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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 893 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 893

   Recognizing the memorials and monuments to the Katyn Massacre are 
important historical reminders of the heinous acts that took the lives 
 of approximately 22,000 innocent Polish prisoners of war at the order 
                           of Joseph Stalin.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2018

    Mr. Sires (for himself and Ms. Kaptur) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Recognizing the memorials and monuments to the Katyn Massacre are 
important historical reminders of the heinous acts that took the lives 
 of approximately 22,000 innocent Polish prisoners of war at the order 
                           of Joseph Stalin.

Whereas nearly 10,000,000 Americans today claim Polish ancestry, providing 
        unwavering support for close United States-Poland relations;
Whereas Poland is a valued ally in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and 
        over 2,000 United States military personnel are deployed in various 
        operations in Poland;
Whereas Poles have been an integral part of America's history, settling in the 
        United States before American independence, where Polish generals 
        Taddeus Kosciuszko and Casimir Pulaski bravely fought for independence 
        and freedom for both the United States and Poland;
Whereas Poland was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 
        World War II, and many Polish-Americans were refugees from the 
        devastation of World War II and the persecution created by the dual 
        occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia;
Whereas in 1940 in the Katyn Forest and NKVD headquarters in nearby Smolensk, 
        Russia, 22,000 Polish prisoners of war were murdered on the orders of 
        Joseph Stalin, including Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army Baruch 
        Steinberg, and over 400 other Jewish servicemen of the Polish armed 
        forces;
Whereas until the 1990s, the Soviet Union denied its implication in the crime 
        and worked to cover up the atrocities committed during the Katyn 
        Massacre;
Whereas in 1951, the House of Representatives established a Select Committee to 
        Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Facts, Evidence, and 
        Circumstances of the Katyn Forest Massacre;
Whereas the Committee determined unanimously that the Soviet Union was 
        responsible for the executions, and recommended a trial before the 
        International World Court of Justice;
Whereas memorials have been erected around the country to honor the tens of 
        thousands of victims of the Katyn Massacre, including in Baltimore, 
        Maryland, Niles, Illinois, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and Jersey City, 
        New Jersey; and
Whereas these memorials stand as an irreplaceable reminder for not only Polish-
        Americans, but all Americans of the crimes committed by totalitarian 
        regimes: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, that the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the memorials and monuments to the Katyn 
        Massacre are important historical reminders of the heinous acts 
        that took the lives of approximately 22,000 innocent Polish 
        prisoners of war at the order of Joseph Stalin; and
            (2) applauds the sacrifices and contributions of Polish-
        Americans to the prosperity, diversity, and strength of the 
        United States.
                                 <all>
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