[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 272 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 272

 Calling upon the Secretary of State to instruct the American Embassy 
 and Consular officials throughout the world to convey the concern of 
  the American people over the desecration of the dead and to assist 
groups and individuals who seek to protect the integrity of cemeteries 
                      and the repose of the dead.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 1994

  Mr. Towns (for himself, Mr. Nadler, and Mr. Gilman) introduced the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Calling upon the Secretary of State to instruct the American Embassy 
 and Consular officials throughout the world to convey the concern of 
  the American people over the desecration of the dead and to assist 
groups and individuals who seek to protect the integrity of cemeteries 
                      and the repose of the dead.

Whereas the Nazi slaughter of millions of Jews and the deaths of millions of 
        others in World War II left thousands of communities bereft of their 
        inhabitants;
Whereas the decades since the end of World War II have seen many population 
        shifts throughout the world;
Whereas millions of American citizens no longer live within reach of cemeteries 
        in which their ancestors are buried;
Whereas the populations surrounding such cemeteries have no emotional or 
        religious identification with the people buried therein;
Whereas Communist countries instituted legislation declaring unused cemeteries 
        to be available for municipal use;
Whereas postwar refugees have improperly represented themselves as controlling 
        the rights to cemeteries and have sold them for commercial use;
Whereas public works have been planned with no concern for the integrity of 
        existing cemeteries;
Whereas archaeologists have declared the study of the past to transcend the 
        right of the dead to lie undisturbed;
Whereas graves have been pillaged by robbers and others seeking riches and 
        artifacts of the past;
Whereas vandals, hooligans, and antisemites have smashed tombstones and removed 
        bodies from graves in sending their message of hate;
Whereas the desecration of the dead causes great pain to the people of the 
        United States and does violence to this Nation's traditional respect for 
        the dead;
Whereas the dignity of the individual extends to, and is inherent in the dignity 
        of the dead; and
Whereas the nations of the world look to the people of the United States for the 
        leadership in the quest for human rights and the dignity of the 
        individual: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress calls upon the Secretary of State to instruct 
American Embassy and Consular officials throughout the world to convey 
the concern of the American people over the desecration of the dead and 
to assist groups and individuals who seek to protect the integrity of 
cemeteries and the repose of the dead.

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