Speech #960306227

I want very much to commend my colleague from Missouri who unfortunately has chosen not to return with us next year for the work that he has done in pointing out the necessity for improving our capabilities in the area of chemical warfare. both offensive and defensive. He also referred a few moments ago to a visit that I made. along with some of our colleagues. to Pakistan and the Afghanistan border earlier this year. He was quite correct when he pointed out that I and others of us here in the House had an opportunity to talk with some Afghanistan refugees who described in horrifying detail the results and the procedures of what appeared to be a chemical attack from Soviet aircraft on this pathetic band of poorly armed. poorly prepared and poorly trained refugees fighting for their homeland. I know that there have been some disagreements in the intelligence community as to the nature of Soviet chemical warfare technology. but I frankly think it would be naive in a dangerous way for us to ignore that evidence that I have seen and others have seen in this area. Even assuming that we could not prove that this. in fact. was a gas attack. using sophisticated chemical agents and others.