EXPENSES OF DEDICATION OF CHAPELS AND OTHER WORLD WAR MEMORIALS ERECTED IN EUROPE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES JUNE 18, 1937.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. WOODRUM, from the Committee on Appropriations, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. J. Res. 415] The Committee on Appropriations, to whom was referred House Joint Resolution 415 entitled "Joint resolution making an appropriation to defray expenses incident to the dedication of chapels and other World War memorials erected in Europe, and for other purposes", report the same favorably with an amendment with a recommendation for its early passage by the House. Section 1 of the joint resolution makes an appropriation of $175,000 to enable the American Battle Monuments Commission to defray all expenses incident to the dedication of chapels and other World War memorials erected in Europe, under authority of the act of March 4, 1923. The amount of $175,000 is based on a Budget estimate of $200,000 submitted in House Document No. 262 of the present session. The reduction of $25,000 which the committee has effected in the Budget estimate is the result of a decrease in the size of the official delegation to be designated to attend the ceremonies, from 50 to 24, inclusive, of the members of the American Battle Monuments Commission. The official delegation will, therefore, consist of a maximum of 24, comprised as follows: The Secretary of State or an alternate for him; seven members of the American Battle Monuments Commission of which General Pershing is chairman; the Secretary of War during the World War, Hon. Newton D. Baker; the Secretary of the Navy during the World War, Hon. Josephus Daniels; the senior officer in command of the American Naval Forces in Europe during the World War; three Members of the United States Senate to be appointed by the presiding officer of the Senate; three Members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker; the heads of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American War Mothers; and three chaplains. Provision had been made in the estimate for a large delegation to be sent to represent the Congress. The committee has written into the joint resolution provision for a congressional delegation of six and in so doing is following what it believes to be the sentiment of the House in making provision for a small number rather than a delegation from Congress which would be numerically larger than all of the rest of the official group. The expenditures under the $175,000 consist principally of traveling expenses of the official delegation and other administrative travel, transportation abroad, physical installations for handling the large crowds which will be in attendance at the ceremonies, sound pictures, and necessary incidentals. The chapels and memorials commemorate the service of over 2,000,000 American soldiers, sailors, and marines in the late war. More than 30,000 lie buried in the American cemeteries in Europe. The United States has expended on the memorials in Europe approximately $4,360,000. The joint resolution, in the opinion of the committee, provides ample funds and ample discretion in the commission to make the dedicatory ceremonies truly expressive of the everlasting tribute which this Nation owes to the memory of those who served in the World War. The committee urges early enactment of the joint resolution in order that preliminary plans may be completed in time for the first dedication which is scheduled to take place on August 1. The following statements give a list of the monuments, a list of the cemeteries, and the dates fixed for the dedication of the chapels and the memorials: Monuments Audenarde, Belgium... Gibraltar... On Montsec, France-- Near Sommepy, France.. Commemorates services of 37th and 91st Divisions and the 53d Field Artillery Brigade while serving in Belgium. 27th, 30th, 33d and 80th Divisions and the 6th and 11th Engineers in northern France. American Navy in Europe and surrounding waters. 1st Division, in the first independent attack by an American division during the World War. 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 26th, 28th, 32d, 42d, 77th and 93d Divisions in the Aisne-Marne region of France. American Navy in the waters near Gibraltar. 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 26th, 28th, 29th, 32d, 33d, 35th, 36th, 37th, 42d, 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 81st, 82d, 89th, 90th, 91st and 92d Divisions in the Meuse-Argonne region of France. 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 26th, 28th, 29th, 32d, 33d, 35th, 37th, 42d, 77th, 78th, 79th, 80th, 81st, 82d, 88th, 89th, 90th, 91st, and 92d Divisions in the St. Mihiel region of France. 2d, 36th, 42d and 93d Divisions in operations with the French in the Champagne region of France. Monuments-Continued Tours, France____ Commemorates services of Services of Supply of the American Expeditionary Forces. Near Vierstraat, Belgium------- 27th and 30th Divisions in the vicinity of Vierstraat. In addition to these memorials the Commission has placed a small bronze tablet at Chaumont, France, to mark the Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces, and another at Souilly, France, to mark the Headquarters of the American First Army during the World War. Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, near Belleau, France. Somme American Cemetery, near Bony, France. Brookwood American Cemetery, Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, near Fere-en-Tardenois, France. Meuse-Argonne American Ceme- St. Mihiel American Cemetery, near Thiaucourt, France. Flanders Field American Cemetery, near Waereghem, Belgium. Cemeteries Number of burials This cemetery is the burial place of 2,288 This cemetery is the burial place of 6,012 This cemetery is the burial place of 14,238 This cemetery contains the graves of 1,541 Americans. While most of those who sleep here died in hospitals in the rear zones of France, many of them had been wounded in battle and died after being evacuated to these hospitals. This cemetery is the burial place of 4,152 Americans, most of whom lost their lives in the operations which began September 12th and ended September 16, 1918. This cemetery is the burial place of 368 Americans, most of whom gave their lives in helping free Belgium from the Germans. DATES OF DEDICATION The chapels in the American cemeteries in France were dedicated on May 30, 1937, and the dates fixed for the dedication of the other chapels and memorials are as follows: August 8 (a. m.), Sunday, Chapel, Flanders Field Cemetery August 8 (p. m.), Sunday, Audenarde. August 8 (p. m.), Sunday, Vierstraat. August 9 (a. m.), Monday, Bellicourt. August 9 (p. m.), Monday, Cantigny. August 12, Thursday, Brest. August 15, Sunday, Chapel, Brookwood Cemetery. October, date to be fixed, Chateau-Thierry. The committee bas also included in this joint resolution three minor matters affecting appropriations, but not making direct appropriations, which are of an urgent nature and require action prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1 next. Section 2 provides for the transfer of not to exceed $8,000 from a field appropriation of the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation of the Department of Commerce to the departmental service of that Bureau for the current fiscal year. New laws enacted at the last session of Congress imposed extensive duties upon this Bureau which had not been contemplated when the appropriations for the present fiscal year were originally made. At the present session the House provided a supplemental appropriation in accordance with appropriate budget estimate for an additional amount for field and departmental personnel. These items were cut by the Senate by a flat 25 percent and in the conference agreement the full House figure for the field personnel was restored but the departmental figure sustained a reduction of 12% percent in the amount deemed necessary for the rest of the year. If this reduction is to stand it will mean a 10-day furlough for the entire departmental force of more than 100 persons for the last one-third of the present month. The committee recommends a transfer from the field appropriation, where there will be a small surplus due to the dropping of temporary personnel, of not to exceed $8,000 in order to avoid the necessity of the furlough and the consequent disruption of the headquarters work of the Bureau. Section 3 provides for a transfer of $40,000 from the appropriation "Fees of jurors and witnesses, United States Courts", Department of Justice, for the present fiscal year, where there is a surplus that can be spared, to the appropriation "Pay of special assistant attorneys, United States Courts", to provide for the present organization and incidental expenses thereof until the end of the fiscal year. A Budget estimate of $60,000 for this purpose was omitted from the second deficiency bill at this session in the absence of clear data that there would be need for such a supplemental amount. The committee has been advised by the Department of Justice that $40,000 will provide for the necessities of the service until June 30 but that in the absence of that amount it will be necessary to withhold pay from 88 persons on the regular roll for the last half of the month of June and allow a number of vouchers for travel to go unpaid. Section 4 corrects an error in the Legislative Appropriation Act for the fiscal year 1938. At some point in the legislative career of that measure, without legislative action by either body, an error reduced the salary of an assistant clerk to a Senate committee by $80 per annum. This section seeks to make the necessary correction. The committee amendment, section 5, provides for payment from existing funds of $83,000 to the Stinson Aircraft Corporation for nine airplanes obtained from such company for use by the Department of Commerce. The planes have been delivered and in use for nearly a year. Disallowance of payment was made by the Comptroller General for valid reasons. The United States has had the use of the planes, they were necessary for the work of the Department, and there is no question as to the Government having received full value in its purchase. О |