LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (08/31/03)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Forced repatriation of WWII Ukrainian DPs hurt diaspora

Dear Editor:

Ukrainians, quite understandably, were very disappointed when in May/June 1919 a 100,000-strong Polish army, very well equipped by the French, organized in France, and led by Gen. Haller, intervened against the struggling Ukrainian-Galician Army (UHA). This army was supposed to fight only the Bolsheviks, rather than Ukrainians, and as such was given permission to cross the territory of the German Reich in order to reach the existing front line in East Galicia. But this is all old history, and illustrates well the difficulties and handicaps that Ukrainians had to overcome in their fight for national independence.

However, on one more recent occasion, the French attitude changed considerably, and they treated Ukrainians more favorably, and with all due respect as an important ethnic group they encountered when they occupied Germany in the spring of 1945.

This author remembers how on April 20, 1945, French Foreign Legion troups entered the university town of Tübingen and behaved with due restraint and even some sympathy and compassion towards the local population. It is worth noting that the French authorities recognized Ukrainians right away as a separate ethnic group worthy of being treating with respect and as a separate nationality. This was done in spite of the attempts of the local Poles to be allowed to treat Ukrainians as disgruntled former Polish citizens, and otherwise to intimidate them as suspected former collaborationists.

It took the American authorities, in their zone of occupation, several more months to come to the same conclusion: that Ukrainians deserved to be treated as an important (because of their numbers) and separate ethnic group.

In addition, the French from the very beginning announced their opposition to the forced repatriation of civilians (that is, of DPs and refugees) under their jurisdiction, of people suspected to be Soviet citizens, or claimed by the Soviet Union to be their citizens, to the Soviet authorities. Such an attitude, in those hectic times, was of very great practical significance to all Ukrainians living in occupied Germany.

It was all the more significant because the American authorities, in their zones of occupation, at first adopted the policy of forced repatriation in principle, saying to the people involved "if you did nothing wrong, nothing bad is going to happen to you, but go you must." The author heard this personally from the area commanding officer. This was the area in the American occupied zone in central Vienna where the author happened to be in December 1945 on family business. Only with great reluctance on the part of the zonal authorities was the author given the Interzonal Pass, to permit him to come back to Tübingen, supposedly to continue his studies.

It is well known that in 1945 American local authorities in occupied Germany tried on several occasions to use force to load Ukrainian DP's on to waiting trucks, in order to deliver them to the Soviet authorities (Mannheim, Kempten, for example). Only successful resistance on the part of the people so mishandled, and fear of bad publicity, prevented this handing over to the Soviet authorities from being carried out as intended.

The policy of compulsory repatriation - clearly contrary to some international laws - of displaced persons and refugees was discussed at length at the United Nations in January 1946, and considered incompatible with the ideas of free society and democracy.

Therefore, official U.S. policy in occupied Germany changed, leading to more humanitarian treatment of the refuges and DP's under their jurisdiction. It is worth noting, that the French did it, as a matter of principle, almost a year earlier, and Ukrainians were the major beneficiaries. One thing is clear: had the principle of forced repatriation prevailed then in occupied Germany the flourishing Ukrainian diaspora of today would hardly have been possible.

Peter Hrycak
Cranford, N.J.

The Ukrainian Museum in New York nearing completion

Dear Editor:

Thank you for your timely editorial about The Ukrainian Museum (July 13). Those who happen to be in New York City on Sixth Street will see that the brick and glass facade of the new museum building has taken shape.

When I passed by recently, the gate was ajar and I looked in. I was amazed to see the large sun-lit foyer, the staircase, and the sheetrocked walls of the galleries beyond. I traveled home to New Jersey in a mood of elation and excitement.

After all these years, the numerous fund-raising campaigns, the membership dues, the Stride-and-Ride events, the silent auctions, the "makivnyky" (poppyseed rolls) and Christmas tree decorations from Ukrainian Museum bazaars that mother unfailingly bought for us, the museum building is a reality.

It is there for us and for our children, and we are very proud to be a part of it. We are happy to have helped (in our small way) to build it.

Olenka Terleckyj
Bloomfield, N.J.

Still no resolution on uniting UACC and UCCA

Dear Editor:

In The Ukrainian Weekly on July 27 Bohdan Kandiuk, in his letter titled "Our community must have unity," expressed his concern about the existence of two organizations, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, instead of one.

I wish to remind readers that in May 2001 a special meeting was held of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, with many organizations, both those belonging to either the UCCA or the UACC and those outside these bodies, in attendance.

At this meeting a special committee led by Dr. Julian Kulas was elected in order to create one Ukrainian American representation.

Most of the attendees agreed that this was a way to end the crisis and create a new body that would speak with one voice. It is regrettable to note that so far nothing has been done.

Dr. Roman Baranowskyj
Kerhonkson, N.Y.

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