FOR THE RECORD

Rep. Levin's "Dear Colleague" letter

Below is a "Dear Colleague" letter sent on July 29 by Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) to the House of Representatives to urge support for House Congressional Resolution 254 in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide.

Dear Colleague:

As a member of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, I invite you to join us in co-sponsoring H. Con. Res. 254 to recognize the 70th anniversary of the Soviet-engineered Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933 and to remember the more than 7 million victims of this man-made tragedy.

This event graphically illustrates the degree of persecution the Ukrainian people experienced under the rigid control of the government of the former Soviet Union. Concerned about Ukrainian self-assertion, Joseph Stalin implemented a policy of forced collectivization of agriculture and grain seizures. The Soviets hoped to crush the spirit of Ukraine and replace it with a politically homogenous Russian realm.

Historians have named this the "harvest of sorrow" because Ukrainian farms in the early 1930s yielded bumper crops, but the Soviets imposed such harsh levies on the crops that villages were often left with nothing. The situation worsened as Soviet officials conducted house-to-house searches for any remaining stores of food, and as border checkpoints were established to prevent starving Ukrainians from entering Russia and to prevent any food from being brought into Ukraine. The people in the land once known as the "breadbasket of Europe" were reduced to eating weeds and the bark of trees.

This resolution presents an opportunity to recall the brutality of Communist policies, to remember the innocent victims of those policies, and to reaffirm our support for Ukraine's path toward democracy and a free market economy.

I encourage your support for this legislation. Through remembrance, we honor the memory of all those who perished and work to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. If you would like to co-sponsor H. Con. Res. 254, please contact David Ettinger at 5-4961.

Sincerely,
Sander Levin
Member of Congress

Co-sponsors: Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Curt Weldon (Pa.).

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, August 10, 2003, No. 32, Vol. LXXI

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