[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 40 (Wednesday, April 1, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES OPPOSES H.R. 695, THE 
                                SAFE ACT

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                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 1998

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, as you know every major police organization 
in the United States, representing millions of Americans strongly 
oppose H.R. 695. Now our veterans have joined their efforts to defeat 
the bill. I have included in the Record today a letter from the VFW 
which outlines their opposition to H.R. 695, the SAFE Act.
  The 2.1 million members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars believe that 
the version of the bill reported by the Committees on Judiciary, 
International Relations and Commerce will be detrimental to our 
national security and law enforcement.

         Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States,
                                Washington, DC, February 17, 1998.
     Hon. Gerald B. Solomon,
     U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Solomon: On behalf of our 2.1 million members, the 
     VFW thanks you for inviting us to the presentation you 
     recently sponsored regarding the issue of encryption. We 
     found the presentation to be extremely informative and 
     persuasive.
       Please be assured that the VFW fully agrees that there is a 
     need for the law enforcement and intelligence communities to 
     have an unfettered capability to counter terrorists and 
     criminals, both domestic and foreign. We strongly support 
     H.R. 695, the ``Security and Freedom Through Encryption 
     (SAFE) Act'' as reported by the House National Security and 
     Intelligence Committees, which calls for controlled 
     government access through key recovery tools to decrypt 
     information and communications that endanger our national 
     security. We oppose the version of H.R. 695 reported by the 
     Judiciary, International Relations and Commerce Committees 
     because they failed to incoporate essential key recovery 
     language. As America moves forward into the 21st century it 
     is absolutely essential that we have the ability to keep pace 
     with those who intend to bring us harm.
       Again, thank you for inviting us to a most stimulating 
     presentation. We look forward to working with you on this 
     issue.
           Sincerely,
                                              Kenneth A. Steadman,
                                               Executive Director.

     

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