[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 68 (Thursday, May 23, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A DOCUMENTARY RECOGNIZING THE HEROIC ROLE OF TURKISH DIPLOMATS DURING 
                              WORLD WAR II

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ROBERT WEXLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 22, 2002

  Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, since September 11, our newspapers and 
airwaves have been filled with stories about heroes and ordinary men 
and women who have performed courageously in times of great peril. We 
are night to celebrate them and to acknowledge their heroism.
  On Monday, May 20, 2002, an extraordinary film was shown in the U.S. 
Capitol to Members of Congress and their staffers that celebrates 
heroes of the past. The film, ``Desperate Hours,'' chronicles the 
heroic efforts of World War II Turkish diplomats who saved hundreds of 
Jewish people from almost certain death by providing them with the 
documentation and support necessary to leave Nazi-occupied Europe and 
enter Turkey safely.
  This dramatic hour-long documentary included interviews with Turkish 
officials who intervened on behalf of the threatened Turkish Jewish 
community in Europe and those individuals that received the help of 
these brave diplomats. In their own words, these incredible individuals 
who survived Nazi persecution continue to tell a moving and uplifting 
tale of their struggle for freedom and the selfless acts of assistance 
they received from Turkish diplomats.
  Mr. Speaker, it is extremely important that we acknowledge the heroes 
of today, However, it is equally important that we acknowledge and 
remember individuals like those Turkish diplomats who had the greatest 
respect for human life and dignity and acted as heroes during a period 
of great darkness. The movie ``Desperate Hours'' justly recognizes the 
heroism of these brave individuals who saved the lives of thousand of 
Turkish Jews.

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