III 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 371 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 24 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 
Received 
OCTOBER 2 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Strongly supporting an immediate and just restitution of, 
or compensation for, property illegally confiscated during 
the last century by Nazi and Communist regimes. 
Whereas the United States strongly supports an immediate 
and just restitution or compensation of property illegally 
confiscated during the last century by Nazi and Com-
munist regimes; 
Whereas the wrongful and illegal confiscation of property per-
petrated by Nazi and Communist regimes was often an 
integral 
part 
of 
the 
persecution 
of 
innocent 
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HCON 371 RFS 
people due to their religion, nationality, or social origin, 
or the expression of a view that differed from that of the 
ruling regime; 
Whereas the protection of and respect for property rights is 
a basic principle tenet for all democratic governments 
that operate according to the rule of law; 
Whereas the participating countries of the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have agreed 
to achieve or maintain full recognition and protection of 
all types of property, including private property, and the 
right to prompt, just, and effective compensation in the 
event private property is taken for public use; 
Whereas the Paris Declaration of the OSCE Parliamentary 
Assembly (OSCE Assembly) in July 2001 noted that the 
process of restitution, compensation, and material repara-
tion of victims of Nazi persecution has not been pursued 
with the same degree of comprehensiveness by all of the 
OSCE participating countries; 
Whereas the OSCE Assembly passed a resolution during the 
10th session that urged the OSCE participating countries 
to ensure that they implement appropriate legislation to 
secure the restitution of, or compensation for, both prop-
erty loss by victims of Nazi persecution and property loss 
by communal organizations and institutions or their suc-
cessors during the Nazi era, irrespective of the current 
citizenship or place of residence of victims or their heirs, 
or the relevant successor to communal property; 
Whereas the Government of the United States has, since 
1947, with the passing of Military Law 59 in the occu-
pied American Zone of Germany, supported the return of 
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HCON 371 RFS 
property looted during the National Socialist era to the 
rightful owners, or the heirs, of such property; 
Whereas during the last decade, Congress has passed resolu-
tions that endorsed, reiterated, and emphasized the long-
standing support of the United States for the restitution 
and compensation for property illegally confiscated dur-
ing the Nazi and Communist regimes; 
Whereas some post-Communist countries in Europe have 
taken steps toward compensating victims whose property 
was seized and confiscated by the Nazis during World 
War II or subsequently seized by Communist govern-
ments after World War II; 
Whereas the legislation addressing the return of or com-
pensation for such confiscated property enacted by post- 
Communist countries in Europe has, in various instances, 
not been implemented in an effective, transparent, and 
timely manner; 
Whereas private properties were seized and confiscated by the 
Nazis in occupied Poland during the Nazi era and by the 
Communist Polish government after World War II; 
Whereas Poland, virtually alone among post-Communist 
countries, has failed to enact any legislation that provides 
for a process for the restitution of, or compensation for, 
private property seized and confiscated by the Nazi and 
Communist regimes; 
Whereas Jewish communal properties were seized and con-
fiscated by the Nazis in Lithuania during the Nazi era 
and by the Communist Lithuanian government after 
World War II; and 
Whereas Lithuania, virtually alone among post-Communist 
countries, has failed to implement legislation that pro-
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vides for the restitution of, or compensation for, Jewish 
communal property seized and confiscated by the Nazi 
and Communist regimes: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) praises the efforts by those countries in 
Central and Eastern Europe that have enacted legis-
lation for the restitution of, or compensation for, 
private and communal religious property improperly 
confiscated during the Nazi and Communist eras 
and urges each of those countries to ensure that the 
legislation is effectively and justly implemented; 
(2) urges the countries in Central and Eastern 
Europe which have not already done so to return 
looted and confiscated properties to their rightful 
owners or, where restitution is not possible, pay eq-
uitable compensation, in accordance with principles 
of justice and in an expeditious manner that is just, 
transparent, and fair; 
(3) calls on the Government of Poland to— 
(A) immediately enact fair, comprehensive, 
and just legislation so that persons (or the heirs 
of such persons) who had their private property 
seized and confiscated by the Nazis during 
World War II or subsequently seized by the 
Communist Polish government after the war 
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are able to obtain either restitution of their 
property or, where restitution is not possible, 
fair compensation should be paid; and 
(B) ensure that such restitution and com-
pensation 
legislation 
establishes 
an 
unbureaucratic, simple, transparent, and timely 
process, so that it results in a real benefit to 
those many persons who suffered from the un-
just such confiscation of their property, many 
of whom are well into their 80s or older; 
(4) calls on the Government of Lithuania to im-
mediately implement, fair, comprehensive, and just 
legislation so communities that had communal and 
religious property seized and confiscated by the 
Nazis during World War II or subsequently seized 
by the Communist Lithuanian government after 
World War II (or the relevant successors to the com-
munal and religious property or the relevant founda-
tion) are able to obtain either restitution of their 
property or, where restitution is not possible, fair 
compensation; 
(5) calls on the President and the Secretary of 
State to continue to engage in an open dialogue with 
the Governments of Poland and Lithuania sup-
porting the adoption of legislation requiring, in Po-
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