[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20491-20492]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                   RETIREMENT OF SENATOR JESSE HELMS

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today in tribute to Senator Jesse 
Helms, who as we know is retiring from the U.S. Senate at the end of 
this Congress.
  Simply put, the name ``Jesse Helms'' has become a household name 
because he has never been afraid to stand by his principles. Indeed, 
throughout his five terms in the Senate, Senator Helms has been a 
passionate voice for those ideals by which he has lived his life.
  And that is a critical distinction--Senator Helms has not only 
propounded certain values and philosophies, he has also lived them. He 
has

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always enjoyed the kind of unique credibility that comes from 
integrity--a personal quality that Senator Helms has carried with him 
from his very first days in Monroe, NC.
  This is a man for whom service is a higher calling, a commitment not 
only reflected by his years in elective office, but also--and at least 
as importantly--by his service in the Navy from 1942 to 1945. One 
cannot help but feel that Senator Helms later brought the reality of 
that experience significantly to bear in his legendary work on matters 
of international import.
  When I first came to Congress in 1979, I of course knew of Senator 
Helms. And as I worked in the House on State Department authorizations 
over the years as well as a variety of global issues as a member of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee and Ranking Member of the International 
Operations Subcommittee, I became even more familiar with his profound 
interest in, and impact on, international affairs.
  When I came to the Senate, I became a freshman member of the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Chair of the International 
Operations Subcommittee. Throughout that time--and ever since Senator 
Helms has been relentlessly gracious to me, as he had been whenever we 
had worked together on various conference committees back when I was in 
the House.
  Here in the Senate, we worked hand-in-glove on the State Department 
re-authorization, and I appreciated the opportunity he gave me to chair 
a full committee hearing with then-Secretary Albright on the issue of 
intelligence sharing with the U.N. in the wake of our involvement in 
Somalia.
  That was a serious concern that he and I shared--how would we protect 
U.S. intelligence information, particularly in light of the 
intelligence breach that had taken place in Somalia, where the U.N. had 
documents they should not have had which were also not properly 
secured. Issues brought to our attention during that hearing with 
Secretary Albright were eventually incorporated into the State 
Department bill.
  During my tenure on the Foreign Relations Committee, I worked with 
Senator Helms on the reorganization of the State Department, which was 
passed in 1998. As Chair of the International Operations Subcommittee I 
also introduced legislation in 1995 to create Terrorist Lookout 
committees in our embassies. With the help of Senator Helms, this bill 
was incorporated in the State Department Authorization Act of 1996-
1997, that was subsequently vetoed.
  In the wake of 9/11, I re-introduced this legislation with Senator 
Helms as a cosponsor and worked with him to seek its inclusion in the 
USA PATRIOT Act passed last year. With his support, this bill has 
finally become law as part of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa 
Entry Reform Act.
  Of course, it will come as no surprise that we didn't agree on all 
the issues. But it can truly be said he has left his mark on the global 
landscape. And that includes his introduction of legislation last year 
to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV infection--a goal I 
share by providing $700 million in international emergency AIDS 
spending.
  It is also true that agreement is not the test of friendship or 
respect in this body--nor should it be. Indeed, this body was founded 
on the ideals of debate and deliberation among men and women of good 
conscience who feel strongly about the pressing matters of the day.
  I appreciate his candor, his friendship, and his service to North 
Carolina, America and indeed the world. On the occasion of his 
retirement, I would like to extend my best wishes to him, as well as 
his wife Dorothy with whom he has such a special and loving 
relationship. Senator Helms will truly be missed, but most assuredly 
never forgotten.

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