[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 133 (Friday, September 9, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1586-E1587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COMMEMORATION OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE WARSAW UPRISING

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 9, 2011

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Helsinki 
Commission and Co-Chairman of the Poland Caucus, I have long been 
struck by the way in which history casts both long shadows and rays of 
light in Poland. I have had the privilege of traveling to Poland, one 
of America's closest allies, and was overwhelmed by the weight of 
history when I met with those who are building the Museum of the 
History of Poland's choose. Institutions like this are not only 
critical for Poland's future generations, but for what all of us, 
around the world, can learn from Poland.
  Today, I rise today to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Warsaw 
Uprising, a courageous act of defiance by the people of Poland against 
the brutal Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
  On August 1, 1944, the Polish Underground began its struggle to 
liberate Warsaw, to further weaken the collapsing German eastern front 
and to establish Polish sovereignty in response to the Red Army's 
advance to the city's outskirts. Despite the courage and fortitude of 
the Polish people, the Underground could not overcome the Nazis' 
determination to oversee the complete destruction of the Home Army and 
the city, bolstered by official orders and a directive that the 
massacre was to serve as a ``terrifying example'' to Europe.
  More than 200,000 civilians and members of the Home Army were killed 
in Warsaw over a 63-day period. Between August 5 and August 8, the 
Nazis murdered more than 40,000 people--overwhelmingly civilians--in 
the Wola district of Warsaw alone. Survivors, describing the horror of 
the executions, told of the indiscriminate slaughter of thousands of 
women and children. Approximately 700,000 Warsaw residents were 
expelled from their homes and forced out of the city--many sent to 
death, labor, or POW camps.
  Hitler ordered that Warsaw should be razed to the ground; Heinrich 
Himmler declaring in the most chilling terms that Warsaw ``must 
completely disappear from the surface of the earth.'' To that end, the 
Nazis systematically targeted buildings filled with deep meaning for 
the Poles, including cultural treasures, monuments, palaces, libraries, 
churches, and the Old Town. By the beginning of October, the Polish 
capitol was reduced to rubble--85 percent of the buildings in Warsaw 
had been destroyed.

[[Page E1587]]

  But from ashes come diamonds and, despite this barbaric campaign, the 
Polish desire for freedom and liberty could not be extinguished--not 
even by the decades of communist oppression which followed the end of 
the war. Such courage and resilience continues to define the Polish 
people.
  Today, Poland is a successful democracy and one of our strongest 
military allies. More to the point, Poland's leadership on issues 
related to democracy and human rights gives true meaning to the 
alliance concept of ``shared values.'' Poland has tirelessly support 
democratic movements in Northern Africa and Eastern Europe, 
particularly in Tunisia, through democracy activists and transition 
experts, and Belarus. Poland has served as a regional force in the 
effort to encourage human rights and democracy in Belarus in the wake 
of the December 2010 post-election political crackdown, maintaining 
free media outlets that operate in Belarus and opening Polish 
universities to students expelled for pro-democracy activities.
  On July 1, Poland assumed the six-months rotating Presidency of the 
European Union. It can only strengthen our transatlantic alliance to 
have the EU led by a country that has accomplished so much over the 
past 20 years both political and economically. As it happens, Poland 
has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and is the only EU 
country not faced with a recession amidst the global financial crisis.
  As chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and co-chairman of the 
Congressional Poland Caucus, I commend Poland's leadership on democracy 
and human rights throughout the OSCE region and globally. Polish-
American ties remain strong and steadfast because of such dedication to 
these common values. More than that, however, I have unwavering respect 
and admiration for the people of Poland, whose courage and 
determination in the face of so many historic tragedies--of which the 
Warsaw Massacre is only one example--is a source of continued 
inspiration.

                          ____________________