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.

        [Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 48 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 48

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.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 31, 2007

Ms. Granger (for herself, Ms. Slaughter, and Mr. Frelinghuysen)
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

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.

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;
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, Yale, Princeton, 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 13
known Monuments Men who are still alive: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(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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