[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 16, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          IWG 2-YEAR EXTENSION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 16, 2005

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today, I, along with 12 of my bipartisan 
colleagues, including Chairmen Davis and Hoekstra and Ranking Members 
Waxman, Harman, and Conyers, introduce a bill that will extend the term 
of the Nazi War Crimes Interagency Working Group by 2 years. This is 
the companion bill of S. 384, a bill introduced by Senator DeWine and 
passed in the Senate today. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the history 
and the impact of this legislation. I would like to thank Senator 
DeWine and his staff for their tireless work and for the energy they 
have put forth to ensure that we know as much as we can about our 
Government's past involvement with Nazi War criminals.
  In 1998, Congress passed the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act, a law 
that was enacted to explain the relationship between the U.S. 
Government and former Nazis. The act required the release of all 
previously classified information on the topic to the Interagency 
Working Group on Nazi War Crimes, IWG. The documents provided thus far 
to the IWG have revealed that there was a closer relationship between 
the U.S. Government and Nazi war criminals than previously known, a 
revelation that is crucial to the understanding of history. This 
significant knowledge would not have been possible without the 
cooperation of many agencies including the Department of Justice, 
Department of Defense, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  Until recently, the CIA had not complied with the law and did not 
release the documents needed to complete the IWG's task, as defined by 
law. Fortunately, after discussions with Senator DeWine and myself and 
under the leadership of Director Porter Goss, the CIA agreed to release 
the requisite documents. With the term of the IWG set to expire at the 
end of March 2005, we are now at a critical juncture.
  This bill is simple. It extends the term of the IWG so that it can 
complete its work, write a comprehensive report, and send it to 
Congress. We hope to move this quickly in the House, as they did in the 
Senate, to avoid a lapse in this important work. History, and the 
memory of the millions who perished in the Holocaust, deserve nothing 
less than full disclosure.

                          ____________________