[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2262-E2263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN TRIBUTE TO GENERAL GEORGE OLMSTED

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TILLIE K. FOWLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 20, 1998

  Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to a man who lived 
a long life which was spent wisely and in service to his country. 
General George Olmstead was 97 years of age when he passed away on 
October 8th at his home in Arlington, VA. Although I did not have the 
honor of knowing him personally, I am grateful that General Olmsted's 
grandson State Senator Locke Burt, a friend and constitute of mine, has 
brought his life to my attention.
  General George Olmsted, was successful entrepreneur, an advocate of 
education, a decorated war hero, an activist in the Republican party 
and a leader in his community.
  A life-long entrepreneur, George Olmsted's civilian time was spent in 
the banking and insurance industries. In 1955, he purchased control of 
International Bank of Washington and in 1959, he purchased Financial 
General Corporation, the 7th largest bank holding company in the 
country at the time. Headquarter in Washington, DC, Financial General 
Corporation controlled interests in 26 banks located in 7 States and 
the District of Columbia. He helped to bring availability and 
affordability of products and services to a market battered during the 
Great Depression and was a champion of the idea of better jobs and 
opportunities for all people.
  As I read a recent Washington Post article about him, I found myself 
wishing that I had known this retired Army General who was originally 
from Iowa. A short, but true, story of General Olmsted's actions during 
World War II may illustrate my point:
  At the end of World War II, some 30,000 allied prisoners were being 
held in Japanese POW camps in China. As the Japanese collapse appeared 
imminent, the Allies were concerned about the safety of the prisoners, 
one of which was General Johnathan Wainright, the hero of Bataan.
  A resourceful man, General Olmsted went to his commanding officer and 
proposed a plan. It has been said that his superior told him it was the 
``craziest scheme'' he'd ever heard in the Army and informed him that 
they were already readying court-martial charges against him if his 
plan failed.
  But, because of the lack of troops to send in, or the planes to carry 
them out immediately, they went ahead with the General's plan. First 
they dropped leaflets by aircraft on each of the 11 camps immediately 
after the surrender. Then, a team of seven unarmed men were to 
parachute into each camp carrying with them letters stating that the 
war was over and that the allied powers know how many prisoners were in 
each camp and would hold each camp commander personally responsible for 
the safety of those prisoners.
  Far from being court-martialied, General Olmsted's ideas saved the 
prisoner's lives and his valor did not go unnoticed. He not only 
received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the 
Bronze Star from the United States, but was awarded the Legion of Honor 
from France, was made an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British 
Empire

[[Page E2263]]

by Great Britain, and was honored with the Order of the Sacred Tripod 
and the Special Order of Pao Ting from China. The General was also 
praised by President Harry Truman for his handling of surplus war 
equipment still in China after the war.
  President Truman was not the first U.S. President to notice General 
Oldmsted's abilities. President Herbert Hoover noticed General 
Olmsted's abilities even as a young man, inviting him to the White 
House and asking him to direct the activities of the Young Republican 
Division of the party in the 1932 election. General Olmsted continued 
to be involved in politics and even attempted a run once for Governor 
of Iowa.
  From a young age, Olmsted showed his leadership abilities as a cadet 
at West Point. He was President of his class, ranked second in his 
class academically, was the featherweight boxing champ of the Academy 
and second-string quarterback for the Army football team.
  In later years, he did not forget his allegiance to West Point or his 
tenacity for learning. In 1959, he and his wife Carole established a 
foundation whose principal activity is The Olmstead Scholar Program.
  As a member of the Naval Academy's Board of Visitors, I am proud to 
say that this program has made financial grants available to hundreds 
of graduates from three service academies and the ROTC. The graduates 
enroll as full-time resident students at a foreign university of their 
choice. They must conduct all their studies in the language of that 
country and are expected to travel extensively throughout the region to 
learn as much as they can about the local customs and history of the 
people there.
  Since it founding, 293 officers have been selected as Olmsted 
Scholars, including one former Chief of Naval Operations. These 
scholars have attended over 100 different universities located in 37 
countries.
  General Olmsted was the American success story. He worked hard, 
enjoyed tremendous success, and shared his good fortune with others. 
His accomplishments are ones of which Americans can be proud and his 
patriotism should be an example to our children.

                          ____________________