[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 177 (Thursday, November 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            75TH ANNIVERSARY OF FAMINE-GENOCIDE OF 1932-1933

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                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 15, 2007

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise to mark the 75th anniversary of one 
of the worst crimes committed against our common humanity, and to 
remember the victims of the manmade famine that killed millions of 
Ukrainians in 1932-33.
  During the Famine-Genocide of 1932-33, 7 to 10 million Ukrainians 
were deliberately and systematically starved to death. We are familiar 
with the terrible suffering caused by famines that are the result of 
natural forces. But this period is all the more tragic because it 
resulted from criminal acts and deliberate, criminal decisions by 
political officials. Yet it is also one of the least known of human 
tragedies. Despite efforts by the Soviet government at the time and 
afterward to hide the planned and systematic nature of this famine-
genocide, the Ukrainian Diaspora has struggled to preserve its memory.
  I am proud that Congress has supported these efforts. Last year, 
Congress approved legislation to authorize the Government of Ukraine to 
donate a memorial in the District of Columbia honoring the victims of 
the Famine-Genocide. Today, the Ukrainian Government, the Ukrainian-
American Community, and the Department of Interior are working to 
identify a site for this memorial where all Americans can come to 
remember the victims of these acts and to contemplate their meaning and 
consequences.
  This memorial is very important to the 1.5 million Ukrainian-
Americans throughout the United States, and indeed to all humanity. It 
will not only honor their memory but serve as a tangible reminder to 
all of us that we must work together to prevent such tragedies in the 
future.
  It is critical to ensure that this tragedy is never forgotten. This 
is an important lesson because the Soviet Union proved during this 
period that food can be a weapon. By introducing unrealistically high 
quotas on grain and other agricultural products, which were strictly 
enforced by Red Army troops, the Soviet government deliberately starved 
7 to 10 million Ukrainians. The harvest of 1932 was only 12 percent 
below 1926-1930 average, but millions of Ukrainians died a slow, 
agonizing death of hunger.
  This effort was systematic and premeditated. Having sealed the 
borders of Ukraine to prevent any outward migration or outside relief 
efforts, the Soviet Union proceeded to confiscate grain and summarily 
execute anyone found taking even a handful of grain that was considered 
``social property.'' The result was devastating, and exactly what the 
Soviet government intended. Materials now being found in KGB archives 
have shown the pre-meditated, political nature of the famine.
  The United States and its people must stand with those living under 
oppressive and tyrannical regimes as they struggle for their freedom. 
Part of this struggle is to remember the brutal acts of these regimes 
and their victims. Preventing the recurrence of crimes against humanity 
such as the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide begins with remembering the 
tragedies of the past.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join the Ukrainian-American Community 
today in remembering the victims of this tragedy and renewing our 
commitment to ensure that it is never repeated.

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