[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 158 (Thursday, October 18, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2184-E2185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE, USIP

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 18, 2007

  Mr. INSLEE. Madam Speaker, 40 years ago, U.S. Senator Vance Hartke 
envisioned the creation of the U.S. Institute of Peace, USIP. Now, the 
realization of his dream is taking shape. We have broken ground on a 
new building to house the USIP on the consecrated ground of the 
National Mall in the Nation's capital between the Lincoln Memorial and 
the Kennedy Center. Senator Hartke's dream truly is a manifestation of 
the most ancient and ageless dream of humanity--enduring peace on 
earth. ``I have the unshakeable conviction,'' Senator Hartke declared 
when he introduced the legislation, ``that we will have it within our 
power and capacity not only to end the Vietnam War, but the syndrome of 
war itself.''
  This center is not the only mark on democracy he has left behind. His 
son Jan continues to help shape the country in the finest tradition of 
his father in many matters, including efforts to stop global warming, 
itself a threat to long-term peace.
  The USIP will not be a monument to an individual nor a memorial to a 
significant event in our Nation's past; instead, it will be a building 
dedicated to an idea and the future of all people. It will be a working 
building where scholars with different disciplines can sift through the 
dynamics of war and peace and gain insights that can help America and 
the world avoid unnecessary or accidental conflicts and wars. With its 
large auditorium, it will be a place where heads of state from many 
different lands and cultures will be able to address their own 
strategies for peace. Most of

[[Page E2185]]

all, it will be a place that illuminates and advances the greatest 
ideal of all. For without peace, all our other cherished causes and 
values cannot prevail.
  The idea for the USIP arose during the Vietnam war, when Senator 
Hartke had just broken with his close friend, President Johnson. Even 
though Senator Hartke opposed the war because he believed it was 
morally indefensible and financially antithetical to the goals of the 
Great Society, President Johnson interpreted dissent as disloyalty to 
him and his administration. At that point, Senator Hartke realized that 
something was missing in the Nation's decision-making apparatus on the 
great issues of war and peace. Senator Hartke's son Jan remembers, 
``Late at night, Dad would be sitting in his chair, reading stacks of 
books about the causes of past wars. He was appalled at how many wars 
could have been avoided, reduced in their severity or shortened. He 
concluded that America needed a non-partisan voice with analytical 
depth and institutional heft whose sold mandate was to make the case 
for peace, especially when the drums of war beat the loudest.'' Senator 
Hartke saw the USIP as a trusted, convincing and unequivocal voice for 
peace that could speak to the President, the Congress and the people.
  Senator Hartke knew the terrible costs of war, having served with 
both his brothers in WWII. He passed legislation to create the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee in the U.S. Senate. He wrote the law to 
establish the Business People's Peace Corps and the International 
Executive Service Corps, to address the root causes of war. Along with 
USIP, he also introduced legislation to create a cabinet-level 
Department of Peace.

  Senator Hartke's challenging and prophetic words still ring true 
today, ``The attainment of a just and lasting peace will be the supreme 
moral achievement of civilization. Yet it will not be won by the cynics 
or the naysayers, nor by those who are afraid of ridicule for being 
perceived as soft or utopian, nor by those lacking infinite patience or 
resolve. The victory of world peace will be won by those hearts and 
minds that never give up on the noblest quest of them all. For in the 
end, it is the dreamer who is the greatest realist.''
  Senator Hartke's dedication to peace was recognized widely. His 
widow, Martha, recalls, ``After Vance passed away in 2003, his friend 
President Clinton called my son and told him, `When I came to work in 
the Senate as a young man, I saw your father as a shining star because 
of his principled opposition to the Vietnam War.' '' Through the work 
of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Senator Hartke's star need not fade, 
but will continue to shed light on the path to peace.

                          ____________________