04/30/2001 06:00 PM Senate STA

           HJR 27-WWII ALASKA-USSR LEND-LEASE MONUMENTS                                                                     
                                                                                                                              
CHAIRMAN  THERRIAULT   said  a  proposed  committee   substitute  (O                                                            
version) is before the committee; it changes awkward language.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
He asked for a motion to adopt the O version.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PEARCE  moved the O version  of HJR 27 dated 4/30/01  as the                                                            
working document. There was no objection.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
ALEXANDER DOLITSKY,  Chairman and Executive Director  of the Alaska-                                                            
Siberia Research Center,  testified in support of the proposed lend-                                                            
lease monuments  in Alaska. Memorials would be erected  in Fairbanks                                                            
and Nome first  and then in Montana,  Canada and Russia if  there is                                                            
sufficient interest.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
There  has been  overwhelming support  from  various organizations,                                                             
individuals,  municipal   governments  and  Alaska's  Congressional                                                             
Delegation.  They expect Russian President  Putin and other  Russian                                                            
agencies to be interested in the project and lend support.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  THERRIAULT  asked  whether  the  wording  changes  in  the                                                            
proposed committee substitute were acceptable.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. DOLITSKY  said it's an important  historical document  that must                                                            
be accurate and he is pleased with the proposed changes.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
He  added he  has  been working  with  the  governor's  office on  a                                                            
proclamation for  the lend-lease day that would be  announced on May                                                            
9, 2001, which is international victory day for World War II.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PHILLIPS  had no  questions  on  the resolution  but  asked                                                            
whether there were women involved in transporting aircraft.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. DOLITSKY  said  women were  involved  and they  talked with  the                                                            
artist, Skip Wallen,  about including women on the  statue. However,                                                            
women were not involved  in transporting aircraft on the flight legs                                                            
from Great Falls, Montana,  across Canada and Alaska to the Union of                                                            
Soviet Socialist  Republics. Women pilots were actively  involved in                                                            
transporting  aircraft  from  Buffalo,  New  York  to  Great  Falls,                                                            
Montana  so  placing  them  on  the  Alaska-USSR   statue  would  be                                                            
inaccurate. Women pilots  will be acknowledged on plaques but not on                                                            
the statue.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PHILLIPS   strongly  recommended  acknowledging   the  WACS                                                            
because they were involved.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DOLITSKY   agreed  that  they   were  involved  and   would  be                                                            
acknowledged.  Without their involvement and the lend-lease  program                                                            
the outcome of the war could well have been different.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT moved  amendment 1, which would add "Fairbanks,"                                                            
after  "at" on page  1, line  14 of the  proposed  CS. There was  no                                                            
objection.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PHILLIPS suggested  adding  "Alberta"  after "Edmonton"  on                                                            
line 13 and "YT" after "Whitehorse" on line 14.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT  said for consistency,  Russian locations  might                                                            
also need more specific identification.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. DOLITSKY said that could be confusing.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  THERRIAULT  said   Senator  Phillips  would  hold  on  the                                                            
amendment. There were no  other amendments offered. He asked for the                                                            
pleasure of the committee.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PEARCE   moved  SCS  CSHJR  27(STA)  from  committee   with                                                            
individual recommendations.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  THERRIAULT noted  Miriam Lancaster  was on line and  asked                                                            
whether she had any comments.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MIRIAM  LANCASTER,  board  member  of the  Alaska  Siberia  Research                                                            
Center,  testified in support  of HJR  27. She is  a Captain  in the                                                            
United  States Public  Health Service  and has worked  and lived  in                                                            
Alaska for  over 21 years. This is  a different type of memorial  in                                                            
that it  commemorates  the synergy  of combined  efforts of  pilots,                                                            
mechanics  and  the common  people  that  worked behind  the  scenes                                                            
during the  war. It also recognizes  the role of women aviators  who                                                            
flew the  first leg  of the journey  in the  lend-lease project.  It                                                            
demonstrates the  North America and Russian successes  during a very                                                            
difficult time.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Number 840                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  THERRIAULT  asked for  objections  to moving  HJR 27  from                                                            
committee. There were none.