Two-Year Extension of Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group
TWO-YEAR EXTENSION OF NAZI WAR CRIMES AND JAPANESE IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP -- (House of Representatives - March 14, 2005)
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Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to call for the consideration of S. 384, a bill that extends the existence of the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group. I commend the esteemed Senator from Ohio, Mike DeWine, and my distinguished colleague in this body, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), for working on this bill. I am proud to be a cosponsor of it.
Senate 384 extends by 2 years this worthy working group that was originally created by Congress through Public Law 105-246 in 1998. The group is made up of government agency representatives who are directed to oversee the declassification of U.S. Government records that contain information about Nazi war crimes.
Such information includes trafficking of assets seized by the Nazis and post-war communications between U.S. Government and former Nazi officials, unless declassification would unduly violate personal privacy or harm national security or foreign policy interests. The law also allowed for expedited processing of Freedom of Information, FOIA, requests made by survivors of the Holocaust.
On December 6, 2000, as part of the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2001, Congress changed the group's name to the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group. This action expanded the mission of the group to include the declassification of U.S. Government records related to World War II era war crimes committed by the Japanese Imperial government.
The project has produced some valuable accomplishments. It has allowed the release of over 8 million previously classified documents and generated a great deal of historical research.
However, the CIA has resisted disclosing certain files, preventing the completion of the work within the 3-year time frame anticipated by the original law. Recently, however, the CIA has agreed to modify its position on a number of key issues and work with the National Archives and other groups to declassify remaining relevant information. Accordingly, S. 384 would extend the law for another 2 years, to give all parties sufficient time to complete the project.
Madam Speaker, all in all, the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group is a valuable effort that informs the American people of the actions of their government while balancing the protection of legitimate national secrets.
Again, I thank the gentlewoman from New York and the Senator from Ohio for seeing this legislation through both Chambers of Congress. I urge strong support for this measure.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. SHAYS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, again I thank the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for her extensive work on this legislation over a long period of time. I reinforce the gentlewoman's thank you and say that the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Tom Davis) wants to be on the record thanking the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman Hoekstra) for waiving jurisdiction on S. 384 so we could take it up more quickly, and that was obviously very important.
I just want to say that I know the gentlewoman is going to ask for a roll call vote, and I join in that effort because I think Members want an opportunity to vote on this bill. I urge all Members to support the passage of S. 384.
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