[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 6, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7269-S7270]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE EFFORTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE 
MONUMENTS, FINE ARTS, AND ARCHIVES PROGRAM UNDER THE CIVIL AFFAIRS AND 
     MILITARY GOVERNMENT SECTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 223, which was 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 223) recognizing the efforts and 
     contributions of the members of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and 
     Archives program under the Civil Affairs and Military 
     Government Sections of the United States Armed Forces during 
     and following World War II who were responsible for the 
     preservation, protection, and restitution of artistic and 
     cultural treasures in countries occupied by the Allied 
     armies.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 223) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 223

       Whereas the United States Government established the 
     American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of 
     Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas in 1943 to 
     promote and coordinate the protection and salvage of works of 
     art and cultural and historical monuments and records in 
     countries occupied by Allied armies during World War II;
       Whereas the American Commission for the Protection and 
     Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas is 
     also known as the Roberts Commission, in honor of its 
     chairman, Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts;
       Whereas, in connection with the establishment of the 
     Roberts Commission, the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives 
     program (MFAA) was established under the Civil Affairs and 
     Military Government Sections of the United States Armed 
     Forces;
       Whereas the establishment of the Roberts Commission and the 
     MFAA provided an example for other countries, working in 
     conjunction with the United States, to develop similar 
     programs, and more than 100 foreign MFAA personnel, 
     representing at least seventeen countries, contributed to 
     this international effort;
       Whereas the MFAA was comprised of both men and women, 
     commissioned officers and civilians, who were appointed or 
     volunteered to serve as representatives of the Roberts 
     Commission and as the official guardians of some of the 
     world's greatest artistic and cultural treasures;
       Whereas members of the MFAA, called the ``Monuments Men'', 
     often joined frontline military forces and some even lost 
     their lives in combat during World War II;

[[Page S7270]]

       Whereas, during World War II and for years following the 
     Allied victory, members of the MFAA worked tirelessly to 
     locate, identify, catalogue, restore, and repatriate 
     priceless works of art and irreplaceable cultural artifacts, 
     including masterpieces by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, 
     and Vermeer, that had been stolen or sequestered by the Axis 
     powers;
       Whereas the heroic actions of the MFAA in saving priceless 
     works of art and irreplaceable cultural artifacts for future 
     generations cannot be overstated, and set a moral precedent 
     and established standards, practices, and procedures for the 
     preservation, protection, and restitution of artistic and 
     cultural treasures in future armed conflicts;
       Whereas members of the MFAA went on to become renowned 
     directors and curators of preeminent international cultural 
     institutions, including the National Gallery of Art, the 
     Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the 
     Toledo Museum of Art, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, as 
     well as professors at institutions of higher education, 
     including Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton 
     University, New York University, Williams College, and 
     Columbia University;
       Whereas other members of the MFAA were founders, 
     presidents, and members of associations such as the New York 
     City Ballet, the American Association of Museums, the 
     American Association of Museum Directors, the Archaeological 
     Institute of America, the Society of Architectural 
     Historians, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the 
     National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National 
     Endowment for the Arts, as well as respected artists, 
     architects, musicians, and archivists; and
       Whereas members of the MFAA have never been collectively 
     honored for their service and contributions to humanity, and 
     they are deserving of the utmost acknowledgment, gratitude, 
     and recognition, in particular the 12 known Monuments Men who 
     are still alive: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the men and women who served in the 
     Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) under the 
     Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the United 
     States Armed Forces for their heroic role in the 
     preservation, protection, and restitution of monuments, works 
     of art, and other artifacts of inestimable cultural 
     importance in Europe and Asia during and following World War 
     II;
       (2) recognizes that without their dedication and service, 
     many more of the world's artistic and historic treasures 
     would have been destroyed or lost forever amidst the chaos 
     and destruction of World War II;
       (3) acknowledges that the detailed catalogues, 
     documentation, inventories, and photographs developed and 
     compiled by MFAA personnel during and following World War II 
     have made and continue to make possible the restitution of 
     stolen works of art to their rightful owners; and
       (4) commends and extols the members of the MFAA for 
     establishing a precedent for action to protect cultural 
     property in the event of armed conflict, and by their action 
     setting a standard not just for one country, but for people 
     of all nations to acknowledge and uphold.

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