DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1979 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1978 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10:02 a.m. in room 1223, Everett McKinley Dirksen Office Building, Hon. John C. Stennis (acting chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Stennis, Magnuson, Hollings, Chiles, Young, Case, and Stevens. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TRIBUTES TO SENATOR JOHN L. MCCLELLAN Senator STENNIS. The subcommittee will come to order. Mr. Secretary, we feel in a way that this is a continuation of last year. We have already had debate on a fiscal 1977 item and a vote in the Senate. A fine tribute has been paid to our late colleague, John McClellan; that has already been done on the floor of the Senate. I was away the day that occurred. I thought I ought to make a brief tribute to the late Senator. I wrote every word of it myself; it is in the Record of last week. I do not want to have an official meeting here without tribute to his memory and recognition of his great services on this subcommittee. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD EXCERPTS If I may, I ask unanimous consent to put the previous remarks that I made on the Senate floor in the record here for the first official meeting of this year in recognition of Senator McClellan. [The remarks follow:] [Congressional Record, January 26, 1978] STATEMENT OF SENATOR STENNIS Mr. President, I join in the substance and spirit of the many expressions already made about the splendid character and the truly great achievements of our late friend and colleague, John L. McClellan, long-time Senator from Arkansas. My special tribute to him and about him shall be special observations growing out of three decades of service here in the Senate with him, with much of that time spent with him in the work of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Fellow members of that Committee frequently get to know each other well indeed. John McClellan made a difference in the Senate Committees he served on. He made a difference on the Senate Floor. He made a difference in anything that he was in, or around. He was always on the side of sound practical policies. The reason Senator McClellan "made a difference" was that he "stood for something." He stood for the things that go to make honor and character and the other high qualities that count. He lived up to these qualities. His word, once given, was always his bond. He Gave a Full Day's Work for a full day of pay. He would go the second mile with one he believed stood on principles. In turn, he expected those that dealt with him to stand on principles and follow the way of honor. Otherwise, the parting of the ways came soon. I emphasize those principles and qualities today, not alone to praise him, but to also point out that we must have these qualities in the fundamental structure of our government as well as our society. It was in this fashion that John McClellan served his state and nation so well. The fruits of his labor shall continue to strengthen our nation for many, many decades to come. In all of his efforts he was sustained and assisted by his wife Norma, who survives him and to whom Mrs. Stennis and I extend every expression of condolences. To his long time loyal and dedicated staff members I also extend my sympathy in their personal loss. TRIBUTE TO SENATOR MC CLELLAN BY SENATOR YOUNG Senator STENNIS. Senator Young? Senator YOUNG. Will you yield? Senator STENNIS. I yield gladly to the Senator from North Dakota. Senator YOUNG. I have the same deep feeling that you have for the late chairman. I would ask that my remarks on the floor of the Senate be placed in the record at this point. Senator STENNIS. Without objection, I am certainly glad to order it. I feel that we are speaking for our staff, too, when we pay tribute to him. [The remarks follow:] [Congressional Record, Dec. 1, 1977] STATEMENT OF SENATOR YOUNG Mr. President, this is a day when every Member of the Senate is heavy hearted and deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved colleague, the distinguished senior Senator from Arkansas Mr. McClellan. John McClellan was truly one of the great men of the Senate. He was a very intelligent man with a great mind and a vast knowledge and understanding of Government and how it could best serve the people. He spent more than 50 years or most of his adult life, as a public servant. He was involved in some of the most difficult tasks that any chairman of a committee could be. I have special reference to his chairmanship of the Government Operations Committee when he investigated some of the toughest underworld characters in the United States. He fearlessly exposed corruption in Government or wherever it existed. Although our friend John did not have the benefit of a formal education, as many Members of the Senate do, he acquired a great education the hard way, on his own. He was not only a brilliant investigator, but he had a beautiful talent for the use of the English language. Some of the most beautiful phrases I have heard during my years in the Senate came from the pen of John McClellan. I was privileged to have served with John McClellan on the Appropriations Committee for approximately 30 years and during the last 5 years, he was chairman and I was the ranking minority member. Working closely together, we developed a close friendship and trust in one another. I could always learn from him. Along with having a great mind, he was a tough relentless fighter for the things he believed in. While he was a great prosecutor and at one time the top investigator in the Senate dealing with some of the hardest characters, he always maintained his composure and sense of justice and fair play. I believe if one were to select the mission in life that John McClellan had, it would be that of devoting all his time and energy towards making ours a better and stronger Government and assuring that we would never become a second-rate power to anyone. |