[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 171 (Saturday, November 22, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S15569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF RALPH BUNCHE AS ONE OF THE GREAT LEADERS 
                          OF THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Con. Res. 82 
and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 82) recognizing the 
     importance of Ralph Bunche as one of the great leaders of the 
     United States, the first African-American Nobel Peace Prize 
     winner, an accomplished scholar, a distinguished diplomat, 
     and a tireless campaigner of civil rights for people 
     throughout the world.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements relating to this concurrent resolution 
be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 82) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 82

       Whereas Ralph Bunche's life of achievement made him one of 
     the 20th century's foremost figures and a role model for 
     youth;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche graduated valedictorian, summa cum 
     laude, and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California 
     at Los Angeles in 1927 with a degree in International 
     Relations;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche was the first African-American to 
     receive a Ph.D. in Government and International Relations at 
     Harvard University in 1934;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche served as a professor and established 
     and chaired the Political Science Department at Howard 
     University from 1928 to 1941;
       Whereas, in 1941, Ralph Bunche served as an analyst for the 
     Office of Strategic Services;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche joined the Department of State in 1944 
     as an advisor;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche served as an advisor to the United 
     States delegation to the 1945 San Francisco conference 
     charged with establishing the United Nations and drafting the 
     Charter of the organization;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche was instrumental in drafting Chapters 
     XI and XII of the United Nations Charter, dealing with non-
     self-governing territories and the International Trusteeship 
     System, which helped African countries achieve their 
     independence and assisted in their transition to self-
     governing, sovereign states;
       Whereas, in 1946, Ralph Bunche was appointed Director of 
     the Trusteeship Division of the United Nations;
       Whereas, in 1948, Ralph Bunche was named acting Chief 
     Mediator in Palestine for the United Nations, and, in 1949, 
     successfully brokered an armistice agreement between Israel, 
     Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche was deeply committed to ending 
     colonialism and restoring individual State sovereignty 
     through peaceful means;
       Whereas the National Association for the Advancement of 
     Colored People awarded its highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, 
     to Ralph Bunche in 1949;
       Whereas for his many significant contributions and efforts 
     toward achieving a peaceful resolution to seemingly 
     intractable national and international disputes, Ralph Bunche 
     was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, the first African-
     American and the first person of color to be so honored;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche was named United Nations Under-
     Secretary-General in 1955, in charge of directing 
     peacekeeping missions in several countries;
       Whereas, in 1963, Ralph Bunche received the United States' 
     highest civilian award, the Medal of Freedom; and
       Whereas Ralph Bunche's critical contributions to the 
     attempt to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict and towards the 
     de-colonization of Africa, and his commitment to and long 
     service in the United Nations and numerous other national and 
     international humanitarian efforts, warrant his 
     commemoration: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes and honors Ralph Bunche as a pivotal 20th 
     century figure in the struggle for the realization and 
     attainment of human rights on a global scale; and
       (2) urges the President to take appropriate measures to 
     encourage the celebration and remembrance of Ralph Bunche's 
     many significant achievements.

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