[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 63 (Thursday, May 19, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: May 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
THE HOLOCAUST IN HUNGARY
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HON. TOM LANTOS
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, May 19, 1994
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I bring to my colleagues' attention a most
vivid historical account of what Winston Churchill once called
``probably the greatest and most horrible crime * * * in the history of
the world.'' The Politics of Genocide by Professor Randolph L. Braham
is unquestionably the most eloquent and comprehensive study of the
Holocaust in Hungary ever produced.
Professor Braham explores the early development of the anti-Jewish
movement in Hungary starting immediately following World War I. He
discusses at length the Nazi's Hungarian sympathizers who accommodated
the resettlement of the Jews. The Politics of Genocide brings to life
the cruel efficiency with which the encroaching Nazi war machine made
its way through the individual villages of Hungary in a matter of
months, exterminating everything in its path.
As one who experienced the Holocaust in Hungary first hand, I found
myself entranced by the incisive and graphic description that pours out
of every chapter. He demonstrates his unparalleled expertise on the
history of Hungarian Jewry while exploring many of the important themes
that dominated modern Hungarian, Jewish, and German history.
The recently published, revised and enlarged edition, published on
the 50th anniversary of the Holocaust, reaches a new level of
comprehensiveness that is unlikely ever to be surpassed. Professor
Braham has investigated the period through a wide range of archival
documents, the contemporaneous press and extensive research which has
spanned the globe. He combines an exceptional command of detail and an
aggressive style with penetrating observations which will appeal to the
historian and layman alike.
This is the writing of contemporary history at its best. As a
Congressman, an educator, and as a survivor, I recommend this excellent
book to my colleagues without reservation.
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