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50th Anniversary of Ukrainian Independence Day (dinner), Washington, DC, June 1, 1968
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The original documents are located in Box D27, folder "50th Anniversary of Ukrainian
Independence Day (dinner), Washington, DC, June 1, 1968" of the Ford Congressional
Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D25 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
ADDRESS AT DINNER MARKING 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF
UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY, 8 P.M. SATURDAY,
JUNE 1, 1968, AT WASHINGTON HILTON HOTEL.
"TO US IS GIVEN THE HONOR OF
STRIKING A BLOW FOR FREEDOM WHICH WILL LIVE IN
HISTORY, AND IN THE BETTER DAYS THAT LIE AHEAD,
MEN WILL SPEAK WITH PRIDE OF OUR DOINGS."
THESE WORDS ARE MOST APPROPRIATE
TO THIS OCCASION. ALTHOUGH THEY MAY SEEM TO
HAVE BEEN WRITTEN FOR THIS COMMEMORATION, THEY
WERE SPOKEN BY VISCOUNT MONTGOMERY -- "MONTY"
OF WORLD WAR II FAME -- TO THE MEN WHO FOUGHT
UNDER HIM. THE OCCASION WAS THE ALLIED INVASION
OF EUROPE IN 1944.
I HAVE RECALLED MONTY'S WORDS IN
ORDER TO COMMEND YOU FOR STRIKING A BLOW FOR
FREEDOM BY COMMEMORATING A FREEDOM ONCE ENJOYED
AND LONG DENIED -- THE FREEDOM OF UKRAINE. AND
I KNOW, LIKE MARSHAL MONTGOMERY, THAT IN
GERALD THE LIBRARY
-2-
BETTER DAYS THAT LIE AHEAD OTHERS WILL SPEAK
WITH PRIDE OF OUR DOINGS. AND THERE WILL BE
BETTER DAYS!
JUST AS MONTGOMERY'S WORDS INSPIRED
HIS MEN ON THE EVE OF AN HISTORIC INVASION,
THIS EVENING LET THEM BE THE RALLYING CALL FOR
THE ONSET OF A MORAL INVASION BY YOU UPON THE
CONSCIENCE OF THE WORLD. LET US RESOLVE THIS
EVENING TO IMPRESS UPON THE CONSCIENCE OF
AMERICA AND THE WORLD THE IMMUTABLE PRINCIPLE
THAT NO MAN IS WHOLLY FREE UNTIL ALL MEN ARE
FREE.
THE GROUNDWORK FOR AN IDEOLOGICAL
ONSLAUGHT HAS BEEN LAID. OUR EFFORTS IN THE
PAST ATTEST TO THIS.
EVERY YEAR ON JANUARY 22ⁿᵈ, MY
COLLEAGUES AND I IN THE CONGRESS COMMEMORATE
THE UKRAINIAN DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. WE
DO THIS NOT MERELY TO PAY LIP SERVICE TO OUR
CONSTITUENTS OF UKRAINIAN DESCENT BUT BECAUSE
-3-
OF A SINCERE APPRECIATION OF THE FACT THAT OUR
WORLD STILL BEARS WITNESS TO A SHAMELESS RAPE --
AN IMPERIALISM THAT MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN.
SINCE ITS PROCLAMATION IN 1959,
THE CAPTIVE NATIONS RESOLUTION HAS SERVED TO
RECALL OUR COMMITMENT TO THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM FOR
ALL MEN.
FOR YEARS I HAVE SUPPORTED THE
PROPOSAL FOR A SPECIAL HOUSE COMMITTEE ON THE
CAPTIVE NATIONS. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT IN THIS
WAY, THE ISSUE OF SOVIET RUSSIAN IMPERIALISM
WILL BECOME THE FOCAL POINT OF OUR ACTIVE
ATTENTION AND CONCERN. THE CAPTIVE PEOPLES OF
EUROPE, ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA WILL THEN NOT
MERELY BE THE TOPIC OF AN ANNUAL COMMEMORATION
DURING THE THIRD WEEK OF JULY, BUT WILL RATHER
OCCUPY OUR THOUGHTS CONSTANTLY.
THIS IS AS IT MUST BE, FOR SOVIET
RUSSIAN COLONIALISM IS NOT A MERE SLOGAN, IT IS
A FACT OF LIFE. FOR THIS REASON I WILL CONTINUE
-4-
TO CALL FOR A SPECIAL COMMITTEE IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES TO STUDY THE PLIGHT OF THE
RUSSIAN-DOMINATED NATIONS.
IN THIS VEIN I HAVE SUPPORTED, AND
WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, A PROPOSAL FOR A
TOTAL CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW OF UNITED STATES
POLICY TOWARD THE SOVIET UNION. THE REASONS FOR
SUCH A REVIEW I BELIEVE TO BE OBVIOUS.
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO SPEND
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND SACRIFICE THOUSANDS OF
LIVES FIGHTING COMMUNISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA WHILE
AT THE SAME TIME SUPPLYING GOODS AND MATERIEL
TO THE RED STATES OF EASTERN EUROPE, GOODS THAT
EVENTUALLY MAY FIND THEIR WAY TO NORTH VIETNAM?
WE MUST REVIEW THIS WHOLE SAD
POLICY -- A REVIEW THAT HAS NEVER BEEN UNDER-
TAKEN IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF OUR RELATIONS
WITH THE U.S.S.R.. I PLEDGE MY WHOLE-HEARTED
SUPPORT IN THIS CAUSE.
OUR GOVERNMENT, REGARDLESS OF THE
-5-
ADMINISTRATION IN THE WHITE HOUSE, HAS PRESSED
TIME AND AGAIN THE ISSUE OF SOVIET RUSSIAN
IMPERIO-COLONIALISM IN THE UNITED NATIONS.
PERHAPS WE HAVE NOT PERSISTED ENOUGH. WE MUST,
THEREFORE, CONTINUE TO CALL FOR CONSIDERATION
OF RUSSIA COLONIALISM IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL
OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
THE WORLD MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO
FORGET THE MILLIONS LIVING BEHIND THE IRON
CURTAIN. THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DEPRIVED OF
TRUE FREEDOM MAKES OUR LIBERTY SO MUCH LESS
REWARDING.
THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER PLEDGES
FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE TO ALL PEOPLES. THE LATE
ADLAI STEVENSON, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO THE
UNITED NATIONS, WAS KEENLY AWARE OF THIS WHEN
HE ENUMERATED THE DETAILS OF SOVIET RUSSIAN
COLONIALISM IN HIS FAMOUS MEMORANDUM OF
NOVEMBER 25, 1961. IN IT, HE BARED THE GREAT
MOSCOW LIE -- A FICTIONAL "UNION" OF NATIONS
LIBRARY
-6-
WELDED TOGETHER BY A FACTUAL RECORD OF FEROCITY
AND BARBARISM UNMATCHED IN HUMAN HISTORY.
I URGE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES TO INSIST THAT THE SORDID RECORD OF
IMPERIALIST RUSSIAN AGGRANDIZEMENT BE PLACED
ON THE AGENDA OF THE UNITED NATIONS. FOR IT
IS THERE, IN THE COURT OF WORLD OPINION, THAT
AN INDICTMENT CAN BE BROUGHT AND A VERDICT
RENDERED.
THIS AFTERNOON, YOU PAID DUE HOMAGE
TO UKRAINE'S GREAT POET LAUREATE, THE
INDOMITABLE TARAS SHEVCHENKO (TA-ROSS SHEV-
CHENKO). HIS PERSONAL COURAGE, AS WELL AS HIS
POETIC GENIUS, IS KNOWN TO US ALL. I AM
PARTICULARLY PROUD THAT A STATUE OF THIS GREAT
FIGHTER FOR FREEDOM OCCUPIES A PROMINENT PLACE
IN THE CAPITAL OF OUR NATION. I AM LIKEWISE
PROUD TO HAVE BEEN AMONG THOSE WHO SUPPORTED
EARLY THE ERECTING OF A MONUMENT TO SUCH A FORD
GALLANT AND TALENTED INDIVIDUAL. HIS STATUE,
-7-
AND THE PLEASANT PARK IN WHICH IT STANDS,
SERVES AS A DAILY REMINDER TO ALL WHO PASS THAT
AMERICA IS PROUD OF ALL MEN WHO STAND WITH THE
CAUSE OF FREEDOM AND JUSTICE.
LIKEWISE, I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE
CALL FOR THE ISSUANCE OF A MEMORIAL STAMP
COMMEMORATING TARAS SHEVCHENKO (TA-ROSS
SHEV-CHENKO) AND ALL THOSE WHO, LIKE HIM, HOLD
PERSONAL FREEDOM AND DIGNITY AS GOD-GIVEN
RIGHTS WHICH NO GOVERNMENT CAN DENY. SUCH A
STAMP WOULD SERVE TO REMIND ALL AMERICANS THAT
THESE BASIC RIGHTS CANNOT -- MUST NOT -- BE
DENIED TO ANYONE. OUR DUTY AS AMERICANS IS TO
WORK TOWARD THIS GOAL.
OUR NATION TODAY IS IN THE MIDST OF
TURMOIL AND UPHEAVAL. VALUES AND IDEALS WHICH
ONCE WERE TREASURED ARE NOW CAST ASIDE IN THE
NAME OF "LIBERALIZATION" AND "PROGRESS." OUR
FLAG IS TORN AND SPAT UPON. OUR PRESIDENT IS
BURNED IN EFFIGY. DRAFT CARDS ARE BURNED, AND
-8-
OUR UNIVERSITIES OVERRUN BY STUDENT ACTIVISTS.
ALL THIS IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM.
THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE, AS WELL AS
THE PEOPLE OF ESTONIA, LATVIA AND LITHUANIA,
COULD TEACH THESE AMERICANS A LESSON IN THE
MEANING OF FREEDOM! HOW WELL THEY KNOW WHAT
THE LACK OF FREEDOM MEANS IN THEIR DAILY LIVES!
I HAVE ALWAYS RETAINED A SPECIAL
AFFECTION FOR AMERICANS OF FOREIGN EXTRACTION,
FOR THEY, BETTER THAN MOST AMERICANS, REALIZE
THE JOY THAT BEING AN AMERICAN BRINGS. THEY ARE
AMONG AMERICA'S BEST CITIZENS, FOR THEY AND THEIR
FATHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED WHAT HAS BEEN CALLED
"THE AMERICAN DREAM."
BUT THERE is, IN FACT, NO ONE
AMERICAN DREAM, BUT MILLIONS OF THEM. THESE
DREAMS ARE THE GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS OF ALL
THOSE WHO, HAVING FLED ONE TYRANNY OR ANOTHER,
SEEK TO BUILD A BETTER LIFE IN AMERICA.
YOU, OR YOUR FOREFATHERS, HAVE
-9-
KNOWN THIS QUEST. YOU HAVE DARED TO DREAM THE
IMPOSSIBLE DREAM.
AMERICANISM AND LOVE OF COUNTRY
TRANSCEND POLITICAL BOUNDS. AMONG YOU, I AM
SURE, ARE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS
AND CONSERVATIVES. BUT WE ARE ALL UNITED BY
THE COMMON CAUSE OF LOYALTY TO THE UNITED STATES
AND THE IDEALS SET FORTH IN THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE.
I APPEAL TO ALL AMERICANS OF FOREIGN
DISCENT TO ASSERT THEMSELVES THROUGH THE
AMERICAN POLITICAL PROCESS AND THEREBY HELP
BRING BACK TO AMERICA AN APPRECIATION OF THOSE
QUALITIES UPON WHICH THIS DEMOCRACY WAS
FOUNDED -- BROTHERHOOD, HARMONY, FREEDOM AND
JUSTICE.
THE ROLE OF THE NATIONALITY GROUPS
IN AMERICA'S PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN
A VITAL AND UNDENIABLE ONE. IN THIS PERIOD OF
OUR HISTORY, A RE-AFFIRMATION OF THIS SPIRIT IS
-10-
NEEDED MORE THAN EVER.
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO JOIN IN THIS
ENDEAVOR, REGARDLESS OF YOUR POLITICAL
AFFILIATION, FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICA MAY
WELL HANG IN THE BALANCE.
OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
MUST BECOME A VIABLE DOCUMENT; ITS SPIRIT MUST
LIVE AGAIN IN THE MINDS AND HEARTS OF ALL
AMERICANS.
FIFTY LONG YEARS HAVE PASSED INTO
HISTORY SINCE THAT MOMENTOUS DAY BACK IN
JANUARY OF 1918 WHEN YOUR FORBEARS DECLARED
THEIR INDEPENDENCE FROM THE OPPRESSIVE YOKE OF
SOVIET RUSSIA AND HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF RUSSIAN
SUBJUGATION.
A FEW BRIEF YEARS LATER, IN 1923,
THAT BLACK CLOUD ONCE AGAIN SETTLED OVER
UKRAINE, THERE TO REMAIN UNTIL THE PRESENT DAY.
AND THAT IS THE REASON FOR OUR JOINING TOGETHER
EACH YEAR -- TO KEEP ALIVE THE FLAME OF HOPE
-11-
THAT WE KNOW WILL SOMEDAY PROVE A REALITY -- A
RESTORED FREEDOM TO AN INDEPENDENT UKRAINE.
AS WE TONIGHT REMEMBER THOSE LESS
FORTUNATE THAN OURSELVES, LET US RE-DEDICATE
OURSELVES TO THE CONCEPT OF "ONE NATION, UNDER
GOD, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL."
LET US FURTHER DEDICATE OURSELVES
TOWARD WORKING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION
OF OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE SO THAT OUR
WORLD WILL BE ONE WORLD, GUIDED BY DIVINE
PROVIDENCE, WITH ALL PEOPLES SHARING IN THE
REWARDS THAT UNIVERSAL FREEDOM AND JUSTICE CAN
BRING.
THEN CAN WE SAY WE HAVE "FOUGHT THE
GOOD FIGHT;" WE HAVE SERVED THE CAUSE OF ALL
GOOD MEN.
- END -
ADDRESS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
MINORITY LEADER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AT A DINNER MARKING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF
UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY
8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, 1968
Washington Hilton Hotel
"To us is given the honor of striking a blow for freedom which will live in
history, and in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our
doings."
These words are most appropriate to this occasion. Although they may seem to
have been written for this commemoration, they were spoken by Viscount Montgomery--
"Monty" of World War II fame--to the men who fought under him. The occasion was
the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944.
I have recalled Monty's words in order to commend you for striking a blow
for freedom by commemorating a freedom once enjoyed and long denied--the freedom of
Ukraine. And I know, like Marshal Montgomery, that in the better days that lie
ahead others will speak with pride of our doings. And there will be better days!
Just as Montgomery's words inspired his men on the eve of an historic
invasion, this evening let them be the rallying call for the onset of a moral
invasion by you upon the conscience of the world. Let us resolve this evening to
impress upon the conscience of America and the world the immutable principle that no
man is wholly free until all men are free.
The groundwork for an ideological onslaught has been laid. Our efforts in
the past attest to this.
Every year on January 22nd, my colleagues and I in the Congress commemorate
the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence. We do this not merely to pay lip service
to our constituents of Ukrainian descent but because of a sincere appreciation of
the fact that our world still bears witness to a shameless rape--an imperialism
that must not be forgotten.
Since its proclamation in 1959, the Captive Nations Resolution has served
to recall our commitment to the cause of freedom for all men.
For years I have supported the proposal for a special House Committee on
the Captive Nations. It is my belief that in this way, the issue of Soviet
Russian imperialism will become the focal point of our active attention and concern.
The captive peoples of Europe, Asia and Latin America will then not merely be the
(more)
-2-
topic of an annual commemoration during the third week of July, but will rather
occupy our thoughts constantly.
This is as it must be, for Soviet Russian colonialism is not a mere slogan,
it is a fact of life. For this reason I will continue to call for a special
committee in the House of Representatives to study the plight of the Russian-
dominated nations.
In this vein I have supported, and will continue to support, a proposal for
a total Congressional review of United States policy toward the Soviet Union. The
reasons for such a review I believe to be obvious.
How is it possible to spend billions of dollars and sacrifice thousands of
lives fighting communism in Southeast Asia while at the same time supplying goods
and materiel to the Red states of Eastern Europe, goods that eventually may find
their way to North Vietnam?
We must review this whole sad policy--a review that has never been under-
taken in the entire history of our relations with the U.S.S.R. I pledge my
whole-hearted support in this cause.
Our government, regardless of the Administration in the White House, has
pressed time and again the issue of Soviet Russian imperio-colonialism in the
United Nations. Perhaps we have not persisted enough. We must, therefore, continue
to call for consideration of Russian colonialism in the Security Council of the
United Nations.
The world must not be allowed to forget the millions living behind the Iron
Curtain. The fact that they are deprived of true freedom makes our liberty so
much less rewarding.
The United Nations charter pledges freedom and independence to all peoples.
The late Adlai Stevenson, former Ambassador to the United Nations, was keenly
aware of this when he enumerated the details of Soviet Russian colonialism in
his famous memorandum of November 25, 1961. In it, he bared the great Moscow
lie--a fictional "union" of nations welded together by a factual record of ferocity
and barbarism unmatched in human history.
I urge the President of the United States to insist that the sordid record
of imperialist Russian aggrandizement be placed on the agenda of the United Nations.
For it is there, in the court of world opinion, that an indictment can be brought
and a verdict rendered.
This afternoon, you paid due homage to Ukraine's great poet laureate, the
indomitable Taras Shevchenko. His personal courage, as well as his poetic genius,
(more)
FORD
-3-
is known to us all. I am particularly proud that a statue of this great fighter
for freedom occupies a prominent place in the capital of our nation. I am likewise
proud to have been among those who supported early the erecting of a monument to
such a gallant and talented individual. His statue, and the pleasant park in
which it stands, serves as a daily reminder to all who pass that America is proud
of all men who stand with the cause of freedom and justice.
Likewise, I strongly support the call for the issuance of a memorial stamp
commemorating Taras Shevchenko and all those who like him, hold personal freedom
and dignity as God-given rights which no government can deny. Such a stamp would
serve to remind all Americans that these basic rights cannot--must not--be denied
to anyone. Our duty as Americans is to work toward this goal.
Our nation today is in the midst of turmoil and upheaval. Values and
ideals which once were treasured are now cast aside in the name of "liberalization"
and "progress." Our flag is torn and spat upon. Our president is burned in effigy.
Draft cards are burned, and our universities overrun by student activists. All
this in the name of freedom.
The people of Ukraine, as well as the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania,
could teach these Americans a lesson in the meaning of freedom! How well they know
what the lack of freedom means in their daily lives!
I have always retained a special affection for Americans of foreign
extraction, for they, better than most Americans, realize the joy that being an
American brings. They are among America's best citizens, for they and their fathers
have experienced what has been called "the American Dream."
But there is, in fact, no one American Dream, but millions of them. these
dreams are the goals and aspirations of all those who, having fled one tyranny or
another, seek to build a better life in America.
You, or your forefathers, have known this quest. You have dared to dream the
impossible dream.
Americanism and love of country transcend political bounds. Among you, I
am sure, are Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives. But we are
all united by the common cause of loyalty to the United States and the ideals set
forth in the Declaration of Independence.
I appeal to all Americans of foreign descent to assert themselves through
the American political process and thereby help bring back to America an apprecia-
tion of those qualities upon which this democracy was founded--brotherhood,
harmony, freedom and justice.
(more)
GERALD FORD
-4-
The role of the nationality groups in America's progress and development has
been a vital and undeniable one. In this period of our history, a re-affirmation
of this spirit is needed more than ever.
I would like you to join in this endeavor, regardless of your political
affiliation, for the future of America may well hang in the balance.
Our Declaration of Independence must become a viable document; its spirit
must live again in the minds and hearts of all Americans.
Fifty long years have passed into history since that momentous day back in
January of 1918 when your forbears declared their independence from the oppressive
yoke of Soviet Russia and hundreds of years of Russian subjugation.
A few brief years later, in 1923, the black cloud once again settled over
Ukraine, there to remain until the present day. And that is the reason for our
joining together each year--to keep alive the flame of hope that we know will
someday prove a reality--a restored freedom to an independent Ukraine.
As we tonight remember those less fortunate than ourselves, let us re-dedicate
ourselves to the concept of "one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for
all."
Let us further dedicate ourselves toward working for the international
application of our Declaration of Independence so that our world will be one world,
guided by Divine Providence, with all peoples sharing in the rewards that universal
freedom and justice can bring.
Then can we say we have "fought the good fight;" we have served the cause
of all good men.
# # #
Distribution: 20 Capies Mr. Ford
M affice Copy
ADDRESS BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
MINORITY LEADER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AT A DINNER MARKING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF
UKRAINIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY
8 p.m. Saturday, June 1, 1968
Washington Hilton Hotel
"To us is given the honor of striking a blow for freedom which will live in
history, and in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our
doings."
These words are most appropriate to this occasion. Although they may seem to
have been written for this commemoration, they were spoken by Viscount Montgomery--
"Monty" of World War II fame--to the men who fought under him. The occasion was
the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944.
I have recalled Monty's words in order to commend you for striking a blow
for freedom by commemorating a freedom once enjoyed and long denied--the freedom of
Ukraine. And I know, like Marshal Montgomery, that in the better days that lie
ahead others will speak with pride of our doings. And there will be better days!
Just as Montgomery's words inspired his men on the eve of an historic
invasion, this evening let them be the rallying call for the onset of a moral
invasion by you upon the conscience of the world. Let us resolve this evening to
impress upon the conscience of America and the world the immutable principle that no
man is wholly free until all men are free.
The groundwork for an ideological onslaught has been laid. Our efforts in
the past attest to this.
Every year on January 22nd, my colleagues and I in the Congress commemorate
the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence. We do this not merely to pay lip service
to our constituents of Ukrainian descent but because of a sincere appreciation of
the fact that our world still bears witness to a shameless rape--an imperialism
that must not be forgotten.
Since its proclamation in 1959, the Captive Nations Resolution has served
to recall our commitment to the cause of freedom for all men.
For years I have supported the proposal for a special House Committee on
the Captive Nations. It is my belief that in this way, the issue of Soviet
Russian imperialism will become the focal point of our active attention and concern.
The captive peoples of Europe, Asia and Latin America will then not merely be the
(more)
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
-2-
topic of an annual commemoration during the third week of July, but will rather
occupy our thoughts constantly.
This is as it must be, for Soviet Russian colonialism is not a mere slogan,
it is a fact of life. For this reason I will continue to call for a special
committee in the House of Representatives to study the plight of the Russian-
dominated nations.
In this vein I have supported, and will continue to support, a proposal for
a total Congressional review of United States policy toward the Soviet Union. The
reasons for such a review I believe to be obvious.
How is it possible to spend billions of dollars and sacrifice thousands of
lives fighting communism in Southeast Asia while at the same time supplying goods
and materiel to the Red states of Eastern Europe, goods that eventually may find
their way to Nor th Vietnam?
We must review this whole sad policy--a review that has never been under-
taken in the entire history of our relations with the U.S.S.R. I pledge my
whole-hearted support in this cause.
Our government, regardless of the Administration in the White House, has
pressed time and again the issue of Soviet Russian imperio-colonialism in the
United Nations. Perhaps we have not persisted enough. We must, therefore, continue
to call for consideration of Russian colonialism in the Security Council of the
United Nations.
The world must not be allowed to forget the millions living behind the Iron
Curtain. The fact that they are deprived of true freedom makes our liberty so
much less rewarding.
The United Nations charter pledges freedom and independence to all peoples.
The late Adlai Stevenson, former Ambassador to the United Nations, was keenly
aware of this when he enumerated the details of Soviet Russian colonialism in
his famous memorandum of November 25, 1961. In it, he bared the great Moscow
lie--a fictional "union" of nations welded together by a factual record of ferocity
and barbarism unmatched in human history.
I urge the President of the United States to insist that the sordid record
of imperialist Russian aggrandizement be placed on the agenda of the United Nations.
For it is there, in the court of world opinion, that an indictment can be brought
and a verdict rendered.
This afternoon, you paid due homage to Ukraine's great poet laureate, the
indomitable Taras Shevchenko. His personal courage, as well as his poetic genius,
(more)
R.FORD
-3-
is known to us all. I am particularly proud that a statue of this great fighter
for freedom occupies a prominent place in the capital of our nation. I am likewise
proud to have been among those who supported early the erecting of a monument to
such a gallant and talented individual. His statue, and the pleasant park in
which it stands, serves as a daily reminder to all who pass that America is proud
of all men who stand with the cause of freedom and justice.
Likewise, I strongly support the call for the issuance of a memorial stamp
commemorating Taras Shevchenko and all those who like him, hold personal freedom
and dignity as God-given rights which no government can deny. Such a stamp would
serve to remind all Americans that these basic rights cannot--must not--be denied
to anyone. Our duty as Americans is to work toward this goal.
Our nation today is in the midst of turmoil and upheaval. Values and
ideals which once were treasured are now cast aside in the name of "liberalization"
and "progress." Our flag is torn and spat upon. Our president is burned in effigy.
Draft cards are burned, and our universities overrun by student activists. All
this in the name of freedom.
The people of Ukraine, as well as the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania,
could teach these Americans a lesson in the meaning of freedom! How well they know
what the lack of freedom means in their daily lives!
I have always retained a special affection for Americans of foreign
extraction, for they, better than most Americans, realize the joy that being an
American brings. They are among America's best citizens, for they and their fathers
have experienced what has been called "the American Dream."
But there is, in fact, no one American Dream, but millions of them. these
dreams are the goals and aspirations of all those who, having fled one tyranny or
another, seek to build a better life in America.
You, or your forefathers, have known this quest. You have dared to dream the
impossible dream.
Americanism and love of country transcend political bounds. Among you, I
am sure, are Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives. But we are
all united by the common cause of loyalty to the United States and the ideals set
forth in the Declaration of Independence.
I appeal to all Americans of foreign descent to assert themselves through
the American political process and thereby help bring back to America an apprecia-
tion of those qualities upon which this democracy was founded--brotherhood,
harmony, freedom and justice.
(more)
-4-
The role of the nationality groups in America's progress and development has
been a vital and undeniable one. In this period of our history, a re-affirmation
of this spirit is needed more than ever.
I would like you to join in this endeavor, regardless of your political
affiliation, for the future of America may well hang in the balance.
Our Declaration of Independence must become a viable document; its spirit
must live again in the minds and hearts of all Americans.
Fifty long years have passed into history since that momentous day back in
January of 1918 when your forbears declared their independence from the oppressive
yoke of Soviet Russia and hundreds of years of Russian subjugation.
A few brief years later, in 1923, the black cloud once again settled over
Ukraine, there to remain until the present day. And that is the reason for our
joining together each year--to keep alive the flame of hope that we know will
someday prove a reality--a restored freedom to an independent Ukraine.
As we tonight remember those less fortunate than ourselves, let us re-dedicate
ourselves to the concept of "one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for
all."
Let us further dedicate ourselves toward working for the international
application of our Declaration of Independence so that our world will be one world,
guided by Divine Providence, with all peoples sharing in the rewards that universal
freedom and justice can bring.
Then can we say we have "fought the good fight;" we have served the cause
of all good men.
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