[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 16, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1802-E1803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                A TRIBUTE TO AMBASSADOR RICHARD SCHIFTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 16, 2003

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues to join me 
in paying tribute to Ambassador Richard Schifter, one of America's 
finest champions of international justice and global cooperation. 
Ambassador Schifter celebrated his 80th birthday on July 31st, marking 
a milestone in a lifetime of distinguished public service.
  Ambassador Schifter's passion for human rights bears deep roots, as 
it reflects his personal experience with totalitarianism and bigotry. 
Dick's childhood in Vienna was rudely interrupted by the Nazi take-over 
of Austria in 1938. A Jewish Austrian, his life was in peril before his 
15th birthday. Dick was able to escape to the United States that 
December; his parents, however, were not then eligible for immigrant 
visas, and they were forced to remain in Vienna. They were later 
murdered in

[[Page E1803]]

the Maidanek death camp along with dozens of Schifter family members.
  Ambassador Schifter arrived in our great country alone, a young man 
barely in his teens in a totally unfamiliar land. Yet, in the finest 
American tradition, Dick built his life anew. He graduated summa cum 
laude from the College of the City of New York and Yale Law School, 
served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, and embarked on 
a highly successful legal career. Dick and his charming wife, Lilo, 
started a family that now includes 5 children, 5 children-in-law, 9 
grandchildren, and 1 grandchild-in-law.
  Mr. Speaker, while the young Ambassador Schifter had a great number 
of professional and personal obligations, he never neglected his 
responsibilities to his Maryland community. Dick served for twenty 
years on the Maryland State Board of Education, and he chaired both the 
Governor's Commission on Funding the Education of Handicapped Children 
and the Governor's Commission on Values Education. He stood up for his 
progressive convictions as the Chairman of the Montgomery County (MD) 
Democratic Committee. As President of the Washington, DC, chapter of 
the American Jewish Committee, he fought to ensure that the fate of his 
family in Austria would never be repeated.
  When Ambassador Schifter retired from his legal career during the 
early 1980's, he devoted himself to public service on a full-time 
basis. Dick's passion, energy, and undeniable brilliance proved 
invaluable in a wide array of positions. He represented his country as 
U.S. Representative to the United Nations Human Rights Commission 
(1983-1986, 1993), Deputy U.S. Representative in the United Nations 
Security Council (1984-1985), Assistant Secretary of State for Human 
Rights and Humanitarian Affairs (1985-1992), Special Assistant to the 
President and Counselor to the National Security Council (1993-1997), 
Special Advisor to the Secretary of State (1997-2001), and in numerous 
other important roles. Dick served Presidents from both political 
parties, reflecting his commitment to a bipartisan foreign policy as 
well as his clear and unambiguous passion for advancing human rights 
and American values around the world.
  Ambassador Schifter's service as Special Advisor to the Secretary of 
State for the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) bears 
particular significance. SECI's principal goal--to enhance regional 
cooperation among the countries of Southeastern Europe by encouraging 
joint and cooperative solutions to shared economic and environmental 
problems--could not have had a more principled champion than Dick 
Schifter. His agile mind and diplomatic skills added immeasurably to 
the progress of former Communist nations transitioning to democratic, 
free market structures. The success of this evolution added strength 
and stability to America's transatlantic partnerships.
  Leaders from around the world have recognized Ambassador Schifter's 
record of achievement. He is a recipient of the Secretary of State's 
Distinguished Service Award, Austria's Golden Honor Insignia with Star, 
the Order of Commander of Romania's Star, and Bulgaria's Order of Stara 
Planina, First Class.
  Mr. Speaker, Richard Schifter is a genuine example of the American 
Dream, and he has devoted his life to extending its values to every 
corner of the world. He is an idealist and an optimist. Four years ago, 
at a conference in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, he concluded a 
speech by quoting the unforgettable words of President Franklin D. 
Roosevelt: ``The only limit of our realization of tomorrow will be our 
doubts of today.'' Indeed, few public servants have done as much to 
build a global future of peace, prosperity, and morality. I am honored 
to be Ambassador Schifter's friend, and I urge my colleagues to join me 
in recognizing his tremendous service.

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