[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 98 (Monday, July 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
       COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WARSAW UPRISING

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
joint resolution (H.J. Res. 388) recognizing the anniversaries of the 
Warsaw uprising and the Polish resistance to the invasion of Poland 
during World War II.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                             H.J. Res. 388

       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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Indiana [Mr. Hamilton] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter] will be recognized for 20 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton].
  (Mr. HAMILTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution recognizes the 50th anniversary of the 
Warsaw uprising.
  On August 1, 1944, the Polish Home Army rebelled against the Nazis 
who were evacuating Warsaw as the Soviet Army advanced.
  The Polish Home Army held major portions of the city of Warsaw 
against the Nazis for 63 days, with over 250,000 missing, wounded, or 
killed in the fighting. In reprisal for this uprising, the city was 
bombed, with over 70 percent of it demolished.
  This year, when we are commemorating other momentous anniversaries 
connected with World War II, I believe it is important that we remember 
the sacrifice of the Polish people in Warsaw.
  I support this resolution and I commend Ms. Kaptur for working with 
us to bring this before the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this Member rises in support of House Joint Resolution 
388, a resolution recognizing the 55th anniversary of the Polish 
resistance to the Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland as well as the 
50th anniversary of the Warsaw uprising against the Nazi occupation of 
Poland. This Member is pleased to cosponsor this important resolution, 
and commends the gentlewoman from Ohio [Ms. Kaptur] for introducing the 
resolution.
  This Member would also recognize the important support offered by the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East, who also 
happens to serve as chairman of the full Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
the distinguished gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Hamilton]. The ranking 
member, the distinguished gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman], was 
similarly supportive and helpful in bringing House Joint Resolution 388 
before this body in a timely manner.
  Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to understate the magnitude of the 
suffering that the people of Poland endured during the Second World 
War. As the resolution correctly notes, when the Polish Home Army rose 
up in 1944 and fought to rid their homeland of Nazi invaders, it did so 
at the cost of almost a quarter of a million men, women, and children. 
Their heroism is all the more notable because they fought against 
impossible odds, having only the most rudimentary weapons to take on 
the highly trained Nazi forces. The eventual suppression of the Warsaw 
uprising does nothing to dim the luster of the Polish effort. as House 
Joint Resolution 388 correctly notes, the Polish resistance is a 
powerful and poignant reminder of the power of the human spirit over 
adversity.
  The Polish people retained this rugged and fiercely independent 
spirit throughout the Second World War, and indeed throughout the years 
of Soviet domination. With a powerful labor union--Solidarity--and an 
unshakable faith in the Almighty, the Poles were never fertile ground 
for communism. It is no surprise, therefore, that they were among the 
first of the Central European nations to break free from the grip of 
Soviet control.
  Now the people of Poland face new, and equally daunting security 
challenges. With restive neighbors to the east, Warsaw is 
understandably eager to become integrated into Western European 
institutions such as the European Union, the WEU, and NATO.
  Our Polish friends are very serious about developing a security 
relationship with the West. An early signatory of the Partnership for 
Peace, Polish military units are already participating in NATO 
exercises, and Polish officers are training at headquarters. In 
addition, Polish civilian and military personnel are receiving 
important training at the recently inaugurated Marshall Center in 
Garmish, Germany.
  These are all positive signs, and this Member anticipates that Poland 
will eventually become an ally of the United States within the NATO 
alliance.
  Mr. Speaker, this Member urges support for House Joint Resolution 
388.

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