I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1944

To provide for additional development at War in the Pacific National

Historical Park, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 29, 1993

Mr. UNDERWOOD (for himself, Mr. DE LUGO, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr.

ABERCROMBIE, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. MONTGOMERY, Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. MINK, Mr. RICHARDSON, and Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO ́) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural

Resources

A BILL

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 Mari-
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1 anas and liberated the United States Territory of

2 Guam from Japanese occupation;

3 (2) an attack during this campaign by the Jap4 anese Imperial fleet, aimed at countering the Amer5 ican forces that had landed on Saipan, led to the

6 battle of the Philippine Sea, which resulted in a

7 crushing defeat for the Japanese by United States

8 naval forces and the destruction of the effectiveness

9 of the Japanese carrier-based airpower;

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

11 few pieces of United States territory that was occu12 pied for two and one-half years by the enemy during

13 World War II and restored freedom to the indige14 nous Chamorros on Guam who suffered as a result

15 of the Japanese occupation;

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

17 Guard units distinguished themselves with their he18 roic bravery and sacrifice;

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

20 militia, and the people of Guam earned the highest

21 respect for their defense of the island during the

22 Japanese invasion and their resistance during the

23 occupation; their assistance to the American forces

24 as scouts for the American invasion was invaluable;

25 and their role, as members of the Guam Combat Pa-
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1 trol, was instrumental in seeking out the remaining

2 Japanese forces and restoring peace to the island;

3 (6) during the occupation, the people of

4 Guam—

5 (A) were forcibly removed from their

6 homes;

7 (B) were relocated to remote sections of

8 the island;

9 (C) were required to perform forced labor

10 and faced other harsh treatment, injustices, and

11 death; and

12 (D) were placed in concentration camps

13 when the American invasion became imminent

14 and were brutalized by their occupiers when the

15 liberation of Guam became apparent to the

16 Japanese;

17 (7) the liberation of the Mariana Islands

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

19 the American victories at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the

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

21 ultimately against the Japanese home islands;

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

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

24 air bases which allowed land-based American bomb25 ers to reach strategic targets in Japan; and
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1 (9) the air offensive conducted from the Mari2 anas against the Japanese war-making capability

3 helped shorten the war and ultimately reduced the

4 toll of lives to secure peace in the Pacific.

5 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

6 It is the sense of Congress that—

7 (1) an appropriate commemoration of the 50th

8 anniversary of the Mariana campaign should be

9 planned by the United States in conjunction with

10 the Government of Guam and the Government of the

11 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;

12 and

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

14 necessary steps to ensure that two visitor centers,

15 one at the War in the Pacific National Historical

16 Park on Guam and the other at the American Me17 morial Park in Saipan, are completed before June

18 15, 1994, for the 50th anniversary commemoration,

19 to 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.’’.

15 SEC. 4. AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK.

16 Section 5(g) of the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to authorize

17 appropriations for certain insular areas of the United

18 States, and for other purposes’’, approved August 18,

19 1978 (92 Stat. 492) is amended by striking ‘‘$3,000,000’’

20 and inserting ‘‘$8,000,000’’.

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