[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 499 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 499

    Recognizing the efforts and contributions of the members of the 
Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program under the Civil Affairs and 
 Military Government Sections of the United States Armed Forces during 
 and following World War II who were responsible for the preservation, 
   protection, and restitution of artistic and cultural treasures in 
                countries occupied by the Allied armies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 6, 2006

    Ms. Granger (for herself, Ms. Slaughter, and Mr. Frelinghuysen) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION



    Recognizing the efforts and contributions of the members of the 
Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program under the Civil Affairs and 
 Military Government Sections of the United States Armed Forces during 
 and following World War II who were responsible for the preservation, 
   protection, and restitution of artistic and cultural treasures in 
                countries occupied by the Allied armies.

Whereas the United States Government established the American Commission for the 
        Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas 
        in 1943 to promote and coordinate the protection and salvage of works of 
        art and cultural and historical monuments and records in countries 
        occupied by Allied armies during World War II;
Whereas the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and 
        Historic Monuments in War Areas is also known as the Roberts Commission, 
        in honor of its chairman, Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts;
Whereas, in connection with the establishment of the Roberts Commission, the 
        Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) was established under 
        the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the United States 
        Armed Forces;
Whereas the establishment of the Roberts Commission and the MFAA provided an 
        example for other countries, working in conjunction with the United 
        States, to develop similar programs, and more than 100 foreign MFAA 
        personnel, representing at least seventeen countries, contributed to 
        this international effort;
Whereas the MFAA was comprised of both men and women, commissioned officers and 
        civilians, who were appointed or volunteered to serve as representatives 
        of the Roberts Commission and as the official guardians of some of the 
        world's greatest artistic and cultural treasures;
Whereas members of the MFAA, called the ``Monuments Men,'' often joined 
        frontline military forces and some even lost their lives in combat 
        during World War II;
Whereas, during World War II and for years following the Allied victory, members 
        of the MFAA worked tirelessly to locate, identify, catalogue, restore, 
        and repatriate priceless works of art and irreplaceable cultural 
        artifacts, including masterpieces by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt 
        and Vermeer, that had been stolen or sequestered by the Axis powers;
Whereas the heroic actions of the MFAA in saving priceless works of art and 
        irreplaceable cultural artifacts for future generations cannot be 
        overstated and set a moral precedent and established standards, 
        practices, and procedures for the preservation, protection, and 
        restitution of artistic and cultural treasures in future armed 
        conflicts;
Whereas members of the MFAA went on to become renowned directors and curators of 
        preeminent international cultural institutions, including the National 
        Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern 
        Art, the Toledo Museum of Art, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, as 
        well as professors at institutions of higher education, including 
        Harvard, Yale, Princeton, New York University, Williams College, and 
        Columbia University;
Whereas other members of the MFAA were founders, presidents, and members of 
        associations, such as the New York City Ballet, the American Association 
        of Museums, the American Association of Museum Directors, the 
        Archaeological Institute of America, the Society of Architectural 
        Historians, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the National 
        Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts, 
        as well as respected artists, architects, musicians, and archivists; and
Whereas members of the MFAA have never been collectively honored for their 
        service and contributions to humanity, and they are deserving of the 
        utmost acknowledgment, gratitude, and recognition, in particular the 13 
        known Monuments Men who are still alive: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the men and women who served in the 
        Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) under the 
        Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the United 
        States Armed Forces for their heroic role in the preservation, 
        protection, and restitution of monuments, works of art, and 
        other artifacts of inestimable cultural importance in Europe 
        and Asia during and following World War II;
            (2) recognizes that without their dedication and service, 
        many more of the world's artistic and historic treasures would 
        have been destroyed or lost forever amidst the chaos and 
        destruction of World War II;
            (3) acknowledges that the detailed catalogues, 
        documentation, inventories, and photographs developed and 
        compiled by MFAA personnel during and following World War II, 
        have made, and continue to make, possible the restitution of 
        stolen works of art to their rightful owners; and
            (4) commends and extols the members of the MFAA for 
        establishing a precedent for action to protect cultural 
        property in the event of armed conflict, and by their action 
        setting a standard not just for one country, but for people of 
        all nations to acknowledge and uphold.
                                 <all>