Phillip and Sala Burton Center for Human Rights

Phillip with Sargent Shriver, first Director of the Peace Corps, and his wife Eunice (photo courtesy of Bancroft Library)

I’m determined to make the universe a better place – not the world – the universe
- Phil Burton quoted in A Rage for Justice by John Jacobs, page XXIV

He saw the world as his jurisdiction and never forgot whom he was about and why he was in politics
- John Jacobs, A Rage for Justice, page XII

Fighting Tyranny, Winning Peace

Phillip and Sala Burton shared a global vision. Sala, born in Poland in 1919 and immigrated to the United States in the late 1930’s to escape the brutality of the Nazi’s, knew first hand the horror of tyranny and bigotry. Phillip, born in 1926, was raised during the great depression of the 1930’s and knew first hand the anguish of poverty and the power of President Roosevelt’s New Deal to relieve poverty. They dedicated their lives to fighting tyranny, bigotry and poverty at home and abroad.

Phillip served our nation in the fight to defeat tyranny abroad by serving in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. Phillip and Sala were leaders in the fight to defeat tyranny at home by opposing the infringement of liberty by the House Un-American Committee. In 1950 Phillip led a contingent of Young Democrats before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to testify against approving an ordinance to require all Communist to register at City Hall. In May 1960 he spoke at a rally in Union Square opposing the Committee hearings in the San Francisco City Hall. His first act in Congress in 1964 was to hold up funding for the Committee. In 1975 as Chair of the Democratic Caucus he dissolved the Committee.

In their leadership positions in the Young Democrats, the Burtons supported the recognition of the new People’s Republic of China by the United Nations. “State Young Democrat president Lionel Steinberg believed it was an early indication of Burton’s larger vision and, if the United States had followed this policy, would have prevented the ‘tragic consequences: of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. “So much could have been avoided” said Steinberg, if others had shared Burton’s far-sightedness.”(1)

Phillip in 1959 representing the United States at a NATO Youth Conference. He earned this appointment, made by the Democratic National Committee, because of his national leadership in the Young Democrats (photo courtesy of Bancroft Library)

In 1959 Phillip was chosen by the Democratic National Committee as a Young Democrat to represent the United States at a NATO Youth Conference. In 1970, Phillip was appointed to the congressional delegation to the NATO Assembly and in 1976 became its chair. He was elected vice-president of the Assembly’s Political Committee and served as its chair from 1978 to 1982. From 1976 to 1979 he served on the Assembly’s détente subcommittee. “He had a better understanding of what was going on in Europe than most congressmen, and a genuine interest in it.”(2)

Phillip and Sala were early and active opponents of the Vietnam War. In 1965 Phillip was one of only three Congresspeople to oppose spending for the war. In 1968 he delivered the nationally televised Vietnam peace plank speech (minority) at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago that “called for an immediate bombing halt, a mutual withdrawal of troops, and negotiations with the National Liberation Front to form a new government in the South”.(3) In 1972, as Chair of the Democratic Study Group, “Burton guided the caucus (Democratic Congressional Caucus) to direct the Foreign Affairs Chairman . . . to report a bill out of his committee. It wasn’t just any bill. It set a date terminating the Vietnam War, subject only to release of American POW’s”.(4)

In 1970 Phillip introduced legislation to create a cabinet level Secretary of Peace. The Burtons supported the 1982 Nuclear Freeze Referendum in California and opposed U.S. military intervention in Central America.

They were strong supporters of the protection of Israel. In 1975 Phillip favored the amendment authored by Senator Henry Jackson that restricted U.S. trade with the Soviet Union until it loosened its emigration restrictions for Russian Jews. In 1977 he voted against a resolution opposing Israeli settlements in the Arab territories.

Global Jurisdiction

Phillip became Chair of the Interior Subcommittee on National Parks and Insular Affairs in 1973 giving him jurisdiction over United States Territories that spanned more than one-half the world from Guam and American Samoa in the Pacific to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, “an empire over which the sun never set”. In this capacity he extended the rights and privileges of Americans to the people living in the territories. He sponsored legislation that gave the islander’s greater autonomy and congressional representation to American Samoa, Guam and the Virgin Islands. He increased the power of these new congresspeople and that of the Puerto Rican representative by sponsoring legislation that gave them the vote as full members on the Committees on which they served.

In this capacity, he sponsored legislation compensating victims of the American atomic bomb tests in the Marshall Islands for the lose of their health and their land. He secured funds to build hospitals to treat the victims of the tests.

1. Judith Robinson, You're In Your Mother’s Arms, page 34

2. ibid, page 355

3. John Jacobs, A Rage for Justice, page 159

4. ibid, page 236

	Global Vision Phillip with Sargent Shriver, first Director of the Peace Corps, and his wife Eunice (photo courtesy of Bancroft Library) I’m determined to make the universe a better place – not the world – the universe - Phil Burton quoted in A Rage for Justice by John Jacobs, page XXIV He saw the world as his jurisdiction and never forgot whom he was about and why he was in politics - John Jacobs, A Rage for Justice, page XII Fighting Tyranny, Winning Peace Phillip and Sala Burton shared a global vision. Sala, born in Poland in 1919 and immigrated to the United States in the late 1930’s to escape the brutality of the Nazi’s, knew first hand the horror of tyranny and bigotry. Phillip, born in 1926, was raised during the great depression of the 1930’s and knew first hand the anguish of poverty and the power of President Roosevelt’s New Deal to relieve poverty. They dedicated their lives to fighting tyranny, bigotry and poverty at home and abroad. Phillip served our nation in the fight to defeat tyranny abroad by serving in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. Phillip and Sala were leaders in the fight to defeat tyranny at home by opposing the infringement of liberty by the House Un-American Committee. In 1950 Phillip led a contingent of Young Democrats before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to testify against approving an ordinance to require all Communist to register at City Hall. In May 1960 he spoke at a rally in Union Square opposing the Committee hearings in the San Francisco City Hall. His first act in Congress in 1964 was to hold up funding for the Committee. In 1975 as Chair of the Democratic Caucus he dissolved the Committee. In their leadership positions in the Young Democrats, the Burtons supported the recognition of the new People’s Republic of China by the United Nations. “State Young Democrat president Lionel Steinberg believed it was an early indication of Burton’s larger vision and, if the United States had followed this policy, would have prevented the ‘tragic consequences: of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. “So much could have been avoided” said Steinberg, if others had shared Burton’s far-sightedness.”(1) Phillip in 1959 representing the United States at a NATO Youth Conference. He earned this appointment, made by the Democratic National Committee, because of his national leadership in the Young Democrats (photo courtesy of Bancroft Library) In 1959 Phillip was chosen by the Democratic National Committee as a Young Democrat to represent the United States at a NATO Youth Conference. In 1970, Phillip was appointed to the congressional delegation to the NATO Assembly and in 1976 became its chair. He was elected vice-president of the Assembly’s Political Committee and served as its chair from 1978 to 1982. From 1976 to 1979 he served on the Assembly’s détente subcommittee. “He had a better understanding of what was going on in Europe than most congressmen, and a genuine interest in it.”(2) Phillip and Sala were early and active opponents of the Vietnam War. In 1965 Phillip was one of only three Congresspeople to oppose spending for the war. In 1968 he delivered the nationally televised Vietnam peace plank speech (minority) at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago that “called for an immediate bombing halt, a mutual withdrawal of troops, and negotiations with the National Liberation Front to form a new government in the South”.(3) In 1972, as Chair of the Democratic Study Group, “Burton guided the caucus (Democratic Congressional Caucus) to direct the Foreign Affairs Chairman . . . to report a bill out of his committee. It wasn’t just any bill. It set a date terminating the Vietnam War, subject only to release of American POW’s”.(4) In 1970 Phillip introduced legislation to create a cabinet level Secretary of Peace. The Burtons supported the 1982 Nuclear Freeze Referendum in California and opposed U.S. military intervention in Central America. They were strong supporters of the protection of Israel. In 1975 Phillip favored the amendment authored by Senator Henry Jackson that restricted U.S. trade with the Soviet Union until it loosened its emigration restrictions for Russian Jews. In 1977 he voted against a resolution opposing Israeli settlements in the Arab territories. Global Jurisdiction Phillip became Chair of the Interior Subcommittee on National Parks and Insular Affairs in 1973 giving him jurisdiction over United States Territories that spanned more than one-half the world from Guam and American Samoa in the Pacific to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, “an empire over which the sun never set”. In this capacity he extended the rights and privileges of Americans to the people living in the territories. He sponsored legislation that gave the islander’s greater autonomy and congressional representation to American Samoa, Guam and the Virgin Islands. He increased the power of these new congresspeople and that of the Puerto Rican representative by sponsoring legislation that gave them the vote as full members on the Committees on which they served. In this capacity, he sponsored legislation compensating victims of the American atomic bomb tests in the Marshall Islands for the lose of their health and their land. He secured funds to build hospitals to treat the victims of the tests. 1. Judith Robinson, You're In Your Mother’s Arms, page 34 2. ibid, page 355 3. John Jacobs, A Rage for Justice, page 159 4. ibid, page 236