[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5384-S5385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GEORGE C. MARSHALL MONTH
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate Resolution 97
submitted earlier today by Senator Warner.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 97) expressing the sense of the
Senate that the President
[[Page S5385]]
should designate the month of June 1997, the 50th anniversary
of the Marshall Plan, as George C. Marshall Month, and for
other purposes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate
consideration of the resolution?
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, on June 5, 1947--50 years ago today--Gen.
George Catlett Marshall, delivered remarks at Harvard University's
commencement exercises which would change the course of history. In
that speech, General Marshall outlined the necessity for and goals of
what would later be known as the Marshall plan.
In 1947, 2 years after the end of World War II, Europe was struggling
to recover from the devastation of the war. Millions were dead, 5,000
cities had been destroyed, and countless industries laid in ruin. Yet,
while recognizing the very apparent physical destruction, Marshall
remarked during his speech that, ``this visible destruction was
probably less serious then the dislocation of the entire fabric of
European economy.''
Marshall continued, ``It is logical that the United States should do
whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of the normal
economic health in the world, without which there can be no political
stability and no assured peace.''
In the following years, over $13 billion in economic relief and
technical assistance was provided to the 16 European nations which
chose to participate in the program. From 1948 to 1951, the 4 years of
the Marshall plan, industrial production in Europe increased 36
percent.
With the return of economic stability, political stability throughout
Western Europe soon followed. As a result, Europe--and indeed the
entire Western World--has enjoyed an unprecedented period of peace and
prosperity.
For his vision and commitment, General Marshall received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1953.
Several years after the enactment of the Marshall plan, Winston
Churchill wrote, ``Succeeding generations should not be allowed to
forget his achievements and his example.'' I am proud to say that two
organizations in the Commonwealth of Virginia are dedicated to
preserving and promoting in society Marshall's ideals and values of
disciplined selfless service, hard work, integrity and compassion. They
are the George C. Marshall Foundation and the George C. Marshall
International Center.
The George Marshall Foundation, located in Lexington, VA, overlooks
the campus of Marshall's alma mater, the Virginia Military Institute.
In addition to a memorial to a great American leader, the George
Marshall Foundation building contains a museum, archive and library for
research concerning his life and times. The foundation's programs
include scholarly publications and conferences and public education on
U.S. military and diplomatic history in the 20th century.
The George C. Marshall International Center is located in Leesburg,
VA, at the Dodona Manor, the home of George Marshall. The George
Marshall International Center seeks to ensure that Marshall's vision
and legacy are not forgotten by preserving Dodona Manor for posterity
and fostering educational programs. ``The Marshall Plan: Against All
Odds,'' a documentary film underwritten by the center will air on PBS
on Saturday, June 6 at 9 pm.
Tonight, the George Marshall International Center and George Marshall
Foundation will host a gala dinner honoring the Soldier-Statesman and
his influence on the 20th century.
On April 23, 1997, I introduced Senate Joint Resolution 27 to
designate the month of June 1997, the 50th anniversary of George
Marshall's speech, as George C. Marshall Month. The resolution
recognizes the efforts of the George Marshall Foundation in Lexington,
VA, the George Marshall International Center in Leesburg, VA, and the
Friends of Marshall in Uniontown, PA, to continue in American life the
values for which Gen. George Catlett Marshall stood.
Further, this resolution calls upon all Americans to rededicate
themselves to the ideals of public service, hard work, integrity, and
compassion which General Marshall represents to this day in American
society.
Senate Joint Resolution 27 was favorably reported out of the
Judiciary Committee on June 3 and is before the full Senate today. I
ask my colleagues to support this important resolution today as a
fitting tribute to an extraordinary American.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid
upon the table, and that any statements relating to the resolution
appear at this point in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is
so ordered.
The resolution was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution (S. Res. 97), with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 97
Whereas 1997 marks the fiftieth year since the European
Recovery Program, or what came to be called the Marshall
Plan, was first conceived and proclaimed by General George
Catlett Marshall while he was serving as Secretary of State
of the United States.
Whereas the Marshall Plan has been hailed by leaders of
World War II allied and enemy countries alike as the most
magnanimous act by Americans in history;
Whereas the Marshall Plan made possible new measures of
trans-Atlantic cooperation through the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and other institutions;
Whereas these institutional developments have profoundly
enhanced the security, freedom, and prosperity of the United
States and the Atlantic Community generally;
Whereas new challenges have arisen which call for
recommitment to and reinvigoration of these institutions and
for their continued viability;
Whereas creative thought and rededication to the ideals and
principles undergirding the Marshall Plan are now necessary
in order to assure the preservation and perfection of these
institutions; and
Whereas the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the
Marshall Plan provides a fitting opportunity for rededication
of commitments to these institutions: Now, therefore, be it.
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--
(1) that magnanimity underlies the Marshall Plan, the
dedication to public service and integrity of its author, and
the efforts by the Marshall Foundation in Lexington,
Virginia, the Marshall International Center in Lessburg,
Virginia, and the Fiends of Marshall, Uniontown,
Pennsylvania, to continue in American life the values for
which General George Catlett Marshall stood;
(2) that all Americans should rededicate themselves to the
ideals of public service, hard work, integrity, and
compassion which General Marshall represents to this day in
American society; and
(3) that the values that inspired the initiation of the
Marshall Plan should continue to be cherished by the people
of the United States.
Sec. 2. It is, further, the sense of the Senate that the
President should issue a proclamation designating the month
of June 1997 as ``George C. Marshall Month'' and calling upon
the people of the United States to observe George C. Marshall
Month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, may I just express my appreciation to the
distinguished leadership and to the Members of the Senate.
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