[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 112 (Friday, August 3, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8913-S8914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LEAHY (for himself, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Specter, 
        Mrs. Clinton, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Feingold):
  S. 1348. A bill to designate the Federal building located at 10th 
Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, in Washington, District of 
Columbia, as the ``Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building''; 
to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce, with Senators 
Hatch, Schumer, Specter, Clinton, and McCain, a bipartisan bill to name 
the Department of Justice building in honor of the late Robert F. 
Kennedy. I am also pleased to join the bipartisan efforts of 
Congressmen Roemer and Scarborough, who are introducing companion 
legislation in the House of Representatives today.
  Robert F. Kennedy was a man of great courage and conviction. Of his 
many accomplishments during his life, the one we honor today is his 
tenure as Attorney General of the United States. Appointed by his 
brother, President John F. Kennedy, on January 21, 1961, he served his 
country admirably in the office of Attorney General until September 3, 
1964.
  During his tenure as Attorney General, Robert Kennedy led the fight 
against injustice and championed civil rights for all Americans. He 
ordered United States Marshals to protect the Freedom Riders in 
Montgomery, Alabama. He sent Federal troops to open

[[Page S8914]]

the doors for James Meredith to walk with dignity as the first African-
American to attend the University of Mississippi. He pushed Congress to 
enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to guarantee basic freedoms for all 
our citizens, regardless of race, religion or creed.
  Robert F. Kennedy's commitment to justice for all echoed in his fond 
saying: ``Some men see things as they are and ask why; I dream of 
things that never were and ask why not.''
  Attorney General Kennedy also was a determined prosecutor. His 
investigated organized crime throughout America and became the first 
attorney general to establish coordinated federal law programs for the 
prosecution of organized crime. From 1960 to 1963, Department of 
Justice convictions against organized crime rose 800 percent because of 
his efforts and dedication to bring organized crime figures to justice.
  As Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy represented President Kennedy in 
foreign affairs and closely advised the President in times of trouble. 
Attorney General Kennedy's wise counsel during the Cuban Missile Crisis 
in October of 1962, as well as secret negotiations with the Soviet 
Embassy, helped bring a peaceable end to the crisis.
  The memory of Robert F. Kennedy lives on in the work of others who 
care as much for justice as he did. As Attorney General, Robert Kennedy 
wrote these words: ``What happens to the country, to the world, depends 
on what we do with what others have left us.'' It is in that spirit 
that we honor him today.
  I am proud to led this bipartisan effort to name the Department of 
Justice Building after Robert F. Kennedy with the greatest respect, 
admiration and appreciation for his service to his country.
                                 ______