Polish American Congress Press Release

In April and May, 1940, on orders from Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Secret Police NKVD, over twenty-two thousand Polish citizens; soldiers, officers, intellectual leaders – all prisoners of war, were ruthlessly and brutally murdered one by one, by a single shot to the back of the head.Over 4,500 bodies were found at the KATYN forest, near Smolensk, Soviet Union, in mass grave. Katyn forest was one of the sites where executions and acts of genocide were committed by the NKVD, forerunner to the KGB. More than three million Poles were deported into labor camps in Siberia during 1940 to 1941. Thousands more were killed during the war period.

Many were murdered, persecuted and tortured during the communist era by the Soviet NKVD-KGB and by their Polish puppets, known as the Interior Police (UB). In 1990, the government of then still Soviet Union, officially admitted responsibility for the act of genocide committed on the Polish nation by Soviet Union. Official documents and the order of execution was received by President of Poland Lech Walesa from the representative of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party, Mr. M. Gorbachev. Thus it was finally verified that millions have perished under the communist terror. Even though, "Communism" has fallen in the Soviet Union and also in former satellite nations of Eastern Europe, no compensation or any reparations were made to the families and relatives of the victims or to Poland. Germany has been paying compensation for many years since the Nuremberg trials. Why not Russia?

On September 11, 2001 also by act of terrorism the United States of America was attacked. Over three thousand innocent people of various ethnic groups have perished in World Trade Center, The Pentagon and fields of Pennsylvania. Every year, Polish American Congress and representatives of Polish veteran groups hold memorial services in front of the Katyn monument at Exchange Pl., in Jersey City, NJ. This year, on September 17, 2006 at 12:00 noon a memorial service will be celebrated and flowers will be laid at the Katyn monument and 9/11 commemorative plaque, honoring all victims of these tragedies. Mayor of Jersey City, Jerramiah T. Healy  accompanied by other officials from U.S. Senate and Congress, from the State of New Jersey, New York, and representatives from the Polish Government will attend and participate in the event. We invite all of the Polonia and all of the members of the American community to attend and participate in the services.

If you have any questions please call 1-908-875-4179
Krzysztof L. Nowak - Chairman
Ludwik Wnekowicz, Pres.PAC,NJDiv.
Stanley Paszul, Vice-Chairman

POLISH AMERICAN CONGRESS | NEWJERSEY DIVISION
The voice of a Million Americans of Polish Heritage in the Garden State
177 Broadway, Clark, New Jersey 07066
Tel. (908) 862-2050 | (908) 862-1700 | Fax (908) 862-1029