[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 65 (Monday, April 23, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING SERGEANT JAMES A. REEDS AND THE ``MONUMENTS MEN'' OF WORLD WAR 
                                   II

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 23, 2007

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor SGT James A. Reeds 
and the ``Monuments Men'' of World War II, as Members of Congress from 
across the country prepare to celebrate our country's artistic legacy 
through hosting the Congressional Art Contest: A Voyage of Artistic 
Discovery. A native Kansas Citian, Sergeant Reeds was a hero to 
preserving our cultural heritage during World War II and I am pleased 
to honor him at the Fifth District's 2007 Congressional Art Contest.
  Throughout our great Nation, my colleagues are preparing for their 
districts' art competitions. Aspiring high school artists will compete 
to send their masterpiece to our Nation's Capitol. Like previous 
generations of artists, these young creative students are developing 
their skills, while gaining respect for the great masters who came 
before them. These masters have blessed our world with artistic 
treasures that have been enjoyed by past generations and will continue 
to be enjoyed for generations to come.
  During World War II, Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler had a plan to secure 
art from every region he occupied. As the Nazi regime conquered Europe, 
Hitler ordered covert reconnaissance missions to locate priceless works 
of art throughout each newly occupied region. These missions were all 
done as part of Hitler's plan to build the world's premier museum, the 
Fuehrer Museum, in his home town of Linz, Austria. Hitler was bitter 
that Vienna's schools of art would not accept him into their programs.
  Throughout Europe, as nations anticipated invasion, they took drastic 
measures to hide their invaluable works of art. The resistance found 
various methods to conceal their artistic treasures. Works were hidden 
in caves, mines, castles, chateaux, and in some cases, the 
masterpieces, like the Mona Lisa, were constantly on the move from one 
safe location to another. Unfortunately, many pieces were taken, many 
destroyed, and thousands of pieces of art are still missing to this 
day.
  During the war, a special unit was formed to protect the cultural 
treasures of Europe from Hitler's raid. Comprised of Allied soldiers, 
the unit was started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt under the War 
Department's Monuments, Fine Arts & Archives section. The group's 
charge was to find, catalogue, and return art to its rightful owners. 
They were christened the Monuments Men.
  Today, Missouri's Fifth Congressional District is honored to have a 
``Monument Man,'' and a native, living in our midst. Born in Westport, 
SGT James A. Reeds attended college at the University of Iowa and 
planned to major in chemistry. During his sophomore year, Sergeant 
Reeds was drafted into the Army. After specialized training at 
Stanford, he was sent to France to serve as a chemical lab technician. 
One fateful day, Sergeant Reeds met CAPT Bancel LaFarge, who was an 
officer in the Monuments Men. Captain LaFarge needed someone who could 
speak German. Since Sergeant Reeds studied German and could type, 
Captain LaFarge recruited Sergeant Reeds as a Monument Man. Now as part 
of that historical team, Sergeant Reeds documented the location of art 
officers in the field, transcribed notes made by art historians, noted 
the transfer of recovered art to warehouses, and documented the 
artworks' return to the rightful owner.

  An ancient adage in war is that to the victor go the spoils and this 
includes its cultural works of art. However, it was the United States 
and the Allied forces that agreed that the works of art from defeated 
nations would be returned to their place of origin after the war. Thus, 
the rich culture for the countries of Europe was preserved. Originally, 
Americans were unfortunately paying a pittance for masterworks to send 
art that belonged to Germany home to be sold. In essence, Allied troops 
were doing exactly what the Germans had done. Consequently, the 
Monuments Men initiated and President Truman agreed to the Wiesbaden 
Manifesto which stated that all German art had to be returned, thereby 
preserving and protecting its place in history.
  Upon his return, Sergeant Reeds returned to college on the GI bill 
for a degree in German at the University of Iowa. He then went on to 
receive a master's degree and later a doctorate in linguistics from the 
University of Michigan. Later, he returned to Kansas City and taught at 
University of Missouri--Kansas City for 21 years.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in expressing our heartfelt gratitude 
to SGT James A. Reeds and his fellow Monuments Men for their relentless 
efforts to preserve Europe's great artistic treasures. I urge my 
colleagues to please join me in expressing our appreciation to Sergeant 
Reeds and his fellow soldiers for their service to this great Nation.

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