Embassy news 2009

House Resolution Recognizes 70th Anniversary of the Soviet and Nazi Invasion of Poland

4 August 2009

Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov signs the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Behind him stand (left) German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and (right) Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin.

A resolution recognizing the 70th anniversary of the Soviet and Nazi invasion of Poland was introduced in the House of Representatives on July 31, 2009 and referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Resolution (H.Res.715), sponsored by Representative Marcy Kaptur, emphasizes the pivotal role Poland has assumed at freedom's edge since gaining independence. The Resolution pays tribute to the millions of innocent lives lost during World War II, the suffering of Poles and praises their subsequent endurance in the struggle for freedom. “Poland lost more lives as a percentage of its population than any other nation during World War II,” it says. “Poland's freedom-loving people continued to endure political suppression and selective annihilation from 1939 to 1989.” Please click here to read the full text of House Resolution 715.

 

 

House Resolution 715

• recognizes the 70th anniversary of the Soviet and Nazi Invasion of Poland;
• commends the valiant people of Poland for their historic struggle against fascism and communism;
• commemorates the extraordinary sacrifices made by the Polish people, including those who have since become American citizens;
• calls for strengthening our partnership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), European Union alliances, and continued friendship with our Polish allies in the furtherance of freedom's cause; and
• honors the historic ties between Poland and the United States dating back to the American Revolution and the exceptional participation of Revolutionary war patriots, now American citizens, Thaddeus Kosciusko, who was named head engineer in the Continental Army, and General Casimir Pulaski, the cavalry leader who saved the life of George Washington and who died from wounds suffered in the Battle of Savannah.