captioning performed by vitac join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter. we're live on this tuesday morning for a ceremony marking the answer verse of vj or victory over japan day. george prescott bush, whose grandfather george h.w. bush,

was shot over the pacific in 1944. live coverage this morning from the world war ii memorial here in washington, d.c., getting under way now. >> my distinct pleasure to introduce ourvvllll

attack on pearl harbor of. a former u.s. marine officer, he often reports on problems and challenges facing the military and veterans. he's the recent recipient of the veterans administration involvement award. >> thank you very much. on behalf of the friends of the national world war ii memorial board of director and our chairman, welcome to the national world war ii memorial. it is my distinct honor to be your master of ceremonies this morning, as we celebrate and remember and commemorate the 69th anniversary of d-day -- i mean vy day. sorry. we salute those of the greatest generation who helped save the world from tyranny. we also offer a special salute

to this generation, another great generation, a generation of men and women of our armed forces who are presently serving in the ongoing war on terrorism. their service is greatly appreciate appreciated to all of these warriors and veterans past and present, we owe a great debt of gratitude and lasting precious for service to our country. again, i want to thank you all for being here today, and a special thanks to our veterans for your services and your sacrifices to our nation. i'm pleased to introduce the official party do, our keynote speaker, mr. george prescott bush. it's a long walk, mr. bush. the chairman of the board for

friends of the national world war ii memorial, lt. general mick kicklighter. from the military district of washington, colonel chaplain gary r.stefneski. it's a warm day. we'll try to make this brief, but i think you'll find it impressive. ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the presentation of the colors and the playing of the national anthem and the invocation.

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please be seated. i also want to introduce to you tonight robert vogel, the superintendent of the national mall and memorial parks national parks service. here's the chaplain to give the invocation. >> let us pray. almighty god, today we gather here in remembrance and in thanksgiving. remembrance of a great and

costly victory over a tyranny that threatened not only america, but the whole world. and we gather in thanksgiving for the men and women who served both home and on distant pacific waters and shores and lands, who sacrificed so much to achieve that victory. lord, we give you thanks, grateful that you inspired and strengthened so many countrymen and unselfish service, many even to the cost of their own lives, who we commemorate at this memorial. their courage and valor ensured the freedoms we enjoy today, and continue to provide an inspiration and an example to those of us who strive to add our own contributions to the security, prosperity and peace of our beloved country.

bless our commemoration here and all its participants. maybe this observance render true honor, and foster true devotion to you, to our country, and to the divine and democratic values of freedom, of justice, and of peace we hold so dear. amen. >> thank you, sir. i am so pleased to be with us here today, especially this day. vj day, as you know is a special day for this country, when we commemorate the end of world war ii, a day we celebrate the unity and spirit of the american people, who together helped to end the war. it is a day when we can celebrate the same unity and spirit that allowed us to turn former enemies into allies and

friends. on the 50th anniversary of the pearl harbor, i produced a documentary. one of the people i interviewed was a salty old seadog named john finn. he grabbed a 50 caliber machine gun and mounted it on an instruction stand. despite being wounded 21 times, chief finn fired on japanese aircraft from that exposed position for two solid hours. he was one of 15 men awarded medals of honor for heroic action that day. when i asked for an interview, he said, okay, but none of that hero stuff. he did not use the word "stuff" either. they had a parade and he was marching in the parade, but he wouldn't stay in line. he kept running off to say he

hello, and i fell in love with the guy. i said at the end of the day, chief, would you adopt me? he said, no, i don't have room for you i have five kids at home. he died at the age of 100, a member of the greatest generation. many thanks to superintendent voguele and the national parks service, the care takers of this memorial for their exemplary efforts to maintain this memorial, and to bring honor to the greatest generation. we're pleased to partner with the national parks service in the effort to preserve the legacy of this memorial, and to co-host these special events with them. now representing the national parks service, mr. robert vog voguele mr. vogel. >> thank you.

and good morning. on behalf of the national parks service, it is my great honor to welcome you to your world war ii memorial, and to the national mall and memorial parks. for over ten years, this memorial has stood on the national mall to commemorate in bronze and granite the undies gratitude of a nation. to those veterans of world war ii who are here with us today and to all those who have so valiantly served their nation since, we thank you and offer our solemn promise that your sacrifices shall never be forgott forgotten. on this special victory over japan day, we are honored to have with us businessman,

philanthropist, civic leader and veteran mr. george prescott bush as our keynote speaker. we welcome you to the world war ii memorial. i would also like to recognize a couple other people here. we have general kelly, the former chairman of the american battle memorial commission, and someone who was a key leader in the creation of this wonderful memorial, and he didn't just stop then, he still serves as a key leader in the friends of the world war ii memorial. i would also like to recognize the chairman of the friends of the national world war ii memorial mick kicklighter. general kicklighter has served our nation for more than 50 years, first as an army officer, and after his retirement in positions at the departments of state, defense and veterans administration. the friends of the national

world war ii memorial are trusted partners in our shared mission to ensure that the legacy and sacrifices of the world war ii generation are never forgotten. i would also like to take a special opportunity today to recognize the wonderful men and women who are here today and are here every day wearing the yellow hats and the yellow shirts. i would ask you to take a moment and to thank them for their service as volunteers here at the world war ii memorial. we truly could not do it without you. 69 years ago today, the battleship "uss missouri" sat in tokyo haush harbor.

supreme commander the allied forces, general douglas mcarthur summed up the occasion saying, today the guns are silent, a great tragedy that is ended. a great victory has been won. the skies no longer rain death. the seas bear only commerce. men everywhere walk upright in the night. the entire world is quietly at peace. in the peace that followed this greatest generation did not rest going on to build the better state highway system, defend the world against communism and step foot on the moon. as superintendent, and as the very proud son of a world war ii

veteran, i am very honored every day to be entrusted with the care and protection of this memorial. thank you very much. >> thank gçgvm'jcyou, mr. vogel. the general was instructor at the basket cool when i was at quantico, an undistinguished member as golf company, which he refers to as the infamous golf company. i don't think that is a compliment. also here with us today to represent the ceremony, ceremony's co-host, is lt. general mick kicklighter. ladies and gentlemen.

>> well, good morning. on behalf of friends of the national world war ii memorial board, let me also extend my welcome that you have come to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the allied victory of world war ii, as the war came to an end in the pacific. as you heard, 69 years ago today, the japanese formally surrendered aboard the battleship "uss missouri" in tokyo bay. this brought to an end finally ward war ii. mr. peterson, thank you so much for being our master of ceremonies, you've done this before. i can't add to all the great things that was said about you when you were introduced, but i would add that you are a marine veteran, and throughout your career, you have taken a special interest in taking care of those men and women who are serving our country, and you've also

done a great deal for our veterans. sir, thank you for being here. admiral luther, i know you're a very busy man on the navy staff. it's great to have you here with us as well. and george p. bush, we look forward to hearing your remarks, especially about your grandfather's service in world war ii. today marks the 70th anniversary of president bush's miraculous rescue when he was shot down in the pacific. if that rescue had not occurred, there would be a lot of bushes that would be out of our history. and we also know that among the many things that you've done in your life, you are currently serving in the reserve as a naval officer, and you've already had one tour of duty in afghanistan. it's always an honor to welcome a special friend, general p.x. kelly, a friend for so many

years, one of my heroes that i admire. former commandant of the marine corps. also the former chairman of the board of the american battle monuments commission, who you've heard say did an awful lot to make this your monument a reality. he said to me before coming in the highlight of his career was the day he took up here on this platform and said to president bush 43, mr. president, it's my high honor to present this memorial to the american people. let's give general kelly a round of applause. ladies and gentlemen, we gather at this magnificent world war ii memorial to remember those who served in world war ii and their families.

and to commemorate the end of the most destructive war in history. an estimated 60 million people lost their lives in that war. mostly were women and children and the elderly who got overrun by the war. millions were murdered in slave labor camps, in concentration camps and death camps, just because of their ethnic background, religious beliefs, and political affiliations. today we also remember those 16 million americans who walked away from civilian life and put a uniform on to defend this nation. we also remember the 400,000 who gave all their tomorrows, and that's a high price to pay when you're 18 or 19 years old, but they gave all their tomorrows so we can live in this strong, free

and beautiful america that we are proud to call home. and those 400,000 are represented behind me on the gold stars on the wall of freedom. they fought that war against great odds. the outcome was certainly not certainly, but the world war ii generation fought and won that war, and not only saved this nation, but with our allies, they literally saved the world. many of the friends on the board of directors have been involved in this memorial from the inception to the dedication, and they continue to work to support this wonderful memorial. we're privileged to work to ensure the legacy, the lessons learned from that war, and the unity of this nation, which has never been greater, and the sacrifice of all those who we honor today are never forgotten.

to accomplish this mission, we work closely and proudly with the department of defense, with the military district of washington, and the national parks service. to share this sacred memorial with all of our world war ii veterans and their families, and all americans, and from people all over the world. a special thanks to mr. robert vog vogel and that great national parks service team who in a superb manner take care of this magnificent memorial. this is truly a sacred place to come, to remember, to reflect, and to commemorate the defining moments of that war. as we are doing today, as we honor those who serve. would the world war ii veterans, would you either stand or raise your hand, so that we say thank you for this great nation that

you gave us, this land of the free and the home of the brave. would you raise yourland or please stand? we can never repay you for the great sacrifice and service that you provided in such a time of peril. thank all of you for coming this morning to help us honor or world war ii veterans and their families. god bless all of our veterans and all of their families, and especially, lord, please bless the men and women who are serving today and coming off the battlefields from iraq and afghanistan. what a magnificent job they have done and are doing, and god bless america. thank you very much.

>> thank you very much, general kicklighter. thank you, world war ii veterans we're appreciative of what all the friends of the memorial have done and continue to do to thank and honor our veterans and families. i've reached an age where some of the people that i work with asked me if i fought in world war ii. my answer is, well, right after the japanese attack on pearl harbor, i tried to enlist, but i was only 3. my mother wouldn't sign for me. it's one of those regrets that you carry with us. we're privileged to have the sermonian band, who will perform a patriotic musical salute to our veterans. ♪

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>> thank you very much. now, my privilege to introduce our keynote speaker, mr. george prescott bush. mr. bush is part of the next generation of texas leaders. he's a successful businessman, philanthropist, civic leader, and veteran, dedicated to advancing conservative values. while many of us know him as the grandson of president george h.w. bush, the son of former governor jeb bush, the nephew of president george w. bush, he's known to his colleagues as a leaders with broad convictions broad experience and fresh perspectives. in 2006, he joined the u.s. naval reserve through the

prestigious direct commissioned officer program. in 2010 he began an eight-month tour in afghanistan. he was awarded the joint service xhundation medal for meritorious service. it's my pleasure to welcome mr. bush to the podium. >> thank you. appreciate it. good morning, everybody. thank you for having me. it is truly an honor to join you this morning at this very special venue. i want to acknowledge all of our distinguished guests, including general kelly, all our distinguished visitor that is come from all parts of our great country to join us on this amazing anniversary of vj day. truly an honor to represent my family to join us here this morning. 69 years ago, the guns fell

silent in the pacific. when the smoke had cleared, a new world truly had emerged. against huge odds and against an enemy that refused to surrender, america emerged victorious in world war ii. it was important that america won the war, but it was just as important that america won the peace. the heroes of the greatest generation didn't just defeat japan, they rebuilt japan. they didn't just fight against tyranny, they fought for freedom. and today that fight goes around the world as american troops remain the last and yes, the best hope for preserving freedom. of course, none of us would be here today if america hadn't won in the pacific theater. but it was due to the countless american men and women who wore the uniform and boar the burden of fighting in the greatest war.

i say this because i have an important mission this morning. i came here bearing a clear message that i want each and every one of you to hear loudly and clearly. it is a message from my generation to yours, and that is, thank you. thank you for all that you have done to preserve the great freedoms that we as americans sometimes take for granted. thank you for putting time on hold, both on the homefront and certainly on the front lines, to preserve the many freedoms that we enjoy today. and thank you for pressing on in the tres difficulties ahead of us and pressing against a rising tide of tyranny. today our nation once again faces grave threats from the forces of evil. once again we have been called into the breach, to answer that

call that americans have always heard, and that's to do the hard work of freedom. standing before this, the greatest generation, let me assure you that my generation will not fail you. the ageless tradition of duty, honor and country that you painstakingly passed forward, your example, your selflessness, undying love of country that led you through the valley of war and destruction to the greener pastures of peace and prosperity. it will remain an inspiration. indeed i hope you will forgive a very proud grandson noting that the women serving on the "uss george h.w. bush" in today in an area of hostilities, and saving lives of innocent family in that part of the world, and that her crew continue to draw

inspiration from their ship's namesake. he would say this is not about him, but all about you and all you have done to make this country great. may god bless each and every one of them. may god bless all who serve and wear of uniform. may god bless each and every one of you and your families on this anniversary in this very special place. thank you. >> ladies and gentlemen, we will now take part in the official wreath-laying ceremony. please take your seat. we also will hear from the ceremonial -- navy ceremonial band. ♪

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ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the official wreath presentation ceremony. representing the united states of america, is mr. george prescott bush.

representing the national parks service is mr. robert vogel, superintendent of the national mall and memorial parks, and world war ii veteran accompanying him is one of the original members of the united states army women's corps, the wacs when it was first formed, and 106 years young. lieutenant cornie mcgrath.

representing friends of the national world war ii memorial is general mick kicklighter and veteran mr. blylevens, a world war ii united states navy construction mechanic chief, retired. he served aboard the "uss o'brien" dd-725 in both the atlantic and pacific theaters from normandy to tokyo.

representing the united states army is the colonel chaplain dunisky, and ward wore 2 veteran faulkner. he was acting platoon sergeant, 10th mountain division 86th rental gent to december 9th,

1945. mr. faulkner received many awards, including the italian medal soldiers medal, he saved 20 soldiers by throwing a live grenade that had fallen out of someone's backpack prior to going on patrol. ladies and gentlemen, mr. ky faulkner. representing the united states marine corps is lt. general jack klimp, united states marine corps retired, now serves as the

president and ceo of the knead social for uniform services, former commandant of the suns marine corps, p.q. kelly, accompanies px kellie is mr. russell jenkins. mr. russell jenkins is a world war ii vet and was 17 years old when he joined the navy during world war ii. he served as sea in the atlantic as well as on land and a corpsman medic with the third wave of forces that hit omaha beach. representing the united states navy is rear admiral brian e.

luther, director of operations and plans, chief of naval operations. rear admiral -- was -- rear admiral luther was also the first commander of the "uss george bush" ship that is not some the mediterranean. accompanying admiral luther is mr. walter l. wince. mr. wince enlisted in the navy in september of 1939 at norfolk, virginia. he was a torpedo man throughout the war. he received numerous medals and was married to the late mildred wince for 65 years. he had four children, all of which are here with him today, judy, louise, shielda and donald. ladies and gentlemen, mr. wadder l. wince.

representing the united states air force is colonel ed shock, united states air force retired, and vice president uso. he is accompanied by a world war ii veteran as a tuskegee airman.

representing the united states coast guard is mr. gordon peterson, former marine officer, served during the vietnam era.

representing the united states merchant marines is the associate administrator for strategic sealift, mr. kevin m.tarkarski. ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the playing of "taps." ♪fs "ívr

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ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. and now, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time in the service where we honor all our branches of service with the playing of their songs. for the armed forces medley by the united states navy ceremonial band. if you hear your song, if you served in your brand of service, you are a veteran or serving presently, please stand when you hear your song being played to be recognized. the united states navy ceremonial band. the united states army.

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♪ ♪ let's hear it for the united states navy ceremonial band! [ cheers and applause ] ladies and gentlemen this concludes our ceremony for today. are you welcome to go over to the freedom wall and meet and greet the veterans and congratulate them and thank you for coming and have a wonderful day and god bless america.

tonight object american history tv and primetime, the war of 1812 and burning of washington. at 8:00, a panel discussion on the battle of bladensburg, followed by the book "the british invags of 1814." and later, steve vogel, and "the perilous fight." and it all gets under way at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span 3. each week american history tv's "reel america" brings you films that help tell the story of the 20th century. republican herbert hoover served as president from 1929 to 1933.

remembered most for his time in the oval office at the start of the great depression, hoover also served as the secretary of commerce under presidents harding and coolidge. in this hour-long 1960 nbc interview. hoover discusses his life beyond the presidency. speaking with reporter ray handily. he delves into topics including his childhood. his time in china during the boxer rebel yen and his involvement in supplying food to germans in belgium in world war 1. stanford library's special collections and university archives. >> this is the campus of stanford university. one of america's great schools.

>> this is the memorial church. this is the memorial theater. >> and this is the library on war, revolution and peace. with your nbc news commentator. i'm meeting a great american and an old friend. i am here to have a talk with the 31st president of the united states, mr. herbert hoover.

sit down, ray. >> thank you, sir. could you tell us what it means. >> well, it is the library on war, revolution and peace. the purpose of it is to present the complete history of this world since the beginning of the first war i. it has many objectives. one of them is to aid in the development of measures of peace out of the display of the experience of the world in that way. it covers economic, military, other questions.

it is now the haven of historians from all over the world. because the german war lie brave was destroyed in the last war. the french war library was destroyed. and the british war library was greatly damaged. this is practically the only complete story of what has happened in the last 50 years. >> how did the idea of a library start? >> i was crossing the north sea on a usual journey to bet jump in connection with relief and i had a book with me to read of written by andrew d. white. he was the great historian of the french revolution. >> yes. >> and he complained in that book that he had not been able to present the life of the people in general of france

because of the disappearance of franklin terry newspaper, literature, bulletins, thousands of things that displayed the life of the people. >> i concluded that i was in the unique position to collect that material. so i established collection agencies in all of the countries at war in europe. i was going behind the lines, once a month on a circuit around in connection with my particular job. and so we started the collection of that type of literature and i was literally moved into more important documentation. well then the library must contain a huge number of documents. >> it contains today probably 20 million documents.

many of them are the originals, which format turning points in world history. the most pathetic of them i think i would show you, and that is this -- when the russians invaded poland, they took about 250 polish military prisoners. they sent them into work camps all over siberia. later on, when the germans attacked the russians, the russians anxious to increase their military strength asked the poles to reassemble those armies out of those work camps. >> they were able to find about 60 thousands poles still alive out of the 250,000 that were

originally sent. but every one of these poles coming out of a work camp had to get a permit. which was constituted as sort of a railway ticket to the headquarters where he was recruited. the poles were a small minority in each camp and they were related in their depositions were there and how many. and the tickets themselves show the location so that one was able to reproduce the whole slave system. at that particular period. and at that time, there were obviously about 14 million people in slave camps. we have here a map showing the location of these slave labor camps. made up from the 40,000 documents which we have in the library. >> you'll see those marked t. >> let's see.

we have also the first issue of the communist newspaper pabda. and this issue announces the victory of the communist revolution. we have a sequenced file of this newspaper and the other communist newspaper "investia" right down to today. with the exception of three months. and that three-month gap was due to an over-energetic postmaster general, who considered this was subversive literature. and he stopped it coming to us. so we had to do something about that. >> did you take measures to

relax the situation? >> i certainly relaxed the postmaster general. but i don't think we've ever been able to recover the lost numbers. here is a little document that's been a profound interest to me. this is the intimate die remember of the fire minister of japan at the time of going to war. he made a strenuous effort to affect a peace with the united states and prevent the war. and the pathos of this document is a warrant for its retention. of a man who made a real struggle. to prevent world war ii. >> excuse me, did you have something else there, mr. hoover? >> i have also some parts of the

goebel s's diary. one of the wickedest men whoever lived. he records his wickednesss in ía he apparently never expected for us to have it. >> there must have been some mighty interesting stories related to the collection of these documents. >> there were a multitude of dramatic incidents. i recollect that after the communist revolution in hungary, at which time there arose a man named bela kuhn as the dictator. the people finally rebelled and bela kuhn fled in an airplane. one of our energetic youngsters collecting material went around to the headquarters. he found there was nobody there. so he proceeded to