[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING MR. ROMAN PUCINSKI AND HIS WORK UNCOVERING THE KATYN MASSACRE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 10, 2012

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Roman C. Pucinski, 
whose tireless efforts helped shed light on the horrific Katyn Massacre 
of 1940. Mr. Pucinski was a leader in the Polish-American community in 
Chicago, serving as a U.S. Representative and an Alderman. He passed 
away on September 25, 2002, but I rise to honor him today because some 
of his most important life's work will be available to the public for 
the first time this week. Beginning today, September 10th, the 
materials related to revealing the Katyn Massacre, that he spent much 
of his career in Congress working to compile, will be declassified and 
put on display at the National Archives. I am certain that he would be 
overcome with emotion if he were able to see the fruits of his labor on 
this special day.
  During World War II, Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany on September 
1, 1939, then by the Soviet Union on September 17th. The Soviet Army 
met little resistance as it advanced through Poland from the east, 
because Polish troops were ordered not to engage, incorrectly thinking 
that the Soviets were there to help. The Soviets subsequently took 
thousands of Polish prisoners of war. Soviet troops, by the order of 
Joseph Stalin and the Politburo, ordered approximately 22,000 
executions of Polish military officers, police officers, and other 
government officials. These executions are now known as the Katyn 
Massacre. Nazi troops found the mass graves in 1943 and the Soviet 
Union denied any responsibility, and maintained that position until 
1990.
  Leading to the Soviet Union's acknowledgement of crime, Congress 
established the Select Committee on the Katyn Forest Massacre from 
1951-1952, chaired by Congressman Ray J. Madden of Indiana. The 
committee hired Mr. Pucinski as the bilingual Chief Investigator for 
the committee because of his experience as an investigative reporter 
with the Chicago Sun-Times, and his fluency in both Polish and English. 
Mr. Pucinski worked endlessly to provide conclusive documentation that 
it was indeed the Soviets, and not the Nazis, who were responsible for 
this heinous crime. Traveling across Europe and the United States, he 
found witnesses, took depositions, and uncovered secret documents. He 
worked to uncover the truth about a great tragedy of World War II, and 
has helped ease the pain of those affected by Katyn Massacre. I am 
happy to say that many of the documents he helped uncover and compiled 
are finally available for public viewing. These documents will serve as 
a reminder for all visitors to the National Archives the horrors of 
World War II and the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom.
  Mr. Pucinski was born in Buffalo, New York, but grew up in Chicago. 
He graduated from Northwestern University, and while there began his 
work at the Chicago Sun-Times. During World War II, Mr. Pucinski served 
in the U.S. Army Air Forces where he became a Captain and led his 
bombardier in the first B-29 bomb raid on Tokyo. Following the war, Mr. 
Pucinski attended John Marshall Law School in Chicago and graduated in 
1949. He then went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives 
from 1959 to 1973 and as a Chicago Alderman from 1973 until 1991. 
Throughout Mr. Pucinski's lifetime, he was a leader for both Chicago 
and the city's expansive Polish-American community.
  Please join me in honoring Mr. Pucinski's work to investigate and 
uncover the truth behind the Katyn Massacre. I commend his efforts not 
only as an investigator, but also as an elected official and I am happy 
his important work will be available to educate Americans for 
generations to come.

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