H. R. 5212
One Hundred Sixth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand
An Act
To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish
a program to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and
testimonials of American war veterans, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans’ Oral History Project
Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds as follows:
(1) Military service during a time of war is the highest
sacrifice a citizen may make for his or her country.
(2) 4,700,000 Americans served in World War I, 16,500,000
Americans served in World War II, 6,800,000 Americans served
in the Korean Conflict, 9,200,000 Americans served in the
Vietnam Conflict, 3,800,000 Americans served in the Persian
Gulf War, and countless other Americans served in military
engagements overseas throughout the 20th century.
(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that there
are almost 19,000,000 war veterans living in this Nation today.
(4) Today there are only approximately 3,400 living vet-
erans of World War I, and of the some 6,000,000 veterans
of World War II alive today, almost 1,500 die each day.
(5) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to historians,
researchers, authors, journalists, film makers, scholars, stu-
dents, and citizens of all walks of life.
(6) War veterans possess an invaluable resource in their
memories of the conflicts in which they served, and can provide
a rich history of our Nation and its people through the retelling
of those memories, yet frequently those who served during
times of conflict are reticent to family and friends about their
experiences.
(7) It is in the Nation’s best interest to collect and catalog
oral histories of American war veterans so that future genera-
tions will have original sources of information regarding the
lives and times of those who served in war and the conditions
under which they endured, so that Americans will always
remember those who served in war and may learn first-hand
of the heroics, tediousness, horrors, and triumphs of war.
(8) The Library of Congress, as the Nation’s oldest Federal
cultural institution and largest and most inclusive library in
human history (with nearly 119,000,000 items in its multimedia
H. R. 5212—2
collection) is an appropriate repository to collect, preserve, and
make available to the public an archive of these oral histories.
The Library’s American Folklife Center has expertise in the
management of documentation projects and experience in the
development of cultural and educational programs for the
public.
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to create a new
federally sponsored, authorized, and funded program that will
coordinate at a national level the collection of video and audio
recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war
veterans, and to assist and encourage local efforts to preserve
the memories of this Nation’s war veterans so that Americans
of all current and future generations may hear directly from vet-
erans and better appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices
made by those who served in uniform during wartime.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM AT AMERICAN FOLKLIFE
CENTER TO COLLECT VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDINGS
OF HISTORIES OF VETERANS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the American Folklife Center
at the Library of Congress shall establish an oral history program—
(1) to collect video and audio recordings of personal his-
tories and testimonials of veterans of the Armed Forces who
served during a period of war;
(2) to create a collection of the recordings obtained
(including a catalog and index) which will be available for
public use through the National Digital Library of the Library
of Congress and such other methods as the Director considers
appropriate to the extent feasible subject to available resources;
and
(3) to solicit, reproduce, and collect written materials (such
as letters and diaries) relevant to the personal histories of
veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period
of war and to catalog such materials in a manner the Director
considers appropriate, consistent with and complimentary to
the efforts described in paragraphs (1) and (2).
(b) USE OF AND CONSULTATION WITH OTHER ENTITIES.—The
Director may carry out the activities described in paragraphs (1)
and (3) of subsection (a) through agreements and partnerships
entered into with other government and private entities, and may
otherwise consult with interested persons (within the limits of
available resources) and develop appropriate guidelines and
arrangements for soliciting, acquiring, and making available
recordings under the program under this Act.
(c) TIMING.—As soon as practicable after the enactment of
this Act, the Director shall begin collecting video and audio
recordings under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to collect
the first such recordings from the oldest veterans.
SEC. 4. PRIVATE SUPPORT.
(a) ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS.—The Librarian of Congress
may solicit and accept donations of funds and in-kind contributions
to carry out the oral history program under section 3.
(b) ESTABLISHMENT
OF SEPARATE GIFT ACCOUNT.—There is
established in the Treasury (among the accounts of the Library
of Congress) a gift account for the oral history program under
section 3.
H. R. 5212—3
(c) DEDICATION OF FUNDS.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law—
(1) any funds donated to the Librarian of Congress to
carry out the oral history program under section 3 shall be
deposited entirely into the gift account established under sub-
section (b);
(2) the funds contained in such account shall be used
solely to carry out the oral history program under section
3; and
(3) the Librarian of Congress may not deposit into such
account any funds donated to the Librarian which are not
donated for the exclusive purpose of carrying out the oral
history program under section 3.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act—
(1) $250,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding
fiscal year.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.