[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17080-17081]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE BALTIC COUNTRIES OF ESTONIA, 
                         LATVIA, AND LITHUANIA

  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on International Relations be discharged from further consideration of 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 128) expressing the sense of 
Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation should issue a 
clear and unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the 
illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 
of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and ask for 
its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, although I 
will not object to this resolution, but I want to claim the time to 
speak in support of this resolution.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution, with 29 other 
Members of Congress, that calls upon Russia to acknowledge the 
occupation and subsequent suffering of the Baltic people under Soviet 
control during the period of time of the secret Molotov Richenberg 
agreement.
  The resolution comes to the floor in a timely manner. This week is 
Captive Nations Week, first declared so by the U.S. Congress on July 
17, 1959 as a joint resolution against continuing Communist domination 
of the Baltic countries. President Bush has again declared this week 
Captive Nations Week and urges Americans to reaffirm their commitment 
to all those seeking liberty, justice and self-determination. I can 
think of no better way to honor the memories of those who fought for 
freedom against Communist control than to pass this resolution.
  During Communist occupation of the Baltics, hundreds of thousands of 
people were torn from their families and deported to Siberia, many 
never to be heard from again. No one can exactly be sure of the amount 
of those who died or fled Soviet control, but it has been estimated 
from 500,000 to 750,000 people. You cannot meet a person in these 
countries that did not have a family member or loved one who was not 
affected by these horrible practices. Russia has been unwavering in its 
nonrecognition of the mass deportations, tortures, and murders 
committed during the Soviet regime; a Soviet regime that was a 
Communist regime, not a supposedly more open Russian government that 
purports to be democratic today.
  I feel, along with the 29 cosponsors of this resolution, that Russia 
needs to acknowledge the mistakes of the past so it can move forward 
and become a truthful State and, in turn, a stronger democracy. It is 
important that the United States join with our allies in the Baltics 
and stand for democracy and the rights of individuals to be protected 
everywhere. Democracy and freedom cannot exist without truth and 
transparency.

[[Page 17081]]

  I would hope Russia would take a step towards this as a Nation by 
acknowledging the past, and I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor 
of this resolution.
  I also want to take the time to thank the gentleman from Illinois 
(Chairman Hyde), the gentleman from California (Ranking Member Lantos), 
the gentleman from California (Chairman Gallegly), and the gentleman 
from Florida (Ranking Member Wexler) for allowing this to be moved in 
an expeditious manner.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 128

       Whereas the incorporation in 1940 of the Baltic countries 
     of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union was 
     an act of aggression carried out against the will of 
     sovereign people;
       Whereas the United States was steadfast in its policy of 
     not recognizing the illegal Soviet annexation of Estonia, 
     Latvia, and Lithuania;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is the successor state to 
     the Soviet Union;
       Whereas the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, including its 
     secret protocols, between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union 
     provided the Soviet Union with the opportunity to occupy and 
     annex Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;
       Whereas the occupation brought countless suffering to the 
     Baltic peoples through terror, killings, and deportations to 
     Siberian concentration camps;
       Whereas the peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania 
     bravely resisted Soviet aggression first through armed 
     resistance movements and later through political resistance 
     movements;
       Whereas the Government of Germany renounced its 
     participation in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 and 
     publicly apologized for the destruction and terror that Nazi 
     Germany unleashed on the world;
       Whereas, in 1989, the Congress of Peoples' Deputies of the 
     Soviet Union declared the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 
     void;
       Whereas the illegal occupation and annexation of the Baltic 
     countries is one of the largest remaining unacknowledged 
     incidents of oppression in Russian history;
       Whereas a declaration of acknowledgment of such incident by 
     the Russian Federation would lead to improved relations 
     between the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and the 
     people of Russia, would form the basis for improved relations 
     between the governments of the countries, and strengthen 
     stability in the region;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is to be commended for 
     beginning to acknowledge grievous and regrettable incidents 
     in their history, such as admitting complicity in the 
     massacre of Polish soldiers in the Katyn Forest in 1939;
       Whereas the truth is a powerful weapon for healing, 
     forgiving, and reconciliation, but its absence breeds 
     distrust, fear, and hostility; and
       Whereas countries that cannot clearly admit their 
     historical mistakes and make peace with their pasts cannot 
     successfully build their futures: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the 
     Government of the Russian Federation should issue a clear and 
     unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the 
     illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 
     1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and 
     Lithuania, the consequence of which will be a significant 
     increase in good will among the affected peoples and enhanced 
     regional stability.

  The concurrent resolution was agreed to.


           Amendment to the Preamble Offered by Mr. McCotter

  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment to the preamble.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment to the preamble offered by Mr. McCotter:
       Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas the incorporation in 1940 of the Baltic countries 
     of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union was 
     an act of aggression carried out against the will of 
     sovereign people;
       Whereas the United States was steadfast in its policy of 
     not recognizing the illegal Soviet annexation of Estonia, 
     Latvia, and Lithuania;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is the successor state to 
     the Soviet Union;
       Whereas the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, including its 
     secret protocols, between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union 
     provided the Soviet Union with the opportunity to occupy and 
     annex Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;
       Whereas the occupation brought countless suffering to the 
     Baltic peoples through terror, killings, and deportations to 
     Siberian concentration camps;
       Whereas the peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania 
     bravely resisted Soviet aggression and occupation;
       Whereas the Government of Germany renounced its 
     participation in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 and 
     publicly apologized for the destruction and terror that Nazi 
     Germany unleashed on the world;
       Whereas in 1989, the Congress of Peoples' Deputies of the 
     Soviet Union denounced the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 
     and its secret protocols;
       Whereas President Putin recently confirmed that the 
     statement of the Congress of Peoples' Deputies remains the 
     view of the Russian Federation;
       Whereas the illegal occupation and annexation of the Baltic 
     countries by the Soviet Union remains unacknowledged by the 
     Russian Federation;
       Whereas a declaration of acknowledgment of the illegal 
     occupation and annexation by the Russian Federation would 
     lead to improved relations between the people of Estonia, 
     Latvia, and Lithuania and the people of Russia, would form 
     the basis for improved relations between the governments of 
     the countries, and strengthen stability in the region;
       Whereas the Russian Federation is to be commended for 
     acknowledging grievous and regrettable incidents in the 
     Soviet era, such as the massacre by the Soviet regime of 
     Polish soldiers in the Katyn Forest in 1939;
       Whereas the truth is a powerful weapon for healing, 
     forgiving, and reconciliation, but its absence breeds 
     distrust, fear, and hostility; and
       Whereas countries that cannot clearly admit their 
     historical mistakes and make peace with their pasts cannot 
     successfully build their futures: Now, therefore, be it

  Mr. McCOTTER (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that the amendment to the preamble be considered as read and 
printed in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the amendment to the 
preamble offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter).
  The amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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