The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RETIREMENT OF SENATOR JESSE HELMS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S10343-S10344 on Oct. 10, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
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 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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