[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 58 (Thursday, May 5, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H3030-H3031]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1415
   CELEBRATING CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR AND THE END OF THE SOVIET EMPIRE

  (Mr. LEWIS of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to notify Members of the 
House that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and I are sending 
out invitations by way of an event that will take place in the 
Committee on Appropriations on May 16. The title is ``Celebrating 
Charlie Wilson's War and the End of the Soviet Empire.''
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of our former Members 
and a stalwart on the House Appropriations Committee, whose ability to 
work behind the scenes and across the aisle helped speed the downfall 
of the Soviet empire. Those who are interested in the past impact of 
one Member concentrating himself upon the Soviet empire and the effect 
he had should be a part of this celebration.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today pay tribute to one of our former Members, 
and a stalwart on the House Appropriations Committee, whose ability to 
work behind the scenes and across the aisle helped speed the downfall 
of the Soviet empire.
  I am referring to former Congressman Charlie Wilson, who was renowned 
for providing top-notch representation for his east Texas constituents. 
Many of you will remember my good friend Charlie for that, and for a 
dashing and debonair style that was perhaps unequaled during my time in 
the House. But I would like to recount something Charlie did quietly 
about two decades ago that may have changed the course of world 
history.
  In the early 1980s, foreign policy was for the most part a bipartisan 
affair. The Soviet Union seemed unshakable in its anti-American 
strength, and the evil stain of communism continued to spread around 
the world. Those of us who served on the Intelligence Committee and the 
Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee heard 
constant reports of our Nation's efforts to counter-act that tyranny 
and oppression.
  I served on those committees with Charlie Wilson, a former Navy 
lieutenant who was known outside the House as a connoisseur of the good 
life. Those of us who served with him were well-aware of his insight 
and keen intellect. When Charlie spoke about world affairs, we always 
listened.
  Longtime members of the Appropriations Committee develop a unique 
perspective on

[[Page H3031]]

Congress's ability to influence national policy. We have seen time and 
again that one Member, who has developed an expertise in a subject and 
a commitment to change, can influence colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to provide support and get a program moving that might spend 
years languishing in bureaucratic review.
  Perhaps the most dramatic example of this was how Charlie Wilson 
found a way to fund the rebels in Afghanistan, which eventually led to 
the defeat of the Soviet Union's efforts in that country, which was the 
beginning of the disintegration of the Soviet empire. As CIA Director 
James Woolsey later said: ``The defeat and breakup of the Soviet Union 
is one of the great events in world history. There were many heroes in 
this battle, but to Charlie Wilson must go a special recognition.''
  Charlie was amazed that the Afghan rebels seemed to be holding the 
Soviets at bay with rocks and knives, and urged appropriators to 
provide covert funding to get them more sophisticated weapons. The 
committee agreed to a few million in the first year, and Charlie 
persuaded his colleagues to increase spending in succeeding years. 
Ultimately the rebels began shooting down Soviet planes and helicopters 
with Stinger missiles. By 1988, the Soviets were on the run. By 1990, 
the Berlin Wall had fallen and the breakup of the Soviet empire was 
under way.
  Mr. Speaker, many of my colleagues will recognize this tale from 
George Crile's marvelous ``Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary 
Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History.'' I urge everyone to 
read this highly entertaining book, and I am happy to say that it may 
soon be produced as a motion picture.
  What you as members will see in this story is that a single voice, 
heard with respect and supported by House colleagues, can initiate the 
kind of program that can change the world. I know that Charlie Wilson 
is gratified to have been given that respect and support, and I am 
proud in the knowledge that I have been privileged to serve with 
Charlie in this House and on that committee.
  Mr. Speaker, Charlie Wilson retired from Congress in 1996, but he is 
only now leaving Washington. I ask all of my colleagues to join me in 
thanking him for giving us the opportunity to take part in history, and 
to wish him well as he heads home to Texas.

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