e th n ic le a d e r s m e t a : a C h ic a g o U k r a i­ nian restaurant recently to com m em o­ r a te

le a d e r s w h o work, in coalitions, to solve problem s a n d

T h e g a th e r in g a t G a la a V c o m titu te d the largest steering com m ittee m eeting in

o ffi­ c ia ls , artists, sch olars, ed u cators, law yers, a n d

m eeting together so that this group could learn a b o u t t h e U k r a in ia n A m e r ic a n c o m m u ­ n ity a n d c o m m e m o r a te th e 5 0 th a n n i­ v e r sa r y o f S ta lin 's m a n -m a d e fa m in e .

" T h is is th e f ir s t tim e th a t U k r a in ia n Am ericans have reached,out to other ethnic leaders to tell w hat it m eant to have this terrible thing happen to us,"

Am ericans present a t th e g a th e r in g w e r e J u lia n K u la s , v ic e p r e s id e n t o f C h ic a g o 's U k r a in ia n C o n ­ g r e s s

U k r a i­ n ia n A m e r ic a n s , D r . K u r o p a s e x p la in ­ e d

U k r a in ia n resistance to his forced collectivization program .

because they didn't want to give aw ay, th e ir g r a in . T o b r e a l th e b a c k o f th is resistance, Stalin exported (m uch of the food produced in the region), causing 5 t o

T h e w o r ld k n e w little o f th is fa m in e a t the tim e and know s evenl e s s ofi t today, according to D r. K uropas. "This is the fir s t tim e , to m y k n o w le d g e , th a t m a n y of these ethnic leaders will hear any­ th in g a b o u t th is ," h e s a id .

press corps in the .Soviet U nion during the. 1930s shared part of the blam e for th is, according to D r. K uropas.

in to o v e r lo o k ­ in g its g r im r e a litie s , D r . K u r o p a s s a id . U n d e r th e sw a y o f th is m is c o n c e p tio n , A m e r ic a n

Soviet censors to cover up the horrors of the fam ine rather than besm irch the r e p u ta tio n

M r. C udecki urged h is fellow leaders to w rite letters to Joh nF lis, president of th e

p le d g in g th e m s e lv e s t o h e lp in g U k r a i­ n ia n A m e r ic a n s " m a k e th e w o r ld a w a r e of the great tragedy that befell U kraine in 1 9 3 3 ."

le a d e r s w hen he w rote, in his ow n letter to M r. F lis, that, "by confronting

S ta lin 's m a n -m a d e fa m in e , U k r a in ia n A m e ­ r ic a n s a r e c o m m ittin g a n a c t o f fa ith in

v e r y p le a s e d th a t T h e U k r a in ia n W e e k lyi s d e v o tin ga s p e c ia l is s u e to re m e m b ra n c e o f th e G re a t F a m in e o f 5 0 y e a rs ago, so th a t th is tra g e d y w illn o t b e fo r g o tte n .

o f th e U k r a in ia n n a tio n in w h ic h 7 m illio n m e n , w o m e n a n d c h ild r e n p e r is h e d . T h is s p e c ia l is s u e o f T h e U k r a in ia n W e e k ly is d e d ic a t e d

a b o u t th is h o lo c a u s t o f th e U krainian nation, and to all Svoboda subscribers in the hope that they w ill s h a r e th is s p e c ia l is s u e w ith th e ir n o n -U k r a in ia n fr ie n d s a n d th u s m ake them

c o m m itte e o f th e N a tio n a l C o m m itte e to C om m em orate G enocide V ictim s in U k r a in e

S o v ie t-m a d e G r e a t F a m in e in w h ic h 7 m illio n U k r a i­ n ia n s p e r is h e d .

Saturday, M arch 5, at the m ain office o f th e U k r a in ia n N a tio n a l A s s o c ia tio n . P r e s e n t

national com m ittee, P r o f. P etro Stercho, fin an cial com m ittee chairm an Edw ard Popil, and G eorge Pow stenko, Stephen P r o c y k

in g to n o n O c to b e r 2 a n d w ill in c lu d e a m anifestation at the T aras Shevchenko M o n u m e n t, fo llo w e d

la te r th a t a fte r n o o n , a com m em orative concert a t th e K ennedy Center. A docum entary film about the fa m in e is a ls o p la n n e d .

c o lle c t th e n e e d e d fu n d s th r o u g h in d iv i­ dual contributions as well as from U k r a in ia n

T he com m ittee has reported that it is in th e p r o c e s s o f p la n n in g a fu n d d r iv e , w h ic h w ill s o o n b e a n n o u n c e d .

N a tio n a l S h r in e o f th e H o ly Fam ily to solicit the support of W ash­ in g to n 's U k r a in ia n c o m m u n ity in c o m ­ m e m o r a tin g th e 5 0 th a n n iv e r s a r y o f th e greatest tragedy in U krainian history

1 9 3 2 -3 3 . T h is Ukrainian holocaust, created by Soviet a u th o r itie s , c la im e d th e liv e s o f o v e r 7 m illio n v ictim s.

other offenses, ex­ p r e ssin g u n o r th o d o x o p in io n s in th e m a r g in s o f b o o k s b y L e n in .

In a d d itio n to h is m a r g in a l jo ttin g s in t w o v o lu m e 's o f L e n in 's w o r k s , M r . S h e v c h e n k o

for certain critical rem arks m ade in th e 1 9 5 0 s a b o u t th e 1 9 3 0 s fa m in e in U k r a in e

U k r a in ia n nationalist sentim ents. H e w rote for th e d is s id e n t

n e w s p a p e r p u b lic iz in g U k r a in ia n h u m a n -r ig h tsi s s u e s , w h ic h has been suppressed

arrest, he had written an article on C z e c h o s lo v a k p o litic sa s seen through U k r a in ia n

eyes. H is apartm ent had been searched a m onth earlier, and m aterials were confiscated.

K hm ara, were tried and sentenced in Decem ber 1980 for " a n ti-S o v ie t

journalist also arrested in m id-A pril, w a s tr ie d fo r " s la n d e r in g th e S o v ie t s t a t e ,"

years ina corrective laborcam p to be fo llo w e d b y fo u r y e a r s 'in te r n a l e x ile , a

residence. M r. S h e v c h e n k oi s c u r r e n tly b e in g h e ld in C am p 36 of the Perm com plex in the R u ssian

Rudenko, Vasyl Stus, Oles Berdnyk, Ivan K andyba, Lev Lukia- n e n k o . O le k s iy T y k h y , M y r o s la y M arynovych

O leksander Shevchenko and M essrs. R udenko and M arynovych, w rote an o p e n

describing the brutal treat­ m ent at the cam p. They noted that prisoners have been put in detention c e lls fo r c e le b r a tin g E a s te r , a n d th a t o th e r s h a v e b e e n d e n ie d fa m ily v is its and letters from

h u m a n -r ig h ts a g e n c y h a s b e e n r u n n in ga c a m p a ig n fo r

M r. Shev- chenko's release to be sent to Soviet o ffic ia ls

M r. Shevchenko, who is m arried a n d h a s th r e e c h ild r e n , is s c h e d u le d to com plete his labor-cam p sentence in

K y r y c h e n k o 's h u s b a n d , a w e ll- k n o w n s o c ia lis t th e o r e tic ia n , is c u r r e n t­ ly

year of a seven-year la b o r -c a m p te r m , w h ic h w ill b e fo llo w ­ ed byfiv ey e a r s ' internal exile,a form of enforced residence. M r. Badzio,46, was c o n v ic te d o f " a n ti-S o v ie t a g ita tio n a n d p r o p a g a n d a ."

M s. Kyry­ c h e n k o , w h o a t o n e tim e w o r k e d a t th e U k r a in ia n

of Sciences, as a m alcontent who was "enraptured with her own

o f p r e p a r in g " s la n d e r o u s lib e l a g a in s t th e S o v ie t r e g im e " a n d o th e r " c r im in a l a c tiv itie s ."

his arrest, the paper said M s. K yrychenko" r e j o i c e d " because she and her husband

o f a m b itio n f ir s t a n d forem ost cares about herself,"the paper said. "She feels she deserves m ore than broadcasts about her on R adio Liberty, D eutsche W elle or som e other V oices.'"

a n d a m b i­ tion as the root of dissent is consistent w ith

open letter to President R onald R eagan w ritten som etim e last year by1 0 Soviet political prisoners have recently reach­ e d

prisoners are "so widespread th a t it is n o lo n g e r m e r e lya q u e s t io n o f v io la tio n s

M y k o la R u d e n k o , O le s S h e v c h e n k o , M y r o s la v M a r y n o v y c h . V ik to r N e k ip e lo v , A le x ­ ander O gorodnikov, H enrich A ltunian. A n ta n a s

years' internal ex ile, a form of enforced residerlce. M r. M arynovych, another

1980 to six years in a la b o r c a m p a n d f iv ey e a r s ' e x ile fo r h is r e lig io u s a c tiv itie s , w h ile M r. N e k i­ p e lo v , a 5 2 -y e a r -o ld n o v e lis t a n d m e m ­ ber ofth e

M oscow HelsinkiG roup, was sentenced the sam e year to an identical te r m

in 1981 to a total of1 2 years'im prison­ m ent for p ossessin g unsanctioned litera­ ture, w hile M r. N iytsoo, a 31-year-old E s to n ia n a ls o tr ie d in 1 9 8 1 , is s e r v in g a two-year labor term

by five years' internal e x ile . M r . B a la k h o n o v , 4 8 , a tr a n s la to r , w as sentenced

1 2 y e a r s in a labor cam p. D etails concerningth e case o f M r . G r y g o r ia n a r e u n a v a ila b le .

num erous instances of harassm ent and b r u ta lity in th e la b o r cam p. T h e fu ll te x t of the letter

It is p r o b a b le th a t th is " tig h te n in g of the screw s," or, as the saying w ent d u r in g th e S ta lin y e a r s , " c la m p -d o w n ," is

and of the general crisis that the system is u n d e r g o in g . T h e in v a r ia b le c o m ­ p a n io n s o f a ty r a n n y g r o w in g d e c r e p it -

prison table, at w hich 14 prisoners had gathered to celebrate Easter w ith prayer a n d a n E a ste r m e a l, a n d th r o w n in to 'a punishm ent cell ("kartser") for half a m ontha s "organizers of a mob.

to be dispersed. Iti s difficult for us to im agine th a tt h e r ec a n

r e lig io u s r itu a l w o u ld b e p u n is h a b le b y incarceration in a punishm ent c e ll. E ven in

S o lo v k y s p e c ia l-r e g im e c a m p p e r m itte d not only the E aster service, but even the p r o c e s s io n

d e p r iv e d o fh is in v a lid status for no know n reason and thereby d e c la r e d

can only assum e that th is w a s d o n e b e c a u sea c o lle c tio n o f h is poem s appeared in the W est.

h is d a u g h te r o n c o m p le te ly absurd and im m oral grounds, nam ely, h is fa ilu r e to fu lfill h is w o r k q u o t a . T h is was to

starved to death in a little over a year. M any of those w ho m anaged to survive did so by subsisting o n bark, insects, sm all anim als, p e ts , carrion. There

th e ir c h ild re n . B u t w h a t m a k e s th e fa m in e tru ly m o n s tr o u s , w h a t g iv e s it its s in is te r crim inal dim ension, is that it w as not caused by dro ught, pestilence or crop failure, but by decree.

e n s u r e in d u s tria liz a tio n , th e S o v ie t re g im e u n d e r S ta lin o rd e re d th e e x p ro p ria tio n o f all foodstuffs

S o w h y ,5 0 y e a r s la te r , is th e fa m in e s o little k n o w n ? H o w h a s th is h o r r ib le a tr o c ity , th e m u rd er o f7 m illio n p e o p le , e sc a p e dth e a tte n tio n o f m a n k in d , its conscience and its justice?

com m itted against hum anity. T he sight of living corpses, the stench of death, the m oans of the torm ented, the ovens and barbed w ire all provided instant c o n fir m a tio n .

m ade retribution not only desirable, but necessary. T estim onies of survivors w ere recorded, photographs taken, m em orials planned. Docum entation

a n d , it w a s h o p e d , p r e c lu d e a r e c u r r e n c e . Because Nazi Germ any was vanquished, it was possible, as was done at Nurem berg, to

In contrast, the U krainian tragedyi s unknow na n d unavenged.A t the tim e, th e S o v ie t U n io n w a s n o t a v a n q u is h e d e n e m y , b u t a n a lly . I r o n ic a lly , th e U n ite d S ta te s fo r m a lly r e c o g n iz e d th e S o v ie t U n io n in 1 9 3 3 , th e s a m e y e a r that m illions w ere dying of starvation. B ecause it w as a closed society, m ost W estern journalists and governm ent officials w ere carefully kept aw ay from th e c o u n tr y s id e a n d c o u ld n o t s e e th e s c a le o f th e tr a g e d y . C o m p a r a tiv e ly fe w photographs w ere printed in the W est, and eyew itness accounts w ere rare. T h o se jo u r n a lists w h o d id

r e p o r t o n th e fa m in e w e r e la r g e ly ig n o r e d , o r la b e lle d r e a c tio n a r y b y th e m a n y in flu e n tia l in te lle c tu a ls e n a m o r e d w ith th e id e ao f a M a r x is tre v o lu tio n . T h e re w e re th o s e w h o a r g u e d : since w e have to

U n fo r tu n a te ly , th is lin e o f th in k in g , d e s p ite e v e n ts in A fg h a n is ta n a n d P o la n d , h a s c o n tin u e d to th is d a y . A lth o u g h th e S o v ie t U n io n is n o lo n g e r a n ally, it is a nuclear pow er to be reckoned w ith. Peaceful co-existence m ay be an outdated term , but the idea persists.

m a y a r g u e , g iv e n th is r e a lity , d r e d g e u p a 5 0 -y e a r -o ld tr a g e d y a n d r isk fu r th e r e x a c e r b a tin g U .S .-S o v ie t r e la tio n s ? B e c a u s e , lik e th e N a z i H o lo c a u s t, th e m u r d e r o f m illio n s is a b lo t o n o u r c o lle c tiv e c o n s c ie n c e . It

c o n s id e r a tio n s . A fa ilu r e to d o s o w o u ld s u g g e s t th e c h illin g n o tio n th a t h a d th e N a z is w o n th e w a r , th e d e a th o f6 m illio n Jew s w o u ldb e little m o r eth a na fo o tn o te

" R u s s ia "t o m e a nth e e n tir e S o v ie t U n io na n d th e te r m " R u s s ia n s "t o m e a n a ll th e p e o p le re s id in g w ith inth e b o rd e rs o f th e U S S R .W e h a v e le ft th e s e q u o ta tio n s in ta c t,b u t w e a d v is eo u r r e a d e r s to be a w a r eo f th e

It w as p u b lis h e di n " T h e G o lg o th a o f U kraine," a 4 3 -p a g e b o o k le t p u b lis h e d i n

If1 w ere to m erely note here that 60 p e rc e n t o f th e p o p u la c e o f th e L u k a s h iv G ra n g e s ta rv e d to d e a th in1 9 3 3 , th e b a re figure itself w ould

n o t g iv e a n y id e a o f w hat truly transpired. T herefore, to give th e

reader som e idea of the horror of those days, I shall by way of exam ple give the case history

w h o le fa m ily c o n s is te d o f f iv e p e r s o n s : h e , h is w ife,d a u g h te r,

fa m in e sh e m a d e trip s e ith e r to M y rh o - ro d o r P o lta v a fo r fo o d , a n d s o m e tim e s m anaged

One day. it w as either latei n M arch o r e a r ly in A p r il, w h e n th e fa r m s w e r e a lr e a d y

h o m e . H is w ife a n d c h ild r e n w ere not at hom e th e n , as theyh a d gone foraging for food. A bout an hour anda h a lf la t e r , m y n ie c e , 4 , c a m e r u n n in g over and said to m e:

"Please take m e over to G randfather V a s y l. T h e y s a y M ik o lk a h a d d ie d a n d1 w a n t to ta k e a lo o k ."

door to the room , I was m o m e n ta r ily b lin d e d b y th e su n s h in in g in from

m y r ig h t h a n d , I reached over w ith m y left hand for the doorpost. Instead

m ind, and opening my eyes, I raised my head to look. W hat I saw halted m e in m y tr a c k s . H a n g in g fro m

the doorpost b y a r o p e w a s V a s y l's o ld e r b o y , 6 . H is to n g u e w a s h a n g in g o u t, a n d s a liv a w a s d r ip p in g d o w n o n h is c h e s t. In s u d d e n frig h t

H aving led the child a safe distance away,1 cautiously returned back to the h o u s e . O p e n in g th e d o o r I c a lle d o u t :

adjoining one.I again retreated outside, n o t k n o w in g w h a t t o e x p e c t fr o m h im . W hen he appeared onth esto o p ,I asked

have to give me som e...But don't чау a w o rd a b o u t th is , Iv a n ! P le a se d o n '; say a w ord about this!..."

I re a lis e d th a t (h e fa m ily w a s a lre a d y a g o n e r, a n d th e re fo re d id n o t n o tify th e c o u n c il. T o

over and togetherw e dug a grave. Then I c a lle d th e n e ig h b o r s (th e y c o n s is te d o f fiv e w o m e n ), a n d

Since w e had no coffins,w e just evened o u t th e w a lls o f th is im p ro v is e d g r a v e , put straw

"B y w h a t rig h t d id y o u b u ry m y so n s in such a fashion? W ho allow ed you to d o th a t? "

T w o or th re e w eek s passed b y. W arm M ay days arrived. O ne m orning before dawn, together

K h a r k iv , in o r d e r t o buy bread there. N one w as to be had in P o lta v a a n y m o r e , w h ilei n K h a r k iv th e y w e r e s e llin g a t s ta g g e r in g ly h ig hp ric e s th eso -called "co m m ercial b r e a d ."

som e five kilom eters tow ard the railw ay station w hen all ofa s u d d e n

th a t there w ere tw o w o m en and so m e sm all c h ild re n

the house, there was a cow . T h ie v e s e v id e n tly h a d b e e n try in g to g e t aw ay

th e r e , c lim b e d u p through it to the very top and em erging out on the roof began to cry for help.

T h a t in c id e n t h e ld u s u p fo r a w h ile , so that w e m issed the train, and had to return hom e. By this tim e it w as already daw n.