H. Res. 1303 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

May 12, 2010. 

Whereas the Magna Carta, which subjected the English monarch and the English people 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 Understanding’’, ‘‘First Treatise on Government’’, and ‘‘Second 

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

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; 
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•HRES 1303 EH 

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 recognized 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 

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 agreed 

to the Atlantic Charter which set forward principles 

meant to 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 
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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 Kingdom joined forces with the United 

States against the Taliban in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom from the first attacks in October 2001 and permitted the United States to fly missions 

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

Whereas, as of 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 since 2003 the United Kingdom has pledged 

744,000,000 British pounds toward reconstruction efforts 

in Iraq; 
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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, and since have worked collaboratively to press for 

full implementation of the United Nations-Africa Union 

Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) mandate; 

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 and, according to 

the United States Trade Representative, 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 

law based on the rich history of a longstanding friendship 

and shared ideals: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) recognizes the special relationship between the 

United Kingdom and the United States; 

(2) expresses sincere gratitude to the people of the 

United Kingdom for their generosity, camaraderie, and 

cooperation with the people of the United States in mili-
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tary operations, foreign assistance, and other joint efforts throughout the world; 

(3) acknowledges the importance of the United 

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

cultural, political, and legal institutions of the United 

States; and 

(4) looks forward to continued, deepening ties of 

friendship between the peoples of the United Kingdom 

and the United States. 

Attest: 

Clerk.