106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5212
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 Representa-
tives 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 Con-
flict, 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 veterans of World War I, and of the some
6,000,000 veterans of World War II alive today, al-
most 1,500 die each day.
(5) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to
historians, researchers, authors, journalists, film
makers, scholars, students, 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 memo-
ries, 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 generations 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 remem-
ber those who served in war and may learn first-
hand of the heroics, tediousness, horrors, and tri-
umphs 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 collection) is an
appropriate repository to collect, preserve, and make
available to the public an archive of these oral his-
tories. The Library’s American Folklife Center has
expertise in the management of documentation
projects and experience in the development of cul-
tural and educational programs for the public.
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to create
a new federally sponsored, authorized, and funded pro-
gram 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 veterans 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 VET-
ERANS.
(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 per-
sonal histories and testimonials of veterans of the
armed forces who served during a period of war;
(2) to create a collection of the recordings ob-
tained (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 ma-
terials (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 ENTI-
TIES.—The Director may carry out the activities described
in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (a) through agree-
ments and partnerships entered into with other govern-
ment and private entities, and may otherwise consult with
interested persons (within the limits of available re-
sources) and develop appropriate guidelines and arrange-
ments for soliciting, acquiring, and making available re-
cordings under the program under this Act.
(c) TIMING.—As soon as practicable after the enact-
ment 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.