S. 91 

One Hundred Eighteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty four 

An Act 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to 60 diplomats, in recognition 

of their bravery and heroism during the Holocaust. 

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 ‘‘Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust 

Congressional Gold Medal Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

(1) The following diplomats will be honored posthumously: 

Per Anger (Sweden), Jose Maria Barreto Bustı ́os (Peru), Lars 

Berg (Sweden), Philippe Bernardini (Vatican/Italy), Hiram 

(Harry) Bingham IV (United States), Friedrich Born (Switzerland), Gilberto Bosques Saldivar (Mexico), Carlos de Liz-Texeira 

Branquinho (Portugal), Samuel del Campo (Chile), Aracy de 

Carvalho Guimara ̃es Rosa (Brazil), Jose Arturo Castellanos 

Contreras (El Salvador), Carl Ivan Danielsson (Sweden), Luis 

Martins de Souza Dantas (Brazil), Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz 

(Germany), Harald Feller (Switzerland), Francis (Frank) Foley 

(United Kingdom), Jean-Edouard Friedrich (Switzerland), 

Carlos Almeida Afonseca de Sampaio Garrido (Portugal), Raymond Herman Geist (United States), Feng-Shan Ho (Republic 

of China), Constantin Karadja (Romania), Alexander Kasser 

(Sandor Kasza) (Sweden), Elow Kihlgren (Sweden), Joseph 

Willem (Joop) Kolkman (Netherlands), Julius Kuhl (Poland), 

Aleksander 4ados (Poland), Valdemar Langlet (Sweden), 

Charles (Carl) Lutz (Switzerland), George Mandel-Mantello (El 

Salvador), Florian Manoliu (Romania), Manuel Antonio Mun ̃ oz 

Borrero (Ecuador), Salomon Jacob (Sally) Noach (Netherlands), 

Giorgio (Jorge) Perlasca (Spain/Italy), Ernst Prodolliet (Switzerland), Eduardo Propper de Callejon (Spain), Franjo Puncuch 

(Yugoslavia/Slovenia), Konstanty Rokicki (Poland), Sebastian 

de Romero Radigales (Spain), Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (Vatican/Italy), Angelo Rotta (Vatican/Italy), Albert Emile Routier 

(Turkey/France), Jose Ruiz Santaella (Spain), Stefan Ryniewicz 

(Poland), Angel Sanz-Briz (Spain), Abdol-Hossein Sardari 

(Iran), Henryk Slawik (Poland), Robert Smallbones (United 

Kingdom), Aristides de Sousa Mendes (Portugal), Jan Spisiak 

(Slovakia), Chiune (Sempo) Sugihara (Japan), Ireanaeus 

Typaldos (Spain), Alexander (Sandor) Ujvary (Vatican/Hungary), Selahattin Ulkumen (Turkey), Gennaro Verolino (Vatican/Italy), Vladimir Vochoc (Czech Republic), Ernst Vonrufs 
S. 91—2 

(Switzerland), Raoul Wallenberg (Sweden), Guelfo Zamboni 

(Italy), Peter Zurcher (Switzerland), and Jan Zwartendijk 

(Netherlands). 

(2) On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis 

began their invasion of Europe, which started World War II 

and threw the world into chaos. The Nazi plan of mass murder 

of the Jewish population was in full motion. As battles were 

being fought between countries, Jews were being rounded up 

and sent to concentration camps throughout Europe. This 

process began a mass exodus of people out of Europe, especially 

those in the Jewish community. 

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

used every tool and means at their disposal to flee Nazi tyranny. 

Thousands tried to flee on trains or boats to escape from 

Europe. 

(4) While the armies of countries were fighting each other, 

a handful of diplomats, from around the world, stepped forward 

and took heroic actions to save Jews fleeing Europe. This was 

an incredibly dangerous process. If the Nazis discovered the 

actions of these diplomats they would be expelled, as a few 

of them were. Also, while worrying about the Nazis, diplomats 

had to worry about their careers and livelihoods back home. 

Many of them had strict orders from their home countries 

to not aid the Jewish population in any way. 

(5) These diplomats used every means at their disposal 

to help Jews fleeing persecution. One of the most powerful 

tools the diplomats had to use was the issuing of passports 

and travel visas contrary to the instruction of the governments 

of the diplomats. This process alone is responsible for saving 

hundreds of thousands of Jewish families in Europe. This was 

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

with the local populations and were great communicators for 

Jews trying to travel underground. They were able set up 

safehouses and getaways to hide Jews and especially Jewish 

children from Nazi authorities. In the most dangerous of times, 

several of these diplomats confronted the Nazis directly on 

behalf of the Jews and personally put themselves in grave 

danger. 

(6) Every diplomat knew the dangers and knew what they 

were up against, and still pushed forward to save those in 

the most danger. 

(7) The Congressional Gold Medal authorized under this 

Act will help remind humanity that when the diplomats were 

faced with terrible crises, they went beyond the fold, including 

risking their careers and the lives of themselves and their 

families, to engage in this humanitarian mission. The diplomats 

of today and future generations can look towards these heroes 

and be inspired by their lives of heroism and sacrifice. 

(8) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as stating or 

implying that this group of honorees encompasses everyone 

who took this type of heroic action during this era. As the 

title attests, the ‘‘Forgotten Heroes’’ performed these deeds 

out of righteousness, with no expectation of public acclaim. 

The sponsors of this Act wish to honor this group of individuals 

for whose deeds the historical record is currently definitive 

and well-documented. Given that historical research is ongoing, 
S. 91—3 

in the event that robust documentation from professional historians, expert stakeholders, and public input identify others 

worthy of official recognition, future Congresses retain the right 

to recognize additional forgotten heroes of the Holocaust pursuant to future legislation. 

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The Speaker of the House 

of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate 

shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on 

behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design 

in honor of the 60 diplomats identified in section 2(1), in recognition 

of their brave and vital service of saving Jews during World War 

II. 

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

referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred 

to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a single gold medal 

with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined 

by the Secretary. 

(c) PRESENTATION OF MEDAL.—The single gold medal presented 

under subsection (a) shall be presented collectively to the eldest 

next of kin of each of the 60 diplomats identified in section 2(1), 

who shall receive the medal as part of a delegation consisting 

of a senior official representative of the country that each diplomat 

served and the cochairs of the Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust 

Committee. 

(d) UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the gold medal 

in honor of the 60 diplomats identified in section 2(1), the 

gold medal shall be given to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where it will be available for display as appropriate and available for research. 

(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 

the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum should make 

the gold medal awarded pursuant to this Act available for 

display elsewhere, particularly at appropriate locations associated with Holocaust remembrance. 

SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS. 

The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the 

gold medal struck under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover 

the costs thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, 

and overhead expenses. 

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

(a) NATIONAL MEDAL.—Medals struck pursuant to this Act are 

national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United 

States Code. 

(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of sections 5134 and 

5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under 

this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

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

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

to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise 

Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs 

of the medals struck under this Act. 
S. 91—4 

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

duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.