[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 59 (Thursday, May 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      AN INCOMPLETE INVESTIGATION

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 3, 2001

  Mr. FRANK. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday of this week I expressed my strong 
disapproval of the Navy policy of scheduling potentially dangerous 
military events solely for edification of those civilians that the Navy 
is seeking to turn into lobbyists for the budget, and I also expressed 
my disappointment at the failure of the House so far to hold the Navy--
and the rest of the Pentagon--to a reasonable standard of behavior in 
this regard. Subsequent to my statement I came across the accompanying 
editorial from the New York Times, appropriately entitled An Incomplete 
Investigation. In the editorial the Times notes ``testimony indicated 
that the only reason the ship went to sea that day was to entertain 
sixteen civilian guests as part of a Navy program aimed at cultivating 
good will. One of the shortcomings of the Navy's public court of 
inquiry was that none of these civilians was summoned to testify . . . 
the civilians might well be asked to appear at any court martial, and 
their testimony in turn could discredit the civilian visitor program.'' 
The Navy has refused to deal honestly with the role of these civilians 
in this terrible tragedy, and has announced that it intends to continue 
this program without any correction. We in the House have a 
responsibility not to allow this to happen. And I ask that the very 
thoughtful editorial from the New York Times on this subject be printed 
here.

                      An Incomplete Investigation

       Unless Adm. Thomas Fargo decides otherwise, the Navy's 
     investigation into the collision of an American submarine 
     with a Japanese vessel near Honolulu in February is likely to 
     end on a premature and unsatisfactory note. A report by 
     Elaine Sciolino in Sunday's Times quoted senior Pentagon 
     officials as saying that the public court of inquiry into the 
     incident had recommended that the submarine's skipper, Cmdr. 
     Scott Waddle, not be tried by a court-martial. Instead the 
     commander would receive some lesser punishment, like a 
     reprimand, that would effectively end his career but spare 
     him the military equivalent of a criminal trial.
       The final decision rests with Admiral Fargo. The officials 
     cited in the Times report said that he was unlikely to act 
     against the panel's recommendations. Nevertheless, we urge 
     him to consider a court-martial. We have no wish to prejudge 
     the outcome. A court-martial affords defendants a chance to 
     explain their behavior and to present mitigating evidence. In 
     this instance, a court-martial is also justified by the 
     nature of the case.
       Nine people were killed in the accident, which triggered 
     widespread resentment in Japan that could well flare up 
     again. According to testimony presented to the court of 
     inquiry, the operations of the submarine, the Greeneville, 
     were riddled with mistakes and violations of safety rules. 
     Commander Waddle himself testified that he had cut short or 
     omitted several safety precautions, failed to reassign duties 
     to compensate for the absence of a third of his normal crew 
     and rushed the periscope search conducted just before the 
     surfacing drill that caused the accident. The testimony also 
     identified serious mistakes by a petty officer who failed to 
     notify the commander that the Greeneville was dangerously 
     close to the Japanese ship.
       The testimony indicated that the only reason the ship went 
     to sea that day was to entertain 16 civilian guests as part 
     of a Navy program aimed at cultivating public good will. One 
     of the shortcomings of the Navy's public court of inquiry was 
     that none of these civilians were summoned to testify, though 
     they could have been. The civilians might well be asked to 
     appear in any court-martial, and their testimony in turn 
     could discredit the civilian visitor program. Three of the 
     civilians were seated at controls on the submarine at the 
     time of the collision.
       This has not been an easy time for the Navy, and it has 
     been a grievously difficult time for Commander Waddle. But 
     the fundamental issue here is accountability--the 
     commander's, his crew's and the Navy's. A truncated inquiry 
     cannot inspire the public confidence that would come with a 
     full court-martial proceeding.

     

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