[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 118 (Thursday, July 17, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6930-S6931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE FBI

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I was privileged to attend the event at the 
National Building Museum this morning commemorating the FBI's 
centennial anniversary. It was an extraordinary event honoring the 
dedicated men and women of the FBI. Four of the six FBI Directors who 
have guided this agency over the last 84 years were present, and 
Director Mueller made an inspiring speech to mark the occasion. He 
spoke about the history of the Bureau, paid tribute to those who have 
served and are currently serving, and spoke about the elements in the 
FBI's motto of ``fidelity, bravery and integrity.''
  I was especially struck by Director Mueller's description of the 
values that guide the Bureau, values that are important to effective 
law enforcement. He said:

       It is not enough to stop the terrorist--we must stop him 
     while maintaining his civil liberties.
       It is not enough to catch the criminal--we must catch him 
     while respecting his civil rights.
       It is not enough to prevent foreign countries from stealing 
     our secrets--we must prevent that from happening while still 
     upholding the rule of law.
       The rule of law, civil liberties, and civil rights--these 
     are not our burdens. They are what make us better. And they 
     are what have made us better for the past 100 years.

  I commend the Director for his words and for his service. I 
congratulate the men and women of the FBI and thank them for all they 
do every day to keep Americans safe, establish justice, and allow us to 
secure the blessings of liberty.
  I ask that the remarks of Director Mueller be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

             100th Anniversary Commemoration, July 17, 2008

       Good morning to all. It is truly an honor to be here today 
     to mark this significant milestone in the Bureau's history, 
     and to share in the celebration of this occasion--the 100th 
     anniversary of the FBI.
       My thanks to Attorney General Mukasey and the many other 
     distinguished guests for joining us today.
       My special thanks, also, to Directors Webster, Sessions, 
     and Freeh, for being here with us on this day. Together, they 
     represent three decades at the Bureau in which we saw a 
     strong emphasis on white collar and organized crime, as well 
     as counterintelligence cases. We witnessed innovations in 
     crime-solving technologies, and a dramatic expansion of our 
     international program.
       But let's go back a bit further in history.
       One hundred years ago, Attorney General Charles Joseph 
     Bonaparte organized a group of investigators under the 
     Justice Department. In July, 1908, the Bureau of 
     Investigation opened its doors.
       The first Bureau employees numbered just 34--nine 
     detectives, thirteen civil rights investigators, and twelve 
     accountants. They investigated, among other things, antitrust 
     matters, land fraud, and copyright violations.
       Compare that to today's FBI--a threat-based, intelligence-
     driven, technologically supported agency of over 30,000 
     employees--employees who are working in 56 field offices here 
     in the U.S., and 61 Legal Attache offices overseas.
       Employees who are combatting crimes as diverse as 
     terrorism, corporate fraud, cyber crime, human trafficking, 
     and money laundering. J. Edgar Hoover would indeed be proud.
       Today's FBI is often, and I believe accurately, described 
     as one of the world's few intelligence and law enforcement 
     agencies combined.
       The culture of the FBI is now, and for the past 100 years 
     has been, a culture of hard work and dedication to protecting 
     the United States, no matter what the challenges.
       In the wake of the September 11 attacks, it became clear 
     that the FBI's number one priority must be the prevention of 
     another terrorist attack. We refocused our mission, revised 
     our priorities, and realigned our work force.
       We strengthened lines of communication between the Bureau 
     and our partners in the global intelligence and law 
     enforcement communities.
       And we are now stronger, and better equipped to confront 
     the threats we face today.
       Today's FBI continues to reflect and to embody its motto--
     Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity. It is a motto emblazoned on 
     the FBI Seal. And it is worth its weight in gold.
       For the past 100 years, the men and women of the FBI have 
     lived out their commitment to Fidelity, Bravery, and 
     Integrity. And it is precisely because they have done so that 
     the Bureau has the reputation that it has today.
       Even so, these are qualities that need to be constantly 
     burnished by the men and women of the Bureau, to ensure that 
     they do not rust for lack of use.
       For most of us, fidelity is faithfulness to an obligation, 
     trust or duty.
       For the men and women of the FBI, fidelity also means 
     fidelity to country. It means fidelity to justice and to the 
     law, fidelity to the Constitution, fidelity to equality and 
     liberty.
       Bravery is the quality of being willing to face danger, 
     pain, or trouble; to remain unafraid.
       Bravery is not merely the act of rushing in where others 
     flee. It is the quiet, diligent dedication to facing down 
     those who would do us harm and to bring them to justice.
       The well-known tennis champion and social humanitarian, 
     Arthur Ashe, once said, ``True heroism is remarkably sober, 
     very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at 
     whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever 
     cost.''
       Bravery is the capstone in the stories of Special Agents 
     Rodney Miller, John O'Neill, and Lenny Hatton. On September 
     11, Miller and O'Neill went up, not down, the stairs of the 
     North Tower of the World Trade Center to help others to get 
     out.
       Rodney Miller went all the way up to the 86th floor, 
     offering assistance to fire and police personnel on the 
     scene.
       Through radio transmissions, Lenny Hatton reported the 
     crash of the second plane, and then assisted with evacuation 
     efforts. Neither he nor John O'Neill survived.

[[Page S6931]]

       And we will never know how many lives were saved as a 
     result of their and the other first responders' extraordinary 
     bravery on that day.
       Although their stories are unique, their bravery is 
     repeated by the men and women of the FBI working each and 
     every day around the country, and around the world.
       Whether cracking down on public corruption or white collar 
     crime that corrodes the public trust. Or capturing criminals 
     who exploit children on the Internet, or commit violent 
     crime, hate crime, organized crime, espionage, or terrorism.
       Such bravery can be seen in the story of Jay Tabb, a member 
     of our Hostage Rescue Team. Tabb received the FBI Star after 
     being shot and seriously wounded during the arrest of a 
     wanted fugitive.
       Just months later, during a search of a terrorist safe-
     house in Iraq, he was injured again, this time by a suicide 
     bomber. Despite his own injuries he rescued four wounded 
     soldiers. After each incident his first question was, how 
     soon can I get back to work with my team?
       Bravery can be seen in the stories of our Task Force 
     Officers like Port Authority Police Detective Tom McHale, who 
     has served on our Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force since 
     1995.
       The morning of September 11th, McHale was blocks away from 
     the World Trade Center when he heard the first plane fly 
     overhead. He raced to the scene to assist with evacuations 
     and rescues. He was caught in both building collapses, and 
     was injured.
       And yet as a trained ironworker, McHale spent the next 
     weeks in the rubble cutting through steel recovering bodies. 
     He worked at Ground Zero for 12 hours a day, before reporting 
     for duty on the Joint Terrorism Task Force to help with 
     thousands of leads.
       Bravery can be seen in the work of Jennifer Keenan, the 
     first female Special Agent to be stationed in Pakistan and in 
     Yemen, and who helped carry out dangerous missions in both of 
     those countries.
       Along with Tom McHale, Keenan was part of the FBI team in 
     Pakistan who captured Al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaidah.
       Bravery can be seen in the story of Special Agent Bruce 
     Bennett and three other Agents, who, as John mentioned, were 
     seriously wounded just last March in a terrorist bombing, 
     also in Pakistan.
       And it can be seen in the story of Walter Walsh, our oldest 
     retired Special Agent, who survived shootouts with gangsters 
     in the 1930s.
       And it so happens that several of these individuals are 
     with us today. Would you all please stand so we can recognize 
     you?
       And yet there is no shortage of heroes in the FBI. I am 
     certain there are also many unsung heroes with us here in the 
     audience today--heroes whose stories may never be told.
       And we honor them as well.
       For the men and women of the FBI, bravery is reflected not 
     only in the physical courage often necessary in the job. It 
     can be seen in the courage of conviction, in the courage to 
     act with wisdom in the face of fear, and in the courage it 
     takes to admit mistakes and to move forward.
       This brings us to the third quality that defines the 
     Bureau, and that is integrity. It is the quality of being of 
     sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.
       For the men and women of the FBI, integrity is reflected in 
     all that we say and we do--in honesty, in keeping promises, 
     in fairness, in respect to others, and in compassion.
       Integrity is, in some ways, the most important of the three 
     words that make up our motto. Integrity is the fire by which 
     fidelity and bravery are tested.
       Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity set the expectations for 
     behavior; they set the standard for our work.
       More than just a motto, for the men and women of the FBI, 
     Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity is a way of life.
       And it has always been so. It has been said of FBI 
     employees that they stand on the shoulders of their 
     predecessors. Indeed, we do.
       And while it is a time of change in the Bureau, our values 
     will never change.
       It is not enough to stop the terrorist--we must stop him 
     while maintaining his civil liberties.
       It is not enough to catch the criminal--we must catch him 
     while respecting his civil rights.
       It is not enough to prevent foreign countries from stealing 
     our secrets--we must prevent that from happening while still 
     upholding the rule of law.
       The rule of law, civil liberties, and civil rights--these 
     are not our burdens. They are what make us better. And they 
     are what have made us better for the past 100 years.
       The men and women of the FBI today are part of history in 
     the making. We understand that we have been passed a legacy 
     and that it remains our responsibility to both build on and 
     to pass on that legacy to those who will succeed us.
       John F. Kennedy once said, ``. . . when at some future date 
     the high court of history sits in judgment on each of us, . . 
     . our success or failure, in whatever office we hold, will be 
     measured by the answers to four questions: First, were we 
     truly men of courage . . . Second, were we truly men of 
     judgment . . . Third, were we truly men of integrity . . . 
     Finally, were we truly men of dedication?''
       The men and women of the FBI, here and around the world, 
     past and present, can resoundingly answer yes to each of 
     these questions. That is because they live our motto each and 
     every day.
       Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity remain the attributes of 
     an organization with a proud. history of distinguished 
     service to the nation. And each of us is indeed honored to be 
     part of that.
       With Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity defining every FBI 
     employee, we stand fully ready to face the challenges of the 
     next century.
       Thank you all again for being here with us today and God 
     bless.

                          ____________________