more on Rumsfeld's comments

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Jock Gill <Jock () jockgill com>
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 13:17:50 -0400
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Rumsfeld's comments

Dave,

Mr. Bray may want to revisit his art and military history.  He has his facts
wrong.  He could start by reading an op-ed in today's edition of the NY
Times:

<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/17/opinion/17LOWE.html>

An Army for Art
By CONSTANCE LOWENTHAL and STEPHEN URICE

he looting of Iraq's national museum in Baghdad could have been prevented.
The American and British forces are clearly to blame for the destruction and
displacement of its cultural treasures. In fact, late last year, experts and
scholars started working with the State and Defense Departments to identify
key Iraqi cultural and archaeological sites and to have them removed from
lists of potential bombing targets. While the museum was not bombed, troops
failed to protect the building and its priceless contents from the chaos
that engulfed Baghdad last week.

At another time, in another war, the United States and its allies realized
that cultural property would be endangered by an invasion and acted to
minimize that damage. In the spring of 1943, when victory over Nazi Germany
was far from assured, the American military created what would become known
as the monuments, fine arts and archives section.

Art historians and scholars in the military worked throughout Europe to
prevent damage to cultural sites and art and to protect them after
hostilities ceased. Members of the section followed troops into war-torn
areas to find, collect and repatriate art stolen by the Nazis. They
continued their efforts until 1951.

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Regards,

Jock



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