Cord Byrd: “during World War II, 36,000 Americans were captured and held prisoner by Japan. The story of the often horrific…”

“during World War II, 36,000 Americans were captured and held prisoner by Japan. The story of the often horrific treatment of these prisoners is punctuated by episodes such as the Bataan Death March, where ten Americans lost their lives for every mile of the gruesome journey, and by the pictures of the emaciated soldiers who spent years in confinement on starvation rations. I cannot think of any way in which we, as a nation, could begin to repay the men who suffered through such abhorrent treatment. The amendment before us today, offered by Senator Smith and Senator Harkin, however, puts in jeopardy constitutional principles that each member of the Armed Forces, and each member of this body, swore to uphold. The amendment would prevent the Department of State and the Department of Justice from defending the U.S. Government in court against lawsuits that challenge whether provisions in the Treaty of San Francisco will continue to be in force as the law of the land. The treaty, which brought peace between Japan, the United States, and our Allies in World War II, explicitly settled all wartime reparations claims that might arise against Japan. The text of the peace treaty is very clear in this regard.”