[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E51]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  TRIBUTE TO AMBASSADOR JULIUS L. KATZ

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILL ARCHER

                                of texas

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 2000

  Mr. ARCHER. Mr. Speaker, we rise today to pay tribute to an 
exceptional human being. Ambassador Julius L. Katz, who died last 
Thursday, January 27, at the age of 74, was a man of extraordinary 
intelligence, integrity and courage, who devoted more than 30 years to 
the service of his country.
  Ambassador Katz first demonstrated his courage and devotion to 
service when, at 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and joined the 90th 
Infantry Division during World War II, leading at Normandy and fighting 
in the Battle of the Bulge. His experience during the war helped to 
shape his goals and ambitions for the rest of his life, as he fought to 
build and strengthen an international trading system not only for its 
substantial economic benefits, but as a bulwark against political 
conflicts among nations, misunderstanding, isolationism and, 
ultimately, war.
  Upon his return from Europe, Ambassador Katz attended the George 
Washington University, and graduated with a degree in international 
relations and economics. In 1950, he joined the Department of State, 
working on various assignments, including supervision of U.S. aid 
programs in Yugoslavia and Poland, and negotiation of financial and 
property claims agreements in the U.S.S.R. Poland, Czechoslovakia and 
Romania.
  Ambassador Katz contributions to the field of international trade 
accelerated in the mid-1960's as he assumed the position of Director of 
the Office of International Trade. There, he led U.S. delegations to 
meetings at the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and 
participated in the Kennedy Round of trade negotiations.
  In 1968, Ambassador Katz was named Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
International Resources and Food Policy, a position in which he was 
responsible for formulating U.S. international commodity policies. In 
1974, he was appointed Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary, in which 
capacity he led various U.S. delegations on international trade issues, 
including the establishment of the International Energy Agency.
  In 1976, Ambassador Katz was appointed Assistant Secretary of State 
for Economic and Business Affairs. As Assistant Secretary, he 
participated in a large number of trade negotiations, from the Tokyo 
Round of GATT negotiations, to civil aviation agreements with Japan, to 
various international trade matters with Canada and a natural gas 
supply agreement with Mexico. Ambassador Katz was one of only a few 
senior State Department officials asked to remain on in the Carter 
Administration, where he continued to serve until 1980. Among the 
honors and awards he received during his career in the State Department 
were the Wilbur J. Carr Award and the Distinguished Honor Award from 
the State Department and the Distinguished Service Medal from the 
Department of Energy, the highest awards conferred by those agencies.
  In 1980, Ambassador Katz left government service to work in the 
private sector, also promoting international trade. In 1989, U.S. Trade 
Representative Carla A. Hills, on the recommendation of all of her 
immediate predecessors, former USTRs Yeutter and Brock and former 
Special Trade Representative Strauss, asked Ambassador Katz to return 
to public service as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. Ambassador Katz 
agreed. Once again serving with distinction, Ambassador Katz was the 
Chief Negotiator for the North American Trade Agreement, led 
negotiations on the 1990 U.S.-U.S.S.R. trade agreement, chaired the 
Trade Policy Review Group sub-cabinet interagency committee that 
coordinates U.S. trade policy, and provided senior management 
coordination for the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations, particularly 
in areas such as agriculture.
  Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Katz's career reads like an encyclopedia of 
the accomplishments of U.S. international trade policy since World War 
II. That, in and of itself, would be a fitting tribute to this man, 
born in New York City to a family of modest means. In the postwar era, 
it is difficult to think of any person who was more involved in more 
aspects of formulating U.S. international trade policy. Certainly, no 
one was more knowledgeable or committed to advancing the goals of that 
policy.
  What is particularly remarkable about Ambassador Katz, however, 
cannot be gleaned only from his long and impressive list of 
accomplishments. Rather, it was his personal qualities that we in 
Congress who worked with him and knew him will miss so greatly. Jules 
Katz was a person of unimpeachable integrity--who spoke his mind 
clearly and eloquently. He was a teacher--to Cabinet officials and 
Presidents, as well as to younger trade policy officials who served 
under him. And, if his patience with himself, with events, and even 
with colleagues, on occasion deserted him, his restlessness helped to 
inspire and motivate those around him to come up with better analyses 
and more creative solutions. And, he more than made up for it with a 
sense of fairness that never left him, a warmth that led dozens to 
regard him as their mentor, and a sense of humor that disarmed 
adversaries and reenergized colleagues even at the most grueling 
moments of a negotiation.
  Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Julius L. Katz epitomized the finest in 
public service to our nation. We owe this man a great debt of 
gratitude. Let his example inspire others who seek to contribute to 
this vital area of U.S. public policy. His legacy will live on in the 
many agreements that bear his imprint and the many people he worked 
with who carry inside of them a part of the flame that was his courage, 
integrity, ability and passion.

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