Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
4526501
label
House Speech Baltic States, June 12, 1973
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
4526501
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
House Speech Baltic States, June 12, 1973
citationUrl
collections
Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
Speeches
subjects
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Soviet Union
iiifBase
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
4526501
coverageEndDate
logicalDate
1973-06-30
month
6
year
1973
coverageStartDate
logicalDate
1973-06-01
month
6
year
1973
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
url
mediaId
b39986c3ac6e39ee
ocrText
The original documents are located in Box D35, folder "House Speech Baltic States, June
12, 1973" 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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.
Remarks by Rep. Geraldk R. Ford, to be placed in the Corig. Record
6/12/73
Mr. Speaker, today I join with others of my colleagues in commemorating a
sad anniversary. It is now 33 years since the Soviets invaded Lithuania, Latvia
and Esthonia and seized them by force of arms.
The United States and other freedom-loving nations of the world stood by while
this tragedy occurred. We can take comfortain only the fact that the U.S.
forcible
has never recognized the Any annexation of Lithuania and the other Baltic
States into the Soviet Union.
Now we stand on the threshold of a new era of peace. We are beginning talks
that promise to build a foundation for improved relations between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union. But what of the Baltic States?
Lithuania fell under the yoke of Soviet dictatorship on June 15, 1940. Are
we now to forget that act of infamy? Nay, it must never be acceded to by the
Lithuanians thomselves or by any of the freedom-loving peoples of the earth. It
is a horrible injustice which must one day be put right.
Today I voice my continuing support for the just efforts of Lithuamians
everywhere to reestablish their country as an independent state and to free their
homeland from Russian control.
It is my view that any man who is dedicated to the principles of freedom and
justice and informs himself of the manner in which the Soviet Union subjugated the
Lithuanian people cannot help but be their ally in a persistent struggle to free
them.
I am not supprised that Lithuanians consider themselves betrayed by the
agreement entered into Feb. 11, 1945, at Yalta by President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. There is no question that the
Yalta Agreement appeared to seal the fate of all of the nations of Central and
Eastern Europe.
The Government of the United States had clearly closed its eyes to aggression
by the Soviot Union after fighting a bloody war to cleanse the world of aggression
by Nazi Germany and Japan.
Yet it is a fact of historic importance that the United States has never recog-
nized the validity of the Russian acc Impation of the Baltic nations. And in this
there is hope for Lithuanians, Latvians and Esthonians--and for the entire world. It
means that the concept of freedom still lives--that it can never be extinguished by
force of arms or the brutal suppression of a people. It means that there must come a
time when the forces of freedom will rally to turn back the forces of darkne SS and
oppression. Let us today look to the future and pledge that we will never rest until
the Baltic States are once again free and independent.
Digitized from Box D35 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library