IV
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 158
Condemning the deployment of United States military personnel in the service
of the United Nations in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 25, 1997
Mrs. CHENOWETH (for herself, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, and Mr. HALL
of Texas) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to
the Committee on National Security, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Condemning the deployment of United States military per-
sonnel in the service of the United Nations in the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Whereas Article I, section 9, clause 8 of the Constitution of
the United States prohibits any person holding an office
of profit or trust under the United States from accepting
any office from a foreign government without the consent
of Congress;
Whereas all Federal employees, including all military person-
nel, hold offices of profit or trust under the United
States;
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Whereas the United Nations has been construed to be a ‘‘for-
eign government’’ under section 7342 of title 5, United
States Code, a provision of law that prohibits the accept-
ance of gifts or decorations by Federal employees from
foreign governments;
Whereas the United Nations Participation Act of 1945 ex-
pressly prohibits the President from deploying United
States military personnel in service of the United Nations
for actions taken under Chapter VII of the United
Nations Charter without the approval of Congress;
Whereas United Nations resolutions concerning all deploy-
ments in the former Yugoslavia, including the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, have relied upon Chap-
ter VII of the United Nations Charter for its authority
for the deployment of troops;
Whereas President Clinton has deployed United States mili-
tary personnel to this battle-torn region and such person-
nel have been ordered to assume the additional office of
‘‘U.N. soldier’’;
Whereas all officers who command United Nations forces
take the following oath of exclusive loyalty to the United
Nations: ‘‘I solemnly affirm to exercise in all loyalty, dis-
cretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as
a member of the international service of the United
Nations, to discharge those functions and regulate my
conduct with the interest of the United Nations only in
view, and not to seek or accept instructions in respect to
the performance of my duties from any government or
other authority external to the organization’’;
Whereas Congress has not consented to the deployment of
United States military personnel to the former Yugoslav
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Republic of Macedonia as required by the United Nations
Participation Act of 1945;
Whereas it is the inherent right of every United States citizen
to maintain a singular loyalty to this Nation;
Whereas it has been the high privilege and honor of many of
our bravest citizens to serve alongside the military of
other nations, but it is a grave violation of the rights of
a citizen-soldier to coerce that soldier to become a mem-
ber of any military other than that of the United States;
Whereas any legislative mandate ordering the President to
comply with the applicable law may place United States
servicemen and servicewomen into unnecessary difficul-
ties; and
Whereas the Congress believes the best interest of both our
Nation and our military personnel necessitates a delib-
erate path in seeking voluntary compliance with the law
by the President: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) condemns the deployment of United States
military personnel in the service of the United
Nations in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedo-
nia as a violation of both the Constitution and the
laws of the United States;
(2) calls upon the President to perform his con-
stitutional duty as Commander-in-Chief by forthwith
taking total command of all United States military
personnel participating in United Nations oper-
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ations, to take the appropriate steps to ensure that
United States military personnel wear only the uni-
form of the United States without any items from
the United Nations, and to carry military identity
cards issued by the United States only and not by
the United Nations; and
(3) calls upon the President to take expedi-
tiously all steps necessary to resolve all existing con-
flicts with United States military personnel who
have bravely stood for the right to be exclusively
loyal to this Nation and who have refused to serve
under foreign commanders in foreign uniforms con-
sistent with the constitutional and principles of this
resolution.
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