[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 65 (Wednesday, May 20, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 ``MIRACLE AT MIDNIGHT:'' AN EXTRAORDINARY FILM AND A VALUABLE LESSON 
                       FROM THE PEOPLE OF DENMARK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 20, 1998

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to honor today an outstanding 
film, ``Miracle at Midnight,'' that appeared on ABC television's ``The 
Wonderful World of Disney'' on Sunday night, May 17. This moving drama, 
which was created by ABC, the Disney Company, and the United States 
Holocaust Memorial Museum, is a stirring description of the story of 
Danish courage during World War II.
  Other European nations, subdued by Nazi might, cowered at the feet of 
their conquerors and, in some cases, collaborated with them in their 
most despicable genocidal plans. The Danes stood firm against this 
affront to humanity, fighting back doggedly and bravely against German 
efforts to arrest Denmark's Jewish citizens. In a matter of hours, 
Danes of all religions and persuasions joined together to organize a 
rescue of miraculous success and unbelievable fortitude.
  The swiftness and daring of the rescue illustrated in ``Miracle at 
Midnight'' is so monumental that it is difficult to believe. In fact, 
the entire account is based on the true experience of the Danish 
people.
  On April 9, 1940, German tanks crossed the border into Denmark in an 
unprovoked attack upon a defenseless nation. As Nazi tanks rolled 
unhindered across the flat Jutland, the Danish government recognized 
the impossibility of resistance and surrendered within hours. As a 
reward for their initial passivity, the German occupiers allowed the 
Danes a modicum of freedom and a measure of civil life unparalleled 
under the Nazi yoke. Few untermenschen--``subhuman'' individuals of 
``degenerate'' races--were molested by Gestapo thugs, and, for three 
years, life for most Danish citizens remained relatively unchanged.
  In 1943, however, this changed. Ambitious SS officers in Copenhagen, 
perversely envious of their mass-murdering colleagues in Eastern 
Europe, ordered the arrest of the city's Jewish population to coincide 
with Erev Rosh Hashanah, the night before the start of the Jewish New 
Year. Word leaked quickly to the Jewish community, and men and women 
who arrived for celebratory synagogue services were immediately sent 
home to hide their families from the Nazi onslaught. Non-Jewish 
families, among them Dr. and Mrs. Karl Koster (skillfully portrayed by 
Sam Waterston and Mia Farrow) and their two teenage children, risked 
their lives by opening their homes to Jewish friends and neighbors. Dr. 
Koster, a leading Copenhagen surgeon, courageously converted the 
hospital which he directed into a refuge. Similar acts of principled, 
silent bravery dotted the historic city, making the ``surprise'' Nazi 
roundup an unmitigated failure.
  Koster and his fellow protagonists soon realized that the Nazi thugs 
could not be evaded indefinitely, and they devised a plan to ferry 
their Jewish friends to neutral Sweden. Against seemingly hopeless 
odds, their efforts were rewarded. Through sheer good fortune and the 
wit, wisdom, and valor of the many Danish heroes, 7,000 Jews escaped to 
Sweden. Only a few fell into Nazi hands.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot overemphasize the importance of studying the 
horrible illustrations of human brutality that mark the history of the 
Holocaust. I feel equally passionate about the need to study the causes 
of the widespread popular indifference to the Nazi crimes. But another 
type of example from these awful years must also be highlighted: the 
instances of uncompromising bravery that saved many men, women, and 
children from the gas chambers. The fortitude of Oskar Schindler was 
brilliantly recorded on film by Steven Spielberg in the 
epic ``Schindler's List.'' The moral fight of the outnumbered and 
outgunned Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto tied down pivotal German forces for 
six weeks and, more importantly, served notice to Hitler's henchmen 
that the Jewish people would fight the tyranny forced upon them. For me 
and my wife, the lesson of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish humanitarian 
who saved our lives and the lives of 100,000 Budapest Jews, is one that 
we never fail to teach our grandchildren. The sacrifices of the Danes 
must also never be forgotten, and the brilliantly constructed ``Miracle 
at Midnight'' helps to fulfill this vital mission.

  Mr. Speaker, the extraordinary film would not exist without the 
luminous talents and firm backing of many important participants. 
``Miracle at Midnight'' is produced by Davis Entertainment in 
association with Walt Disney Television. John Davis and Merrill Karpf 
are the executive producers, with Morgan O'Sullivan as producer. Ken 
Cameron directed from a script by Chris Bryant and Monte Merrick. 
Waterston, the acclaimed star of ``The Killing Fields'' and 
television's ``Law and Order,'' joins Ms. Farrow, Justin Whalin, and 
numerous other brilliant artists in their magnificent acting 
performances.
  ``Miracle at Midnight'' displays for us all the beauty and justice of 
a people comparatively unburdened by the racial and religious hatreds 
that indelibly stamped the Holocaust. Preben Munch-Nielsen, then a 
teenager, took part in that historic rescue: ``We didn't recognize Jews 
as Jews, but as Danes. . . . The Jews . . . were victims of an insane 
movement created by lunatics. If you wanted to maintain your self-
respect, you did what you could.'' This film is a wonderful lesson of 
tolerance, dignity, and selflessness. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues 
to join me in commending ``Miracle at Midnight'' and all those who 
contributed to its valuable historical lesson.




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