24. National Former Prisoners of War Recognition Day

Public Law 101–13 [S.J. Res. 43], 103 Stat. 36, approved April 13, 1989

JOINT RESOLUTION Designating April 9, 1989, as "National Former Prisoners of War Recognition Day".

Whereas the United States has fought in many wars;

Whereas thousands of members of the armed Forces of the United States who served in such wars were captured by the enemy and held as prisoners of war;

Whereas many such prisoners of war were subjected to brutal and inhumane treatment by their captors in violation of international codes and customs for the treatment of prisoners of war and died, or were disabled, as a result of such treatment;

Whereas in 1985, the United States Congress (in Public Law 99-145) directed the Department of Defense to issue a medal to former prisoners of war in recognition and commemoration of their great sacrifices in service to our Nation; and

Whereas these great sacrifices by former prisoners of war and their families deserve national recognition: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That April 9, 1989, is designated as "National Former Prisoners of War Recognition Day" in honor of the members of the Armed Forces of the Untied States who have been held as prisoners of war, and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to commemorate such days with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

25. Jewish Heritage Week

Public Law 101–25 [S.J. Res. 25], 103 Stat. 53, approved May 5, 1989

JOINT RESOLUTION To designate the week of May 7, 1989, through May 14, 1989, as "Jewish Heritage Week".

Whereas May 10, 1989, marks the forty-first anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel;

Whereas the months of April, May, and June contain events of major significance in the Jewish calendar-Passover, the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Holocaust Memorial Day, and Jerusalem Day;

Whereas the Congress recognizes that an understanding of the heritage of all American ethnic groups contributes to the unity of our country; and

Whereas intergroup understanding can be further fostered through an appreciation of the culture, history and traditions of the Jewish community and the contributions of Jews to our country and society: Now, therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the week of May 7, 1989, through May 14, 1989, is designated as "Jewish Heritage Week", and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States, State and local government agencies, and interested organizations to observe the week with appropriate ceremonies, activities and programs.

26. Baltic Freedom Day

Public Law 101-39 [S.J. Res. 63], 103 Stat. 79, approved June 19, 1989

JOINT RESOLUTION Designating June 14, 1989, as "Baltic Freedom Day", and for other purposes.

Whereas the people of the Baltic Republics of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia (hereinafter referred to as the "Baltic Republics") have cherished the principles of religious and political freedom and independence;

Whereas the Baltic Republics have existed as independent, sovereign nations and as fully recognized members of the League of Nations;

Whereas 1989 marks the 50th anniversary of the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in which the Soviet Union colluded with Nazi Germany, thus allowing the Soviet Union in 1940 to illegally seize and occupy the Baltic Republics and to incorporate such republics by force into the Soviet Union against the national will and the desire for independence and freedom of the people of such republics;

Whereas due to Soviet and Nazi tyranny, by the end of World War II, 20 percent of the total population of the Baltic Republics had been lost;

Whereas the people of the Baltic Republics have individual and separate cultures and national traditions and languages which are distinctively foreign to those of Russia;

Whereas since 1940, the Soviet Union has systematically implemented Baltic genocide by deporting native Baltic peoples from Baltic homelands to forced labor and concentration camps in Siberia and elsewhere;

Whereas by relocating masses of Russians to the Baltic Republics, the Soviet Union has threatened the Baltic Cultures with extinction through russification;

Whereas through a program of russification, the Soviet Union has introduced ecologically unsound industries without proper safeguards into the Baltic Republics, and the presence of such industries has resulted in deleterious effects on the environment and well-being of the Baltic people;

Whereas the Soviet Union, despite recent pronouncements of openness and restructuring, has imposed upon the captive people of the Baltic Republics an oppressive political system which has destroyed every vestige of democracy, civil liberty, and religious freedom; Whereas the people of the Baltic Republics are subjugated by the Soviet Union, are locked into a union such people deplore, are denied basic human rights, and are persecuted for daring to protest;

Whereas the Soviet Union refuses to abide by the Helsinki accords which the Soviet Union voluntarily signed;

Whereas the United States stands as a champion of liberty, is dedi cated to the principles of national self-determination, human rights, and religious freedom, and is opposed to oppression and imperialism;

Whereas the United States, as a member of the United Nations, had repeatedly voted with a majority of that international body to uphold the right of other countries of the world to self-determination and freedom from foreign domination;

Whereas the Soviet Union has steadfastly refused to return to the people of the Baltic Republics the right to exist as independent republics, separate and apart from the Soviet Union, or to permit a return of personal, political, and religious freedoms; and Whereas 1989 marks the 49th anniversary of the continued policy of the United States of not recognizing the illegal forcible occupation of the Baltic Republics by the Soviet Union, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That

(1) the Congress recognizes the continuing desire and right of the people of the Baltic Republics for freedom and independence from the domination of the Soviet Union;

(2) the Congress deplores the refusal of the Soviet Union to recognize the sovereignty of the Baltic Republics and to yield to the rightful demands for independence from foreign domination and oppression by the people of the Baltic Republics;

(3) June 14, 1989, the anniversary of the mass deportation of Baltic peoples from their homelands in 1941, is designated as "Baltic Freedom Day", as a symbol of the solidarity of the people of the United States with the aspirations of the enslaved Baltic people; and

(4) the President of the United States be authorized and requested

(A) to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe Baltic Freedom Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, and

(B) to call upon the Soviet Union, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Democratic Republic of Germany to renounce the acquisition or absorption of the Baltic Republics by the Soviet Union as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

27. National Day to Commemorate the Bastille Day Bicentennial

Public Law 101–55 [H.J. Res. 298], 103 Stat. 148, approved July 7, 1989

JOINT RESOLUTION Designating July 14, 1989, as "National Day To
Commemorate the Bastille Day Bicentennial".

Whereas the independence of the United States was achieved with significant assistance from France and from individual citizens of France;

Whereas the ideals of liberty and freedom which animated the people of the United States during the American Revolution were shared by many of the people of France and are held sacred by both peoples today;

Whereas the year 1789 was of particular significance in the history of both France and the United States, marking the opening chapter of the French Revolution and the concluding chapter of the American Revolution;

Whereas on July 14, 1789, the people of France liberated the hated Bastille prison, thus signifying the triumph of liberty over tyranny; Whereas within a period of 31 days, the National Assembly of France approved the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen on August 26, 1789, and the Congress of the United States approved the Bill of Rights on September 25, 1789, thereby proclaiming the sanctity of human rights on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and guaranteeing them for future generations; and Whereas France and the United States remain fully committed to the principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen and the Bill of Rights: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That July 14, 1989, is designated as "National Day To Commemorate the Bastille Day Bicentennial", and the President of the United States is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.