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ACTION UKRAINE HISTORY REPORT (AUHR)
Washington, D.C., Friday, January 2, 2009
TO: HOLODOMOR RECOGNITION WORKING GROUP
DATE: Friday, January 2, 2009
RE: The Holodomor As Genocide Has Been Recognized Officially Now By How Many Countries?
Is the number fourteen, fifteen, sixteen or seventeen or what number? And who exactly are they?
BELOW YOU WILL FIND THE THREE REPLIES THAT WERE RECEIVED REGARDING
THE QUESTION ABOVE ORIGINALLY RAISED BY PROFESSOR TARAS HUNCZAK:
1. From Luis Riberio, Portugal
2. From Katya Mischenko-Mycyk, Chicago, Il.
3. From Michael Sawkiw, Washington, D.C.
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1. From: Luís Ribeiro luismatosribeiro@yahoo.com.br
To: morganw@patriot.net
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 2:21 PM
Subject: Holodomor
Dear Morgan Williams
In accordance with the correct information from the Ukrainian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 14 states recognized the Holodomor as an act of genocide:
1 - Australia
2 - Canada
3 - Colombia
4 - Ecuador
5 - Estonia
6 - Georgia
7 - Hungary
8 - Latvia
9 - Lithuania
10 - Mexico
11 - Paraguay
12 - Peru
13 - Poland
14 - Vatican
and 6 states recognized the Holodomor as an criminal act of the Stalinist regime:
1 - Argentina
2 - Chile
3 - Czech Republic
4 - Slovakia
5 - Spain
6 - United States of America
LINK: http://www.mfa.gov.ua/mfa/ua/publication/content/14528.htm
Best regards, Luís Ribeiro
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2. From: Katya Mischenko-Mycyk
To: Morgan Williams
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 5:57 PM
Subject: Re: Holodomor As Genocide Recognized Officially Now By How Many Countries?
http://www.ukrainiangenocide.com/dinternationalrecognition.html. Here's what I have for the figure (# of countries = 13) from our website. Do you know of any others that are not on the list? Katya Mischenko Remembering the 10,000,000 Ukrainians murdered by the Soviet Government during the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932-1933 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. From: Michael Sawkiw, Unis.sawkiw@comcast.net Morgan, Please don't forget that in 2006 the U.S. Congress passed HR562 for the construction of a Holodomor Memorial in Washington, DC, which authorized the Government of Ukraine 'to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the Ukrainian famine-genocide of 1932-1933". That, in itself has tremendous meaning. It wasn't a resolution commemorating the Holodomor, it was an actual bill. Thus, in effect, even if the bill didn't have the 'whereas' phrases speaking of the travesties of the Holodomor, the final and end result was the term "Ukrainian famine-genocide." In fact, in the latest Congressional resolution in September, the House quoted directly from that bill. Secondly, for the first time ever in U.S. history, in the President's annual statement to the Ukrainian community regarding the Holodomor, this year the statement mentioned the phrase "crime against humanity." Having the U.S. President officially in a statement mention that the Holodomor was a crime is a dramatic leap forward. I would think our constant vigilance has borne fruit... Michael |
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----- Original Message -----
From: Morgan Williams
To: Holodomor 75th Commemoration 2008 Working Group
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 11:51 AM
Subject: Holodomor As Genocide Recognized Officially Now By How Many Countries?
TO: HOLODOMOR 75TH COMMEMORATION WORKING GROUP
RE: The Holodomor As Genocide Has Been Recognized Officially Now By How Many Countries?
Is the number fourteen, fifteen, sixteen or seventeen or what number? And who exactly are they?
1. President Yushchenko says below in article one, on November 22, 2008, the number is thirteen.
2. Deputy Foreign Minister Kostenko says below in article two, on November 18, 2008, the number is fourteen and is fifteen if one includes the Vatican. The number fourteen by DFM Kostenko includes the United States. [I do not agree that the U.S. Congress has declared the Holodomor a genocide..see footnote at the end of article four below.]
3. UkrInform says below in article three, on November 25, 2008, they have reported the number is as high as seventeen. [I could not find the UkrInform article where they report seventeen countries or the list of seventeen countries. If someone has a copy please send it to me...thanks.]
Your feedback and information regarding this subject will be most appreciated.
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1. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT YUSHCHENKO THANKS COUNTRIES
AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS: FOR RECOGNIZING
HOLODOMOR OF 1932-1933 AS CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY
Thirteen states have directly recognized the Holodomor famine as an act of genocide
Olena Honcharenko, Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, November 22, 2008
KYIV - President Viktor Yuschenko has thanked countries and international organizations for recognizing the Holodomor famine in 1932-1933 as genocide against Ukrainian people and crime against humanity.
"On behalf of the Ukrainian state I am expressing gratitude to all countries and international organizations that have recognized the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as an act of genocide, condemned it as crime against humanity, and commemorated millions of victims," President Viktor Yuschenko said at an international forum entitled "My Nation Will Live Always" in Kyiv on November 22.
As of November 17, thirteen states have directly recognized the Holodomor famine as an act of genocide, Yuschenko said. President Viktor Yuschenko reiterated that the Holodomor in Ukraine was genocide against the Ukrainian people.
"This was an artificial, deliberate tragedy pursuing the goal of killing the nation. The famine was selected as a weapon to subdue the Ukrainian people. This crime, in the terms of its cope, goals, and its methods, falls under the definition of genocide set by the Convention of the Organization of United Nations of 1948," Yuschenko said.
Yuschenko urged nations of other countries to jointly condemn the totalitarian communist regime and any attempts to rehabilitate or justify crimes of the Stalin regime.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili took the floor after President Yuschenko. The address of Saakashvili to the forum was in Ukrainian from the very beginning to the end.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Ukraine commemorates victims of the Holodomor artificial famine in the country in 1932-1933 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the national tragedy on November 22.
On October 23, the European Parliament recognized the Holodomor famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933 as a crime against Ukrainian people and humanity.
On September 23, the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress recognized the Holodomor famine as genocide against Ukrainian people.
President Viktor Yuschenko has declared 2008 the year of commemoration of victims of the Holodomor of 1932-1933. In 2006, the Verkhovna Rada declared the Holodomor of 1932-1933 an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people. According to various estimates, the Holodomor artificial famine killed between three million and seven million of innocent people in Ukraine in 1932 and 1933 alone.
2. UKRAINE: FOURTEEN FOREIGN PARLIAMENTS RECOGNIZED HOLODOMOR AS GENOCIDE
Deputy Foreign Minister Kostenko said parliaments of 14 states recognized the Holodomor as genocide
UkrInform - Ukraine News, Kyiv, Ukraine, November 18, 2008
KYIV - The [Ukrainian] Foreign Ministry makes everything possible so that honoring the memory of multimillion victims of the Holodomor 1932-1933 took place at bilateral and regional levels in the world and within the framework of international organizations' work, acting Deputy Foreign Minister Yuriy Kostenko told a today's briefing for journalists held within the framework of the International Press Club “Holodomor - 75th Anniversary”, UKRINFORM correspondent reports.
According to the official, participating in the international forum dedicated to the 75th anniversary of those tragic events will be heads of foreign states and governments, representatives of legislative and executive authorities, in total, over 20 delegations numbering 150 representatives. For today, the deputy minister emphasized, presidents of Macedonia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina stated their participation.
Speaking about recognition of the Holodomor at bilateral and regional levels, Y. Kostenko noted that today parliaments of 14 states recognized the Holodomor as genocide, these are Australia, Georgia, Estonia, Ecuador, Canada, Columbia, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, the USA and Hungary, as well as the Vatican, as a separate state, the diplomat emphasized. [The number listed here is 15 if one includes the Vatican, AUR EDITOR]
“In May 2008, Canada created a certain precedent, it became the first world country to adopt a law on establishment of the Day of Memory of the Holodomor Victims in Ukraine”, Y. Kostenko underscored.
Many international organizations also recognized the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people, the diplomat emphasized. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry works hard with the aim of bringing a historical truth about the Holodomor, as well as to ensure recognition of this tragedy on the part of the international community in the form of documents, he noted.
As a result, for today, the UNESCO Resolution has been taken, and that of the OSCE PA in Europe. “The Holodomor has been qualified as a crime against humanity in a very important document adopted in October this year by the European Parliament”, the deputy minister emphasized. In his opinion, it is considerable recognition of the UFM activities; however, great work is ahead.
3. UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS UKRAINIAN
WORLD CONGRESS (UWC) LEADERSHIP IN KYIV
UkrInform, Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, November 25, 2008
KYIV - In frames of commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Holodomor 1932-1933 in Ukraine, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko met leadership of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and a number of NGOs of foreign Ukrainians, UKRINFORM reports citing the MFA press-service.
The minister thanked the UWC leadership and numerous communities of the Ukrainians in many countries for spreading of a historical truth about Holodomor, contribution into preservation of international and public memory about Holodomor's victims and recognition of this crime as genocide against the Ukrainian people.
The meeting participants discussed a broad range of burning issues relating to implementation of joint projects of the MFA and NGOs of the Ukrainians abroad. Special attention was paid to the state of Ukrainian communities in neighboring countries. Apart from this the parties exchanged opinions about the role of the world Ukrainians in assisting Ukraine's democratic development and improving Ukraine's image worldwide.
As UKRINFORM earlier reported, as many as 17 countries have already recognized Holodomor in Ukraine as genocide.
4. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RESOLUTION OF SEPTEMBER 22, 2008
Remembering the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine (Holodomor) of 1932-1933
and extending the deepest sympathies of the House of Representative to the victims,
survivors, and families of this tragedy, and for other purposes.
U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 1314, Washington, D.C., September 23, 2008
H.RES.1314
Whereas in 1932 and 1933, an estimated seven to 10 million Ukrainian people perished at the will of the totalitarian Stalinist government of the former Soviet Union, which perpetrated... (Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by House)
HRES 1314 EH
H. Res. 1314
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
September 23, 2008.
Whereas in 1932 and 1933, an estimated seven to 10 million Ukrainian people perished at the will of the totalitarian Stalinist government of the former Soviet Union, which perpetrated a premeditated famine in Ukraine in an effort to break the nation's resistance to collectivization and communist occupation;
Whereas the Soviet Government deliberately confiscated grain harvests and starved millions of Ukrainian men, women, and children by a policy of forced collectivization that sought to destroy the nationally conscious movement for independence;
Whereas Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin ordered the borders of Ukraine sealed to prevent anyone from escaping the man-made starvation and preventing any international food aid that would provide relief to the starving;
Whereas numerous scholars worldwide have worked to uncover the scale of the famine, including Canadian wheat expert Andrew Cairns who visited Ukraine in 1932 and was told that there was no grain `because the government had collected so much grain and exported it to England and Italy,' while simultaneously denying food aid to the people of Ukraine;
Whereas nearly a quarter of the rural population of Ukraine was eliminated due to forced starvation, while the entire nation suffered from the consequences of the prolonged lack of food;
Whereas the Soviet Government manipulated and censored foreign journalists, including New York Times correspondent Walter Duranty, who knowingly denied not only the scope and magnitude, but also the existence, of a deadly man-made famine in his reports from Ukraine;
Whereas noted correspondents of the time were castigated by the Soviet Union for their accuracy and courage in depicting and reporting the famine in Ukraine, including Gareth Jones, William Henry Chamberlin, and Malcolm Muggeridge, who wrote, `[The farmers] will tell you that many have already died of famine and that many are dying every day; that thousands have been shot by the government and hundreds of thousands exiled';
Whereas in May 1934, former Congressman Hamilton Fish introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives (House Resolution 399 of the 73d Congress) which called for the condemnation of the Soviet Government for its acts of destruction against the Ukrainian people;
Whereas the United States Commission on the Ukraine Famine, formed on December 13, 1985, conducted a study with the goal of expanding the world's knowledge and understanding of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933, and concluded that the victims were `starved to death in a man-made famine' and that `Joseph Stalin and those around him committed genocide against Ukrainians in 1932-1933';
Whereas on May 15, 2003, in a special session, the Ukrainian Parliament acknowledged that the Ukrainian Famine (Holodomor ) was engineered by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Government deliberately against the Ukrainian nation and called upon international recognition of the Holodomor ;
Whereas with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, archival documents became available that confirmed the deliberate and pre-meditated deadly nature of the famine, and that exposed the atrocities committed by the Soviet Government against the Ukrainian people; and
Whereas on October 13, 2006, the President of the United States signed into law Public Law 109-340 that authorized the Government of Ukraine 'to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the Ukrainian famine-genocide of 1932-1933,' in recognition of the upcoming 75th anniversary of the tragedy in 2008: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) solemnly remembers the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine (Holodomor) of 1932-1933 and extends its deepest sympathies to the victims, survivors, and families of this tragedy;
(2) condemns the systematic violations of human rights, including the freedom of self-determination and freedom of speech, of the Ukrainian people by the Soviet Government;
(3) encourages dissemination of information regarding the Ukrainian Famine (Holodomor) in order to expand the world's knowledge of this man-made tragedy; and
(4) supports the continuing efforts of Ukraine to work toward ensuring democratic principles, a free-market economy, and full respect for human rights, in order to enable Ukraine to achieve its potential as an important strategic partner of the United States in that region of the world.
Attest:
Clerk.
H.RES.1314 [110th]
Title: Remembering the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine (Holodomor) of 1932-1933 and extending the deepest sympathies of the House of Representative to the victims, survivors, and families of this tragedy, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Leven, Sander M. [D-MI-12] (introduced 6/26/2008)
Cosponsors: 29
Committees: House Foreign Affairs
Latest Major Action: 9/23/2008 Passed/agreed to in House. Status: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
-------------------------------------------------------
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
GENERAL LEAVE
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am pleased to support this resolution that allows the House of Representatives to pause in remembrance of the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian famine of 1932 and 1933 and extend its sympathies to the victims, survivors and relatives of this tragedy. I commend my distinguished colleague, Representative Levin of Michigan, and the cochair of the Ukrainian Caucus in the House for introducing this important resolution.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Mr. Speaker, Ukraine was so renowned for its rich soil and high grain production that it was known as the ``bread basket of Europe.'' Such bounty serves only to amplify the magnitude of the country's loss: The deaths of nearly one-quarter of its entire rural population as a result of the Soviet policy of forced collectivism in 1932 and 1933.
This premeditated famine was intended to break the nation's resistance to Communist occupation and destroy its movement for independence. While 7 to 10 million Ukrainians were starving to death, millions of tons of grain were kept in reservoirs, sold or sent to other parts of the Soviet Union. Further compounding this tragedy, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin ordered that the borders of Ukraine be sealed and that anyone trying to relocate family or children be severely punished or killed.
Mr. Speaker, the United States of America has never forgotten this tragedy that occurred in Ukraine 75 years ago. As early as May 1934, former Congressman Hamilton Fish introduced a resolution in this House that called for condemnation of the Soviet Government for its acts of destruction against the Ukrainian people.
The United States Commission on the Ukrainian Famine, which was established in December of 1985, worked to uncover the scale and the reasons for and the consequences of this terrible manmade famine. And in October 2006, President Bush signed a law authorizing the Government of Ukraine to construct a memorial in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the famine.
Today, 17 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine is a strong ally of the United States. We fully support the efforts of this young democracy to strengthen its political institutions, its rule of law and civil society. It's so appropriate that we pause today to remember the victims of the famine and reaffirm our continued friendship and solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
I strongly support this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of House Resolution 1314, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian famine, Holodomor, of 1932 and 1933.
The former Communist state known as the Soviet Union was controlled by a brutal regime that oppressed its own people as well as that of its neighbors. The scars left by the inhumane practices and policies of the Soviet leadership are still felt, despite the passage of 75 years since the famine in Ukraine and the passage of almost two decades since the Soviet regime's demise.
During 1932 and 1933, Joseph Stalin's Communist regime intentionally confiscated grain harvest from the Ukrainian people and prevented any foreign food from being shipped in to help those who were starving to death.
The famine inflicted on Ukraine by the Stalinist regime during those years killed millions of Ukrainians. It is one of the most stark examples of the former Soviet regime's cruel and horrific policies.
Among other items, this resolution notes the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian famine and expresses sympathy to the victims, survivors and
families of that man-made calamity; condemns the violation of human rights, the freedom of speech and of the self-determination of the Ukrainian people by the former Soviet regime; encourages expanding the world's knowledge about this man-made disaster; and, lastly, supports continued efforts in Ukraine to strengthen the principles of democracy and of a free-market economy.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is now my distinct pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished Congressman from Michigan, Congressman Sander Levin, who is the sponsor of this resolution and is the very distinguished cochair of the Ukraine Caucus in the House of Representatives.
(Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. LEVIN. Thank you very much, Mr. Scott, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee for bringing this to the floor.
I rise in support of this resolution, marking the 75th anniversary of the man-made famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in 1932 and 1933.
Recognizing this tragedy and remembering its victims are important for all of humanity, including 1.5 Ukrainian-Americans. It has special meaning to the people of Ukraine, who continue to struggle toward a more free, democratic, open society, and indeed to all of us who value freedom.
During the famine-genocide of 1932-33, 7 to 10 million Ukrainians were deliberately and systematically starved to death. We are familiar in this House with the terrible suffering caused by famines that are the result of natural forces, but the famine of 1932-33 is all the more tragic because it resulted from criminal acts and deliberate decisions by Soviet officials. Despite efforts by the Soviet Government at the time and afterward to hide the planned and systematic nature of this famine-genocide, it is clear that the Soviet Union used food as a weapon.
We in this country must persist in standing with those living under oppressive and tyrannical regimes as they struggle for their freedom. During the 109th Congress, we enacted a bill authorizing the Government of Ukraine to establish a memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring the victims of the Ukrainian famine-genocide. The Ukrainian Government and the Ukrainian-American community are working with the appropriate Federal agencies to identify a site for this memorial.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and a true champion of human rights around the world.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her leadership, and thank Chairman Levin for sponsoring this very important resolution.
I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1314, commemorating and honoring the memory of victims of the abominable act perpetrated against the people of Ukraine from 1932 to 1933.
Seventy-five years ago, millions, and the estimates are as high as 10 million, men, women and children were murdered by starvation so that one man, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, could consolidate control over the Ukraine. In an attempt to secure collectivization and to break the spirit of the independent-minded Ukrainian peasants, Stalin ordered the expropriation of all the foods in the rural population. It was shipped to other areas of the Soviet Union or sold abroad. Peasants who refused to turn over grain to the state were deported or executed. Without food or grain, mass starvation ensued, as was Stalin's intention.
Madam Speaker, food was used as a weapon in a crime against humanity staggering in its scope. This famine was man-made, the planned consequence of a deliberate policy which aimed to wipe out a substantial part of the Ukrainian people in order to crush the spirit of those who remain. In short, genocide was committed against the Ukrainian people.
Madam Speaker, over the years I have read many works of Stalin's genocide against the people of Ukraine, but I recall a moment back in the 1980s when I saw the unforgettable documentary, Harvest of Sorrow. It documented and depicted the horrors of the famine, so that no one since has denied this mind-boggling crime and tragedy. In its bare, stark truth, it was one of the most moving films I have ever seen.
I also recall the fine work of the congressionally mandated Ukraine Famine Commission, which issued its well-documented report in 1988. I am happy that Mr. Levin's resolution notes that there were those in the West, including the New York Times correspondent Walt Duranty, who deliberately falsified their reporting so to cover up the famine because they wanted to ensure that the Soviet Union got ``a good press.''
The fact is that for over 40 years the planned famine was hardly spoken or written about in our country, due to an academic skepticism and silence enforced by political correctness. When Ukrainians and others tried to break through the wall of silence, they were treated with derision. This silence, which lasted from the 1930s through the publication of Harvest of Sorrow, made a sorry chapter in the history of American intellectual life.
Madam Speaker, this resolution will continue to recognize one of the most horrific events in the last century in the hopes that mass murders of this kind never happen again. I support this resolution unreservedly. I hope that the full membership of this body supports it unanimously.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of our time.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield back.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Solis). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1314, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
The title of the resolution was amended so as to read: ``Remembering the 75th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine (Holodomor) of 1932-1933 and extending the deepest sympathies of the House of Representatives to the victims, survivors, and families of this tragedy, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
LINKS TO THE THREE PAGES IN THE U.S. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=H8633&dbname=2008_record
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=H8634&dbname=2008_record
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=H8635&dbname=2008_record
NOTE: Special thanks to Orest Deychakiwsky for providing this material from the U.S. House of Representatives.
[AUR EDITOR.......In my opinion the United States Congress has never officially, upfront, directly, and in a Resolution for this specific purpose, ever Resolved that the Holodomor is a genocide. The U.S. Congress, which includes the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, has never does this for the Ukrainian genocide or for the Armenian genocide despite heavy lobbying from Ukrainian Americans and Armenian Americans. Such direct and specific actions through Resolutions by the U.S. Congress regarding genocides, for many years and through several U.S. Presidents, have been strongly opposed by the Office of the U.S. President and the U.S. Department of State.
For one to say the U.S. Congress has officially done something the bill or resolution needs to have passed the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Otherwise one has to say the U.S. House or the U.S. Senate did something...not the U.S. Congress.
The strongest action recently, with heavy political clout from California, was conducted by the Armenian Americans. They made an all out effort in the U.S. House of Representatives to have what happened in Armenia declared a genocide. The bill even passed the appropriate U.S. House Committee for the first time. As soon as that happened the Office of the U.S. President, the U.S. Department of State and the Government of Turkey [as Turkey always does and has for years using their own clout in a heavy handed way, and through lobbyists and PR firms] came out big time against the bill with all guns loaded and shooting. The recent bill in the U.S. House of Representatives regarding the Armenian Genocide never saw the light of day after that. A copy of the latest action regarding Ukraine 1932-1933 by the U.S. House of Representatives on September 23, 2008 is found below. The U.S. Senate did not take similar action in 2008.]
==============================================
Mr. E. Morgan Williams, Director
Government Affairs, Washington Office
SigmaBleyzer Private Equity Investment Group
President/CEO, U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC)
Publisher & Editor, Action Ukraine Report (AUR)
1701 K Street, NW, Suite 903, Washington, D.C. 20006
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