Turning the pages back...

April 1, 1984

At this time of the year in 1984, this newspaper carried an editorial calling on all Ukrainians to encourage their senators to support a bill introduced by Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) that would establish a congressional commission to investigate the causes and consequences of the Great Famine of 1932-1933. Three weeks before that we had asked readers to contact their representatives about the same matter, as the bill had first been introduced in the House by Rep. James Florio (D-N.J.).

We wrote: "The Great Famine in Ukraine is not a dead issue simply because its 50th anniversary and our observance of it have come and gone. Yet, even though the national commemorative committee recognized this fact and decided to continue its activities, has it, as of this writing, come out with a coordinated national campaign to push the bill? How many organizations have lent their support and resources? How many individuals?" The answer: too few. (The Weekly, it must be noted, was one of the strongest proponents of this legislation.)

The Great Famine, with its 7 million to 10 million victims is one of the greatest atrocities to stain the history of modern man. "A congressional commission is an excellent way to propagate knowledge" of this genocide, we argued.

Source: "The Famine bill" (Editorial), The Ukrainian Weekly, April 1, 1984, Vol. LII, No. 14.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 30, 2003, No. 13, Vol. LXXI

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