Thirty-five years ago, on July 18, 1983, the White House commemorated Captive Nations Week with a proclamation, a ceremony and statements in defense of human rights.
The White House proclamation, issued by President Ronald Reagan, stated: “Twenty-five years ago, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed that ‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ This reaffirmed an eternal truth that Thomas Jefferson in 1776 wrote into our own Declaration of Independence… Free people, if they are to remain free, must defend the liberty of others. As the custodians of a democratic tradition firmly established on this continent more than two centuries ago, Americans are deeply committed to the goal of representative government everywhere.”
The proclamation noted that the annual Captive Nations Week is a chance to reaffirm U.S. commitment to the cause of liberty, “by reminding all those who are forced to live under the domination of foreign military power and alien ideology that the United States supports their aspirations for freedom, independence and national self-determination,” the proclamation added. “I invite the people of the United States … to reaffirm their dedication to the ideals of freedom, which unite us and inspire others.”
President Reagan, in his remarks at the White House ceremony on July 19, stated: “Today, we come to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are captives, not because of crimes that they have committed but because of crimes committed against them by dictators and tyrants… Many governments oppress their people and abuse human rights. We must oppose this injustice. But only one so-called revolution puts itself above God, insists on total control over the people’s lives, and is driven by the desire to seize more and more lands. As we mark this 25th observance of Captive Nations Week, I have one question for those rulers: If communism is the wave of the future, why do you still need walls to keep people in, and armies of secret police to keep them quiet?”
“Now some believe that we must muffle our voices for the cause of peace. I disagree. Peace is made or broken, with deeds, not words… Rather than seek temporary, partisan advantage, let us work together for the future of mankind. We must not waver in our request for genuine peace and cooperation. We must keep our military strong to deter aggression. And we will never shrink from speaking the truth,” President Reagan concluded.
Source: “Captive Nations Week addresses by President Ronald Reagan,” The Ukrainian Weekly, July 31, 1983.