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 University, Yale University, Princeton University, 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 12
known Monuments Men who are still alive: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(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.