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Ronald
Reagan, President of the United States Of America
The White House, Washington, D.C., October 30, 1984
(Seal Of The
President Of The United States)
COMMEMORATION
OF THE GREAT FAMINE
IN THE UKRAINE
A PROCLAMATION
The Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933
was a tragic chapter in the history of the Ukraine, all the more
so because it was not the result of disasters of nature, but was
artificially induced as a deliberate policy.
The leaders of the Soviet
Union, although fully aware of the famine in the Ukraine and having
complete control of food supplies within its borders, nevertheless
failed to take relief measures to check the famine or to alleviate
the catastrophic conditions resulting from it. In complete disregard
of inter- national opinions, they ignored the appeals of international
organizations and other nations.
More than seven million Ukrainians
and millions of others, died as the consequence of this callous
act, which was part of a deliberate policy aimed at crushing the
political, cultural, and human rights of the Ukrainian and other
peoples by whatever means possible. The devastation of these years
contin- ues to leave its mark on the Ukrainian people and has retarded
their econom- ic, social and political development to an enormous
extent.
In making this a special
day to honor those who were victims of this famine, we Americans
are afforded as well another opportunity to honor our own system
of government and the freedoms we enjoy and our commitment to the
right of self-determination and liberty for all the peoples of the
world In so doing, let us also reaffirm our faith in the spirit
and resilience of the Ukrainian people and condemn the system that
has caused them so much suffering over the years.
The Congress,
by House Concurrent Resolution 111, has urged the President to issue
a proclamation in mournful commemoration of the great famine in
the Ukraine during 1933.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD
REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate
Sunday, November 4, 1984, as a Day of Com- memoration of the Great
Famine in the Ukraine in 1933.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have
hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year
of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence
of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth.
(Signed)
Ronald Reagan
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