[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 75 (Monday, June 10, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5282-S5283]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    ESTONIA'S ROLE IN THE HOLOCAUST

 Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, I ask that an article 
written by the U.S. Ambassador to Estonia, Joseph M. DeThomas, be 
printed in the Record. Ambassador DeThomas outlines important steps for 
the Estonian government to undertake to address Estonia's role in the 
Holocaust.
  The article follows.

                        Past, Present and Future

                   (By Ambassador Joseph M. DeThomas)

       In every interview I have had with the press since I 
     arrived in Tallinn, I have been asked in one form or another, 
     ``What has surprised you about Estonia?'' I have always 
     answered by noting that some aspect or another about Estonia 
     was even more positive than I expected. Early May, however, I 
     was surprised in a different way. A report in a Russian 
     weekly claiming that Simon Wiesenthal advocated a boycott of 
     the Baltic States and Ukraine produced a firestorm of comment 
     from the press, political circles, and some members of the 
     public. The comments were angry, defensive, and--with regard 
     to my government's position--erroneous. The Wiesenthal Center 
     has categorically denied that Mr. Wiesenthal ever even gave 
     this interview. I did not intervene in this discussion. Since 
     arriving here, I have learned a very useful Estonian proverb, 
     ``Think nine times, speak once.'' I have used the intervening 
     days since the story broke to think nine times about the past 
     and what would be useful to do about it in the present. I 
     would like to share my views.
       First, let me make clear my own government's position. We 
     believe there is more for all of us to do to deal with the 
     crimes of the past, and the Holocaust is a crime of unique 
     proportions. A prominent political leader here implied last 
     week that the United States is satisfied that Estonia has 
     done all it needs to do to deal with the Holocaust. Just last 
     month, however, Heather Conley, the Department of State's 
     senior official responsible for the Baltic States called on 
     the Baltic States to do more to deal with the damage from the 
     Holocaust. The same is the case for the U.S. Senate. For 
     example, recently, Senator Biden, the Chairman of the Senate 
     Foreign Relations Committee, made a very strong statement 
     about his concern about the resurgence of anti-Semitism in 
     Europe and called on all countries aspiring to NATO 
     membership to ensure that ``the very ugly remnants of war-
     time fascism . . . be totally and permanently suppressed.''
       Estonia's World War II past was uniquely painful. The 
     country and its people were not given the freedom to choose 
     between good and evil. Terrible choices had to be made. 
     Estonia suffered terribly under two periods of Soviet 
     occupation as well as the Nazi German occupation. The fact 
     that the Soviet occupation did more direct harm in Estonia, 
     however, does not negate the fact that the Holocaust happened 
     here too. As the conclusions of the Estonian International 
     Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity 
     demonstrated, some Estonians bear responsibility for 
     participating in this evil. I believe all countries that 
     lived through the nightmare of the last century need to deal 
     with their crimes honestly and completely so that they cannot 
     be repeated in the future. We must face history, not hide 
     from it.
       What does this mean with regard to Estonia's approach to 
     the Holocaust? I suggest the following very modest steps:
       1. Do justice where justice is needed. Since 
     reindependence, no Estonian has been prosecuted for crimes 
     committed during the Holocaust. In part, that may be because 
     many were prosecuted during the Soviet period. But, there are 
     still Estonian candidates for prosecution. These individuals 
     should be pursued with the same vigor with which the state 
     still pursues those suspected of Soviet crimes. And the time 
     for this is now. The World War II generation is passing from 
     the scene. Witnesses to the crimes are dying. Both the 
     victims and the victimizers should see justice done before it 
     is too late.
       2. Recognize the Holocaust is part of Estonia's history. 
     Compared to the other Baltic States, the states of Central 
     Europe and even some neutral states during World War II, the 
     Holocaust is less recognized as a part of the national 
     history in Estonia. The Holocaust took place here. About one 
     thousand Estonian Jews and even more non-Estonian Jews were 
     murdered in this country. Yet, the day of remembrance for the 
     Holocaust, Yom Hashoah, receives almost no notice in this 
     country. Many sites involving Holocaust crimes here are not 
     marked or remembered. A few sites have recently been 
     commemorated. This should continue.
       3. Teach our children about the past. I have been told 
     Estonian school textbooks treat the Holocaust in about one-
     and-a-half pages. If this is true for most of Estonia, I 
     would suggest that history texts on this subject already in 
     other states in this region be translated into Estonian for 
     use here. I understand such a step is already under 
     consideration by the government. I hope that the Estonian 
     Government follows the call of some Estonian NGO's to be more 
     involved in the Task Force for International Cooperation on 
     Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research, to which 11 
     nations belong.
       The evil of racism and anti-Semitism does not grow again 
     and again because the decent majority advocates it actively. 
     It returns because it is ignored or trivialized by the 
     majority until it reemerges in a new generation. Estonia has 
     emerged from a desolate past into a present full of promise, 
     thanks to the work of its people. But, to ensure a positive 
     future, I believe it essential that the

[[Page S5283]]

     country address all aspects of the past soberly, 
     respectfully, honestly and with justice.

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