IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 128 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federa-
tion should issue a clear and unambiguous statement of admission and 
condemnation of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet 
Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, 
and Lithuania. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 12, 2005 
Mr. SHIMKUS (for himself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. DREIER, 
Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. COX, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, and 
Mr. KINGSTON) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on International Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of 
the Russian Federation should issue a clear and unam-
biguous statement of admission and condemnation of 
the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union 
from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, 
Latvia, and Lithuania. 
Whereas the incorporation in 1940 of the Baltic countries of 
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union was 
an act of aggression carried out against the will of sov-
ereign people;
•HCON 128 IH 
Whereas the United States was steadfast in its policy of not 
recognizing the illegal Soviet annexation of Estonia, Lat-
via, and Lithuania; 
Whereas the Russian Federation is the successor state to the 
Soviet Union; 
Whereas the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, including its 
secret protocols, between Nazi Germany and the Soviet 
Union provided the Soviet Union with the opportunity to 
occupy and annex Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania; 
Whereas the occupation brought countless suffering to the 
Baltic peoples through terror, killings, and deportations 
to Siberian concentration camps; 
Whereas the peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania brave-
ly resisted Soviet aggression first through armed resist-
ance movements and later through political resistance 
movements; 
Whereas the Government of Germany renounced its partici-
pation in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 and pub-
licly apologized for the destruction and terror that Nazi 
Germany unleashed on the world; 
Whereas, in 1989, the Congress of Peoples’ Deputies of the 
Soviet Union declared the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 
1939 void; 
Whereas the illegal occupation and annexation of the Baltic 
countries is one of the largest remaining unacknowledged 
incidents of oppression in Russian history; 
Whereas a declaration of acknowledgment of such incident by 
the Russian Federation would lead to improved relations 
between the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and 
the people of Russia, would form the basis for improved
•HCON 128 IH 
relations between the governments of the countries, and 
strengthen stability in the region; 
Whereas the Russian Federation is to be commended for be-
ginning to acknowledge grievous and regrettable incidents 
in their history, such as admitting complicity in the mas-
sacre of Polish soldiers in the Katyn Forest in 1939; 
Whereas the truth is a powerful weapon for healing, for-
giving, and reconciliation, but its absence breeds distrust, 
fear, and hostility; and 
Whereas countries that cannot clearly admit their historical 
mistakes and make peace with their pasts cannot success-
fully build their futures: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the Gov-
ernment of the Russian Federation should issue a clear 
and unambiguous statement of admission and condemna-
tion of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet 
Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Esto-
nia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the consequence of which will 
be a significant increase in good will among the affected 
peoples and enhanced regional stability. 
Æ