[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21735]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 21735]]

     EXPRESSING REGARD AND SYMPATHY TO UKRAINE AT 68TH ANNIVERSARY 
              REMEMBRANCE OF GREAT FAMINE OF 1932 AND 1933

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, today I rise for the record to express my 
deepest regard and sympathies to the new Nation of Ukraine at its 68th 
anniversary remembrance of the tragic great famine of 1932 and 1933.
  Ukraine, always known as the breadbasket of Europe, lost nearly a 
quarter of its population as the Stalinist-led government, 
headquartered in Moscow then, forcibly exported Ukraine's wheat and 
spent the money earned on industrialization.

                              {time}  2000

  Only God knows the true count of the millions of Ukrainian peasants 
and village dwellers who were systematically starved to death as 
collectivization of the countryside made independent farming 
impossible.
  Inside the borders of the Soviet Union, over 50 million people 
ultimately perished through the end of the Second World War, beginning 
with upwards of 8 million innocent people who died during forced famine 
of the early 1930s. The totalitarian regime of Joseph Stalin understood 
the power of food as the most fundamental weapon and used it cruelly.
  For several centuries, Ukraine then fought for its freedom. When 
forced to join the U.S.S.R. in the 20th century, Ukrainians resisted 
with valor. The forests of Western Ukraine are filled with the bones of 
their sacrifice. Every family suffered permanent losses. Yet no threats 
or punishments could deter Ukraine from its constant attempts to leave 
the Soviet Union and restore its independence.
  Fearing for the integrity of its empire, the Soviet regime then 
decided to simply eliminate Ukrainian culture by destroying the 
intellectual and military elite that pursued ideals of freedom and 
liberty. The regime falsified history and finally starved millions upon 
millions into submission.
  Genocide of this magnitude is unparalleled in human history. It is 
almost impossible to comprehend a political system that would 
contemplate and plan the deaths of millions of its citizens. These 
deaths of men, women, children and elderly were executed in the most 
tortuous ways imaginable. Young men were forcibly inducted into the 
military, taken from their farms and villages. Families that did not 
cooperate were shot. The remaining millions were starved to death. 
Women and children scratched in the frozen earth to find even an onion 
to make soup in the winter. Mothers died to give their last shreds of 
food to their children.
  History shows even in the face of such brutality, Ukrainians did not 
retreat. They continued to fight for freedom. Deep in their souls their 
spirits remained unbent and steadfast.
  When Ukrainian independence finally was declared in 1991, Ukrainian 
patriots did not rest. They refused to forget their roots and live like 
tumbleweeds. Life without a homeland for them was life not worth 
living. Finally, they prevailed; but the memory of the earlier horrors 
remained always and drives them in their sense of duty.
  Many of my own ancestors died miserably inside what is now Ukraine 
during the 1930s. Our family well knows that this horror occurred.
  We, history, must never forget that such profound events happened. We 
must remember. We must prevent such evil from happening again. We must 
also recognize that such hatred can be perpetrated only when freedom 
does not reign in a land. Therefore, we must maintain our dedication to 
freedom and representative government.
  We must resist anyone who attempts to take it from us. We must help 
those in the world who have gained their democratic freedoms to keep 
them alive and nurture them into maturity. We must not rest until such 
seemingly simple gifts as a right to life and the right to pursue 
happiness are guaranteed for every person in the world.
  Democratic freedoms must prevail more now than ever. Recent events 
make us more aware of precious endowments of our known Nationhood. Now 
we have an additional reason to continue our work for democratization 
and defense of human rights. The memory of those who died defenselessly 
in this struggle so long ago deserve to be honored.
  For several centuries, Ukraine has fought for its freedom. When 
forced to join the U.S.S.R., Ukrainians resisted with valor. In 
furtherance of this remembrance, I would strongly encourage the United 
States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, 
and the U.S.-Ukraine Joint Cultural Heritage Commission, each funded 
annually by the Congress of the United States on behalf of the people 
of the United States, to accurately reflect the great famine in their 
historical documentations, including cemeteries, massacre sites and 
other hallowed grounds in Ukraine. Those commemorations should also 
give proper tribute and restore the lost heritage resulting from the 
mass immigration of writers and scholars to the West.
  In closing, Madam Speaker, we will mourn the lives of these innocent 
people lost to history on November 17, 2001, when a commemorative 
service will be held in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Let 
us never forget them. Let us work ever harder to build a world free of 
terror for our children.

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