IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1303 

Recognizing the close friendship and historical ties between the United 

Kingdom and the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 27, 2010 

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida (for himself, Ms. WATSON, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. KIND, Mr. SESTAK, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. ISSA, and Mr. 

ENGEL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the close friendship and historical ties between 

the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Whereas the Magna Carta, which subjected the English monarch and his subjects to the rule of law and is considered 

one of the most important documents in the legal history 

of the United Kingdom and the United States, was recognized in 1957 by the American Bar Association for its 

importance to United States law and constitutionalism 

and remains on permanent display at the National Archives and Records Administration Building in Washington, DC; 

Whereas the English philosopher John Locke, through his 

monumental works on social contract theory and natural 

law entitled ‘‘An Essay Concerning Human UnderVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:19 Apr 27, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1303.IH HR1303

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•HRES 1303 IH 

standing’’, ‘‘First Treatise on Government’’, and ‘‘Second 

Treatise on Government’’, greatly influenced the American Revolution; 

Whereas English philosopher Thomas Paine, through his 

work ‘‘The Rights of Man’’, influenced the Founding Fathers in their drafting of the United States Constitution; 

Whereas Scottish economist Adam Smith’s ‘‘Wealth of Nations’’ greatly contributed to the competition and free 

market principles of the United States; 

Whereas the English lawyer Sir William Blackstone’s ‘‘Commentaries on the Laws of England’’ had a lasting influence on the development of United States common law 

and legal institutions; 

Whereas the arrival of more than 1,500,000 members of the 

United States Armed Forces in the United Kingdom in 

the 1940s was a turning point in World War II that further solidified the close friendship between the United 

Kingdom and the United States; 

Whereas Sir Winston Churchill, who heroically and skillfully 

guided the United Kingdom through World War II, articulated the close ties between the United Kingdom and 

the United States when he was honored by becoming the 

first Honorary Citizen of the United States on April 9, 

1963, stating, ‘‘In this century of storm and tragedy I 

contemplate with high satisfaction the constant factor of 

the interwoven and upward progress of our peoples. Our 

comradeship and our brotherhood in war were 

unexampled. We stood together, and because of that fact 

the free world now stands. Nor has our partnership any 

exclusive nature: the Atlantic community is a dream that 


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can well be fulfilled to the detriment of none and to the 

enduring benefit and honour of the great democracies.’’; 

Whereas, on August 14, 1941, President Franklin Delano 

Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed 

the Atlantic Charter which set forward principles that 

would serve as the precursor for the formation of the 

United Nations; 

Whereas when Sir Winston Churchill resigned from his second tour of duty as Prime Minster of the United Kingdom, he warned his cabinet to ‘‘never be separated from 

the Americans’’; 

Whereas the United Kingdom and the United States were 

founding Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and were 2 of the original 12 countries to sign the 

North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949, in Washington, 

DC; 

Whereas the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States was further strengthened by 

the coordination of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher 

and President Ronald Reagan whose firm opposition to 

communism ultimately led to the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Iron Curtain; 

Whereas after the September 11, 2001, attacks, Prime Minister Tony Blair immediately flew to the United States to 

express solidarity with the United States and President 

George W. Bush declared in a speech before Congress 

that the United States ‘‘has no truer friend than Great 

Britain’’; 

Whereas the United States and the United Kingdom joined 

forces against the Taliban in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom from the first attacks in OctoVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:19 Apr 27, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1303.IH HR1303

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ber 2001 and permitted the United States to fly missions 

from Diego Garcia, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory; 

Whereas, since March 15, 2010, a total of 273 United Kingdom military and civilian personnel have died while serving in Afghanistan since the start of operations; 

Whereas there are approximately 1,700 United Kingdom 

military and civilian personnel currently deployed to assist with the military and reconstruction efforts in Iraq; 

Whereas the United Kingdom has pledged 744,000,000 British pounds toward reconstruction efforts; 

Whereas 179 United Kingdom military and civilian personnel 

have died in Iraq since the beginning of the campaign in 

March 2003; 

Whereas, on August 17, 2006, the United States and the 

United Kingdom introduced a draft United Nations Security Council resolution for the ‘‘expeditious deployment’’ 

of a United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur, 

Sudan; 

Whereas the United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office reports that the United States is the largest source 

of foreign direct investment in the United Kingdom’s 

economy, while the United Kingdom is the largest single 

investor in the United States economy; 

Whereas the United States Trade Representative states that 

the United Kingdom is one of the European Union countries with the largest foreign direct investment in the 

United States; and 

Whereas the United Kingdom and the United States share a 

commitment to free speech, democracy, and the rule of 


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law based on the rich history of a longstanding friendship 

and shared ideals: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the profound friendship between 

3 the United Kingdom and the United States; 

4 (2) expresses sincere gratitude to the people of 

5 the United Kingdom for their generosity, camara6 derie, and cooperation with the people of the United 

7 States in military operations, foreign assistance, and 

8 other joint efforts throughout the world; 

9 (3) acknowledges the importance of the United 

10 Kingdom’s political philosophy, law, and history on 

11 the cultural, political, and legal institutions of the 

12 United States; and 

13 (4) looks forward to continued, deepening ties 

14 of friendship between the peoples of the United 

15 Kingdom and the United States. 

Æ 


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