[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 388 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. J. RES. 388

  Recognizing the anniversaries of the Warsaw uprising and the Polish 
       resistance to the invasion of Poland during World War II.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 1994

    Ms. Kaptur introduced the following joint resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the anniversaries of the Warsaw uprising and the Polish 
       resistance to the invasion of Poland during World War II.

Whereas August 1, 1994, marks the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw uprising, an 
        event of major significance in the history of World War II;
Whereas on August 1, 1944, the Polish Home Army, under the command of General 
        Tedeusz Bor-Komorowski, rose up against the Nazis who had begun 
        evacuating Warsaw in the face of the Soviet advance through Eastern 
        Europe, held major portions of the city for 63 days against insuperable 
        odds, and suffered extreme hardship, retribution, and personal sacrifice 
        throughout a heroic engagement in which approximately 250,000 Poles were 
        killed, wounded, or missing;
Whereas in reprisal for this uprising, 70 percent of the city of Warsaw was 
        systematically demolished under the direct orders of Adolf Hitler;
Whereas September 1, 1994, marks the 55th anniversary of the invasion of Poland 
        by the Army and Air Force of the Third Reich, which was followed just 16 
        days later by the Soviet invasion from the east and the subsequent 
        occupation of a zone populated by 13,000,000 Poles, these events having 
        led to the development of a strong underground movement directed by the 
        Polish Government in exile;
Whereas the 3 wartime leaders of the Polish Home Army--Lieutenant General Stefan 
        Rowecki who was murdered by the Gestapo in 1944, Lieutenant General Bor-
        Komorowski who was imprisoned by the Nazis and died in London in 1966, 
        and Major General Leopold Okulicki who was imprisoned by the Soviets and 
        perished in a Soviet jail in 1945--symbolize the supreme personal 
        sacrifice and commitment to the cause of freedom and self-determination;
Whereas Warsaw was and continues to be the center of national life, culture, and 
        religion for Poland;
Whereas the spirit of Polish resistance to foreign oppression and domination is 
        symbolized by these historic events and remains a vital element in the 
        Polish national character; and
Whereas President Clinton during his July 7, 1994, visit to Warsaw paid special 
        tribute to these important days in Polish history, including the crucial 
        role of the Polish Home Army in the allied war effort, and to the 
        leaders of the Polish Home Army: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the United States 
recognizes the anniversary of the Warsaw uprising, which stands as a 
poignant reminder to the world of the power of the human spirit over 
adversity, and the anniversary of the Polish resistance to the invasion 
of Poland during World War II and the leaders of that resistance, which 
symbolizes the currently continuing struggle of the Polish people and 
freedom loving people everywhere in the preservation of their liberties 
and in the fulfillment of their national aspirations.
                                 <all>