118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 91 

AN ACT 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to 60 

diplomats, in recognition of their bravery and heroism 

during the Holocaust. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Forgotten Heroes of 

3 the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The following diplomats will be honored 

7 posthumously: Per Anger (Sweden), Jose Maria 

8 Barreto Bustı ́os (Peru), Lars Berg (Sweden), 

9 Philippe Bernardini (Vatican/Italy), Hiram (Harry) 

10 Bingham IV (United States), Friedrich Born (Swit11 zerland), Gilberto Bosques Saldivar (Mexico), Carlos 

12 de Liz-Texeira Branquinho (Portugal), Samuel del 

13 Campo (Chile), Aracy de Carvalho Guimara ̃es Rosa 

14 (Brazil), Jose Arturo Castellanos Contreras (El Sal15 vador), Carl Ivan Danielsson (Sweden), Luis Mar16 tins de Souza Dantas (Brazil), Georg Ferdinand 

17 Duckwitz (Germany), Harald Feller (Switzerland), 

18 Francis (Frank) Foley (United Kingdom), Jean19 Edouard Friedrich (Switzerland), Carlos Almeida 

20 Afonseca de Sampaio Garrido (Portugal), Raymond 

21 Herman Geist (United States), Feng-Shan Ho (Re22 public of China), Constantin Karadja (Romania), 

23 Alexander Kasser (Sandor Kasza) (Sweden), Elow 

24 Kihlgren (Sweden), Joseph Willem (Joop) Kolkman 

25 (Netherlands), Julius Kuhl (Poland), Aleksander 

26 4ados (Poland), Valdemar Langlet (Sweden), 
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1 Charles (Carl) Lutz (Switzerland), George Mandel2 Mantello (El Salvador), Florian Manoliu (Romania), 

3 Manuel Antonio Mun ̃oz Borrero (Ecuador), Salomon 

4 Jacob (Sally) Noach (Netherlands), Giorgio (Jorge) 

5 Perlasca (Spain/Italy), Ernst Prodolliet (Switzer6 land), Eduardo Propper de Callejon (Spain), Franjo 

7 Puncuch (Yugoslavia/Slovenia), Konstanty Rokicki 

8 (Poland), Sebastian de Romero Radigales (Spain), 

9 Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (Vatican/Italy), Angelo 

10 Rotta (Vatican/Italy), Albert Emile Routier (Turkey/ 

11 France), Jose Ruiz Santaella (Spain), Stefan 

12 Ryniewicz (Poland), Angel Sanz-Briz (Spain), Abdol13 Hossein Sardari (Iran), Henryk Slawik (Poland), 

14 Robert Smallbones (United Kingdom), Aristides de 

15 Sousa Mendes (Portugal), Jan Spisiak (Slovakia), 

16 Chiune (Sempo) Sugihara (Japan), Ireanaeus 

17 Typaldos (Spain), Alexander (Sandor) Ujvary (Vati18 can/Hungary), Selahattin Ulkumen (Turkey), 

19 Gennaro Verolino (Vatican/Italy), Vladimir Vochoc 

20 (Czech Republic), Ernst Vonrufs (Switzerland), 

21 Raoul Wallenberg (Sweden), Guelfo Zamboni (Italy), 

22 Peter Zurcher (Switzerland), and Jan Zwartendijk 

23 (Netherlands). 

24 (2) On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler and 

25 the Nazis began their invasion of Europe, which 
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1 started World War II and threw the world into 

2 chaos. The Nazi plan of mass murder of the Jewish 

3 population was in full motion. As battles were being 

4 fought between countries, Jews were being rounded 

5 up and sent to concentration camps throughout Eu6 rope. This process began a mass exodus of people 

7 out of Europe, especially those in the Jewish com8 munity. 

9 (3) During the war, members of the Jewish 

10 community used every tool and means at their dis11 posal to flee Nazi tyranny. Thousands tried to flee 

12 on trains or boats to escape from Europe. 

13 (4) While the armies of countries were fighting 

14 each other, a handful of diplomats, from around the 

15 world, stepped forward and took heroic actions to 

16 save Jews fleeing Europe. This was an incredibly 

17 dangerous process. If the Nazis discovered the ac18 tions of these diplomats they would be expelled, as 

19 a few of them were. Also, while worrying about the 

20 Nazis, diplomats had to worry about their careers 

21 and livelihoods back home. Many of them had strict 

22 orders from their home countries to not aid the Jew23 ish population in any way. 

24 (5) These diplomats used every means at their 

25 disposal to help Jews fleeing persecution. One of the 
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1 most powerful tools the diplomats had to use was 

2 the issuing of passports and travel visas contrary to 

3 the instruction of the governments of the diplomats. 

4 This process alone is responsible for saving hundreds 

5 of thousands of Jewish families in Europe. This was 

6 not the only tool used as many of the diplomats were 

7 connected with the local populations and were great 

8 communicators for Jews trying to travel under9 ground. They were able set up safehouses and 

10 getaways to hide Jews and especially Jewish children 

11 from Nazi authorities. In the most dangerous of 

12 times, several of these diplomats confronted the 

13 Nazis directly on behalf of the Jews and personally 

14 put themselves in grave danger. 

15 (6) Every diplomat knew the dangers and knew 

16 what they were up against, and still pushed forward 

17 to save those in the most danger. 

18 (7) The Congressional Gold Medal authorized 

19 under this Act will help remind humanity that when 

20 the diplomats were faced with terrible crises, they 

21 went beyond the fold, including risking their careers 

22 and the lives of themselves and their families, to en23 gage in this humanitarian mission. The diplomats of 

24 today and future generations can look towards these 
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1 heroes and be inspired by their lives of heroism and 

2 sacrifice. 

3 (8) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as 

4 stating or implying that this group of honorees en5 compasses everyone who took this type of heroic ac6 tion during this era. As the title attests, the ‘‘For7 gotten Heroes’’ performed these deeds out of right8 eousness, with no expectation of public acclaim. The 

9 sponsors of this Act wish to honor this group of in10 dividuals for whose deeds the historical record is 

11 currently definitive and well-documented. Given that 

12 historical research is ongoing, in the event that ro13 bust documentation from professional historians, ex14 pert stakeholders, and public input identify others 

15 worthy of official recognition, future Congresses re16 tain the right to recognize additional forgotten he17 roes of the Holocaust pursuant to future legislation. 

18 SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

19 (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of 

20 the House of Representatives and the President pro tem21 pore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements 

22 for the presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a single 

23 gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the 60 dip24 lomats identified in section 2(1), in recognition of their 
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1 brave and vital service of saving Jews during World War 

2 II. 

3 (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For purposes of the 

4 presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary 

5 of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec6 retary’’) shall strike a single gold medal with suitable em7 blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the 

8 Secretary. 

9 (c) PRESENTATION OF MEDAL.—The single gold 

10 medal presented under subsection (a) shall be presented 

11 collectively to the eldest next of kin of each of the 60 dip12 lomats identified in section 2(1), who shall receive the 

13 medal as part of a delegation consisting of a senior official 

14 representative of the country that each diplomat served 

15 and the cochairs of the Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust 

16 Committee. 

17 (d) UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MU18 SEUM.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the 

20 gold medal in honor of the 60 diplomats identified 

21 in section 2(1), the gold medal shall be given to the 

22 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where 

23 it will be available for display as appropriate and 

24 available for research. 
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1 (2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

2 Congress that the United States Holocaust Memo3 rial Museum should make the gold medal awarded 

4 pursuant to this Act available for display elsewhere, 

5 particularly at appropriate locations associated with 

6 Holocaust remembrance. 

7 SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

8 The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

9 bronze of the gold medal struck under section 3, at a price 

10 sufficient to cover the costs thereof, including labor, mate11 rials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

12 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

13 (a) NATIONAL MEDAL.—Medals struck pursuant to 

14 this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 

15 of title 31, United States Code. 

16 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 

17 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals 

18 struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic 

19 items. 

20 SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF 

21 SALE. 

22 (a) AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS.—There is 

23 authorized to be charged against the United States Mint 

24 Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be nec-
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1 essary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under 

2 this Act. 

3 (b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the 

4 sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 

5 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 

6 Enterprise Fund. 

Passed the Senate September 24, 2024. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 91 

AN ACT 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively 

and heroism during the Holocaust. to 60 diplomats, in recognition of their bravery