[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S10792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       VOICE OF AMERICA EDITORIAL

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, on October 18 the Voice of America 
broadcast an editorial entitled ``Terrorism Will Fail,'' strongly 
condemning the terrorist bomb attack on the U.S.S. Cole in Aden harbor, 
which took the lives of 17 U.S. sailors. The editorial concluded: 
``U.S. policy remains unchanged. The U.S. will make no concessions to 
terrorists. The U.S. will bring to justice those who attack its 
citizens and interests. The U.S. will hold state sponsors of terrorism 
fully accountable.''
  This is unambiguous language, which reflects not only United States 
government policy but also the feelings of all Americans. 
Unfortunately, however, the bureaucratic road from writing, to 
approval, to broadcasting this editorial was anything but unambiguous. 
In fact, it revealed both initial bad judgment by the State Department, 
and the need for better vetting procedures of VOA editorials by the 
appropriate authorities.
  VOA editorials are statements of American policy, so they are rightly 
cleared by the State Department for consistency with official U.S. 
Government policy. Regrettably, in this case the State Department 
initially vetoed the editorial's language. The reason for stopping the 
editorial was totally unjustified. It was dead wrong to stop the 
editorial because of fighting and casualties that were occurring 
elsewhere in the Middle East. American service men and women were 
tragically killed in this terrorist attack and a clear statement by 
Voice of America condemning the action should have gone out 
immediately.
  Subsequently, the State Department fortunately disavowed the earlier 
veto of the editorial memo, saying that the initial veto memorandum 
``in no way reflects the views of the Secretary of State, the 
Department or the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.'' Moreover, it stated 
that the initial veto memorandum had not been vetted or approved 
through appropriate channels.
  It is inconceivable to me how anyone could advocate deleting an 
editorial condemning the cruel, cowardly, terrorist murder of American 
service men and women.
  I hope and trust this occurred because of the understandable stress 
officials at the Department of State were under due to the tragic 
deaths from this dastardly act of terrorism in Yemen occurring at the 
same time the crises in the Middle East was also absorbing the 
attention of the Department.
  Fortunately, as I mentioned earlier, the Voice of America did 
broadcast the editorial in its entirety.

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