[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 40 (Wednesday, April 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2982-S2986]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. THOMAS (for himself, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Thurmond, Mr. Helms, 
        Mr. Hagel, and Mr. Smith of Oregon):
  S. 1903. A bill to prohibit the return of veterans memorial objects 
to foreign nations without specific authorization in law; to the 
Committee on Veterans Affairs.


          the veterans memorial physical integrity act of 1998

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to introduce S. 
1903, a bill to prohibit the return to a foreign country of any portion 
of a memorial to American veterans without the express authorization of 
Congress.
  I would not have thought that a bill like this was necessary, Mr. 
President. It would never have occurred to me that an American 
President would even briefly consider dismantling part of a memorial to 
American soldiers who died in the line of duty in order to send

[[Page S2983]]

a piece of that memorial to a foreign country. But a real possibility 
of just that happening exists in my state of Wyoming involving what are 
known as the ``Bells of Balangiga.''
  In 1898, the Treaty of Paris brought to a close the Spanish-American 
War. As part of the treaty, Spain ceded possession of the Philippines 
to the United States. At about the same time, the Filipino people began 
an insurrection in their country. In August 1901, as part of the 
American effort to stem the insurrection, a company of 74 officers and 
men from the 9th Infantry, Company G, occupied the town of Balangiga on 
the island of Samar. These men came from Ft. Russell in Cheyenne, 
Wyoming--today's F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
  On September 28 of that year, taking advantage of the preoccupation 
of the American troops with a church service for the just-assassinated 
President McKinley, a group of Filipino insurgents infiltrated the 
town. Only three American sentries were on duty that day. As described 
in an article in the November 19, 1997 edition of the Wall Street 
Journal:

       Officers slept in, and enlisted men didn't bother to carry 
     their riffles as they ambled out of their quarters for 
     breakfast. Balangiga had been a boringly peaceful site since 
     the infantry company arrived a month earlier, according to 
     military accounts and soldiers' statements. The quiet ended 
     abruptly when a 23 year old U.S. sentry named Adolph Gamlin 
     walked past the local police chief. In one swift move, the 
     Filipino grabbed the slightly built Iowan's rifle and smashed 
     the butt across [Gamlin's] head. As PFC Gamlin crumpled, the 
     bells of Balangiga began to peal.
       With the signal, hundreds of Filipino fighters swarmed out 
     of the surrounding forest, armed with clubs, picks and 
     machete-like bolo knives. Others poured out of the church; 
     they had arrived the night before, disguised as women 
     mourners and carrying coffins filled with bolos. A sergeant 
     was beheaded in the mess tent and dumped into a vat of 
     steaming wash water. A young bugler was cut down in a nearby 
     stream. The company commander was hacked to death after 
     jumping out a window. Besieged infantrymen defended 
     themselves with kitchen forks, mess kits and baseball bats. 
     Others threw rocks and cans of beans.
       Though he was also slashed across the back, PFC.
  . . Gamlin came to and found a rifle. By the time he and the other 
survivors fought their way to the beach, 38 US soldiers were dead and 
all but six of the remaining men had been wounded.

  The remaining soldiers escaped in five dug-out canoes. Only three 
boats made it to safety on Leyte. Seven men died of exposure at sea, 
and another eight died of their wounds; only twenty of the company's 
seventy-four members survived.
  A detachment of fifty-four volunteers from 9th Infantry units 
stationed at Leyte returned to Balangiga and recaptured the village. 
They were reinforced a few days later from Companies K and L of the 
11th Infantry Regiment. When the 11th Infantry was relieved on October 
18 by Marines, the 9th Infantry took two of the church bells used to 
signal the attack with them back to Wyoming as a memorial to the fallen 
soldiers.
  The bells have been displayed in front of the base flagpole on the 
central parade grounds since that time. The bells were placed in two 
openings in a large, specially-constructed masonry wall with a bronze 
plaque dedicating the memorial to the memory of the fallen soldiers.
  Since at least 1981, there have been on-and-off discussions in 
various circles in Cheyenne, Washington, and Manila about the future of 
the bells, including the possibility of returning them to the 
Philippines. Most recently, the Philippine government--having run into 
broad opposition to their request to have both bells returned to them--
has proposed making a copy of both bells, and having both sides keep 
one copy and one original.
  Opposition to this proposal from local and national civic and 
veterans groups has been very strong. Mr. President, I ask unanimous 
consent that the text of a letter from the national office of the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars dated January 6, 1998; from the VFW's 
Department of Wyoming dated December 5, 1997; and from the United 
Veterans Council of Wyoming dated March 27, 1998; be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, in the last few months, developments have 
indicated to me that the White House is seriously contemplating 
returning one or both of the bells to the Philippines. This year marks 
the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris, and a state visit by 
President Fidel Valdes Ramos--his last as President--to the United 
States has been planned for this month. The disposition of the bells 
has been high on President Ramos' agenda; he has spoken personally to 
President Clinton and several members of Congress about it over the 
last three years, and has indicated he will do so on this visit. Since 
January, the Filipino press has included almost weekly articles on the 
bells' supposed return, including one in the Manila Times last week 
which reported that a new tower to house the bells is being constructed 
in Borongon, Samar, to receive them in May.
  In addition, inquiries to me from various agencies of the 
Administration soliciting the opinion of the Wyoming congressional 
delegation on the issue have increased in frequency. I have also 
learned that the Defense Department, perhaps in conjunction with the 
Justice Department, has recently prepared a legal memorandum outlining 
its opinion of who actually controls the disposition of the bells.
  In response to this apparent groundswell, the Wyoming congressional 
delegation wrote a letter to President Clinton on January 9 of this 
year to make clear our opposition to removing the bells. Mr. President, 
I ask unanimous consent that the text of that letter be inserted in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, in response to that letter, on March 26 I 
received a letter from Sandy Berger of the National Security Council 
which I think is perhaps the best indicator of the direction the White 
House is headed on this issue. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 
that the text of that letter be inserted in the Record.
  THE PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection.
  MR. THOMAS. Mr. President, I cannot fathom that this issue has gotten 
to this point. First, it is very evident to me that the Constitution 
precludes the President from returning the bells without Congressional 
assent. Article IV, section 3, clause 2 provides: ``The Congress shall 
have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations 
respecting . . . Property belonging to the United States.'' The bells 
are certainly property of the United States as contemplated by this 
clause, and thus clearly can only constitutionally be disposed of by 
Congress--not by the President.
  Second, I was amazed to find, even in these days of political 
correctness and revisionist history, that a U.S. President--our 
Commander-in-Chief--would appear to be ready to ignore the wishes of 
our veterans and tear down a memorial to U.S. soldiers who died in the 
line of duty in order to send part of it back to the country in which 
they were killed. Amazed, that is, until I recalled this President's 
fondness for sweeping apologies and what some might view as flashy P.R. 
gestures, as most recently evidenced by his Africa trip.
  Third, I was amazed to learn that during a state visit when our two 
countries should be discussing the on-going Asian financial crisis and 
its ramifications, East Asian security issues, and other issues of 
long-range significance, President Ramos has proposed discussing only 
three topics, all parochial: the bells, pension payments to Filipino 
veterans, and a Subic Bay-related waste issue. Amazed, that is Mr. 
President, until I was reminded that the candidate President Ramos is 
supporting in the upcoming presidential elections is running in third 
place in the polls and might just get a much-needed boost if his mentor 
could return from Washington with a bell or a check from the U.S. 
Treasury in hand.
  Mr. President, to the veterans of Wyoming, and the United States as a 
whole, the bells represent a lasting memorial to those fifty-four 
American soldiers killed as a result of an unprovoked insurgent attack 
in Balangiga on September 28, 1901. In their view, which I share, any 
attempt to remove either or both of the bells--and in doing so actually 
physically dismantling a war memorial--is a desecration of that memory. 
History brought the bells to Wyoming, and it is there they should 
remain.
  Consequently, I am introducing S. 1903 today to protect the bells and

[[Page S2984]]

similar veterans memorials from such an ignoble fate. The bill is not 
complicated, and in my view simply restates what already appears in 
black and white in the Constitution; it prohibits the transfer of a 
veterans memorial, or any portion thereof, to a foreign country or 
government unless specifically authorized by law.
  The bill is supported by all of Wyoming's veterans groups, and I am 
pleased to be joined in this effort by my good friend and colleague 
from Wyoming Senator Enzi, as well as by the distinguished Chairman of 
the Armed Services Committee, Senator Thurmond; the distinguished 
Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Helms; and my 
fellow subcommittee Chairmen on the Foreign Relations Committee Senator 
Hagel and Senator Smith of Oregon, as original cosponsors. 
Representative Barbara Cubin is introducing similar legislation today 
in the House. I trust that my colleagues will support its swift 
passage.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full text of this 
bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the items were ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1903

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. PROHIBITION ON RETURN OF VETERANS MEMORIAL OBJECTS 
                   WITHOUT SPECIFIC AUTHORIZATION IN LAW.

       (a) Prohibition.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, the President may not transfer a veterans memorial 
     object to a foreign country or entity controlled by a foreign 
     government, or otherwise transfer or convey such object to a 
     person or entity for purposes of the ultimate transfer or 
     conveyance of such object to a foreign country or entity 
     controlled by a foreign government, unless specifically 
     authorized by law.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Entity controlled by a foreign government.--The term 
     ``entity controlled by a foreign government'' has the meaning 
     given that term in section 2536(c)(1) of title 10, United 
     States Code.
       (2) Veterans memorial object.--The term ``veterans memorial 
     object'' means any object, including a physical structure or 
     portion thereof, that--
       (A) is located at a cemetery of the National Cemetery 
     System, war memorial, or military installation in the United 
     States;
       (B) is dedicated to, or otherwise memorializes, the death 
     in combat or combat-related duties of members of the United 
     States Armed Forces; and
       (C) was brought to the United States from abroad as a 
     memorial of combat abroad.
                                  ____

                                       Veterans of Foreign Wars of


                                            the United States,

                                                  January 6, 1998.
     Hon. Douglas K. Bereuter,
     Chairman, East Asia Subcommittee, Committee on International 
         Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
     RE: Bells of Balangiga
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Recently, we learned that Mr. Robert 
     Underwood, U.S. Representative from Guam, has introduced 
     House Resolution 312 urging the President to authorize the 
     transfer of ownership of one of the Bells of Balangiga to the 
     Philippines. In brief, the Bells of Balangiga, which serve as 
     a war memorial to U.S. Army soldiers killed by insurgents in 
     the Philippines in 1901, are located at E.E. Warren Air Force 
     Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The proposal of the Philippine 
     Ambassador to return one of the bells to the Philippines is 
     opposed by veterans and the supporting community in Wyoming.
       Although the 98th National Convention of the Veterans of 
     Foreign Wars of the United States did not adopt a Resolution 
     on this issue, the VFW does have a position on the Bells of 
     Balangiga. After carefully reviewing the history and 
     background of the issue involving the Bells of Balangiga, the 
     VFW opposes and rejects any compromise or agreement with the 
     government of the Philippines which would result in the 
     return of any of the Bells of Balangiga to the Philippines. 
     The church bells were paid for with American blood in 1901 
     when they were used to signal an unprovoked attack by 
     insurrectionists against an American Army garrison which 
     resulted in the massacre of 45 American soldiers. The Bells 
     serve is a permanent memorial to the sacrifice of the 
     American soldiers from Fort D.A. Russell (Wyoming) who gave 
     their lives for their country while doing their duty. We do 
     not think any of the bells should be given back to the 
     Philippines. To return the bells sends the wrong message to 
     the world. In addition, local Wyoming veterans and other 
     citizens are opposed to dismantling the sacred monument and 
     returning any part of it to the Philippines.
       In the past several years, the Philippine Government has 
     made several attempts to get the Bells of Balangiga returned 
     to their country. To date, they have not been successful in 
     any their attempts to get the bells returned. For the past 95 
     years, two of the bells have been enshrined at Fort Russell/
     Warren AFB in Wyoming. The third is with the U.S. Army's 9th 
     Infantry in the Republic of Korea.
       Recently, Philippine President Fidel Ramos ordered his 
     United States Ambassador, Paul Rabe, to step up his effort on 
     the bells hoping to have them returned in time for next 
     summer's celebration of 100 years of Philippine independence. 
     In October 1997, Ambassador Paul Rabe suggested a compromise 
     solution. He suggested returning one of the bells to the 
     Philippines thereby giving both nations an original and the 
     opportunity to make a replica. In fact, the justification for 
     the latest proposal of the Philippine government is fatally 
     flawed. The Bells of Balangiga played no part at all in 
     Admiral Dewey's defeat of the Spanish Navy at Manila Bay in 
     1898. Subsequently, that naval defeat forced the Spanish to 
     relinquish control of the Philippine Islands to the U.S. The 
     soldiers killed were from Fort D.A. Russell and were ordered 
     to the Philippine Islands because a savage guerrilla war had 
     broken out after the conclusion of the Spanish-American War 
     of 1898. Therefore, we believe the bells have no significance 
     or connection to the celebration of Philippine independence.
       Kenneth Weber, Commander of the VFW Department of Wyoming, 
     expressed the feelings of local Wyoming veterans and 
     supporters when he said, ``The members of the Veterans of 
     Foreign Wars of the United States . . . will not stand idle 
     and allow a sacred memorial to those soldiers killed while 
     doing their duty to be dismantled.''
       We believe the Wyoming veterans are correct on this issue. 
     The bells should stay right where they are--in Wyoming and 
     with the 9th Regiment.
           Respectfully,
     Kenneth A. Steadman, Executive Director.
                                  ____



                                    VFW, Department of Wyoming

                                                 December 5, 1997.
     Kenneth Weber,
     Torrington, WY.
       The VFW Department of Wyoming is making the following 
     statement on behalf of its veterans for immediate media 
     release:
       As the Commander of the Department of Wyoming Veterans of 
     Foreign Wars, I have followed the current debate concerning 
     the Bells of Balangiga with a great deal of interest. It is 
     becoming apparent that this issue is not going away soon. Two 
     of three bells are located at the Cheyenne's F.E. Warren Air 
     Force Base as a permanent memorial to Fort D.A. Russell 
     soldiers who lost their lives in 1901 as a result of hostile 
     action during the Philippine rebellion. American soldiers 
     stationed at then Fort D.A. Russell, now Warren Air Force 
     Base, were ordered to the Philippine Islands because of a 
     savage guerrilla war which had broken out following the 
     Spanish-American War of 1898.
       Now the Republic of the Philippines, as they have several 
     times in the past, has requested the return of one or both 
     bells to their country. This time, their justification is 
     apparently to celebrate their 100 year anniversary of 
     independence from Spain. The interesting part of their 
     argument, is the simple fact that the Bells of Balangiga 
     played no role in Admiral Dewey's defeat of the Spanish Navy 
     at Manila Bay in 1898 and Spain's subsequent relinquishing 
     control of the Philippine Islands to the United States 
     government.
       Evidently, the current posturing by the Republic of the 
     Philippines is only another attempt to have the Bells of 
     Balangiga returned. The United States government has 
     repeatedly, and for all the right reasons, refused to return 
     the bells to them.
       The members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a veterans 
     organization whose roots go back to the Spanish-American War 
     of 1898, will not stand idle and allow a sacred memorial to 
     those soldiers killed while doing their duty be dismantled. 
     We can only continue to hope that the people who have taken 
     the time to speak out in favor of returning the bells would 
     get their facts straight before engaging the media in any 
     further debate. When all the facts are known regarding the 
     circumstances surrounding the Bells of Balangiga, any 
     compromise offer with the Philippine government remains 
     unacceptable.
           Sincerely yours,
                                                    Kenneth Weber,
     Commander.
                                  ____



                            United Veterans Council of Wyoming

                                     Cheyenne, WY, March 27, 1998.
     The President of the United States,
     William Jefferson Clinton
     Washington, DC.
       Dear President Clinton: Member organizations of the United 
     Veterans Council of Wyoming, Inc. are in receipt of White 
     House letter dated March 26, 1998 asking the Wyoming 
     Congressional Delegation to reevaluate the compromise 
     approach to resolving the bells of Balangiga question, and we 
     would like to respond.
       Wyoming veterans are aware of the long-standing ties with 
     the Philippines during World War II, and after. We have taken 
     into account the fact that U.S. veterans and our allies lived 
     among the Filipinos during the war, fought shoulder to 
     shoulder with them, and together defeated the Japanese 
     invaders to preserve Philippine freedom and way of life. Many 
     died retaking the Philippine islands from Japanese forces. 
     Veterans who believe the bells should remain in Wyoming do so 
     without malice towards the people of the Philippines. No one 
     denies the contributions and sacrifices made by the Filipinos 
     during

[[Page S2985]]

     the war effort and to continued prosperity afterwards. We 
     clearly understand honor, comradeship, and the sacrifices 
     veterans of both countries have made.
       We believe that we have made our reasons for not 
     compromising on the return of the bells very clear. As the 
     VFW and others have continually pointed out, the bells of 
     Balangiga played no part in Admiral Dewey's defeat of the 
     Spanish navy at Manila Bay in 1898, three years before the 
     bells were used to signal the 1901 massacre of US soldiers 
     garrisoned within the village of Balangiga. The premeditated 
     massacre was particularly brutal on the surprised and 
     outnumbered soldiers. We believe that the bells have no 
     significance or connection to this centennial year of 
     celebration of the Philippine's independence from Spain.
       As stated in a recent article from the Manila Times, it is 
     known that the Philippine government is designing a war 
     memorial to the Balangiga Bells, rather than for their use as 
     a symbol of independence from Spain. It appears that 
     representatives of the Philippine government are not being 
     straightforward regarding their true intentions, if a bell is 
     returned.
       The Philippine government has yet to present a compelling 
     argument justifying a reversal of the U.S. government's long-
     standing decision to not return the bells. Mr. Berger says, 
     ``he understands the concerns of those who are worried that 
     any altercation of the existing monument might cause present 
     day Americans to forget the sacrifices of past generations.'' 
     Though Mr. Berger shares our worries, it appears that our 
     government, by continuing on its present course, will allow 
     such sacrifices to be forgotten sooner than later. It is an 
     affront to the soldiers who died, and their survivors, to 
     suggest that a permanent memorial be dismantled for no better 
     reasons than are being provided by the Philippine government.
           Sincerely yours,
                                                        Jim Lloyd,
     President.
                                  ____



                                           Wyoming Delegation,

                                                  January 9, 1998.
     President Bill Clinton,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear President Clinton: The Wyoming delegation wishes to 
     express our opposition to any plan to remove the Bells of 
     Balangiga from F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, 
     Wyoming, to the Philippines. Many times and for many years, 
     the government of the Philippines has tried to have the bells 
     returned. The United States government has rightfully 
     rejected every attempt. Most recently, there have been 
     proposals by the Philippine government and in Congress to 
     transfer one of the original bells to the Philippines and 
     keep one at F.E. Warren. We find this ``compromise'' proposal 
     wholly unacceptable and an affront to the soldiers massacred 
     in Balangiga.
       The Philippines became an American possession after the 
     Spanish-American War, but peace in the islands was delayed by 
     a bloody civil war. American soldiers at Fort D.A. Russell, 
     now F.E. Warren Air Force Base, were sent to the Philippines 
     as part of the American military force dispatched to the 
     area. On September 29, 1901, guerilla forces on the island of 
     Samar used the bells to sound a surprise attack on American 
     troops stationed in the village of Balangiga. Of the 76 
     Americans stationed in Balangiga, only 20 returned home. The 
     survivors brought the bells back to Wyoming as a memorial to 
     their fallen comrades.
       Wyoming's many veterans, represented by the Veterans of 
     Foreign Wars and the American Legion, strongly oppose 
     removing the bells. For our veterans the bells serve as a 
     constant reminder of the men who died in that surprise 
     attack. The Wyoming delegation has always opposed desecrating 
     this memorial for the same reason.
       Preserving this memorial will serve as a symbol that 
     American troops who serve around the world will not be 
     forsaken. It also reaffirms to the world that the United 
     States will protect its forces serving around the world if 
     they are attacked.
       On behalf of America's soldiers who have made the ultimate 
     sacrifice, please join with us in refusing all present and 
     future efforts to dismantle this memorial.
           Sincerely,
     Craig Thomas,
       U.S. Senator.
     Michael B. Enzi,
       U.S. Senator.
     Barbara Cubin,
       Member of Congress.
                                  ____

                                      The White House, Washington,
                                                   March 26, 1998.
       Dear Senator Thomas: Thank you for your letter concerning 
     the bells of Balangiga and the proposed compromise solution 
     for addressing this issue. I am writing on behalf of the 
     President to request that you not oppose the compromise 
     solution. We believe it effectively takes into account the 
     interests and sensitivities of both American veterans and the 
     people of the Philippines.
       I understand American forces brought the two bells of 
     Balangiga to Wyoming following the Philippine insurrection of 
     1901, and that they currently are on display at F.E. Warren 
     Air Force Base in Cheyenne. As you may know, Philippine 
     President Fidel Ramos is eager to explore the possibility of 
     returning at least one of the bells during this centennial 
     year of the Philippines' declaration of independence from 
     Spain. President Ramos will be the President's guest at the 
     White House on April 10, 1998. The bells of Balangiga will be 
     one of the principal issues on the discussion agenda.
       I appreciate the importance of the bells to Wyoming 
     veterans who consider them to be symbols of the supreme 
     sacrifice American soldiers, sailors and airmen often have 
     had to make far from home. At the same time, Filipinos see 
     the bells as representative of a struggle for national 
     independence lasting more than five centuries.
       Our longstanding ties with the Philippines were forged in 
     the intense combat of World War II by tens of thousands of 
     Americans and Filipinos. Growing out of this experience is a 
     relationship, which is closer on a person-to-person level 
     than with any other country in East Asia. The Philippines is 
     a key ally in the Asia Pacific and shares our commitment to 
     democratic and free market principles. Presidential elections 
     in May of this year will re-enforce the democratic traditions 
     and institutions Filipinos have so eagerly embraced.
       I believe a compromise solution, by which the United States 
     and the Philippines would each retain custody of one of the 
     original bells, offers a unique opportunity to honor both the 
     American soldiers who gave their lives in the town of 
     Balangiga and the centennial celebration of the Philippines' 
     first step toward democracy. I understand the concerns of 
     those who are worried that any alteration of the existing 
     monument might cause present day Americans to forget the 
     sacrifices of past generations. But the historical 
     significance of Balangiga rests on the fact that today the 
     United States and the Philippines are united in a common 
     cause of promoting stability and prosperity throughout the 
     Asia Pacific region. I urge you and your colleagues from the 
     Wyoming Congressional Delegation to reevaluate the compromise 
     approach to resolving the bells of Balangiga question.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Samuel R. Berger,
         Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleague, the senior 
Senator from my state of Wyoming, in the effort to safeguard the 
integrity of the nation's military memorials from the politically 
expedient demands of foreign governments--in this case the so-called 
``Bells of Balangiga'' war memorial located in Wyoming's capital city 
of Cheyenne. I too, am amazed that such legislation is necessary. 
Amazed, but not surprised. After all, this is a President who seems to 
have no qualms about throwing overboard those states and communities 
who have not proven politically valuable to him. I recall his 
unilateral Utah land grab of the Grand Escalante. I also recall that 
he, with the Vice President at his side, signed the Presidential 
directive for that action in Arizona, so unpopular was it in the State 
of Utah. His unilateral forest roads construction moratorium is another 
such example of his proclivity for government by executive fiat.
  Many people contend that church bells are not a fitting subject for a 
war memorial. The circumstances surrounding these particular bells, 
however, are not normal. As the Senior Senator from Wyoming related, 
those bells were not used by Philippino insurgents to call the faithful 
to prayer that harrowing morning. They were used instead to signal the 
massacre of Wyoming troops as they sat down, unarmed, to breakfast. Of 
the 74 officers and men in the garrison, only twenty survived. Eye 
witness accounts had some of the attackers disguised as women, their 
weapons hidden beneath their dresses. Many others smuggled their 
weapons into the village hidden in the coffins of children. Under those 
circumstances, one must conclude that the bells in question were used 
to kill. Consequently I feel their use as the subject for a war 
memorial is wholly appropriate.
  This is especially true in light of their intended purpose if 
returned to the Philippines. As everyone concedes, the Philippine 
government desires the return of these bells in time for their 100th 
anniversary of independence. Apparently, these bells do not represent a 
religious symbol for the Philippine government either.
  Most significant of all, however, is the purpose they currently 
serve. Contrary to the assumptions of many, they do not memorialize 
American foreign policies of the time. Nor do they serve as a tribute 
to our political system, America's turn of the century notions of race 
relations, or the performance of the American troops who served there 
during that conflict. Rather, these bells memorialize one thing and one 
thing only: The tragic and premature deaths of 54 young men who 
volunteered to do the bidding of the American people. For this purpose 
I believe

[[Page S2986]]

these bells serve as a most fitting memorial indeed and I am opposed to 
its dismantlement.
  It is time to honor our veterans, our war dead, and the principle 
that in this country, we do not submit to government by Presidential 
fiat. I ask the support of my colleagues for this legislation.
                                 ______