DECLARATION ON CAPTIVE PEOPLES

1

[Editor's note: Disputes over the wisdom and legal force of the agreements negotiated by Presidents Roosevelt and Truman with Marshal Stalin during the wartime political conferences (especially as these related to the disposition of national territories in Eastern Europe and the Far East and impinged upon or were seen as impinging upon the fate of those territories and peoples after the war when most fell within the orbit of Soviet power) were a recurrent theme in postwar debates on U.S. foreign policy. In his inaugural address on January 20, 1953, in partial fulfillment of a campaign pledge, President Eisenhower declared that his administration would "never acquiesce in the enslavement of any people in order to purchase fancied gain for ourselves," and further that he would ask Congress to join with him in "an appropriate resolution making clear that this Government recognizes no kind of commitment contained in secret understandings of the past with foreign governments which permit this kind of slavery." Such a declaration was requested by the President in a message to Congress on February 20, and a draft resolution submitted by the President was introduced in the House as H.J. Res. 200 on February 23. The matter was discussed briefly in the Foreign Relations Committee on February 24 and testimony was heard from Secretary Dulles on February 26. Discussion of the issue was continued during the confirmation hearing of Mr. Bohlen to be Ambassador to the Soviet Union on March 2. On March 3, the committee approved an amendment specifying that the resolution did "not constitute any determination by the Congress as to the validity and invalidity of any of the provisions of the said agreements and understandings." It then ordered the amended draft reported favorably to the Senate as an original resolution. In each case, however, the vote in Committee was a close 8 to 6, and it was evident that unanimous or near-unanimous Senate agreement to the resolution would be very difficult to obtain. In light of this, active support for the resolution in the Administration and Congress quickly drained away. Following the death of Stalin on March 5, the Administration let it be known that it would prefer to see the resolution die, and in a meeting on March 10 the Committee agreed to defer further action indefinitely.]

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1953

UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C.

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 2:30 p.m., in the Foreign Relations Committee Room, U.S. Capitol Building, Senator Alexander Wiley (chairman) presiding.

Present: Senators Wiley (chairman), Smith of New Jersey, Hickenlooper, Taft, Langer, Ferguson, Knowland, George, Green, Fulbright, Sparkman, Gillette, Humphrey and Mansfield.

Also present: Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Kalijarvi, Mr. Marcy, Mr. Holt, Mr. O'Day, and Mr. Cahn of the committee staff.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order.

Mr. Secretary, you know the reason that we have asked you to come to talk to us.

1 See appendix C.

because a lot of these persecutions are not religious entirely at all: they are partly racial, whether you think the spiritual values are racial or not.

Senator GREEN. You speak of the people of the Jewish faith.

Senator TAFT. I agree, although we do say ethnic groups in Poland, in the Ukraine, in the Baltic and Balkan states, and so forth. which covers the race end of it.

Senator GREEN. But you put in the words "of the Jewish faith." I notice the word "faith," so that implies the spiritual significance.

APPLY SAME LANGUAGE TO ALL RELIGIONS

The CHAIRMAN. That question, gentlemen, has also been raised because there are a lot of Jews who are not of the Jewish faith, and that suggests that before we had "persecution of Jewish people," and then the committee thought that should be changed, but I want to say also, and I would like to get your reaction as to that, you speak of the persecution of the Greek Orthodox congregations, and then you only speak of imprisonment of Roman Catholic prelates

Senator TAFT. The State Department group

The CHAIRMAN. Just a minute, Senator; we cannot all talk at the same time. The imprisonment is a narrower term than "persecution." and it was suggested that you combine the three of them that you have got there, and make them all in the same class, the Greek Orthodox, the Roman Catholics and the Protestants and the Moslem communities, and if you use the persecution, imprisonment and suppression of the Greek Orthodox congregations, the Roman Catholic prelates, Protestant denominations, then you classify them, otherwise you are making them limited. Certainly imprisonment is not as broad as persecution.

I say that we had better think that language through because to me that thing is significant when you get on the floor.

STATE DEPARTMENT LANGUAGE IS ADEQUATE

Senator TAFT. Well, the State Department drew this; they drew it with great care, and they used the language that applied to particular things. It is not all-inclusive necessarily because it is such as those things, such as the persecution of them. Those are the things which stood in publicity, certainly, and I would not like to change this whole thing again and try to redraft it all. You can draft it a thousand ways so far as that is concerned, but it does seem to be that it says what you want to say, I think, and I do not think people are going to examine the exact language just exactly in each detail that you condemn it. I would rather leave it the way that language is through that section, and that is State Department language. They got it down to the point where they said Moslem communities, and they knew what had happened, what we have particularly, what we would protest against if we were protesting.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. That language seems to me to be adequate unless we are prepared to write a white paper and delineate a lot of details on each of these groups. I mean, we express it.

Now, I suppose the Roman Catholics would say not only have they imprisoned them but they have killed a lot of their group.

mean we express that-the Moslems would say, "Well, they put heir congregations in jail, too, and all that sort of stuff."

Senator GREEN. I think it is saved by the words Senator Taft rought out "such as," which he used as the illustration. Those are onspicuous illustrations.

Senator Taft. Those are things people have heard about.
Senator GREEN. I think that is adequate.

Senator TOBEY. Many other things too numerous to mention.

OTHER CHANGES

The CHAIRMAN. Well, the last suggestion is on the last page, the President is hereby urged" instead of that "we urge to President." Senator TAFT. I see no objection to that at all.

Senator SMITH. That is at the end?

Senator TOBEY. Any objection to sending Mr. Vishinsky a copy of that tonight?

The CHAIRMAN. Do you want to be a special delegate of this committee?

Senator TOBEY. If you do not, I will.

Senator TAFT. Incidentally, it ought to be changed by putting "against these outrages" at the end of the business, so that it reads "to take appropriate action to protest, particularly in the General Assembly of the United Nations, against these outrages."

Senator SMITH. How would your resolution read now with the changes that have been made?

Senator TAFT. The whole thing?

Senator SMITH. Yes.

Senator TAFT [reads].

Resolved, That is is the sense of the Senate of the United States that the vicious and inhuman campaigns conducted by the Soviet Union and its puppet governments in satellite states against minority groups, such as the persecution of Greek Orthodox congregations, the imprisonment of Roman Catholic prelates, the harassment of Protestant denominations, the suppression of Moslem communities, the persecution and scattering of ethnic groups in Poland, in the Ukraine, in the Baltic and the Balkan states and in many other areas under Soviet domination, and most recently the increasing persecution of the people of the Jewish faith, deserve the strongest condemnation by all peoples who believe that spiritual values are the bases of human progress and freedom. Resolved further, That the President is hereby urged to take appropriate action to protest particularly in the General Assembly of the United Nations against these outrages.

THE DESECRATION OF FREEDOM AND DIGNITY

Senator HUMPHREY. That "spiritual value" point is a good one. I do not know whether it is precise at all. What you are talking about here is the desecration of human freedom and dignity. The real tragedy here is that people have been selected out just because of their particular race or their spiritual life for abuse on the part of the rulers. It is a denial of human dignity and of human freedom, which is a concept that is pretty well embraced by any religious faith, and by the freedom-loving world or the people of the free areas of the world.

I just wondered if you could not pinpoint it a little bit more by saying "by all people who believe in human dignity and freedom"

or "by all people"-I think Senator Hickenlooper is right in stressing the point that he has, and I would not want to

Senator HICKENLOOPER. "By all people who believe that spiritual values and the dignity".

Senator HUMPHREY [continuing]. Who believe in the spiritual values of human dignity and freedom.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. I was going to suggest "who believe that spiritual values and the human dignity or individual dignity""human dignity are the bases".

Senator HUMPHREY. There are many spiritual values in the mosaic of the religions of the world, and yet there is one common denominator that seems to run through most all religions, and that is the matter of the respect for the dignity of the individual, respect for his freedom as a man, and I just wondered if we are not trying to get the common denominator that does run through pretty much of the whole spiritual life of the universe.

Senator TAFT. You do not think you would offend the Buddhists! Senator HUMPHREY. I hope not.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. I would say 50 percent of the world and the population of the world does not believe in the universal dignity of the individual.

Senator HUMPHREY. They believe in human freedom.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. Well, let us go to the Orient and other places where a woman is not considered to have a soul in their religions, but the men have great spiritual adherence to a spiritual philosophy, but a woman has no dignity, has no soul, and you have literally hundreds of millions of people in the world who adhere to a religion that has that for their philosophy.

Senator GREEN. It seems to me it is better to leave it at "who believe in spiritual values," otherwise you get some controversial questions.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. I wanted to express the idea that we believe that spiritual values are the bases of human progress.

Senator TAFT. It sounded all right to me when I read it.

Senator HICKENLOOPER. If we get involved on this and discuss it, if we would all agree

Senator TAFT. It sounded pretty good to me.

HAVE WE PROPERLY EXCLUDED THE ASIAN SITUATION?

Senator KNOWLAND. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to raise one point; at least, we would have discussed it along this line of trying to avoid other resolutions from coming in. I was wondering if purposely we have left out the Asian situation where you have this same persecution, and where we might have somebody saying, "Well. you have now concentrated these things on Europe, and you have these things happening here."

Senator HICKENLOOPER. We say "puppet governments of satellite states."

Senator FERGUSON. We talk about minority groups. They may be considered minority groups.

Senator TAFT. There would be no objection if you want to say "n the Baltic and Balkan States, in China and in many other areas."

Senator HICKENLOOPER. I think you have just got it all-inclusive there where you say "the puppet governments of satellite states." Senator KNOWLAND. But the difficulty is, all I am saying is that we want to avoid any more resolutions coming in, it would seem to me, and since we have this touchy thing, and the Asiatics themselves are a little touchy about being ignored, and you have stressed the other side of the world, that might take care of the situation. Senator HICKENLOOPER. You have got Latvia and Estonia. Senator KNOWLAND. They are included in the Baltic States. Senator FERGUSON. Suppose you put in after "satellite states" "in Europe and Asia."

Senator KNOWLAND. I think that would all right.

Senator GREEN. It says "other areas under Soviet domination." Senator HICKENLOOPER. Yes.

Senator TAFT. I do not see why this is not inclusive enough to authorize us in restricting any more resolutions about this subject, China and anywhere else. They have been persecuted in China, but I think it would be covered here.

Senator FERGUSON. Would you put "satellite states in other areas” as Senator Green suggests?

Senator GREEN. It is in there now.

Senator FERGUSON. You have got that inserted?

Senator TAFT. "puppet governments in satellite States," and "many other areas under Soviet domination."

Senator HUMPHREY. That is in line 9, "in many other areas."
Senator FERGUSON. Oh, yes.

Senator TAFT. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Chairman-I do not think I ought to report this, this ought to be a committee resolution, under the rules, reported by the Chairman, and I move that the Chairman be authorized to report this resolution as I read it last, and ask that it be not submitted-that it be considered by the Senate without any further submission of this committee. I do not think we read it in order to take it up today, but it could be submitted today, and it would be ready to take up Friday.

Senator GREEN. Would you mind reading it over verbatim so that we will be sure what the final draft is?

TEXT OF THE RESOLUTION

Senator TAFT. Yes. I read it, as I say, and this is it:

Resolved, That is the sense of the Senate of the United States that the vicious and inhuman campaigns conducted by the Soviet Government and its puppet governments in satellite states against minority groups, such as the persecution of Greek Orthodox congregations, the imprisonment of Roman Catholic prelates, the harassment of Protestant denominations, the suppression of Moslem communities, the persecution and scattering of ethnic groups in Poland, in the Ukraine, in the Baltic and Balkan states and in many other areas under Soviet domination, and most recently the increasing persecution of the people of the Jewish faith, deserve the strongest condemnation by all peoples who believe that spiritual values are the bases of human progress and freedom. Resolved further, That the President is hereby urged to take appropriate action to protest, particularly in the General Assembly of the United Nations, against these outrages.

Senator KNOWLAND. Mr. Chairman, I think it is excellent, and I will not press it except that it occurred to me as you were reading