105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 295
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas this year marks the 65th anniversary of the Ukrain-
ian 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
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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 re-
jected 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 Rus-
sian territory in search of bread;
Whereas, in his book ‘‘The Harvest of Sorrow’’, British histo-
rian 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 estab-
lished on December 13, 1985, to conduct a study with
the goal of expanding the world’s knowledge and under-
standing 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’ in-
violable religious and political rights; and
Whereas the Commission on the Ukraine Famine presented
4 volumes of findings and conclusions, 10 volumes of ar-
chival material, and over 200 cassettes of testimony from
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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
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring),
SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the victims of the government of the former
Soviet Union-engineered Ukrainian Famine of
1932–1933 be solemnly remembered on its 65th an-
niversary;
(2) the Congress condemns the systematic dis-
regard for human life, human rights, human liberty,
and self-determination that characterized the repres-
sive policies of the government of the former Soviet
Union during the Ukrainian Famine of 1932–1933;
(3) on the 65th anniversary of the Ukrainian
Famine of 1932–1933, in contrast to the policies of
the government of the former Soviet Union, Ukraine
is moving toward democracy, a free-market economy,
and full respect for human rights, and it is essential
that the United States continue to assist Ukraine as
it proceeds down this path; and
(4) any supplemental material that will assist in
the dissemination of information about the Ukrain-
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ian Famine of 1932–1933, and thereby help to pre-
vent similar future tragedies, be compiled and made
available worldwide for the study of the devastation
of the famine.
SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL OF THE RESOLUTION.
The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall—
(1) transmit a copy of this resolution to—
(A) the President;
(B) the Secretary of State; and
(C) the co-chairs of the Congressional
Ukrainian Caucus; and
(2) request that the Secretary of State transmit
a copy of this resolution to the Government of
Ukraine.
Passed the House of Representatives October 10,
1998.
Attest:
Clerk.