105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 295

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress that the 65th ansive policies toward the Ukrainian people. government of the former Soviet Union’s repres- should serve as a reminder of the brutality of the niversary of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932–1933
105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 295

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas this year marks the 65th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine of 1932–1933 that caused the deaths of at

least 7,000,000 Ukrainians and that was covered up and

officially denied by the government of the former Soviet

Union;

Whereas millions of Ukrainians died, not by natural causes

such as pestilence, drought, floods, or a poor harvest, but
2

•HCON 295 EH

by policies designed to punish Ukraine for its aversion

and opposition to the government of the former Soviet

Union’s oppression and imperialism, including the forced

collectivization of agriculture;

Whereas, when Ukraine was famine-stricken, the government

of the former Soviet Union exported 1,700,000 tons of

grain to the West while offers from international relief

organizations to assist the starving population were rejected on the grounds that there was no famine in

Ukraine and no need for the assistance;

Whereas the borders of Ukraine were tightly controlled and

starving Ukrainians were not allowed to cross into Russian territory in search of bread;

Whereas, in his book ‘‘The Harvest of Sorrow’’, British historian Robert Conquest explains, ‘‘A quarter of the rural

population, men, women, and children, lay dead or dying,

the rest in various stages of debilitation with no strength

to bury their families or neighbors.’’;

Whereas the Commission on the Ukraine Famine was established on December 13, 1985, to conduct a study with

the goal of expanding the world’s knowledge and understanding of the famine and to expose the government of

the former Soviet Union for its atrocities in the famine;

Whereas the Commission’s report to Congress confirmed that

the government of the former Soviet Union consciously

employed the brutal policy of forced famine to repress the

Ukrainian population and to oppress the Ukrainians’ inviolable religious and political rights; and

Whereas the Commission on the Ukraine Famine presented

4 volumes of findings and conclusions, 10 volumes of archival material, and over 200 cassettes of testimony from
3

•HCON 295 EH

famine survivors to the newly independent Government of

Ukraine in 1993, during the official observances of the

60th anniversary of the Ukrainian famine in Kyiv,

Ukraine: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring),

3 SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

4 It is the sense of Congress that—

5 (1) the victims of the government of the former

6 Soviet Union-engineered Ukrainian Famine of

7 1932–1933 be solemnly remembered on its 65th an8 niversary;

9 (2) the Congress condemns the systematic dis10 regard for human life, human rights, human liberty,

11 and self-determination that characterized the repres12 sive policies of the government of the former Soviet

13 Union during the Ukrainian Famine of 1932–1933;

14 (3) on the 65th anniversary of the Ukrainian

15 Famine of 1932–1933, in contrast to the policies of

16 the government of the former Soviet Union, Ukraine

17 is moving toward democracy, a free-market economy,

18 and full respect for human rights, and it is essential

19 that the United States continue to assist Ukraine as

20 it proceeds down this path; and

21 (4) any supplemental material that will assist in

22 the dissemination of information about the Ukrain-
4

•HCON 295 EH

1 ian Famine of 1932–1933, and thereby help to pre2 vent similar future tragedies, be compiled and made

3 available worldwide for the study of the devastation

4 of the famine.

5 SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL OF THE RESOLUTION.

6 The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall—

7 (1) transmit a copy of this resolution to—

8 (A) the President;

9 (B) the Secretary of State; and

10 (C) the co-chairs of the Congressional

11 Ukrainian Caucus; and

12 (2) request that the Secretary of State transmit

13 a copy of this resolution to the Government of

14 Ukraine.

Passed the House of Representatives October 10,

1998.

Attest:

Clerk.