IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 641 

Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of Radio Free Europe/ 

Radio Liberty. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 14, 2009 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. INGLIS, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. POE of 

Texas, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, and Mr. BILIRAKIS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of Radio 

Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 

Whereas Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) was 

founded in 1949 with the mission to promote democratic 

values and institutions by broadcasting unbiased and factual information and ideas to audiences behind the communist ‘‘Iron Curtain’’; 

Whereas many East European and Russian leaders, including 

Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic, and the late Boris 

Yeltsin of the Russian Federation, have testified to the 

important role RFE/RL broadcasts played in ending the 

Cold War; 


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•HRES 641 IH 

Whereas the former President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, 

nominated RFE/RL for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991; 

Whereas Nobel laureate and former President of Poland, 

Lech Walesa testified to the role played by RFE/RL in 

Poland’s struggle for freedom when he stated that its influence ‘‘cannot even be described. Would there be earth 

without the sun?’’; 

Whereas RFE/RL programs were so comprehensive that communist authorities relied on secret transcripts of the 

broadcasts for information they could not obtain from the 

local media they themselves controlled; 

Whereas RFE/RL was subjected to efforts to undermine its 

operations through offensive actions launched by communist regimes and intended to discredit the broadcasts; 

Whereas the communist Soviet KGB and Warsaw Pact intelligence services penetrated the radio stations with their 

spies, jailed sources, and even resorted to violence in attempts to intimidate RFE/RL staff; 

Whereas RFE/RL Bulgarian Service correspondent Georgi 

Markov was murdered in London in 1978, evidently by 

the Bulgarian communist intelligence service; 

Whereas the Romanian communist security service detonated 

a bomb at RFE/RL’s headquarters in Munich, West Germany, in 1981, critically injuring six employees; 

Whereas today, after having played a significant role in the 

collapse of communism, RFE/RL continues to provide 

news, information, and open discussion of domestic and 

international issues to countries where free and independent media are not permitted, or are not yet fully established; 


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•HRES 641 IH 

Whereas RFE/RL broadcasts in 28 languages to 30 million 

listeners in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Russia, 

the Caucasus, the Middle East, and Central and Southwest Asia; 

Whereas RFE/RL employees and freelance journalists are 

subject to intimidation and oppression by the authorities 

of regimes in many countries to which RFE/RL broadcasts; and 

Whereas RFE/RL has a proven history of promoting freedom 

and liberty in oppressive and autocratic regimes through 

news broadcasts based upon the principle that the first 

requirement of democracy is a well-informed citizenry: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the 60th anniversary of the 

3 founding of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 

4 (RFE/RL) and honors its contribution to promoting 

5 freedom and liberty around the world; and 

6 (2) commends the employees and reporters of 

7 RFE/RL for their commitment to provide fair and 

8 unbiased news to people living under oppressive re9 gimes. 

Æ 


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