103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1944

AN ACT

To provide for additional development at War in

other purposes.the Pacific National Historical Park, and for
103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1944

AN ACT

To provide for additional development at War in the Pacific

National Historical Park, and for other purposes.

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

4 Congress finds that—

5 (1) June 15 through August 10, 1994, marks

6 the 50th anniversary of the Mariana campaign of

7 World War II in which American forces captured the

8 islands of Saipan and Tinian in the Northern Mari9 anas and liberated the United States Territory of

10 Guam from Japanese occupation;
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1 (2) an attack during this campaign by the Jap2 anese Imperial fleet, aimed at countering the Amer3 ican forces that had landed on Saipan, led to the

4 battle of the Philippine Sea, which resulted in a

5 crushing defeat for the Japanese by United States

6 naval forces and the destruction of the effectiveness

7 of the Japanese carrier-based airpower;

8 (3) the recapture of Guam liberated one of the

9 few pieces of United States territory that was occu10 pied for two and one-half years by the enemy during

11 World War II and restored freedom to the indige12 nous Chamorros on Guam who suffered as a result

13 of the Japanese occupation;

14 (4) Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast

15 Guard units distinguished themselves with their he16 roic bravery and sacrifice;

17 (5) the Guam Insular Force Guard, the Guam

18 militia, and the people of Guam earned the highest

19 respect for their defense of the island during the

20 Japanese invasion and their resistance during the

21 occupation; their assistance to the American forces

22 as scouts for the American invasion was invaluable;

23 and their role, as members of the Guam Combat Pa24 trol, was instrumental in seeking out the remaining

25 Japanese forces and restoring peace to the island;
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1 (6) during the occupation, the people of

2 Guam—

3 (A) were forcibly removed from their

4 homes;

5 (B) were relocated to remote sections of

6 the island;

7 (C) were required to perform forced labor

8 and faced other harsh treatment, injustices, and

9 death; and

10 (D) were placed in concentration camps

11 when the American invasion became imminent

12 and were brutalized by their occupiers when the

13 liberation of Guam became apparent to the

14 Japanese;

15 (7) the liberation of the Mariana Islands

16 marked a pivotal point in the Pacific war and led to

17 the American victories at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the

18 Philippines, Taiwan, and the south China coast, and

19 ultimately against the Japanese home islands;

20 (8) the Mariana Islands of Guam, Saipan, and

21 Tinian provided, for the first time during the war,

22 air bases which allowed land-based American bomb23 ers to reach strategic targets in Japan; and

24 (9) the air offensive conducted from the Mari25 anas against the Japanese war-making capability
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1 helped shorten the war and ultimately reduced the

2 toll of lives to secure peace in the Pacific.

3 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

4 It is the sense of Congress that—

5 (1) an appropriate commemoration of the 50th

6 anniversary of the Mariana campaign should be

7 planned by the United States in conjunction with

8 the Government of Guam and the Government of the

9 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;

10 (2) the Secretary of the Interior should take all

11 necessary steps to ensure that appropriate visitor fa12 cilities at War in the Pacific National Historical

13 Park on Guam are expeditiously developed and con14 structed; and

15 (3) the Secretary of the Interior should take all

16 necessary steps to ensure that the monument ref17 erenced in section 3(b) is completed before July 21,

18 1994, for the 50th anniversary commemoration, to

19 provide adequate historical interpretation of the

20 events described in section 1.

21 SEC. 3. WAR IN THE PACIFIC NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.

22 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Sub23 section (k) of section 6 of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to

24 authorize appropriations for certain insular areas of the

25 United States, and for other purposes’’, approved August
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1 18, 1978 (92 Stat. 493; 16 U.S.C. 410dd) is amended

2 by striking ‘‘$500,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$8,000,000’’.

3 (b) DEVELOPMENT.—Section 6 is further amended

4 by adding at the end the following subsections:

5 ‘‘(l) Within the boundaries of the park, the Secretary

6 is authorized to construct a monument which shall com7 memorate, by individual name, those people of Guam, liv8 ing and dead, who suffered personal injury, forced labor,

9 forced marches, internment or death incident to enemy oc10 cupation of Guam between December 8, 1941, and August

11 10, 1944.

12 ‘‘(m) Within the boundaries of the park, the Sec13 retary is authorized to implement programs to interpret

14 experiences of the people of Guam during World War II,

15 including, but not limited to, oral histories of those people

16 of Guam who experienced the occupation.

17 ‘‘(n) Within six months after the date of enactment

18 of this subsection, the Secretary, through the Director of

19 the National Park Service, shall develop and transmit to

20 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the

21 Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the

22 House of Representatives a report containing updated cost

23 estimates for the development of the park. Further, this

24 report shall contain a general plan to implement sub25 sections (l) and (m), including, at a minimum, cost esti-
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1 mates for the design and construction of the monument

2 authorized in section (l).

3 ‘‘(o) Within six months after the date of enactment

4 of this subsection, the Secretary, through the Assistant

5 Secretary of Territorial and International Affairs, shall

6 compile and transmit to the Committee on Energy and

7 Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on

8 Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a list

9 of names to appear on the monument authorized in sub10 section (l).

11 ‘‘(p) The Secretary may take such steps as may be

12 necessary to preserve and protect various World War II

13 vintage weapons and fortifications which exist within the

14 boundaries of the park.’’.

Passed the House of Representatives June 21, 1993.

Attest:

Clerk.