1.Designation of the Liberty Memorial at the
National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War
I Memorial
(a)Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)Although more than 4,000,000 Americans
served in World War I, there is no nationally recognized memorial honoring the
service of such Americans in that war.
(2)In 1919, the people of Kansas City,
Missouri, expressed an outpouring of support and raised more than $2,000,000 in
two weeks for a memorial to the service of Americans in World War I. That
fundraising was an accomplishment unparalleled by any other city in the United
States irrespective of population and reflected the passion of public opinion
about World War I, which had so recently ended.
(3)Following the drive, a national
architectural competition was held by the American Institute of Architects for
designs for a memorial to the service of Americans in World War I, and the
competition yielded a design by architect H. Van Buren Magonigle.
(4)On November 1, 1921, more than 100,000
people witnessed the dedication of the site for the Liberty Memorial in Kansas
City, Missouri. That dedication marked the only time in history that the five
allied military leaders present, Lieutenant General Baron Jacques of Belgium,
General Armando Diaz of Italy, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, General John
J. Pershing of the United States, and Admiral Lord Earl Beatty of Great
Britain, were together at one place.
(5)General Pershing, a native of Missouri and
the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, noted at the
November 1, 1921 dedication that [t]he people of Kansas City, MO are
deeply proud of the beautiful memorial, erected in tribute to the patriotism,
the gallant achievements, and the heroic sacrifices of their sons and daughters
who served in our country’s armed forces during the World War. It symbolized
their grateful appreciation of duty well done, and appreciation which I share,
because I know so well how richly it is merited
.
(6)During an Armistice Day ceremony in 1924,
President Calvin Coolidge marked the beginning of a three-year construction
project for the Liberty Memorial by the laying of the cornerstone of the
memorial.
(7)The 217-foot Liberty Memorial Tower has an
inscription that reads In Honor of Those Who Served in the World War in
Defense of Liberty and Our Country
as well as four stone
Guardian Spirits
representing courage, honor, patriotism, and
sacrifice, which rise above the observation deck, making the Liberty Memorial a
noble tribute to all who served in World War I.
(8)During a rededication for the Liberty
Memorial in 1961, World War I veterans and former Presidents Harry S. Truman
and Dwight D. Eisenhower recognized the memorial as a constant reminder of the
sacrifices during World War I and the progress that followed.
(9)The 106th Congress recognized the Liberty
Memorial as a national symbol of World War I.
(10)The 108th Congress designated the museum at
the base of the Liberty Memorial as America’s National World War I
Museum
.
(11)The National World War I Museum is the only
public museum in the United States specifically dedicated to the history of
World War I.
(12)The National World War I Museum is known
throughout the world as a major center of World War I remembrance.
(b)The Liberty Memorial at the National World
War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, is hereby designated as the
National World War I Memorial
.