[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 47 (Thursday, April 13, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2773-S2774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 105--DESIGNATING APRIL 13, 2000, AS A DAY 
       OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE VICTIMS OF THE KATYN FOREST MASSACRE

  Mr. ABRAHAM submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                            S. Con. Res. 105

       Whereas 60 years ago, the Katyn Forest crime was committed, 
     resulting in the death of 21,000 Polish military officers of 
     all armed services, and justice and administration personnel;
       Whereas, on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the Katyn 
     crime, the Lower Chamber of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) will 
     pay homage to all those murdered--the ``best sons of the 
     nation'', those who had not given in to Soviet ideology and 
     physical pressure, and remained loyal to the Republic of 
     Poland and the values they were taught to uphold;
       Whereas Congress joins the Sejm in condemning all forms of 
     genocide, murder, deportation, and violation of human rights;
       Whereas Congress joins the Sejm in its appreciation to all 
     scholars, researchers, and writers, especially those under 
     Soviet domination, who had the courage to tell the truth 
     about the Katyn crime;
       Whereas Congress acknowledges with gratitude the Sejm's 
     recognition of the pioneering work of Congress and the House 
     of Representatives for the establishment in 1951 of a Select 
     Committee to conduct an investigation of the Katyn crime;
       Whereas Congress is pleased to join the Sejm in thanking 
     those citizens of Russia who, guided by their sense of honor 
     and dignity, contributed to the disclosure of the basic Katyn 
     crime and the confirming, related documents; and
       Whereas Congress continues to recognize the importance of 
     remembering the victims of communism as when it passed H.R. 
     3000 in 1993 calling for a Victims of Communism Memorial, and 
     commends the work of the Victims of Communism Memorial 
     Foundation in working toward this objective: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress joins the Polish Sejm in 
     designating April 13, 2000, as a day of remembrance to the 
     victims of the Katyn Massacre that occurred 60 years ago and 
     urges citizens of the United States to join their Polish 
     counterparts in learning about and understanding what 
     happened in the Katyn Forest.

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise to submit a concurrent 
resolution commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the Katyn Forest 
massacre. For too long, Mr. President, too much of the world has been 
silent concerning this horrible crime against humanity, committed by 
the forces of communism. Through this resolution we may join with the 
Polish people in reminding the world of the horrors suffered by that 
nation's people at the hands of Soviet forces.
  Now that the forces of Soviet communism have been defeated, Mr. 
President, it is too easy to forget those whose suffering has never 
been properly recognized. And few suffered as did the Poles. This proud 
nation, so often torn apart by opposing forces through the centuries, 
had once again achieved independence after World War I. The infamous 
Hitler/Stalin pact put an end to that independence, splitting the 
Polish nation in half, with each half being enslaved to a separate 
totalitarian dictatorship.
  The horrors visited upon the Polish people by Hitler's Nazi regime 
are well known, they are rightly commemorated in monuments and 
declarations. But the victims of Soviet communism in Poland have not 
had their story told. For the sake of humanity and freedom around the 
globe, that story must be told. This resolution is a beginning to that 
process. It is a first step in telling the world the full, awful truth 
of what was done to real people in the name of an abstract, unreal 
vision of Soviet humanity.
  Sixty years ago, 21,000 Polish military officers, justice and 
administration personnel were slaughtered in the Katyn Forest. Today 
the Lower House of the Polish Parliament, the Sejm, is paying homage to 
these murdered patriots. These ``best sons of the nation,'' as the Sejm 
calls them, those who refused to give in to Soviet ideology and 
physical intimidation, remained loyal to the Republic of Poland, and to 
the values of freedom, faith and nation, to which that Republic was 
dedicated. They paid for their patriotism with their lives.
  For too long, Mr. President, the awful story of this massacre has 
been kept from the light of day. As we pay tribute to the patriots 
slain in the Katyn Forest, it is only right that we pay tribute to the 
brave citizens of the then-Soviet Union who risked their own lives and 
freedom in helping disclose the events we mark today. We also should be 
grateful to those who, after the fall of Soviet communism, have obeyed 
their own sense of honor in contributing to the confirmation and 
documentation of this crime.
  Now the full story of the Katyn Forest can be told. It is my hope 
that this story will be told throughout the United States, Europe and 
the rest of the world as a reminder of the inhumanities perpetrated by 
those enthralled to the ideology of communism. By telling this story, 
we can help open the hearts and minds of people everywhere to the 
dangers of armed ideologies. The U.S. Congress itself has recognized 
the importance of remembering the victims of communism. That is why, in 
1993, we passed a Resolution calling for a Victims of Communism 
Memorial and commending the work of the Victims of Communism Memorial 
Foundation for its work toward that objective.
  Mr. President, it is my hope that this resolution can serve to bring 
us closer to our brethren in Poland and to people around the world who 
love freedom. The price paid by the Polish people for their liberty is 
one for which all of us owe them a great debt of gratitude and

[[Page S2774]]

respect. The blood of martyrs was spilled in the Katyn Forest. Martyrs 
to freedom and humanity. We have a duty, in my view, to pay tribute to 
the sacrifice they made for us all.

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