[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 11, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KATYN MASSACRE

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 2010

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in commemoration of the 
70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre, when Soviet forces executed 
nearly 25,000 Polish military personnel and civilians including 4,443 
military officers in the spring of 1940.
  In September, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland and 
imprisoned nearly 5,000 Polish military personnel. Polish officers were 
separated by the Soviet NKVD, the precursor to the KGB. The officers 
were systematically lined up, shot in the back, and buried in the Katyn 
forest near Smolensk. Thousands more Polish soldiers and civilians were 
taken to other sites to be killed.
  In 1990, Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev publicly admitted that the 
Soviet NKVD had ordered the execution of up to 25,000 Polish military 
members and citizens. Gorbachev's admission was a first step toward 
reconciliation between Poland and Russia; a process that continues to 
progress today.
  Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join in remembrance of the 70th 
anniversary of the tragedy that became known as the Katyn Massacre. As 
the people of Poland and Russia continue the work of reconciliation, we 
must support their efforts and continue to work toward diplomacy and 
peace. Together, we can create a world where nations rely on the 
principles of diplomacy and peace to resolve conflicts.

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