H. R. 5212

One Hundred Sixth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,

the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand

An Act

To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish

a program to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and

testimonials of American war veterans, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans’ Oral History Project

Act’’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds as follows:

(1) Military service during a time of war is the highest

sacrifice a citizen may make for his or her country.

(2) 4,700,000 Americans served in World War I, 16,500,000

Americans served in World War II, 6,800,000 Americans served

in the Korean Conflict, 9,200,000 Americans served in the

Vietnam Conflict, 3,800,000 Americans served in the Persian

Gulf War, and countless other Americans served in military

engagements overseas throughout the 20th century.

(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that there

are almost 19,000,000 war veterans living in this Nation today.

(4) Today there are only approximately 3,400 living veterans of World War I, and of the some 6,000,000 veterans

of World War II alive today, almost 1,500 die each day.

(5) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to historians,

researchers, authors, journalists, film makers, scholars, students, and citizens of all walks of life.

(6) War veterans possess an invaluable resource in their

memories of the conflicts in which they served, and can provide

a rich history of our Nation and its people through the retelling

of those memories, yet frequently those who served during

times of conflict are reticent to family and friends about their

experiences.

(7) It is in the Nation’s best interest to collect and catalog

oral histories of American war veterans so that future generations will have original sources of information regarding the

lives and times of those who served in war and the conditions

under which they endured, so that Americans will always

remember those who served in war and may learn first-hand

of the heroics, tediousness, horrors, and triumphs of war.

(8) The Library of Congress, as the Nation’s oldest Federal

cultural institution and largest and most inclusive library in

human history (with nearly 119,000,000 items in its multimedia
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collection) is an appropriate repository to collect, preserve, and

make available to the public an archive of these oral histories.

The Library’s American Folklife Center has expertise in the

management of documentation projects and experience in the

development of cultural and educational programs for the

public.

(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to create a new

federally sponsored, authorized, and funded program that will

coordinate at a national level the collection of video and audio

recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war

veterans, and to assist and encourage local efforts to preserve

the memories of this Nation’s war veterans so that Americans

of all current and future generations may hear directly from veterans and better appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices

made by those who served in uniform during wartime.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM AT AMERICAN FOLKLIFE

CENTER TO COLLECT VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDINGS

OF HISTORIES OF VETERANS.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the American Folklife Center

at the Library of Congress shall establish an oral history program—

(1) to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of veterans of the Armed Forces who

served during a period of war;

(2) to create a collection of the recordings obtained

(including a catalog and index) which will be available for

public use through the National Digital Library of the Library

of Congress and such other methods as the Director considers

appropriate to the extent feasible subject to available resources;

and

(3) to solicit, reproduce, and collect written materials (such

as letters and diaries) relevant to the personal histories of

veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period

of war and to catalog such materials in a manner the Director

considers appropriate, consistent with and complimentary to

the efforts described in paragraphs (1) and (2).

(b) USE OF AND CONSULTATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES.—The

Director may carry out the activities described in paragraphs (1)

and (3) of subsection (a) through agreements and partnerships

entered into with other government and private entities, and may

otherwise consult with interested persons (within the limits of

available resources) and develop appropriate guidelines and

arrangements for soliciting, acquiring, and making available

recordings under the program under this Act.

(c) TIMING.—As soon as practicable after the enactment of

this Act, the Director shall begin collecting video and audio

recordings under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to collect

the first such recordings from the oldest veterans.

SEC. 4. PRIVATE SUPPORT.

(a) ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS.—The Librarian of Congress

may solicit and accept donations of funds and in-kind contributions

to carry out the oral history program under section 3.

(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF SEPARATE GIFT ACCOUNT.—There is

established in the Treasury (among the accounts of the Library

of Congress) a gift account for the oral history program under

section 3.
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(c) DEDICATION OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law—

(1) any funds donated to the Librarian of Congress to

carry out the oral history program under section 3 shall be

deposited entirely into the gift account established under subsection (b);

(2) the funds contained in such account shall be used

solely to carry out the oral history program under section

3; and

(3) the Librarian of Congress may not deposit into such

account any funds donated to the Librarian which are not

donated for the exclusive purpose of carrying out the oral

history program under section 3.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act—

(1) $250,000 for fiscal year 2001; and

(2) such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding

fiscal year.

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.