Recognizing the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in Fulton, Missouri, as "America's National Churchill Museum", and commending its efforts to recognize the importance of the historic legacy of Sir Winston Churchill and to educate the people of the United States about his legacy of character, leadership, and citizenship.

I am proud to rise today in support of House Resolution 390, a resolution recognizing the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in Fulton, Missouri, as ``America's National Churchill Museum.''

Before I discuss the details of the bill, I would like to thank the many folks who helped make this possible. First, I want to thank my predecessor in Congress, Kenny Hulshof, who first introduced this resolution in the 110th Congress. Kenny laid the groundwork for the passage of this bill, and I am honored to finish the work that he began.

Also, from the moment I first introduced the resolution, the Missouri delegation was at my side. To be sure, I am extremely pleased that every member of the Missouri delegation signed on as an original cosponsor of my resolution, and I want to thank them for all their continued support.

I also want to thank the many other Members of this body who supported me in this endeavor, many of whom are Churchill enthusiasts themselves. I am truly honored to be in such good company. I look forward to welcoming all of them to my district when they bring their families to visit America's National Churchill Museum.

Most of all, I want to thank President Forsythe, president of Westminster College, at whose campus the museum is located, and his dedicated staff, Angie Robinson, Rob Crouse, and countless others.

I also want to recognize the museum's executive director, Dr. Rod Havers, for his daily devotion, expertise, and passion to the upkeep and expansion of this remarkable museum.

Much has been written about one of the greatest figures of the 20th century, Sir Winston Churchill, a man with a literary bent and a deep devotion to public affairs. He was a Nobel Prize winner, an artist, a keen strategist, and a brilliant politician. He was also instrumental in bringing an end to World War II.

On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his historic ``Iron Curtain'' speech on the campus of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. With a current population of close to 13,000 and a then- population of 7,000, Fulton was and still is the perfect stopover in the rolling green hills of central Missouri. There, the man Harry Truman called ``that great world citizen,'' Winston Churchill, marked the beginning of the Cold War with the words that were heard around the globe. Today, the speech is regarded as perhaps one of the most important that Churchill ever delivered.

The speech contained certain phrases, ``the special relationship,'' ``the sinews of peace''--which at once entered into general use and which have since survived. However, it's Churchill's mention of the Iron Curtain that attracted immediate international attention and shaped public opinion in the United States and Western Europe. He said, ``From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.''

Russian historians date the beginning of the Cold War from this speech. And in its drawing together of several themes to a climax, Churchill's speech may be regarded as one of the finest in the 20th century. It certainly changed the way the democratic West viewed the communist East.

The astounding achievements of Winston Churchill's life are a testament to his dedication to protecting liberty for all people. Churchill did not merely hate tyranny; he despised it, and he reviled communism.

The contempt he breathed for dictators renewed his Iron Curtain speech in Fulton, Missouri, and strengthened the West's faith in the superiority of democracy and the inevitability of its success.

The Winston Churchill Memorial and Library was founded in 1969. The museum is a 16th-century church designed by Christopher Wren that was painstakingly relocated, brick by brick, from London, England, to Fulton, Missouri, and is the only museum in the Nation that exists for the sole purpose of honoring the life and extraordinary legacy of Winston Churchill. I might mention that it underwent a multimillion dollar renovation just a couple years ago.

The bill we consider today recognizes this museum as the world-class facility that it is and the historical significance of the site.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in passing this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 390) recognizing the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in Fulton, Missouri, as ``America's National Churchill Museum,'' and commending its efforts to recognize the importance of the historic legacy of Sir Winston Churchill and to educate the people of the United States about his legacy of character, leadership, and citizenship, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 390 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 390, which recognizes the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library for its work in honoring the historic legacy of the life and leadership of Sir Winston Churchill.

Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in Woodstock in November 1874. A lifetime military man and politician, Churchill had the vision to recognize the threat that Adolf Hitler posed to the world. He was a staunch critic of appeasement. He supported a strategy of rearmament and military alliance building. His early anti-Nazi position facilitated his transition to the premiership at a time when his countrymen needed him the most.

Winston Churchill contributed to the fields of art and literature. During his early days in the army, he composed military reports for the Daily Telegraph and penned several books, including, ``The Story of the Malakand Field Force,'' ``The River War,'' ``London to Ladysmith,'' ``Liberalism and the Social Problem,'' and ``History of the English- Speaking Peoples.''

The memorial and library was constructed in 1964 and opened to the public in 1969. It is housed in a historic Wren church in Fulton, Missouri, on the campus of Westminster College where Churchill delivered his famous ``Sinews of Peace'' speech. The facility is home to numerous artifacts and information on Sir Winston Churchill. In addition to the story it tells, the museum provides a venue for artistic and historical exhibits, in addition to numerous social and cultural exhibits. It is an important part of Westminster campus life, with students utilizing its resources for research.

I want to thank Representative Luetkemeyer for his leadership in bringing this important resolution forward. I ask my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as I was listening to the gentleman from Missouri make a statement, I couldn't help but notice that the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library is actually a source of pride for him and for his constituents in Missouri, and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to please support the passage of House Resolution 390.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.