[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2842-S2843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. Ensign):
  S. 452. A bill to require that the Secretary of the Interior conduct 
a study to identify sites and resources, to recommend alternatives for 
commemorating and interpreting the Cold War,

[[Page S2843]]

and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the Cold War was the longest war in United 
States history. Lasting 50 years, the Cold War cost thousands of lives, 
trillions of dollars, changed the course of history, and left America 
the only superpower in the world. Because of the nuclear capabilities 
of our enemy it was the most dangerous conflict our country ever faced. 
The threat of mass destruction left a permanent mark on American life 
and politics. Those that won this war did so in obscurity. Those that 
gave their lives in the Cold War have never been properly honored.
  Today I introduce with Senator Ensign a bill that requires the 
Department of the Interior to conduct a study to identify sites and 
resources to commemorate heroes of the Cold War and to interpret the 
Cold War for future generations.
  Our legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a 
``Cold War Advisory Committee'' to oversee the inventory of Cold War 
sites and resources for potential inclusion in the National Park 
System, as national historic landmarks, or other appropriate 
designations.
  The Advisory Committee will work closely with State and local 
governments and local historical organizations. The committee's 
starting point will be a Cold War study completed by the Secretary of 
Defense under the 1991 Defense Appropriations Act Obvious Cold War 
sites of significance include: Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, 
flight training centers, communications and command centers, such as 
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, nuclear weapons test sites, such as the 
Nevada test site, and strategic and tactical resources.
  Perhaps no other state in the Union has played a more significant 
role than Nevada in winning the Cold War. The Nevada Test Site is a 
high-technology engineering marvel where the United States developed, 
tested, and perfected a nuclear deterrent which is the cornerstone of 
America's security and leadership among nations. The Naval Air Station 
at Fallon is the Navy's premiere tactical air warfare training 
facility. The Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base has the 
largest training range in the United States to ensure that America's 
pilots will prevail in any armed conflict.
  The Advisory Committee established under this legislation will 
develop an interpretive handbook on the Cold War to tell the story of 
the Cold War and its heroes.
  I would like to take a moment to relate a story of one group of Cold 
War heroes. On a snowy evening in November 17, 1955, a United States 
Air Force C-54 crashed near the summit of Mount Charleston in central 
Nevada. The doomed flight was carrying 15 scientific and technical 
personnel to secret Area 51 where the U-2 reconnaissance plane, of 
Francis Powers fame, was being developed under tight security. The men 
aboard the ill-fated C-54 helped build the plane which critics said 
could never be built. The critics were wrong--the U-2 is a vital part 
of our reconnaissance force to this day.
  The secrecy of the mission was so great that the families of the men 
who perished on Mount Charleston only recently learned about the true 
circumstances of the crash that took the lives of their loved ones. My 
legislation will provide $300,000 to identify historic landmarks like 
the crash at Mount Charleston.
  I'd like to thank Mr. Steve Ririe of Las Vegas who brought to light 
the events surrounding the death of the fourteen men who perished on 
Mount Charleston nearly a half century ago, and for the efforts of 
State Senator Rawson who shepherded a resolution through the Nevada 
legislature to commemorate these heroes.
  A grateful Nation owes its gratitude to the ``Silent Heroes of the 
Cold War.'' We urge our colleagues to support this long overdue tribute 
to the contribution and sacrifice of those Cold War heroes for the 
cause of freedom.
                                 ______