[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 69 (Wednesday, June 7, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4672-S4673]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. LANDRIEU:
  S. 2689. A bill to authorize the President to award a gold medal on 
behalf of Congress to Andrew Jackson Higgins (posthumously), and to the 
D-day Museum in recognition of the contributions of Higgins Industries 
and the more than 30,000 employees of Higgins Industries to the Nation 
and to world peace during World War II; to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs.


                         ANDREW JACKSON HIGGINS

 Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I speak today to honor an 
innovative and patriotic American--the logger-turned-boatbuilder, who 
single-handedly transformed the concept of amphibious ship design when 
our nation and her Allies needed it most. Despite a series of 
bureaucratic obstacles set up by America's World War II war-machine, 
Higgins skillfully engineered Marine Corps landing craft, and 
eventually won contracts to build 92 percent of the Navy's war-time 
fleet. The story of Andrew Jackson Higgins exemplifies the American 
Dream, and merits full recognition of this body for his ingenuity, 
assiduous work, and devotion to our country.
  In the late 1930's, Higgins was operating a small New Orleans work-
boat company, with less than seventy-five employees.He quickly earned a 
reputation for fast, dependable work, turning out specialized vessels 
for the oil industry, Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. 
Biological Survey. But when he presented his plans for swift amphibious 
landing crafts, he met hard resistance. The U.S. Navy had overestimated 
French and British abilities to secure France's ports from German 
encroachment, and had thus overruled decisions to create landing boat 
crafts. As the U.S. Marine Corps discerned the need for mass production 
of amphibious vessels for both the Pacific and European theaters, top 
brass began to lobby the Navy to abandon its internal contracting, and 
procure ships from Higgins Industries, which boasted high performance 
quality, and unprecedented speed for turning out boats. In 1941, the 
Navy finally asked Higgins to begin designing a landing draft to carry 
tanks. Instead of a design, Higgins delivered an entire working boat. 
It had only taken 61 hours to design and construct his first Landing 
Craft, Mechanized (LCM). Quickly, the Higgins firm grew to seven 
plants, eventually turning out 700 boats a month--

[[Page S4673]]

more than all other shipyards in the nation combined. By the war's end, 
Higgins had turned out 20,000 boats, ranging from the 46-foot LCVP 
(Landing Craft, Vehicle & Personnel) to the fast-moving PT boats, the 
rocket-firing landing craft support boats, the 56-foot tank landing 
craft, the 170 foot freight supply ships and the 27-foot airborne 
lifeboats that could be dropped from B-17 bombers.
  Able to conceive various ship designs and mass-produce vessels 
quickly at affordable prices, Higgins not only transformed wartime ship 
building acquisition, but sustained the universal faith American 
invention and global power projection. Higgins landing craft crashed on 
the shores of Normandy on June 6, 1944, launching the greatest 
amphibious assault in world history, and commencing a eastward drive to 
liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. In addition to his contributions to 
Allied war efforts abroad, Higgins' manufacturing further changed the 
face of my own city of New Orleans, home to most of the firm's 
business. I urge my colleagues to support provisions to award Andrew 
Jackson Higgins the Gold Medal of Honor, in the tradition of our great 
institution.
  Mr. President, in 1964, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was reflecting 
on the success of the 1944 Normandy invasion to his biographer, Steven 
Ambrose. Andrew Jackson Higgins ``is the man who won the war for us,'' 
he said. ``If Higgins had not developed and produced those landing 
craft, we never could have gone in over an open beach. We would have 
had to change the entire strategy of the war.'' to me, Mr. Higgins and 
his 20,000-member workforce embody American creativity, persistence, 
and patriotism; they deserve to be distinguished for their critical 
place in history.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the bill 
be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2689

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Andrew Jackson Higgins Gold 
     Medal Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Andrew Jackson Higgins was born on August 28, 1886, in 
     Columbus, Nebraska, moved to New Orleans in 1910, and formed 
     Higgins Industries on September 26, 1930.
       (2) Andrew Jackson Higgins designed, engineered, and 
     produced the ``Eureka'', a unique shallow draft boat the 
     design of which evolved during World War II into 2 basic 
     classes of military craft: high speed PT boats, and types of 
     Higgins landing craft (LCPs, LCPLs, LCVPs, LCMs and LCSs).
       (3) Andrew Jackson Higgins designed, engineered, and 
     constructed 4 major assembly line plants in New Orleans for 
     mass production of Higgins landing craft and other vessels 
     vital to the Allied Forces' conduct of World War II.
       (4) Andrew Jackson Higgins bought the entire 1940 
     Philippine mahogany crop and other material purely at risk 
     without a government contract, anticipating that America 
     would join World War II and that Higgins Industries would 
     need the wood to build landing craft. Higgins also bought 
     steel, engines, and other material necessary to construct 
     landing craft.
       (5) Andrew Jackson Higgins, through Higgins Industries, 
     employed a fully integrated assembly line work force, black 
     and white, male and female, of up to 30,000 during World War 
     II, with equal pay for equal work.
       (6) In 1939, the United States Navy had a total of 18 
     landing craft in the fleet.
       (7) From November 18, 1940, when Higgins Industries was 
     awarded its first contract for Higgins landing craft until 
     the conclusion of the war, the employees of Higgins 
     Industries produced 12,300 Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel 
     (LCVP's) and nearly 8,000 other landing craft of all types.
       (8) During World War II, Higgins Industries employees 
     produced 20,094 boats, including landing craft and Patrol 
     Torpedo boats, and trained 30,000 Navy, Marine, and Coast 
     Guard personnel on the safe operation of landing craft at the 
     Higgins' Boat Operators School.
       (9) On Thanksgiving Day 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower 
     stated in an address to the Nation: ``Let us thank God for 
     Higgins Industries, management, and labor which has given us 
     the landing boats with which to conduct our campaign.''.
       (10) Higgins landing craft, constructed of wood and steel, 
     transported fully armed troops, light tanks, field artillery, 
     and other mechanized equipment essential to amphibious 
     operations.
       (11) Higgins landing craft made the amphibious assault on 
     D-day and the landings at Leyte, North Africa, Guadalcanal, 
     Sicily, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Guam, and thousands of less well-
     known assaults possible.
       (12) Captain R.R.M. Emmett, a commander at the North Africa 
     amphibious landing, and later commandant of the Great Lakes 
     Training Station, wrote during the war: ``When the history of 
     this war is finally written by historians, far enough removed 
     from its present turmoil and clamor to be cool and impartial, 
     I predict that they will place Mr. (Andrew Jackson) Higgins 
     very high on the list of those who deserve the commendation 
     and gratitude of all citizens.''.
       (13) In 1964, President Dwight D. Eisenhower told historian 
     Steven Ambrose: ``He (Higgins) is the man who won the war for 
     us. If Higgins had not developed and produced those landing 
     craft, we never could have gone in over an open beach. We 
     would have had to change the entire strategy of the war.''.

     SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--
       (1) In general.--The President is authorized, on behalf of 
     Congress, to award a gold medal of appropriate design to--
       (A) the family of Andrew Jackson Higgins, honoring Andrew 
     Jackson Higgins (posthumously) for his contributions to the 
     Nation and world peace; and
       (B) the D-day Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, for public 
     display, honoring Andrew Jackson Higgins (posthumously) and 
     the employees of Higgins Industries for their contributions 
     to the Nation and world peace.
       (2) Modalities.--The modalities of presentation of the 
     medals under this Act shall be determined by the President 
     after consultation with the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, the 
     Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the 
     House of Representatives.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike 2 
     gold medals with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, 
     to be determined by the Secretary.

     SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of 
     the gold medals struck under this Act, under such regulations 
     as the Secretary may prescribe, and at a price sufficient to 
     cover the costs thereof, including labor, materials, dies, 
     use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the 
     gold medal.

     SEC. 5. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.

       The medals struck under this Act are national medals for 
     purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

     SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.

       (a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to 
     be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise 
     Fund an amount not to exceed $60,000 to pay for the cost of 
     the medals authorized by this Act.
       (b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of 
     duplicate bronze medals under section 4 shall be deposited in 
     the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
                                 ______