Arlen Specter: “this amendment is of critical importance to the security of the United States and its allies: The proliferation of…”

“this amendment is of critical importance to the security of the United States and its allies: The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In my remarks on the Senate floor on April 17, 1996, I addressed this issue stating that we can no longer afford to treat this proliferation as some merely hypothetical threat. The United States could soon be at risk from long-range Taepo Dong II missiles now being developed by North Korea. We have also seen evidence of Saddam Hussein's biological weapons program confirmed by Saddam's son-in-law who defected from Iraq last year. We have seen China sell missiles and other nuclear technology to Pakistan, and a tremendous missile race between India and Pakistan on the subcontinent. Finally, we have seen the murderous activities of the Supreme Truth cult in Japan, which was responsible for a poison gas attack that injured more than 5,500 Tokyo subway passengers. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and as chairman of the Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, I have long been concerned about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”