Updated 4/2/08

The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield plans to focus on three key program areas:

1 Military Cultural Property Emergency Response Training

USCBS and its partner organizations, the AIA (Archaeological Institute of America) and AIC (American Institute for Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works), provide U.S. military units with training on the recognition, protection, and preservation of cultural property during armed conflict. The training is tailored to the particular unit needs and is provided free of charge at the unit’s location.

Topics include:

History and role of the U.S. military in the protection of cultural property during armed conflict from WWII to Iraq. Recognizing immovable and movable cultural property, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, libraries, archives, religious sites. Protection, handling, and storage of cultural property. Basic documentation of cultural property. Coordinating with local cultural heritage officials and organizations. Archaeological site recognition and protection. Additional cultural property resources.

For more information or to request training, email information@uscbs.org

or call USCBS at 612-839-7654

2 Cultural Emergency Response Teams

As part of the ANCBS (Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield), USCBS will help coordinate an emergency response to cultural property worldwide threatened by armed conflict. USCBS will partner with AIC (American Institute for Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works) and other U.S. cultural professional organizations to develop a list of volunteers interested in being part of such an emergency response.

3 Promote U.S. Ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict

Why isn’t the United States a States Party to the 1954 Hague Convention?

The United States helped to draft the Hague Convention and signed it in 1954. However, the Executive Branch decided not to transmit the treaty to the Senate for ratification due to military concerns about how it might affect policy at the height of the Cold War. The government of the United Kingdom also elected not to ratify the Convention. The U.S. military has stated on numerous occasions that its policy and practices are already consistent with the rules of the 1954 Hague Convention inasmuch as the Convention is respected as customary international law.

At the end of the Cold War, the Department of Defense withdrew its objections and in 1995 the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff unanimously recommended that the U.S. Senate ratify the Convention. In 1999, President Bill Clinton transmitted the Hague Convention and a part of the First Protocol to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations with his full support for ratification by the full Senate, along with a detailed report on its importance written by the Department of State. (See Treaty Doc. 106-1 January 6, 1999 at: http://foreign.senate.gov/treaties.pdf). Unfortunately, the Convention has never been considered by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and still awaits a vote on ratification by the U.S. Senate.

Why Ratify the 1954 Hague Convention?

Damage to cultural property in Iraq, including the looting of the Iraq National Museum during the U.S. invasion in 2003, damage to the Babylon archaeological site by its long term use as a Coalition military base, and the ongoing looting of Iraq’s thousands of archaeological sites has damaged the reputation of U.S. military forces and brought into question the United States government’s commitment to the Convention as customary international law. U.S. ratification of the Convention would significantly contribute to restoring international and domestic confidence in the U.S. military's commitment to protecting cultural property during armed conflict.

Ratification would not create a new or undue training burden on the U.S. armed forces. Military personnel of all branches are already given training about the Convention as part of their mandatory instruction on the Law of Land Warfare. In fact, ratification would eliminate existing vague and confusing references to customary international law and clarify the duties of military personnel with regard to protecting cultural property.

Ratification of the Convention would also eliminate the confusion and friction caused when nations working together as a coalition military force are governed by different rules of engagement because of differing adherence to international law regarding cultural property. The government of the United Kingdom publicly announced its intention to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention and accede to both its Protocols on May 14, 2004, the 50th anniversary of the Convention, leaving the United States, its closest ally, as the only country with a significant military force that has not ratified this important treaty.

In summary, over the past 50 years the U.S. military has operated in a manner consistent with the rules of the 1954 Hague Convention of the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict inasmuch as it comports with customary international law. However, the U.S. has suffered a loss of public confidence in its commitment to cultural property during the Iraq War and is in the unenviable position as the only military power among our allies who is not yet a States Party to this important treaty. The time has come to demonstrate our renewed commitment to the protection of the world’s cultural heritage by elevating the 1954 Hague Convention to the status of law. We therefore urge the U.S. Senate to take immediate action and vote to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

What can you do?

Write to your United States Senator and urge them to promote ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocol. This is particularly important if your U.S. senator is a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. To find out who is on the Committee go to U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations