[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 41 (Thursday, March 17, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E528-E529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO GRANT HOLOCAUST RAIL VICTIMS 
                                JUSTICE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2011

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am reintroducing bipartisan 
legislation along with my colleagues Representatives Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen, Jerrold Nadler, Ted Deutch, Luis Gutierrez, Maurice Hinchey, 
Allen West, Gary Ackerman, Elijah Cummings, Chris Van Hollen, and 
Debbie Wasserman Schultz that will finally grant holocaust rail victims 
justice in their lifetimes.
  During World War II, more than 75,000 Jews and other ``undesirables'' 
were transported from France to Nazi death camps aboard trains operated 
by the Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais (``SNCF''). Among 
those transported to death camps on SNCF trains were American airmen 
shot down over France. SNCF operated the trains as a commercial venture 
and were paid per head, per kilometer to deliver thousands to their 
ultimate deaths.
  In the 66 years since the end of World War II, SNCF has never made 
restitution or reparations to its victims, and recently went so far as 
to tell a member of the California Assembly that ``SNCF will never pay 
the survivors anything'' and that the company ``would rather not do 
business in California'' than pay reparations.
  Hundreds of known survivors and family members of those who have 
perished live in the United States today--although the number of living 
survivors is rapidly growing smaller--and litigation seeking to hold 
SNCF accountable for its actions during World War II has been ongoing 
for over ten years. SNCF has unfortunately thus far succeeded in 
cloaking itself in the veil of foreign sovereign immunity and thus 
evaded jurisdiction in United States courts.
  This legislation would simply preclude, in this one limited instance, 
the defense of foreign sovereign immunity from being raised. As the 
facts make clear, this is not the type of situation foreign sovereign 
immunity was intended to cover.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation that would finally 
hold SNCF accountable for its wartime actions and provide survivors 
with what is likely their last opportunity for justice in their 
lifetimes.

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