[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              THE 66TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UKRAINIAN FAMINE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 1999

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 66th 
anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932 to 1933, a tragedy that 
claimed the lives of at least seven million Ukrainians.
  Too often, we have seen the horrors of famine in all parts of the 
world. Famine usually brought about by prolonged wars, droughts, floods 
or other natural occurrences. Rarely have we seen such famine brought 
on by the repressive actions of a government.
  In 1932 to 1933, leaders of the former Soviet Union used food as a 
weapon against the innocent people of Ukraine. Seeking to punish 
Ukraine for its opposition to Soviet policies of forced 
collectivization of agriculture and industrialization, Joseph Stalin 
unleashed the horror of the Ukrainian Famine on the people of Ukraine. 
Estimates of the number of innocent men, women and children who died 
reach over 7 million, and even today the Ukrainian population has not 
yet fully recovered.
  This year marks the 66th year since this man-made, artificial famine 
in Ukraine. I rise today, as a co-chair of the Congressional Ukrainian 
Caucus, to join in commemorating with the Ukrainian-American community 
the tragedy of 66 years ago.
  The Ukrainian community's main commemorative observance will be held 
on Saturday, November 20, 1999 in St. Patrick's Cathedral with a solemn 
procession along New York's avenues and a requiem service.
  We must honor the memory of all those who perished and never let such 
a tragedy happen again.

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