II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3589 

To designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum 

in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 25 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Mrs. MCCASKILL (for herself and Mr. BOND) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World 

War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, as the National 

World War I Memorial. 

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

3 SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF THE LIBERTY MEMORIAL AT 

4 THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM IN 

5 KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, AS THE NATIONAL 

6 WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find8 ings: 


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1 (1) Although more than 4,000,000 Americans 

2 served in World War I, there is no nationally recog3 nized memorial honoring the service of such Ameri4 cans in that war. 

5 (2) In 1919, the people of Kansas City, Mis6 souri, expressed an outpouring of support and raised 

7 more than $2,000,000 in two weeks for a memorial 

8 to the service of Americans in World War I. That 

9 fundraising was an accomplishment unparalleled by 

10 any other city in the United States irrespective of 

11 population and reflected the passion of public opin12 ion about World War I, which had so recently ended. 

13 (3) Following the drive, a national architectural 

14 competition was held by the American Institute of 

15 Architects for designs for a memorial to the service 

16 of Americans in World War I, and the competition 

17 yielded a design by architect H. Van Buren 

18 Magonigle. 

19 (4) On November 1, 1921, more than 100,000 

20 people witnessed the dedication of the site for the 

21 Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. That 

22 dedication marked the only time in history that the 

23 five allied military leaders present, Lieutenant Gen24 eral Baron Jacques of Belgium, General Armando 

25 Diaz of Italy, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, 


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1 General John J. Pershing of the United States, and 

2 Admiral Lord Earl Beatty of Great Britain, were to3 gether at one place. 

4 (5) General Pershing, a native of Missouri and 

5 the commander of the American Expeditionary 

6 Forces in World War I, noted at the November 1, 

7 1921 dedication that ‘‘[t]he people of Kansas City, 

8 MO are deeply proud of the beautiful memorial, 

9 erected in tribute to the patriotism, the gallant 

10 achievements, and the heroic sacrifices of their sons 

11 and daughters who served in our country’s armed 

12 forces during the World War. It symbolized their 

13 grateful appreciation of duty well done, and appre14 ciation which I share, because I know so well how 

15 richly it is merited’’. 

16 (6) During an Armistice Day ceremony in 

17 1924, President Calvin Coolidge marked the begin18 ning of a three-year construction project for the Lib19 erty Memorial by the laying of the cornerstone of the 

20 memorial. 

21 (7) The 217-foot Liberty Memorial Tower has 

22 an inscription that reads ‘‘In Honor of Those Who 

23 Served in the World War in Defense of Liberty and 

24 Our Country’’ as well as four stone ‘‘Guardian Spir25 its’’ representing courage, honor, patriotism, and 


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1 sacrifice, which rise above the observation deck, 

2 making the Liberty Memorial a noble tribute to all 

3 who served in World War I. 

4 (8) During a rededication for the Liberty Me5 morial in 1961, World War I veterans and former 

6 Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisen7 hower recognized the memorial as a constant re8 minder of the sacrifices during World War I and the 

9 progress that followed. 

10 (9) The 106th Congress recognized the Liberty 

11 Memorial as a national symbol of World War I. 

12 (10) The 108th Congress designated the mu13 seum at the base of the Liberty Memorial as ‘‘Amer14 ica’s National World War I Museum’’. 

15 (11) The National World War I Museum is the 

16 only public museum in the United States specifically 

17 dedicated to the history of World War I. 

18 (12) The National World War I Museum is 

19 known throughout the world as a major center of 

20 World War I remembrance. 

21 (b) DESIGNATION.—The Liberty Memorial at the Na22 tional World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, is 

23 hereby designated as the ‘‘National World War I Memo24 rial’’. 

Æ 


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