[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      REMEMBERING THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ANDY HARRIS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 18, 2011

  Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was not 
only a culmination of Hungary's struggle for freedom, democracy and 
independence, but also presaged the collapse of the Soviet Empire. 
Indeed, the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Fight for Freedom was the 
first tear in the Iron Curtain. Hungarians from all walks of life rose 
up against insurmountable odds to fight the brutal Soviet-installed 
Hungarian communist government. Many died fighting, others were 
tortured and executed, while 200,000 were forced to flee. 2011 marks 
the 55th anniversary of that historical chain of events.
  The American Hungarian Federation, founded over 100 years ago and the 
oldest and largest umbrella Hungarian American organization in the 
United States, honors those whose enormous sacrifice seemed futile 55 
years ago but that today is universally recognized as having 
contributed to the ultimate demise of Soviet domination of central and 
eastern Europe and the restoration of freedom and independence in 
Hungary and the region.
  We must never forget the heroes of 1956--the students, the 
intellectuals, the workers, the farmers and the cross-section of the 
entire Hungarian nation--who knew exactly what they wanted 55 years ago 
and were prepared to realize their dreams at great personal sacrifice. 
They fought and died for freedom, a multi-party democracy and 
independence from the Soviet Union.
  Two of our great presidents, among many others who cherish freedom 
and the courage to struggle for it, remembered the Hungarian Revolution 
as follows:
  ``October 23, 1956, is a day that will live forever in the annals of 
free men and nations. It was a day of courage, conscience and triumph. 
No other day since history began has shown more clearly the eternal 
unquenchability of man's desire to be free, whatever the odds against 
success, whatever the sacrifice required.''--John F. Kennedy, on the 
first anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution.
  ``The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was a true revolution of, by and 
for the people. Its motivations were humanity's universal longings to 
live, worship, and work in peace and to determine one's own destiny. 
The Hungarian Revolution forever gave the lie to communism's claim to 
represent the people, and told the world that brave hearts still exist 
to challenge injustice.''--Excerpt from Ronald Reagan's Presidential 
Proclamation issued on October 20, 1986.
  We also recall the impact the massive Soviet invasion had on the 
Hungarian communities in states neighboring Hungary. One consequence 
was the solidly Stalinist Romanian government's virtual liquidation of 
the Hungarian-language Bolyai University in Romania, which was 
implemented by the secretary of the Central Committee, Nicolae 
Ceausescu. Five years ago Nobel Laureates and Wolf Prize Laureates, 
including Elie Wiesel and George Olah, and 69 other internationally 
acclaimed scholars called upon Romania to take ``immediate steps'' to 
``re-establish the public Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvar.'' 
The university has yet to be restored.
  Another victim of communism was Janos Esterhazy, who despite being 
the only member of Slovakia's parliament to vote against the 
deportation of Jews in 1942, nevertheless died in a Czechoslovak prison 
in 1957. While Russia has done so, Slovakia has yet to exonerate him.
  Righting wrongs against Hungarian minorities (e.g., the Esterhazy 
case and the Bolyai University matter) that extend back to the Cold War 
period and respecting the rights of such minorities would be a fitting 
commemoration of 1956 and a tribute to the memory of thousands of 
unsung heroes who did not compromise but sacrificed their lives for the 
cause of liberty fifty-five years ago. Moreover, in order to strengthen 
democracy and safeguard freedoms throughout the region, today's 
generation--the beneficiary of the restored freedoms following the 
demise of communism--must be vigilant and guard against the curtailment 
of democracy and infringement of fundamental human rights and Western 
standards relating to minority rights.
  Consistent with its practice of fifty-five years, the American 
Hungarian Federation is committed to keep the memory of the heroes of 
1956 alive. As we contemplate the promise of Hungary 1956, we are 
reminded that that promise must never be forgotten or abandoned, as the 
heroes of 1956 deserve nothing less.

                          ____________________