Holocaust Remembrance Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following Proclamations regarding Holocaust Remembrance Day:

Joint Resolution Designating April 28 and 29 of 1979 as ``Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust''. Whereas six million Jews and millions of other people were murdered in concentration camps as part of a program of extermination carried out by the Nazi party during World War II; Whereas the people of the United States should recognize that all acts of bigotry are rooted in the cruelty of spirit and the callousness that led the Nazis to commit atrocities against millions of people, and should dedicate themselves to the principle of human equality; Whereas the people of the United States should recognize that tyranny creates the political atmosphere in which bigotry flourishes, and should be vigilant to detect, and ready to resist, the tyrannical exercise of power; Whereas on April 28 and 29 of 1945 the Armed Forces of the United States liberated the surviving victims of Nazi internment in the concentration camp in Dachau, Germany, and revealed to the world evidence of a tragic human holocaust that must never be forgotten; and Whereas the Nazi concentration camp in Dachau, Germany, is not only a shocking symbol of Nazi brutality and destruction, but also a symbol of the danger inherent in tyranny, the pernicious quality of bigotry, and the human capacity to be cruel: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That April 28 and 29 of 1979 are designated as ``Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust'', and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe such days with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Approved September 18, 1978. ____ President Carter Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust Statement on Signing H.J. Res. 1014 Into Law--September 18, 1978

I have today signed House Joint Resolution 1014, designating April 28 and 29, 1979, as ``Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust.''

The systematic extermination of millions of human beings by the Nazis during World War II was the most terrible crime in all recorded history. In the words of the resolution, the Holocaust remains ``not only a shocking symbol of Nazi brutality and destruction, but also a symbol of the danger inherent in tyranny, the pernicious quality of bigotry, and the human capacity to be cruel.''

The resolution was passed unanimously by both Houses of Congress. This reflects our Nation's wholehearted conviction that the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.

Senator John Danforth of Missouri, whom I commend for having originated the resolution, chose April 28 and 29, because it was on these dates, in 1945, that American troops liberated the Dachau concentration camp. The dates chosen by Senator Danforth and embodied in this resolution thus aptly symbolize both the horror of genocide and the imperative to fight against it.

During the next few months, the President's Commission on the Holocaust will study ways in which this commemoration can best be observed, and I will issue an appropriate proclamation next spring. In the meanwhile, I wish to commend Senator Danforth, Representatives Wright, Rosenthal, Rhodes, and Vander Jagt and their colleagues, who joined in securing passage of H.J. Res. 1014.

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