[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1323 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1323

       Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 4, 2010

Mr. McCotter (for himself, Mr. Lipinski, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Smith of 
   New Jersey, Mr. Pascrell, Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Franks of 
Arizona, Mr. Dingell, Ms. Kaptur, and Mr. Wolf) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

Whereas following the August 24, 1939, signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact 
        between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, a secret agreement to divide 
        Poland between the two countries, Germany and the Soviet Union invaded 
        the Republic of Poland;
Whereas more than 200,000 members of the Polish military became prisoners of war 
        at the hands of their Soviet aggressors;
Whereas, on March 5, 1940, the Soviet secret police, the People's Commissariat 
        for Internal Affairs (NKVD) was directed by Joseph Stalin and other 
        members of the Politburo to carry out a systematic murder of 
        approximately 22,000 Polish military officers, doctors, lawmakers, 
        professors, police officers, and other intelligentsia;
Whereas between April and May 1940, Polish prisoners of war were transported 
        from internment camps in the Soviet Union to three execution sites in 
        and around the Katyn Forest;
Whereas, on April 11, 1943, radio stations in Nazi Germany announced the 
        discovery of mass graves of over 4,000 Polish officers in the Katyn 
        Forest who were murdered by a bullet shot in the back of the head;
Whereas upon learning of this massacre, the Polish government in exile requested 
        the International Red Cross be allowed to investigate this discovery;
Whereas the Soviet Union refused to allow such an investigation and subsequently 
        broke off diplomatic relations with the Polish government in exile;
Whereas the Soviet Union repeatedly and deliberately used film footage and other 
        propaganda methods to suppress the truth and accused the Nazis of the 
        massacre;
Whereas, on September 18, 1951, the House of Representatives established the 
        Select Committee to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Facts, 
        Evidence, and Circumstances of the Katyn Forest Massacre;
Whereas, on July 2, 1952, the Committee recommended the Soviets be tried before 
        the International World Court of Justice ``for committing a crime at 
        Katyn which was in violation of the general principles of law recognized 
        by civilized nations'';
Whereas, on December 22, 1952, the Committee unanimously concluded in its final 
        report that the Soviet NKVD committed the mass murders of the Polish 
        officers and intellectual leaders in the Katyn Forest stating, ``there 
        has not been a scintilla of proof or even any remote circumstantial 
        evidence presented that could indict any other nation in this 
        international crime'';
Whereas the Soviet Union did not admit responsibility for this atrocity until 
        President Mikhail Gorbachev's statement on April 13, 1990;
Whereas since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the government of the Russian 
        Federation has refused to declassify and disclose all of its official 
        records pertaining to the massacre;
Whereas, on November 30, 2004, the Polish Institute of National Remembrance--
        Departmental Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish 
        Nation initiated its own investigation into the Katyn massacre;
Whereas the year 2010 marks the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre;
Whereas, on April 7, 2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became the 
        first Russian or Soviet leader to join Polish officials in commemorating 
        the anniversary of the murders; and
Whereas despite the suppression of Polish freedoms by the Soviet Union during 
        the Cold War, the United States and the Republic of Poland have 
        preserved a strong and important friendship based on shared history and 
        sacrifice: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the lives and legacies of the approximately 
        22,000 Polish prisoners of war and intelligentsia who were 
        massacred by the Soviet People's Commissariat for Internal 
        Affairs (NKVD) in and around the Katyn Forest 70 years ago;
            (2) expresses its deepest sympathies to the families of the 
        Katyn victims for their profound loss;
            (3) expresses continued solidarity and unwavering support 
        for the Polish people as they continue to investigate crimes 
        committed against them;
            (4) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to fully 
        declassify and disclose all official records pertaining to the 
        Katyn massacre; and
            (5) urges the Government of the Russian Federation to fully 
        cooperate with any pending investigation or inquiry pertaining 
        to the massacre of Polish prisoners by the Soviet authorities.
                                 <all>