[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 96 (Thursday, July 1, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H5182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF FBI'S ``CRISIS NEGOTIATION PROGRAM''

  (Mr. HYDE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, July 5 will mark the 25th anniversary of the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation's Crisis Negotiation Program. The 
program created the Crisis Negotiation Unit, which has worked to 
negotiate the release of hostages for the last 25 years.
  We live in a very dangerous world, one that has for two decades seen 
a steady rise in hostage-taking incidents. We know that we will face 
new challenges from criminals and terrorists in the next century and 
that the work of this unit will be even more vital to the security of 
the American people both at home and abroad.
  The FBI Special Agents who serve in the Crisis Negotiation Unit 
deserve the gratitude of our Nation for their bravery and for their 
devotion. They deserve recognition of the fact that they have saved the 
lives of countless hostages and law enforcement personnel in the most 
dire of circumstances.
  The Crisis Negotiation Unit has also protected numerous potential 
innocent bystanders from harm in many high-profile hostage crises, like 
the Lufthansa skyjacking at John F. Kennedy Airport in 1993 to many 
serious incidents that have received little or no publicity.
  On behalf of the House of Representatives, I commend and congratulate 
the Crisis Negotiation Unit and its Special Agents on their 25th 
anniversary. They deserve our special thanks for a job well done and 
our prayers for all the dangers they are sure to face in the coming 
years.

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