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“THE U.S. MUST SUPPORT PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR POLISH HOLOCAUST VICTIMS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1257-E1258 on July 18, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE U.S. MUST SUPPORT PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR POLISH HOLOCAUST VICTIMS
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HON. MAJOR R. OWENS
of new york
in the house of representatives
Monday, July 17, 2000
Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, nearly two hundred of my constituents are the victims of a gross injustice which is continually being compounded by the evasive actions of the present government of Poland. Instead of acting expeditiously to end the cycle of evil set off by the Nazi extermination of Polish Jews, the present Democratic government of Poland has adopted a set of obviously immoral legal maneuvers which deny just compensation to these Polish holocaust victims and their heirs. Following the Nazi defeat, the Communist government continued the criminal denial of property rights. Now a government which has embraced the principles which recognize private property rights is behaving in a manner bordering on racketeering.
In response to a lawsuit filed in Federal Court in Brooklyn on June 18, 1999, the Polish government, on December 22, 1999 filed a motion to dismiss the pending case; however, four weeks later this same government began drafting a reprivatization law to submit to its parliament. The key provisions of the draft represent a blatant attempt to swindle the long neglected victims: Only fifty percent of the current value will be offered to the original owners; payment in bonds which have no face value is proposed; inheritance taxes will be demanded; a one year limit on making claims under the statute will be imposed; for each person making the claim there will be a five year residency requirement.
Instead of these evasive actions which prolong the cruel and inhuman treatment already suffered by the Polish Jews; justice requires that the Polish government institute the following remedies for the survivors: Immediately commence the deeding of all government owned properties back to their rightful owners; creation of a fund for those with ownership rights in properties that have been sold to bona fide third parties; no eviction of any Polish citizens is demanded and an accounting of profits received by Poland during the last 55 years would be ``negotiated away.''
The obvious violations of human rights is the least issue involved in this class action suit. Government grand larceny is a more appropriate term to describe this stalemate. The current neutral position of the U.S. State Department on this matter is inconsistent with U.S. Human Rights Policy and totally unacceptable. In addition to encouraging condemnation by national and world public opinion it is vitally necessary that our government examine its relationship with the Polish government to determine ways to accelerate a just settlement of this sordid victimization. It must be noted that in both Switzerland and Germany, recent steps have been taken to establish large funds for labor and bank deposit claims. Private property claims are not only more easily validated; tradition also considers property rights as almost sacred. World opinion and all Democratic governments must act vigorously to uphold the rights of Polish Jews.
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