[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 132 (Monday, September 28, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1841-E1842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  H. RES. 557 ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS AND THE FORTHCOMING WASHINGTON 
                     CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST ASSETS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 28, 1998

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of my 
colleagues to House Resolution 557, which expresses support for U.S. 
government efforts to identify Holocaust-era assets and urging the 
restitution of individual and communal property. I introduced this 
resolution earlier today with my dear friend and our distinguished 
colleague, the Chairman of the International Relations Committee, 
Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a direct result of discussions which 
took place during a hearing of the International Relations Committee 
just during the first week of August. Stuart Eizenstat, our 
Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs, testified before the 
Committee regarding the status of Holocaust restitution activities. 
During that hearing, he told our Committee that a resolution supporting 
the efforts of the Administration in its restitution activities and 
urging positive response from European governments would be helpful and 
positive action.
  I want to call to the attention of our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, my 
profound respect and great admiration for the outstanding job that Mr. 
Eizenstat has done in dealing with issues related to Holocaust 
Restitution. Under his leadership, with the unswerving support of our 
exceptional Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, the United States 
has set the example for other countries with the issue of Holocaust 
restitution.
  In early December, Mr. Speaker, the United States will host the 
Washington Conference on Holocaust-era Assets, and this resolution 
emphasizes the importance of this conference in bringing about a 
resolution of matters related to restitution.
  Mr. Speaker, a number of our distinguished colleagues are original 
cosponsors of this important resolution. In addition to the 
distinguished Chairman of the International Relations Committee, Mr. 
Gilman of New York, the resolution has been cosponsored by the ranking 
Democratic member of the International Relations Committee, Mr. 
Hamilton, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Ms. 
Woolsey, Mr. Franks of New Jersey, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Berman, Mr. Brown 
of Ohio, Mr. Burton, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. 
Foley, Mr. Fox, Mr. Frost, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Hastings of 
Florida, Mr. Horn, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. 
Sanders, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Sisisky, Mr. Waxman, and Mr. 
Wexler.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join us as cosponsors of this 
important resolution. I ask that the text of the resolution be included 
in the Record.

                              H. Res. 557

       Expressing support of U.S. government efforts to identify 
     Holocaust-era assets, urging

[[Page E1842]]

     the restitution of individual and communal property, and for 
     other purposes.
       Whereas the Holocaust was one of the most tragic and 
     complex horrors in this century, and survivors of that 
     catastrophe are now reaching the end of their lives;
       Whereas among the many atrocities committed by the Nazis 
     was their systematic effort to confiscate property illegally 
     and wrongfully from individuals, institutions, and 
     communities solely because of religion or ethnicity;
       Whereas the Nazi regime used foreign financial institutions 
     to launder and hold property illegally confiscated from 
     Holocaust victims, and some foreign financial institutions 
     violated their fiduciary duty to their customers by 
     converting to their own use financial assets belonging to 
     Holocaust victims and denying heirs of these victims access 
     to these assets through restrictive regulations and 
     unreasonable interpretation of those regulations;
       Whereas in the post-Communist period of transition many of 
     the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have begun to 
     enact legal procedures for the restitution of property 
     confiscated or stolen from victims of the Holocaust to 
     communities and to individual survivors of the Holocaust and 
     their heirs;
       Whereas, despite the enactment of legislation and the 
     establishment of institutions to restore confiscated property 
     in a number of countries, progress has been slow, difficult, 
     and painful, and some countries have established restrictions 
     which require those whose properties have been wrongfully 
     plundered to reside in or be a current citizen of the country 
     from which they now seek restitution or compensation;
       Whereas the Tripartite Gold Commission has now concluded 
     its activities, and under the leadership of the United States 
     established an international Nazi Persecutees' Relief Fund, 
     reached agreement with most of the countries which had gold 
     on deposit with the Tripartite Gold Commission to donate 
     their shares to this Persecutees' Fund, and the United States 
     has pledged to contribute $25 million to this Fund;
       Whereas two significant agreements have recently been 
     reached, the first between Holocaust survivors and private 
     Swiss banks and the second between Holocaust survivors and 
     European insurance companies, which represent significant 
     first steps in the international effort to provide belated 
     justice to survivors and victims of the Holocaust and their 
     heirs;
       Whereas the Department of State and the United States 
     Holocaust Memorial Museum will co-host the Washington 
     Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets later this year in order 
     to review current efforts, share research across national 
     borders, renew efforts to open Nazi-era archives, and spur 
     greater progress on the restitution of Holocaust-era assets; 
     and
       Whereas there is a growing international consensus and 
     sense of urgency that, after a half century of indifference 
     and inaction, justice must be obtained for victims and 
     survivors of the Holocaust and their heirs; Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the great responsibility which the United 
     States has to Holocaust survivors and their families, many of 
     whom are American citizens, to continue to treat the issue of 
     Holocaust-era assets as a high priority and to encourage 
     other governments to do the same;
       (2) commends the agencies of the United States government 
     for their untiring efforts and for the example they have set, 
     including the publication of the May 1997 and June 1998 
     reports on U.S. and Allied Efforts to Recover or Restore Gold 
     and Other Assets Stolen or Hidden by Germany in World War II 
     and the efforts to return such assets to their rightful 
     owners;
       (3) commends those organizations which have played a 
     critical role in the effort to assure compensation and/or 
     restitution for survivors of the Holocaust, and in particular 
     to the World Jewish Congress and the World Jewish Restitution 
     Organization;
       (4) welcomes the convening of the Washington Conference on 
     Holocaust-Era Assets later this year by the United States 
     Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Department of State and 
     expresses the hope that this conference will contribute to 
     the sharing of information and will spur greater progress on 
     the restitution of Holocaust-era assets;
       (5) commends those countries which have instituted 
     procedures for the restitution of individual and communal 
     property confiscated from Holocaust victims, and urges those 
     governments which have not established such procedures to 
     adopt fair and transparent legislation and regulations 
     necessary for such restitution;
       (6) calls upon countries in transition in Central and 
     Eastern Europe to remove certain citizenship or residency 
     prerequisites for individual survivors of the Holocaust 
     seeking restitution of confiscated property;
       (7) notes that former Communist countries which seek to 
     become members of the North Atlantic Alliance and other 
     international organizations must recognize that a part of the 
     process of international integration involves the enactment 
     of laws which safeguard and protect property rights that are 
     similar to those in democratic countries which do not require 
     artificial citizenship and residency requirements for 
     restitution or compensation;
       (8) commends those countries which have established 
     significant commissions, such as the Presidential Advisory 
     Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States, to 
     conduct research into matters relating to Holocaust-era 
     assets, to assure that information developed by these 
     commissions is publicly available, to complete their major 
     historical research efforts, and to contribute to the major 
     funds established to benefit needy Holocaust survivors no 
     later than December 31, 1999;
       (9) commends those countries and organizations which have 
     opened their archives and made public records and documents 
     relating to the Nazi era, and urges all countries and 
     organizations, including the United Nations, the Holy See, 
     the International Committee of the Red Cross and national Red 
     Cross organizations, to assure that all materials relating to 
     that era are fully accessible to the public;
       (10) urges all countries to develop and include as a part 
     of their educational curriculum material on the Holocaust, 
     the history of the Second World War, the evils of 
     discrimination and persecution of racial, ethnic or religious 
     minorities, and the consequences of the failure to respect 
     human rights;
       (11) appreciates the efforts of the government of Germany 
     for successfully concluding an agreement with the Conference 
     on Material Claims Against Germany on matters concerning 
     restitution for Holocaust survivors from Central and Eastern 
     Europe who have not yet received restitution, and urges the 
     government of Germany to continue to negotiate with the 
     Claims Conference to expand the eligibility criteria to 
     ensure that all needy Holocaust survivors receive 
     restitution;
       (12) urges all countries to continue aggressive 
     investigation and prosecution of individuals who may have 
     been involved in Nazi-era war crimes, such as the Government 
     of Germany which should investigate Dr. Hans Joachim Sewering 
     for war crimes of active euthanasia and crimes against 
     humanity committed during World War II;
       (13) urges countries, especially Israel, Russia, Poland, 
     and other Central and East European nations, and 
     organizations such as the International Committee of the Red 
     Cross and Israel's Jewish Agency to coordinate efforts to 
     help reunite family members separated during the Holocaust; 
     and
       (14) directs the Clerk of the House to transmit a copy of 
     this resolution to the Secretary of State and requests that 
     the Secretary transmit copies to all relevant parties.

     

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