 
America to understand about South Africa and how he was able throughout 
his career to be a man of peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I say to the gentleman from California, ``Ron, you go 
and you leave us with a legacy. That is a legacy of peace, that is a 
legacy of understanding, and that is a legacy of intellectual acumen.''
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Skelton).
  The gentleman from Missouri and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Dellums) and I, we shared three offices in a corner of the Rayburn 
Building for 10 years. And I know that the gentleman from Missouri felt 
ideologically isolated for most of those 10 years in between the two 
offices of Markey and Dellums. But, without question, the atmosphere of 
collegiality and conversation was one where both Ike Skelton and Ed 
Markey could agree that for 28 years Ron Dellums has been the 
conscience of Congress on peace and arms control issues for this 
country and for this globe.
  He fought the neutron bomb during the Carter administration. He 
fought the B-1 bomber during the Carter and the Reagan administrations. 
He fought the MX missle throughout the Reagan administration. He fought 
the Trident II-D-5 missiles throughout the Reagan administration. He 
fought the B-2 bomber through the Reagan, the Bush, and the Clinton 
administrations. And he has also been one of the leaders in pushing for 
a negotiated arms control agreement.
  He was one of the prime leaders of the nuclear freeze movement, 
fought for a comprehensive test ban, fought for a ban on antisatellite 
weapons. He opposed the efforts to abrogate the ABM treaty to exceed 
the SALT II limits.
  And then in what I believe is his most famous speech here on the 
floor, his famous ``Litany of Lunacy'' speech, discussing in eye-
watering detail each one of the increasingly more stupid basing modes 
that were designed for the MX Missile, dense pack, rail mobile, small 
underwater missiles, and point defense ABM deployment, each one of them 
devastated by the Dellums' knife to the heart.
  Now, some people say, well, he was a gadfly in the early years, but 
he matured over time. Well, I do not think in his third year in 
Congress Richard Nixon put Ron Dellums on his enemy's list because he 
was a gadfly. One has to be a lot more effective than that than to come 
to the President of the United States' attention on a little list he is 
keeping inside of his top drawer.
  When he came out and said that we should put economic sanctions on 
South Africa, he was a gadfly. But of course the one thing that turned 
Nelson Mandela from a political prisoner into the President of a 
country was Ron Dellums' efforts over 10 years as the gadfly, but then 
as a visionary as the world begins to accept his understanding of what 
had to happen in order to change the climate in this world.
  When he became Chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, 
all the members said, he is pretty reasonable on those issues. And when 
he became Chairman of the Subcommittee on Research and Development, 
they said he is pretty reasonable on those issues. And when he became 
chairman of the National Security Committee, everyone started to say he 
is pretty reasonable on those issues. But he never compromised his 
principles at any time.
  Now, as far as I am concerned, one of the great things that is going 
to come out of this is that we will all remember Ron Dellums as someone 
who, not only sounded good on every single issue that he ever spoke to 
on this floor, but never, ever looked as good as Ron Dellums when he 
was out here on the floor.
  This is a combination that is unique to Ron Dellums of all of the 
Members that I have ever known in my 22 years in the United States 
Congress. For me, the most poetic, ultimate result of his career will 
be that, for eternity, his portrait will sit above the Chair in the 
National Security Committee, looking down at every chairman of every 
Joint Chiefs of Staff that will ever testify before the National 
Security Committee. And Ron Dellums will be peering down at him asking 
him the question: Yes, sir, I understand your interest in every weapon 
system that has been put as a blueprint on the design board of the 
Pentagon, but have you considered all of the other needs of society? 
Have you balanced your request so that all of the other problems in our 
society can be dealt with as well?
  Ron Dellums, you are my friend. You are my hero here in Congress for 
my 22 years. I mourn your leaving, but I am glad for you because you 
have served our country as well and nobly as any man in your 
generation, and I thank you for it.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Edwards).
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, when Members retire from this institution, 
many of us stand up out of politeness to pay our respects. Today is 
different. Today, all of the Members of the House speaking truly speak 
from their heart.
  The world has changed much since a young Ron Dellums came to this 
body. He came here when we were mired in the depths of the Vietnam war. 
Today the world is at peace. He came when school children were fearful 
of being bombed by nuclear weapons from the Soviet Union because of the 
Cold War. Today they no longer have that fear, and the world is at 
nuclear peace.

                              {time}  1600

  He came when Nelson Mandela was a prisoner and now he is a President. 
And

[[Page H199]]

in all of those steps of progress of history is the footprint of Ron 
Dellums. He has made a difference for our country, and he has made a 
difference for our world. And as we sit here and listen to the great 
accomplishments of Ron Dellums, I must say as his friend that we 
respect him because of what he has accomplished. We respect him for 
what he has done. But truly, we love him because of his deep personal 
character. Winston Churchill once said that we make a living by what we 
get; we make a life by what we give. Based on what he has given both in 
making a difference and in his personal character, Ron Dellums has led 
a great and productive life.
  Mr. Speaker, when I think of Ron Dellums, I think of four words. 
Dignity is the first, perhaps his lasting legacy to this institution. 
Always speaking from the heart when he came to this floor, always 
dealing with the indignities he once had to face as a new Member having 
to share a seat on the Committee on Armed Services, facing that with 
great dignity to the point that he rose to become the chairman of that 
very same committee.
  I think of fairness when I think of Ron Dellums, someone who 
respected the will of this House, was willing to listen to all Members 
from different points of view and from both parties, and in letting 
every Member of this House have his or her say.
  I think of the word ``caring.'' As one who represents over 43,000 
Army soldiers, I want to express my thanks to Ron Dellums for helping 
protect the impact aid program which sees that if our military families 
are off fighting in a war thousands of miles away from their homes, at 
least they can do so knowing that their children will get a first class 
education back home.
  Despite the fact of his fairness, for which we all respect, let no 
one mistake the fact that Ron Dellums has been effective. Listen to the 
stories that have already been told. Talk to two of the greatest 
leaders, great defenders of the B-2 program. I think it says a lot that 
the most effective fighters in favor of the B-2, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Dicks) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), 
are here on this floor to pay their respects to the man who literally 
led the fight against that major defense program.
  Fortunately our Founding Fathers were wise enough to design an 
institution that is bigger than any one of us. This institution will go 
on when Ron Dellums retires. But, Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for all 
of us when I say that this institution will be less because of his 
retirement but more because of his service and his lasting legacy of 
dignity to this great body and to this country.
  We salute you and wish you well, our friend, Ron Dellums.
  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will continue to yield, Mr. 
Dicks is out here to argue with Dellums about the B-2. He has not 
buried that axe yet.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Gephardt), the minority leader of this House.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, this is a very, very important time to 
tell one of our departing Members how much we think of him, respect 
him, care about him and recognize the tremendous contribution that he 
has made to the House of Representatives, to his district, to his 
constituents, to the country of the United States, and finally I would 
say to the world, which can be said about very few of us who come 
through this place.
  There is a whole list of things I could say, many of them have been 
said. I would like to repeat all of them, but I do not want to do that 
because it is not necessary. Ron Dellums has excelled in so many ways 
in the years that he has been here. There are two things I want to 
bring out about him that I think are maybe the most important.
  All of us come here to make a difference. It is the only reason to be 
here, it is the only reason to take on public service. Public service 
is hard work. It takes from your family, takes from your private time, 
and the reason to do this is to make a difference.
  Ron Dellums, you have made a difference in many, many ways, but I 
want to pick out two that I think are the most important.
  First you made a difference in the way you have conducted yourself in 
the House in terms of getting all of us to remember and understand that 
even though we come here with deeply held beliefs and views, the most 
important thing we have to do here is to be able to reconcile those 
views with one another, to resolve conflict. That is the great 
achievement of the Congress is that with all the views that come here 
from all over the country, from all kinds of backgrounds, from all 
kinds of States and places, here in this hallowed room we resolve the 
conflict. You have been chairman and now ranking member of one of the 
most important committees in the House, the Committee on Armed 
Services, the defense function, which is our first commitment to our 
constituents. And you, in probably the best way it has ever been done, 
resolved the conflict in that committee.
  Let me read what the Almanac of American Politics says about Ron 
Dellums: His performance is a fine example of how a chairman can 
preside fairly and with dignity while conscientiously disagreeing with 
the views of his colleagues even when different from his own.
  That is high praise, and it is well deserved. Every member of that 
committee would say, you are the best that has ever been in the 
leadership of that committee because you fairly resolved the conflict 
on a minute-by-minute, day-by-day, year-by-year basis.
  The second example of achievement in making a difference is South 
Africa. I remember, I was here in the early 1980s when Ron Dellums came 
onto this floor and argued to us and to the world that America should 
stand for certain values of freedom and human rights, and all of the 
opponents of that position came out and said, well, he may be right on 
the values, but no one will follow. Other countries will not follow our 
lead. Then others said, we will lose business because we will lose 
contracts in South Africa. And finally people argued, well, it will 
hurt the good people of South Africa, you will be hurting the very 
people you are trying to help.
  And Ron Dellums kept coming back on this floor repeatedly after he 
had lost over and over and over again. He kept saying what in his heart 
he felt was right for the people of South Africa, the people of America 
and the people of the world. And finally, we overrode a veto. The first 
time Ronald Reagan as President was overridden with a veto was on that 
bill authored by Ron Dellums, and we changed the policy of the United 
States.
  And a few months after that I am looking at the TV on a Sunday 
morning, and here they are looking at a field in South Africa, and out 
of prison came Nelson Mandela. Tears streamed down your face as you saw 
the fulfillment of the commitment of Ron Dellums to the values and 
morals that this country was founded on. He understood that in the 
Declaration of Independence, when it said, these inalienable rights, 
that they were universal rights and human rights across the world, not 
just for the United States. And because Ron Dellums, you stood for 
those inalienable universal human rights, Nelson Mandela today is the 
President of South Africa. And those rights have been held up once 
again by America as inalienable, universal human rights.

  Mr. Dellums, you made a difference, you made a big difference, not 
only in this Chamber and in this body and in this country, but in the 
world. Few of us, if any of us, can say that. We are going to miss you. 
You are leaving at a time in your life when you can go on and do great 
things in other places. We wish you well, and we are here to support 
you and help you in any way we can. God bless you.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Washington 
(Mr. Dicks).
  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment the minority leader, 
Dick Gephardt, who has been our majority leader and caucus chairman, 
for an outstanding speech. I came over here today because I have had 
the privilege of working with Ron Dellums for 22 years. We have had 
days when we have been allies, when we have fought against the 
antisatellite weapon and against Star Wars, and we had a different 
airlifter than maybe the one that the Pentagon wanted, and there was 
never a better man to be an ally with. And we have had days over here,

[[Page H200]]

as someone has mentioned, where we disagreed on a few issues.
  But the thing that I appreciated about Ron Dellums, and I think that 
it is something that we have gotten away from in the House, is that he 
is always willing to stand up here on the floor and engage in true 
debate on the issues and to have a discussion and to challenge your 
ideas, but he is always willing to let you challenge his, and out of 
that I think comes an understanding of these technical issues that we 
are forced to deal with in the area of national defense.
  I can tell my colleagues, when people talk about fairness, even 
though Mr. Dellums and I would disagree on certain issues but we would 
be allies on others, when you needed a friend, and in this Congress you 
have to go home and get reelected, and one time I had a terrible 
problem and that was on the Nisqually River. We wanted to build a fish 
hatchery for salmon, which now has become an endangered species in the 
Northwest. I went to Chairman Dellums and I said to him, the best place 
to have this fish hatchery is on a piece of Army land. And he said to 
me, what do you want to do about this? I said, the Army will not let us 
have the piece of land, but they have suggested that if you can get Mr. 
Dellums to put it in the military construction authorization bill, that 
we will transfer the land to the Nisqually Indians. And so Dellums, as 
he could synthesize this, said to me, are you telling me that you want 
me to take this land away from the Army and give it to the Indians? And 
I said, yes. And he said, right on, brother. And I will tell you, that 
was the fastest transfer we ever got.
  And there are other issues where we worked together on a school 
district and a whole bunch of other things. But as the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Gephardt) mentioned, I think all of us will remember the 
fight over South Africa and also the great debates that we had during 
the Cold War era of whether we are going to maintain arms control, 
whether we are going to make certain that we did not breach the ABM 
agreement. We did not override the SALT II limits, all those things we 
were allies.
  And I will just tell you this: There are a lot of people over at the 
Pentagon, a lot of people in the industry who were very fearful when 
Mr. Dellums became chairman of the Committee on Armed Services. But we 
never had a fairer, better chairman. Even though sometimes he did not 
even vote for his own bill, he brought it to the floor, let everybody 
debate it, passed it and got it done, got the work done. And most 
importantly, in another era where he is sometimes forgotten, is that 
when he had to go sit down with the United States Senate, he did well 
on behalf of the House of Representatives.
  So even though we have had our disputes, I am going to miss Ron 
Dellums because I am not going to know who to debate anymore. Where is 
the challenge going to be? Who is going to be the leader on the more 
liberal side of our caucus?
  But I have admired him. I admire his commitment to his constituency, 
to his family and just not a better man to work with and serve with. I 
am proud of the fact that we have been friends and we will be friends 
in the future, and we will work together on important issues, I am 
sure, when you come back to the Congress from time to time to see your 
old friends. God bless and good luck and we appreciate your great 
service to this institution.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Horn).
  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, we all know that Ron Dellums was the first 
African American member of the House Committee on National Security.

                              {time}  1615

  I came in the 103rd Congress, when he was chairman, and I can testify 
that in those two years not one single Democrat, not one single 
Republican ever criticized him.
  It has been said repeatedly today that he was without question one of 
the fairest chairs this House has ever had. And all I can say for some 
chairs--we do not have too many of those old autocrats any more--but 
all of us could take a lesson from Ron as to how to conduct a meeting. 
He was fair. Everybody had their say.
  He was much like Phil Hart, who chaired Senate Judiciary: The 
Southerners had their say, the Northerners had their say. And his 
colleagues in the Senate named a building after him. Ron, all the 
buildings seem to be gone, but you never know around here, you might 
get one named after you yet.
  In modern times we all know that he was one of the few who chaired 
two full committees in this House, the other being the District of 
Columbia. He also continued his cause for civil and human rights that 
he has been committed to all his life, and he still did that as a 
Member of Congress and as a chair, as has been noted with the South 
African situation.
  It is his personal dealings with individual Members that I think all 
of us remember; that he treated our requests with respect, and he did 
the best he could do about those requests. He was a very accommodating 
chair.
  But I think what has not been mentioned since I walked onto the floor 
is he has a tremendous sense of humor. And I think my favorite Ron 
Dellums story is when he participated in his first conference with, we 
shall say euphemistically, the other body. And he sat there with great 
interest, and across from him was one Member of the other body. On his 
side of the table, there were about 30 Members of the House. And there 
was a staff member that was next to the Member from the other body. 
After the Senator across the table had said a few paragraphs, the staff 
member took over the meeting. Everybody on the House side was used to 
it, Ron was not. He and each of his colleagues were prepared to discuss 
each section of the bill with representatives of the other body. The 
Senate staff member kept on. Finally Ron just let out a big yawn. Since 
he is rather tall, and has a commanding presence, when Ron says 
something you turn around and listen. Someone said, ``What's the 
matter, Ron?'' There was a pause and Ron replied, ``Well, I am just 
wondering, if I die and I am going to be reincarnated, what would I 
like to be? And there was a longer pause. And he mused: ``I think I 
would like to be a Senate staff member.''
  That comment broke up the tension of the meeting. We all regret Ron 
Dellums' decision to retire. Of course, he has a great sense of humor. 
But more important, he is a compassionate man. He has been an effective 
legislator. He is truly a beloved colleague of Members on both sides of 
the aisle. Ron, I thank you for all you have done for America and human 
rights in the world, and not simply for the free state of Berkeley, 
California.
  But you are a great colleague, Ron. We are all glad to have you as a 
friend.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Reyes).
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I 
rise to pay tribute to my good friend and colleague, Congressman Ron 
Dellums. Like many of my colleagues, I was saddened to learn that Ron 
was leaving us, especially when I realized that he was leaving us so 
soon.
  I want everyone to know that I respect Ron and that I consider him a 
pioneer, I consider him a mentor and I consider him a friend. I 
consider Ron Dellums a pioneer because he came to this House as a 
Representative at a time when there were very few minorities in 
Congress.
  He led the way for African-Americans, he pioneered the way for women, 
for Hispanics and other minorities. He did not shy away from issues of 
importance to these groups and others. He boldly stood on this floor 
and in the committee and passionately debated matters of grave concern 
to this Nation and to the world. In so doing, he raised issues that 
others would rather ignore, but he knew that they must be brought and 
discussed here in this body.
  I consider Ron Dellums a mentor because from the day I joined the 
House Committee on National Security he always was available to answer 
any questions and provide guidance to those of us that were new to the 
committee. He was quick to share his expertise and to mentor new 
Members. For that I really appreciate your friendship.
  Ron Dellums took time to bring the freshmen members of the committee 
together on many different occasions about many different issues, and 
he shared his knowledge of the process, of the experience, and he took 
time to guide us through a very nasty mine

[[Page H201]]

field of the authorization process, and we really appreciate that, Ron.
  I consider Ron Dellums a friend, first and foremost, because I could 
always come to him to ask advice. I could always count on him for 
lending some sort of rationalization and levity to sometimes a 
cantankerous atmosphere.
  I think that, Ron, you, more than other Members of this institution, 
realize that you have always been an integral and an important part of 
a process that is as real and vital as America itself. I want to wish 
you all the best and know that in the next chapter of your life you 
will continue to make a significant impact on the lives of many others.
  I want to end by telling you, my good friend, vaya con Dios, mi 
amigo, mi hermano, go with God, my friend and my brother. God bless.

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