[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   REMEMBERING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______


                           HON. DAVID DREIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 1994

  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, while I am sorry that I was unable to join 
nearly 100 of my colleagues in commemorating the 79th anniversary of 
the Armenian genocide, I rise today to personally honor once again the 
lives of the 1.5 million men, women, and children who were brutally 
murdered in the inaugural genocide of the 20th century.
  Each year, Members of Congress come together to do more than simply 
remember that the Armenians were the first victims of what sadly has 
become man's bloodiest century. Rather, we each hope that raising the 
consciousness of past atrocities helps prevent similar tragedies in the 
future.
  It is reported that before embarking on his planned final solution to 
the Jewish problem, Adolf Hitler was heard to say ``Who remembers the 
Armenians?'' Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and 1986 Nobel Peace 
Prize recipient, has said, ``He was right. No one remembered them.'' 
The Nazi Holocaust, the murder of millions of Russians and Ukrainians 
by the Soviet Government, and the bloody rampage of Pol Pot and the 
Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, all had their seeds in Anatolia. Each of the 
murderous regimes depended upon people not remembering or caring.
  The collapse of the Soviet empire and the independence of Armenia are 
recent important milestones on the road toward freedom for the Armenian 
people. While very serious conflicts remain to be solved in the 
Caucasus region, April 24 will remain an important day in Armenia, and 
for Armenians in this country, who are equally dedicated to remembering 
the past, and working for a brighter future.

                          ____________________