[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 557 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                       October 9, 1998.
Whereas the Holocaust was one of the most tragic and complex horrors in this 
        century, and survivors of that catastrophe are now reaching the end of 
        their lives;
Whereas among the many atrocities committed by the Nazis was their systematic 
        effort to confiscate property illegally and wrongfully from individuals, 
        institutions, and communities solely because of religion or ethnicity;
Whereas the Nazi regime used foreign financial institutions to launder and hold 
        property illegally confiscated from Holocaust victims, and some foreign 
        financial institutions violated their fiduciary duty to their customers 
        by converting to their own use financial assets belonging to Holocaust 
        victims and denying heirs of these victims access to these assets 
        through restrictive regulations and unreasonable interpretation of those 
        regulations;
Whereas in the post-Communist period of transition many of the countries of 
        Central and Eastern Europe have begun to enact legal procedures for the 
        restitution of property confiscated or stolen from victims of the 
        holocaust to communities and to individual survivors of the Holocaust 
        and their heirs;
Whereas, despite the enactment of legislation and the establishment of 
        institutions to restore confiscated property in a number of countries, 
        progress has been slow, difficult, and painful, and some countries have 
        established restrictions which require those whose properties have been 
        wrongfully plundered to reside in or be a current citizen of the country 
        from which they now seek restitution or compensation;
Whereas the Tripartite Gold Commission has now concluded its activities, and 
        under the leadership of the United States established an international 
        Nazi Persecutees' Relief Fund, reached agreement with most of the 
        countries which had gold on deposit with the Tripartite Gold Commission 
        to donate their shares to this Persecutees' Fund, and the United States 
        has pledged to contribute $25 million to this fund;
Whereas two significant agreements have recently been reached, the first between 
        Holocaust survivors and private Swiss banks and the second between 
        Holocaust survivors and European insurance companies, which represent 
        significant first steps in the international effort to provide belated 
        justice to survivors and victims of the Holocaust and their heirs;
Whereas the Department of State and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 
        will co-host the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets later 
        this year in order to review current efforts, share research across 
        national borders, renew efforts to open Nazi-era archives, and spur 
        greater progress on the restitution of Holocaust-era assets; and
Whereas there is a growing international consensus and sense of urgency that, 
        after a half century of indifference and inaction, justice must be 
        obtained for victims and survivors of the holocaust and their heirs; 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the great responsibility which the United States has 
        to Holocaust survivors and their families, many of whom are American 
        citizens, to continue to treat the issue of Holocaust-era assets as a 
        high priority and to encourage other governments to do the same;
            (2) commends the agencies of the United States government for their 
        untiring efforts and for the example they have set, including the 
        publication of the May 1997 and June 1998 reports on U.S. and Allied 
        Efforts to Recover or Restore Gold and Other Assets Stolen or Hidden by 
        Germany in World War II and the efforts to return such assets to their 
        rightful owners;
            (3) commends those organizations which have played a critical role 
        in the effort to assure compensation and/or restitution for survivors of 
        the Holocaust, and in particular to the World Jewish Congress and the 
        World Jewish Restitution Organization;
            (4) welcomes the convening of the Washington Conference on 
        Holocaust-Era Assets later this year by the United States Holocaust 
        Memorial Museum and the Department of State and expresses the hope that 
        this conference will contribute to the sharing of information and will 
        spur greater progress on the restitution of Holocaust-era assets;
            (5) commends those countries which have instituted procedures for 
        the restitution of individual and communal property confiscated from 
        Holocaust victims, and urges those governments which have not 
        established such procedures to adopt fair and transparent legislation 
        and regulations necessary for such restitution;
            (6) calls upon countries in transition in Central and Eastern Europe 
        to remove certain citizenship or residency prerequisites for individual 
        survivors of the Holocaust seeking restitution of confiscated property;
            (7) notes that former Communist countries which seek to become 
        members of the North Atlantic Alliance and other international 
        organizations must recognize that a part of the process of international 
        integration involves the enactment of laws which safeguard and protect 
        property rights that are similar to those in democratic countries which 
        do not require artificial citizenship and residency requirements for 
        restitution or compensation;
            (8) commends those countries which have established significant 
        commissions, such as the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust 
        Assets in the United States, to conduct research into matters relating 
        to Holocaust-era assets, to assure that information developed by these 
        commissions is publicly available, to complete their major historical 
        research efforts, and to contribute to the major funds established to 
        benefit needy Holocaust survivors no later than December 31, 1999;
            (9) commends those countries and organizations which have opened 
        their archives and made public records and documents relating to the 
        Nazi era, and urges all countries and organizations, including the 
        United Nations, the Holy See, the International Committee of the Red 
        Cross and national Red Cross organizations, to assure that all materials 
        relating to that era are fully accessible to the public;
            (10) urges all countries to develop and include as a part of their 
        educational curriculum material on the Holocaust, the history of the 
        Second World War, the evils of discrimination and persecution of racial, 
        ethnic or religious minorities, and the consequences of the failure to 
        respect human rights;
            (11) appreciates the efforts of the government of Germany for 
        successfully concluding an agreement with the Conference on Material 
        Claims Against Germany on matters concerning restitution for Holocaust 
        survivors from Central and Eastern Europe who have not yet received 
        restitution, and urges the government of Germany to continue to 
        negotiate with the Claims Conference to expand the eligibility criteria 
        to ensure that all needy Holocaust survivors receive restitution;
            (12) urges all countries to continue aggressive investigation and 
        prosecution of individuals who may have been involved in Nazi-era war 
        crimes, such as the Government of Germany which should investigate Dr. 
        Hans Joachim Sewering for war crimes of active euthanasia and crimes 
        against humanity committed during World War II;
            (13) urges countries, especial Israel, Russia, Poland, and other 
        Central and East European nations, and organizations such as the 
        International Committee of the Red Cross and Israel's Jewish Agency to 
        coordinate efforts to help reunite family members separated during the 
        Holocaust; and
            (14) directs the Clerk of the House to transmit a copy of this 
        resolution to the Secretary of State and requests that the Secretary 
        transmit copies to all relevant parties.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.