citizen participation. There was a great American that I knew personally, and admired, Carl Sandburg he went on to say, there are evidences of decay in America today and it is there because people just do not understand the rich heritage, history, sacrifice that was made to give us what we have, that has produced more for more people and contributed more of the biblical promise of the abundant life than any other system. I ask you now to revise and extend.

Also, this statement, a brief progress report of Heritage 76, is an impressive start that ought not to be lost in whatever is done. The new Commission ought to go on from here with this. It is under, with the panel that has been created by them, and I would like to have the record show the members of that panel, and I have been at those meetings, and I am a member of that panel, and I can say the attendance to that panel has been very good.

Let me say this-I served on a number of commissions here, historical commemorations, and I know two factors are important. You must pick people who are interested. Secondly, you must have regular meetings. Then, you must have the meetings in a convenient place.

In the Civil War Centennial Commission, where I served, we had our meetings, with very few exceptions, here in Washington, D.C., and we knew 2 and 3 months in advance when the meetings would be held, and then we planned programs that were attractive. This Commission ended up finally under the leadership of Al Nevans, the great historian, so this matter of getting attendance is not impossible at all. Mr. Danielson brought up a very valuable point-I don't think the Commission ought to be made up of all members of the State delegation—Gibson from South Carolina-terrific.

Mr. DANIELSON. While we are on this point, I didn't mean it should be all State members, but I think we could afford to have 9, 10, 11, 12, a sizable portion of this board of directors should be people devoting all of their time and energy, and very considerable talents, and motivated to having a real centennial.

Mr. SCHWENGEL. Right. Now, while I am on the subject, there are institutions celebrating this and planning right now. The work has already been done at the Smithsonian. They have a terrific display of events there and under some very able talent. The Library of Congress has already had 2 symposiums that attracted the best historians in the country. The chairman and director of the Commission didn't attend. Incredible. If you don't have the interest at the top-this is what you must have-whoever the Administrator is must be one that is genuinely interested and recognize all of these events.

Here in Washington, the National Historian had already launched a program. You see it at the House Restaurant, the scaffolding is used by Allen Cox. What is he putting on the wall? Pictures of the capitol, where the Congress has met from the very beginning and the cost of that is $90,000.

Mr. DONOHUE. Do you have further remarks that you would also like to put into the record?

Mr. SCHWENGEL. Yes, I do, and I do want to make

Mr. DONOHUE. The time is limited-the House is in session.

Mr. SCHWENGEL. I know the importance of this, Mr. Chairman. If I may have the permission to revise and extend here onMr. DONOHUE. You are granted that permission.

Mr. SCHWENGEL. Thank you. With this thought, that there are certain amendments to this bill that I will comment on and I thought ought to be worthy of your consideration.

Mr. DONOHUE. You may revise and extend whatever remarks that you do not have in your present script, and they will be made a part of the record.

Mr. SCHWENGEL. Thank you very much for this opportunity to be with you.

[The following material was subsequently filed for the record:]

THE BICENTENNIAL AND THE HISTORIAN'S NEEDS

BY PAUL SMITH OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

To the practicing historian actively studying primary source materials bearing upon the American Revolutionary Era, the number one problem facing him daily is deterioration of fragile eighteenth-century manuscripts. As one engaged in comprehensive study of correspondence of members of Congress during the Revolution (1774-1789), in the past two years I have examined probably 12,000 to 15,000 letters, of which several hundred are badly damaged or multilated. In addition, I have seen photostats made 30-40 years ago (which remain today in excellent condition) of manuscripts that are now nearly illegible. Many similar documents need to be deacidified and laminated immediately. Others are improperly stored, housed in inadequate buildings, subjected to humidity extremes, and exposed to vermin and fire. Unfortunately the manuscript treasures related directly to the American Revolution are very unevenly distributed about the country in a multitude of private and public institutions, making it difficult to suggest an easy formulas for distributing financial assistance in any way related to political realities. In short, it is easier to identify a problem than to formulate a specific solution.

In my judgment, the second most common problem experienced by historians is access to materials. Many institutions still have significant manuscript collections dating from the American revolution which have not been adequately processed, inventoried, or catalogued. Moreover, documents bearing directly upon any single subject are frequently scattered across the length and breadth of this nation, taxing the time and resources of any scholar who sets himself to systematic study of such materials. Greatly increased use of microfilm would go far toward easing this burden, in addition to providing institutions with the means of making preservation copies of their most valuable and fragile materials. And microfilming programs often create an opportunity for institutions to initiate the necessary identification and cataloguing work required to make key collections usable and useful.

Finally, many primary materials bearing upon the birth of this nation are not to be found in the United States, and although considerable copying of such documents has taken place in the past, much work remains to be done. The Bicentennial of the American Revolution would be an opportune moment for undertaking an historical copying program abroad on a scale sufficiently broad and systematic to provide the student of the Revolution easy access to microfilm or xerox copies of most of the primary material related to early American History. Mr. DONOHUE. I wish to acknowledge the presence of our able and distinguished colleague from Florida, the Honorable Claude Pepper. Mr. PEPPER. Thank you, very much, Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee.

STATEMENT OF HON. CLAUDE PEPPER, U.S. SENATOR
FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA

Mr. PEPPER. I have a brief introductory statement to make for the gentleman from Miami, that is important in this area.

Mr. Chairman, in 1969, I had the privilege of introducing a group of visionary men and women from the city of Miami who had come to Washington for the purpose of making a presentation before the

American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, They appeared at the end of the agenda, following the presentations of Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The purpose of their presentation was to request designation of Miami as a major site for the celebration of this Nation's Bicentennial.

The thrust of their presentation supported the applications of Boston, Philadelphia and Washington because the historical importance of these communities. However, this visionary group pointed out that the future of this country lay before us and that at least one city should be charged with the responsiblity of mounting a Bicentennial celebration with the third century of our country as its central theme.

As a result of this presentation, President Nixon, in his September 1970 message to the Congress, designated Miami as a major Bicentennial site.

Those visionary applicants from Miami then organized themselves into a nonprofit corporation called, most appropriately, Third Century, U.S.A.-important business and professional people and civil leaders. Today this corporation is charged with the responsibility of developing the plans for Bicentennial programs and projects throughout the greater Miami area. The president and chief executive officer of this corporation, Mr. Elmer E. Jones, Jr., a very distinguished member in his own right, is with me today in order to comment on and state his organization's general support for H.R. 3695, to which I lend my own personal support. If I may-a 7-minute statement by Mr. Jones.

Mr. DONOHUE. We will be pleased to hear from you, Mr. Jones.

STATEMENT OF ELMER E. JONES, JR., PRESIDENT OF THIRD CENTURY, U.S.A., MIAMI, FLA.

Mr. JONES. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I am honored to be here today before your committee in general support of H.R. 3695, a bill seeking to establish the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration.

It is my opinion that H.R. 3695 will step up the momentum of this Nation's Bicentennial planning by giving the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration a clear definition of its role as well as the operational authority that is required. A strong Administrator, as established in this bill, and as recommended in this committee's staff review, of last December, will enable the authority to move definitively toward planned objectives with a minimum of delay.

In carrying out the primary Bicentennial themes of Heritage 1976, of Festival U.S.A., and of Horizons 1976, the States and the local communities find themselves planning programs and projects directly related to improving the quality of life in their area, whether it be in the cultural field, in the field of entertainment, or in planning improvements to the physical assets of the community. In Florida, the State Bicentennial Commission, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Adams, has printed and distributed an Action '76 Guidebook that

tells how to organize local bicentennial groups, how to plan the activities, how to establish the goals and how to bring the goals into actuality. This guidebook is a most valuable tool, Mr. Chairman, and with your permission, I should like to enter a copy into the record and recommend its study and review by other State Bicentennial Commissions.

Mr. DONOHUE. Without objection, it will be made part of the record.

[The document referred to follows:]