[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 93 (Monday, June 11, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H6200-H6202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING JOHN PEHLE FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS IN HELPING RESCUE JEWS AND
OTHER MINORITIES FROM THE HOLOCAUST
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 226) to recognize John Pehle for his
contributions to the Nation in helping rescue Jews and other minorities
from the Holocaust during World War II, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 226
Whereas some 6,000,000 Jews were slaughtered pursuant to
Adolf Hitler's diabolical plan for the total extermination of
the Jews during the Third Reich, and even more would have
perished had it not been for the efforts of a number of
United States Government officials who spoke out forcefully
against American policy and persuaded President Franklin D.
Roosevelt of the need for extraordinary measures to save
Jewish lives;
``Whereas on November 9, 1943--the 5th anniversary of
Kristallnacht, when pogroms against Jews and the burning of
synagogues and Jewish businesses and homes were carried out
throughout Nazi Germany--identical Congressional resolutions
were introduced in both houses of Congress calling for the
creation of a United States Government commission ``to
formulate and effectuate a plan of immediate action designed
to save the surviving Jewish people of Europe from extinction
at the hands of Nazi Germany'';
``Whereas the Senate version was introduced by Senator Guy
Gillette of Iowa with the support of Elbert Thomas of Utah
and Edwin Johnson of Colorado and was unanimously approved in
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on December 20, 1943,
and scheduled for a full Senate vote in early 1944;
Whereas the House version was introduced by Representative
Will Rogers, Jr., of California and extensive hearings on the
resolution were held by the House Foreign Affairs Committee;
``Whereas United States Government agencies were receiving
extensive credible information about the extent of Nazi
atrocities against the Jews and other minorities in Europe,
nevertheless, the policy of the United States as developed
and implemented in the Department of State opposed American
government action to save the lives of Jewish and other
minorities who were being systematically exterminated by the
Nazi German government;
``Whereas in 1943 and early 1944, an extraordinary group of
officials at the United States Department of Treasury sought
to change those policies and Secretary of the Treasury Henry
Morgenthau directed the preparation of a memorandum to the
President of the United States urging more direct and
forceful American action to aid Jewish victims of the Nazi
atrocities, and this document, prepared by Josiah DuBois,
Jr., Assistant General Counsel of the Treasury Department,
and John Pehle, a 33-year-old attorney in the Foreign Funds
Control unit of the Treasury Department, was presented to
President Franklin D. Roosevelt by Secretary Morgenthau,
Randolph Paul and Pehle on January 16, 1944;
Whereas President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9417 on
January 22, 1944, affirming that ``it is the policy of this
Government to
[[Page H6201]]
take all measures within its power to rescue the victims of
enemy oppression who are in imminent danger of death and
otherwise afford such victims all possible relief and
assistance consistent with the successful prosecution of the
war'' and creating the War Refugee Board, composed of the
Secretaries of State, Treasury and War, to carry out this
policy;
Whereas John Pehle was appointed the Acting Executive
Director and subsequently Executive Director of the Board and
Josiah DuBois, Jr. was appointed General Counsel of the
Board;
Whereas on January 25, 1944, the Board issued a critically
important diplomatic cable to all United States diplomatic
missions abroad ordering that ``action be taken to forestall
the plot of the Nazis to exterminate the Jews and other
persecuted minorities in Europe'' and developed new programs
to increase the flow of Jewish and other refugees from Nazi
persecution to neutral countries in Europe, including Turkey,
Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, and Sweden, from where they
were assisted to go to North America, Palestine and North and
South America;
Whereas the Board assisted the International Red Cross to
provide food parcels to ``stateless'' civilians in internment
camps, to support and protect some 3,000,000 Allied and Axis
prisoners of war, and to streamline Federal licensing
procedures for the transmission of funds to pay for Red Cross
relief supplies and rescue operations, thus saving the lives
of thousands of Jews and other internees;
Whereas in April 1944, John Pehle, on behalf of the War
Refugee Board, urged all neutral nations to increase their
diplomatic representation in Hungary to help prevent the
accelerating deportation of Jews to Auschwitz-Birkenau and
other Nazi extermination camps and to begin providing vital
funding and other resources to assist in saving Hungarian
Jews from concentration and extermination camps;
Whereas the War Refugee Board sought out Swedish citizen
Raoul Wallenberg and, with the support of the Swedish
government and its legation in Budapest, supported one of the
most extensive and successful rescue efforts during the
Holocaust; and
Whereas subsequent academic studies have credited the War
Refugee Board with rescuing as many as 200,000 Jews from Nazi
occupied countries through the efforts of Wallenberg and
others: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) honors the efforts and contributions of those who
worked for the establishment of the War Refugee Board and for
a more active United States policy to rescue Jews and other
victims of Nazi repression who were in imminent danger of
death and to provide these persecuted minorities with relief
and assistance during World War II; and
(2) commends in particular the actions of Secretary of
Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Josiah DuBois, Jr., and John Pehle
for their dedication and devotion to helping rescue Jews and
other persecuted minorities in the Holocaust.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Woolsey) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Lantos, chairman of the committee and my Bay
Area neighbor, for working so closely with me to bring this resolution
to the floor today. As the only Holocaust survivor in the Congress, his
support of this resolution means very much to all of us, and
particularly to me.
H. Res. 226 is a resolution to recognize American government
officials who played a critical role in the creation and activity of
the War Refugee Board in an effort to help rescue Jews and other
persecuted minorities during the years of the Holocaust.
Because of their actions and because of their bravery, an unknown
number of people were saved from the horrific reign of Adolf Hitler and
his followers. Specifically, we are commending the actions of Secretary
of Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Josiah DuBois and John Pehle for their
dedication and devotion to helping rescue Jews and other persecuted
minorities during the Holocaust.
To many, World War II and the Holocaust may seem long, long, long
ago. For others, however, this is a memory which will be imprinted in
their soul forever. Six million Jews were killed under the brutal and
evil reign of Adolf Hitler while many countries turned a blind eye to
their ethnic cleansing and genocide.
During this dark time, some brave men and women stood up and demanded
that every person, no matter their ethnic background, be treated justly
and humanely. The people serving the War Refugee Board sent a historic
cable to the diplomatic missions ordering that ``action be taken to
forestall the plot of the Nazis to exterminate the Jews and other
persecuted minorities in Europe.''
{time} 1545
They developed new programs to increase the flow of Jewish and other
refugees from Nazi persecution to neutral countries.
After the horror of the concentration camps and extermination
campaigns were revealed, the world said ``never again.''
And yet, Mr. Speaker, we look around the world to see hauntingly
similar events occurring, particularly in places like Darfur. Mr.
Speaker, if we truly wish to honor the memory of the Holocaust victims,
we must come together to stand up in the face of bigotry and hatred all
around the world today. The action of the War Refugee Board is an
amazing example of courage, human kindness, and compassion.
Today, we rise to recognize their service to this country and to
humankind. We rise to remember the Jews and minorities who perished
under a reign of terror. But it is with hope that we look to the
future, a future of peace and human dignity where ``never again'' means
never again.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 226 recognizes American government officials who
played a critical role in the creation of the War Refugee Board in an
effort to help rescue Jews and other persecuted minorities during the
Holocaust.
In the early stage of World War II, there was an extensive flow of
information about the extent of Jews and other minorities being
systematically murdered by the Nazi regime.
A heroic group of U.S. Government officials from the Treasury
Department, including Secretary of the Treasurer, Henry Morganthau, as
well as Joseph DuBois and John Pehle, urged President Franklin
Roosevelt to take more direct and forceful action to help the victims
of the Nazi atrocities.
President Roosevelt later signed an executive order creating the War
Refugee Board. Mr. John Pehle became the executive director of the
board which helped to rescue Jews and other victims of Nazi persecution
and prevented thousands of people from dying in extermination camps.
Furthermore, the board assisted the International Red Cross to
provide food and shelter to over 3 million prisoners of war. Efforts by
those who worked to establish the War Refugee Board, particularly of
Secretary of Treasury Henry Morganthau, Joseph DuBois, and John Pehle,
were instrumental in saving thousands of lives during the Nazi
extermination policy.
H. Res. 226 recognizes and honors these government officials for
their efforts, and I urge support for this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), chairman of the
Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global
Environment.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Woolsey) not only as chief sponsor of this proposed
legislation, but also for her leadership and her compassion and
commitment in the field of human rights for fellow human beings all
over the world.
I cannot help but stand here on the floor and share with my
colleagues some of the thoughts that came to my mind when my colleague
from California was explaining about the provisions of this important
legislation.
[[Page H6202]]
Usually I am not a person who gets emotional watching movies, but
recently I watched the movie ``Freedom Riders.'' I cannot help but
recall the experience that these teenagers in Long Beach went through,
and how creative this teacher was in trying to get kids who were from
basically low-income areas and who had no idea or concept what it means
to read. Somehow the teacher was able to get these high school students
to read ``The Diary of Anne Frank.'' It got to the point where the
students became so interested in what happened when they read this
book, ``The Diary of Anne Frank,'' that they invited a Holocaust
survivor to speak to them in Los Angeles. She testified personally what
it meant to be not only a prisoner but I would say a slave during the
Nazi period and the terrible time that the Jewish people went through
during that period of their history.
I thank Chairman Lantos not only for his leadership, but as a
Holocaust survivor himself, I cannot think of a better person who can
share with our colleagues what it means to be part of that period and
the pain and suffering 6 million Jews went through during that process.
I recall a statement made by one of the great poet philosophers,
Santayana, who said: ``Those who don't remember the past are condemned
to repeat it.'' Some say why should we worry, this happened in the
past. Why worry about it. I think we have to remember so these things
never happen again.
Yes, I visit the Holocaust Museum and what do I say: Never again.
Never again. That racism and bigotry and hatred should never be a part
of the legacy of our great Nation.
I commend my friend from California for bringing this resolution
before the Members for their consideration, and I urge my colleagues to
support this bill.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim 30
seconds of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am remiss in not complimenting the
gentlewoman from California for bringing this forward. It is very, very
important that we do remember what people have done and when good
people have stepped forward.
We are sitting here and you always want to do your best on the
pronunciation of names, and it is sad we don't know these names better
than we do. I think you bringing forward this resolution, again it just
highlights the importance that we do remember what has happened in the
past and we keep it from happening in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from
American Samoa and the gentleman from Arkansas for their kind words.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 226, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
The title was amended so as to read: ``A resolution to recognize
American government officials who played a critical role in the
creation and activity of the War Refugee Board in an effort to help
rescue Jews and other persecuted minorities during the Holocaust.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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