September 18, 1979
Page 24995
Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, when the architect of detente says we need it, that is the sort of ultimate in my mind about our needs. Maybe I am a little over sensitive, maybe too liberal on the defense side. But when the architect of detente says that is the bare bones, you should even consider what he has architected — namely, SALT II — he did not finalize it, but he was the architect.
Let me go now to the Joint Chiefs, because the Senator from Maine is right when he says we are short of time. Here is what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Jones, says. I do not think he is picking it out of the air. Here is his answer. Listen to it, word for word:
Yes, sir; over time we have strongly supported working with our allies, for at least 3 percent in real growth. We have also stated that in our judgment to reduce the risk to this country — and the risk will be great under any circumstances — we need to do more and that 5 percent real growth was our best judgment. Taking into account all factors — our ability to absorb the increase, the needs, all factors — 5 percent real growth would be our recommendation.
Now we didn't pick 5 percent arbitrarily.
The Senator from Colorado is the one who used "arbitrary" across-the-board increases from year to year, picking up items. He wanted to put this off. I think this is a delightful occasion when we can get a comprehensive overview and hear, on the word "arbitrary," the best authority, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs:
Now we didn't pick 5 percent arbitrarily. We went through the critical programs and tried to determine which ones would reduce the risk the most and the increase in funding came out to about 5 percent. Not 5 percent every year; it varies somewhat. But over a longer period of time about a 5 percent growth.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator has expired.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
Mr. HOLLINGS. I yield.
Mr. MUSKIE. The Chair did not understand. When I last yielded additional time to my good friend from South Carolina I yielded 2 minutes, and 8 minutes has since expired. I simply wish to inquire how much time at this point the Senator desires.
Mr. HOLLINGS. One more thought. It will take 2 minutes. I will just talk.
Mr. MUSKIE. I yield 2 additional minutes.
Mr. HOLLINGS. We have additional time, I take it, on the Senator from Nebraska's amendment.
But much has been said and I have been most impressed obviously by all the presentations by the Senator from New York (Mr. MOYNIHAN), the Senator from Oregon, and the Senator from Georgia. Those just stick in my memory. Throughout it all is that theme of trying not to get a percentage here this afternoon but to get a direction.
Adlai Stevenson was asked one time whether he was conservative or liberal. He said: "That is not the important point. The question is, Am I headed in the right direction?"
The sponsors of this particular amendment know facts, figures, amounts, and everything else of that kind, and we are trying to turn it around and head us in the right direction and reawaken America.
Incidentally, the parallel is so strikingly similar. Earlier this year I reread an autographed copy, from our distinguished great friend of all time John F. Kennedy, of "While England Slept." As a senior at Harvard he wrote a treatise "Why England Slept." He spent the year with his father at the Court of St. James. He studied the beginning days of the genesis of World War II and then wrote this article and then his senior thesis. He then developed it as a book which became a Pulitzer Prize winner. The parallel is now and 40 years before. I should have had this better expressed by the Senator from New York who is the greatest historian, in my judgment, in this body. In the 1930's there was the very same atmosphere for disarmament.
After all, the President and everybody that runs for President is for peace. We are for peace loving and disarmament. And arms cause war rather than really defend us against the war.
Let me complete this thought a minute.
Mr. MUSKIE. One additional minute.
Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, the atmosphere similarly was the futility that you could not protect yourself from a bomber attack.
The President in his address in January of this year to the joint Congress said one submarine can take care of all the large- and medium-size cities; as long as you got one you do not need any defense; you should not defend and it is wasted money. It was the same appeal, the same futility we had there 40 years ago.
And then we had the plea that we hear this afternoon by the distinguished leader of the Budget Committee, the other Senators, and our great friend on the other side, DAVE OBEY, of Wisconsin. And that is that we are taking away from social services when you increase defense.
And now we come to the proposition of the inferiority complex. Even when they analyze the Soviets as they did Germany at that time. Germany was only embarrassed by the Versailles Treaty. They do not listen at State Department. After all it is the economic—
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
Mr. HOLLINGS. May the author have a few minutes?
Mr. MUSKIE. What does the Senator wish?
Mr. HOLLINGS. Five minutes and I will take 1.
Mr. MUSKIE. I ask the Senator, does he wish the remainder of my time on the bill?
Mr. HOLLINGS. No; just 5 minutes.
Mr. MUSKIE. I say to the Senator there are four or five non-defense amendments that must be accommodated within the 15 hours. I think that I have demonstrated a willingness to let the Senator have the bulk of the time on defense. But I have to protect those Senators whose amendments have not even been called up yet. We have some tax cut amendments. Senator EXON has an amendment to which he is entitled to an hour. Senator HART has a possible defense amendment to which he is entitled to an hour. I am simply trying to be fair to other Senators as well as the Senator from South Carolina.
I am happy to yield another 2 minutes now.