111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 212 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Whereas, on September 3, 1918, the United States Govern-
ment recognized the Czecho-Slovak National Council as 
the official Government of Czechoslovakia; 
Whereas, on October 28, 1918, the peoples of the present day 
Czech Republic and the present day Slovak Republic pro-
claimed their independence in the common state of the 
Republic of Czechoslovakia;
•HCON 212 EH 
Whereas between 1939 and 1945, Nazi Germany annexed 
part of Bohemia, set up a fascist ‘‘protectorate’’ in the 
rest of Bohemia and in Moravia, and installed a puppet 
fascist government in Slovakia; 
Whereas, on November 17, 1939, in response to widespread 
student demonstrations, Czech institutions of higher 
learning were closed by the Nazis, many students were 
taken to concentration camps, and 9 representatives of 
the student movement were executed; 
Whereas the Moscow-directed Communists took over the Gov-
ernment of Czechoslovakia in February 1948; 
Whereas troops from Warsaw Pact countries invaded Czecho-
slovakia in August 1968, ousted the reformist leadership 
of Alexander Dubcek, and restored a hard-line communist 
regime; 
Whereas, on November 17, 1989, the brutal break up of a 
student demonstration commemorating the 50th anniver-
sary of the execution of Czech student leaders and the 
closure of universities by the Nazis triggered the explo-
sion of mass discontent that launched the Velvet Revolu-
tion, which was characterized by reliance on nonviolence 
and open public discourse; 
Whereas the peoples of Czechoslovakia overthrew 40 years of 
totalitarian communist rule in order to rebuild a demo-
cratic society; 
Whereas, since November 17, 1989, the people of the Slovak 
Republic and the Czech Republic have established vi-
brant, pluralistic, democratic political systems based upon 
freedom of speech, a free press, free and fair open elec-
tions, the rule of law, and other democratic principles 
and practices;
•HCON 212 EH 
Whereas the people of the United States, the Slovak Repub-
lic, and the Czech Republic have maintained a special re-
lationship based on shared democratic values, common in-
terests, and the strong bonds of friendship, mutual re-
spect, and close cooperation; and 
Whereas the people of the United States have an affinity with 
the peoples of the Slovak Republic and the Czech Repub-
lic and regard them as trusted and important partners 
and allies: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the his-
toric events in Central and Eastern Europe that 
brought about the collapse of the communist regimes 
and the fall of the Iron Curtain; 
(2) commemorates, with the Slovak Republic 
and the Czech Republic, the 20th anniversary of the 
Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, which under-
scores the significance and value of reclaimed free-
dom and the dignity of individual citizens; 
(3) commends the peoples of the Slovak Repub-
lic and the Czech Republic for their remarkable 
achievements over the past 20 years in building free, 
democratic, and prosperous societies; 
(4) appreciates the contribution of the Slovak 
Republic and the Czech Republic as members of the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Euro-
•HCON 212 EH 
pean Union to the promotion and defense of com-
mon values of freedom, democracy, and liberty 
around the world; 
(5) reaffirms the bonds of friendship and close 
cooperation that have existed between the United 
States and the Slovak Republic and the Czech Re-
public; and 
(6) extends the warmest congratulations and 
best wishes to the people of the Slovak Republic and 
the people of the Czech Republic for a peaceful, 
prosperous, and successful future. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 19, 
2009. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 212 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress on the occasion 
of the 20th anniversary of historic events in Cen-
tral and Eastern Europe, particularly the Velvet 
Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and reaffirming 
the bonds of friendship and cooperation between 
the United States and the Slovak Republic and 
the Czech Republic.