Anthi Poulos, chair and general counsel of the US Committee on the Parthenon addressed the Order of the AHEPA National Convention in Orlando, Florida on 4 August 1998.

To secure the restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, the Greek-American community must lead the campaign in the United States to bring irresistible pressure on the British government to return the Parthenon Marbles to Athens before the Athens Olympics in 2004.

To accomplish this, the US Committee on the Parthenon has been established and I have been selected as the chair and General Counsel. As some of you know, I am an attorney in Washington DC. My career has been in Federal legislation and in the Senate and the Congress. I am currently serving as Scholar in Residence at the Law Library of Congress pursuing a study of the law of cultural heritage.

I was born in Greece and was educated in the United States and Europe, including Greece, France and the Hague Academy of International Law. I come from an AHEPA family. My grandfather, George Lymberopoulos, was a founder in Lynn Massachusetts. My mother, Helen Lymberopoulos Karagianis was one of the first Grand Presidents of the Daughters of Penelope. My uncle, Constantine Poulos, was a recognised journalist and activist in the Resistance and liberation of Greece. Constantine Poulos was active in the Sons of Pericles and an editor and contributor to the AHEPA journal.

I believe that the AHEPA ideals support the goals of the US Committee on the Parthenon and I urge you all to work with the Committee.

The Committee's office, in the nation's capital, is located at Hellenic House -- the headquarters of the American Hellenic Institute. The Committee will hold its first general meeting next year.

First, we need members to serve as delegates from every state, who can come to Washington DC for our Federal activities. Second, we require financial support. We need assistance, not just for general operations, but more importantly, for public information. To bring our message to the American public and our elected officials, we want to produce a documentary program for television.

Also, an exhibit. The British Committee, through the support of Nana Mouskouri, has created a display entitled "Stones of no value" "Monuments of the gods" which we want to bring to the Capital and other US locations. To have the exhibit on loan to us will cost an estimated $3,000 in shipping alone. For the future we should create our own exhibit to carry this message to all the States. This requires a budget of at least $15,000.

There is no force more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Throughout the civilised world there is growing recognition that the Parthenon is unique. It is not just a symbol of our Greek culture but a world cultural symbol. As the world's temple, its dismemberment must be corrected -- it must be made whole. Will you join us in that effort?

Baltimore Council says "Return the Marbles"

30 October 1998

Councilman Cain reminded the Council that the Marbles were never intended to be separated as movable art but were integral parts of the architectural monument. Cain said that he was not taking a posture opposing Great Britain but defending the Parthenon as the universal symbol of culture whose parts should be reunited. He said this issue is of concern to the United States because the Parthenon is the symbol of our democracy as modelled by the Founding Fathers and as reflected by our most important buildings such as the Supreme Court and the Lincoln Memorial. He also related the results of the recent poll in Great Britain which demonstrated strong public support for repatriation of the marbles.

The Baltimore resolution cites the traditional design for the Parthenon over 2430 years ago and the controversial conditions surrounding the removal of the Marbles from Greece in the last century. The legislation mentions the new museum being built at the Acropolis to hold the Marbles and suggests that the return of the Olympics to Greece in 2004 would be the ideal time for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.

"When the Olympics come home to Athens in 2004, so should the Marbles come home to the Parthenon," commented Anthi Poulos, leader of the US Committee on the Parthenon. "When Greece welcomes the world to Athens for the Olympics, the world should see the universal emblem of culture and democracy made whole again."

The US Committee on the Parthenon is a Washington-based group formed to promote interest and scholarship in all aspects of the Parthenon, including dedication to the physical unity and artistic integrity of the Parthenon. Anthi Poulos has drafted model legislation which is available for use by those United States legislators who are interested in promoting such a resolution. (For a contact address, see below).

The Baltimore City Council resolution

Whereas, these ancient Marbles were sculpted by the Greek artistic genius Phidias in the fifth century BC to be an intricate decorative element of the Temple of the Parthenon, rising high atop the Acropolis in Athens, Greece; and

Whereas, more than 100 Marbles were removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin in 1801 and taken to London, England; and

Whereas, the removal took place while Greece was under foreign rule; and

Whereas, the Marbles were irrevocably damaged during efforts in 1938-1939 to scrub off the patina from their ancient surfaces; and

Whereas, the Marbles are not free-standing sculptures but intrinsic, indivisible elements of the Temple of the Parthenon; and

Whereas, the Marbles are not just another antiquity but an inseparable symbol of classical Greece at its apogee, and

Whereas, the restitution will restore the cohesion of the decorative architectural importance of the Parthenon; and

Whereas, the Parthenon is unique to Greece and is the pre-eminent monument of Western civilisation, and

Whereas, a new and permanent museum is being constructed to house the Marbles near their original home on the Acropolis; and

Whereas, a recent poll in Great Britain showed that by more than two to one, the British public and Members of Parliament favour the return of the Marbles to Greece; and

Whereas, the modern Olympic Games will return to Athens in 2004; and

Whereas, the return of the Marbles will lift the spiritual well-being of the Greek people,

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, that now is the time to conclude this two-century-old cultural dispute.

And be it further resolved, that the British Museum return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece in time for them to be properly displayed during the 2004 Olympic Games.

And be it further resolved, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the British Museum in London, the British ambassador in Washington DC, and the Greek ambassador in Washington DC.

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