[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14609-S14610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ROBERT M. BRYANT, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is 
perhaps the most renown and respected law enforcement agency in the 
world. Though the FBI is famous for its laboratories, embracing new 
crime fighting techniques, and ability to ``get its man'', the real 
secret and heart of this organization's success has always been its 
people---the capable, courageous, and conscientious men and women who 
serve as Special Agents. Today, I rise to pay tribute to an individual 
who has given much to the FBI and the nation, Robert M. ``Bear'' 
Bryant, who will retire from his position as the Deputy Director of the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation on November 30th.
  Bear Bryant's career as a Special Agent began in 1968, when he hit 
the foggy and mean streets of Seattle, Washington, a distinctly 
different environment than his native Missouri. The atmosphere in 
Seattle, and across the nation, was combustible and there was just the 
right amount of tension to spur extensive criminal and violent 
activities. Without question, it was a busy and dangerous time to be 
making one's living as a lawman, and it was in such an environment that 
Special Agent Bryant cut his teeth in law enforcement and made a 
lifelong commitment to the Bureau.
  Though he certainly had no inkling as a young Special Agent that his 
career would take him to the most senior levels of the FBI, Robert 
Bryant would spend three decades criss-crossing the United States as 
his career moved progressively forward and up the FBI chain of command. 
Subsequent assignments to Dallas, Headquarters in Washington, Salt Lake 
City, and Kansas City, as well as promotions to Supervisor, Permanent 
Inspector, and Special Agent in Charge, all helped to prepare Bear for 
his ultimately taking the second-in-command slot in the Bureau.
  Surely one of the most rewarding assignments Bear had during his 
career was the time he spent as Special Agent in Charge of the 
Washington Field Office. When he took that job in 1991, the Capital was 
a violent city as a result of ``crack wars'' that were breaking out in 
urban areas from coast to coast. As the Special Agent in Charge of the 
Washington Field Office, Bear Bryant was responsible for establishing 
the ``Bureau Safe Streets'' program, which directed significant FBI 
resources toward combating street-level organized crime. The success of 
Mr. Bryant's efforts and leadership are evident. Thanks to his efforts, 
in conjunction with other agencies including the Metropolitan Police, 
crime is down in this city today, especially those offenses associated 
with the crack trade. This program was so successful in the District of 
Columbia, it was adapted as a tactic for reducing violent crime in 
other cities and there are currently more than 160 taskforces in 
operation throughout the United States making streets safe again.
  Those familiar with the FBI will tell you that service as the Special 
Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office is an indication that 
someone is on their way to assuming one of the senior positions within 
the leadership of the Bureau, and in 1993, SAC Bryant was tapped for 
the very critical post of Assistant Director of the National Security 
Division. This segment of the Bureau is responsible for battling the 
considerable threats to national security from both outside and within 
the borders of the United States. During his tenure of the head of the 
National Security Division, Mr. Bryant was responsible for supervising 
and directing investigations that represented some of the most serious 
acts of espionage, treason, and terrorism that law enforcement has had 
to deal with in recent years including, the Oklahoma City bombing, the 
bombing of the Al-Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, as well as the 
espionage cases of Aldrich Ames, Earl Edwin Pitts, and Harold 
Nicholson.
  Two-years-ago, Director Louis Freeh needed a new Deputy Director and 
given his considerable experience as an investigator, supervisor, and 
administrator, it came to no one's surprise that it was Bear Bryant who 
took the co-pilot's chair. The position of Deputy Director is one of 
great responsibility and importance, for it is this person who runs the 
day-to-day operations of the Bureau and its 28,000 agents and support 
personnel. In addition to assuring the smooth running of this global 
agency that is always on duty, Deputy Director Bryant was also tasked 
with drafting the Bureau's strategic plan for the next five years, a 
document which has been described as a ``sea change'' in FBI policy for 
it included a major reassessment of how resources are allocated and how 
the Bureau is going to do its job.
  Robert ``Bear'' Bryant has had a career of impressive achievement and 
unflagging service. Through his work, he has taken criminals, spies, 
and terrorists off of our streets and put them into the prison cells 
where they belong, and in the process, he has helped to keep the United 
States and its citizens safe. After more than thirty-years since 
raising his right hand and taking the oath as a Special Agent, Deputy 
Director Bryant has decided to retire from the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation. We are grateful for his diligent service, and I am sure 
that all my colleagues would join me in wishing Mr. Bryant, his wife of 
33-years, Beth, and their three children Barbara, Dan, and Matt, 
happiness, health, and success in all their future endeavors.

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