RECOGNITION OF MEMBERS OF THE MONUMENTS, FINE ARTS, AND ARCHIVES PROGRAM OF THE CIVIL AFFAIRS AND MILITARY GOVERNMENT SECTIONS OF THE ARMED FORCES DURING AND FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II.

SEC. 599. RECOGNITION OF MEMBERS OF THE MONUMENTS, FINE ARTS, AND ARCHIVES PROGRAM OF THE CIVIL AFFAIRS AND MILITARY GOVERNMENT SECTIONS OF THE ARMED FORCES DURING AND FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II. Congress hereby—(1) recognizes the men and women who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the United States Armed Forces for their heroic role in the preservation, protection, and restitution of monuments, works of art, and other artifacts of inestimable cultural importance in Europe and Asia during and following World War II;(2) recognizes that without their dedication and service, many more of the world’s artistic and historic treasures would have been destroyed or lost forever amidst the chaos and destruction of World War II;(3) acknowledges that the detailed catalogues, documentation, inventories, and photographs developed and compiled by MFAA personnel during and following World War II, have made, and continue to make, possible the restitution of stolen works of art to their rightful owners; and(4) commends and extols the members of the MFAA for establishing a precedent for action to protect cultural property in the event of armed conflict, and by their action setting a standard not just for one country, but for people of all nations to acknowledge and uphold.