[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7143]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF MR. JOHN L. HELGERSON ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 
       RETIREMENT AFTER 37 YEARS OF DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE

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                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 11, 2009

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man of 
great integrity and an unerring sense of humor, Mr. John Helgerson, on 
the occasion of his retirement after 37 distinguished years in the 
Intelligence Community.
  During the last seven years as CIA Inspector General, John has 
demonstrated the unfailing courage, sense of fairness and independent 
judgment that Congress envisioned when it created the position of 
Inspector General. Under his leadership, the Office of the Inspector 
General grappled with some of the thorniest issues in the Intelligence 
Community. John is one of those rare few individuals who is always 
willing to speak truth to power.
  Prior to becoming Inspector General, John served as Chairman of the 
National Intelligence Council, Deputy Director of the former National 
Imagery and Mapping Agency, now the National Geospatial Agency, and 
Deputy Director for Intelligence at CIA. There are few individuals in 
the Intelligence Community with as wide-ranging and distinguished 
experience as John. Our country is better-informed and safer as a 
result of his service.
  In his retirement announcement, John noted that the country's first 
Inspector General was appointed by General George Washington to be the 
``eyes, ears, and conscience of the commander.'' We are truly fortunate 
that CIA, and the Intelligence Community as a whole, had John's eyes, 
ears and conscience throughout his career. We will miss his 
intelligence, insight and honesty.
  As Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, I have come to trust and 
rely on John's good judgment in a variety of sensitive situations. I 
thank him for working with me to ensure that his office and my 
committee maintained a professional, productive relationship. I wish 
him continued success in all of his future endeavors.

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