LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (04/03/05)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Yalta event at UIA was a big mistake

Dear Editor:

I was one of the patrons of the recent photography exhibition and conference on President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Yalta conference held at the Ukrainian Institute of America. It was a eulogy for FDR and a whitewash of Yalta. The responsibility belongs to the de facto organizers, FDR promoters (apologists): the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and Freedom House, founded by Eleanor Roosevelt.

The "spin" focused on contemporary irrelevance, rather than criminal consequences. Some of the more egregious conclusions reached were that Yalta should be forgotten since it has been rendered moot due to the emergence of Eastern European democracies over the last two decades and that had FDR maintained a policy of isolationism, the world would have been much worse.

Consider some facts: FDR was accompanied to the Yalta conference by at least one advisor and policy formulator, Alger Hiss, who was subsequently convicted as a communist infiltrator; in the short term, Yalta collaborated in the forced repatriation (Operation Keelhaul) of some 2 million Soviet nationals who were rounded up by American and British army units, forced into boxcars and returned to face brutal reprisals in the Soviet Union (many committed suicide); in the long term, Yalta acquiesced in some 40 years of Soviet tyranny over Eastern Europe, the incarcerations and deaths of thousands if not millions of individuals (i.e., the crushing of the Hungarian revolution in 1956 and the Prague Spring in 1968). FDR's aberrational behavior with "Uncle Joe" Stalin has been ascribed by myriad historians to physical debilitation, political naiveté and even criminality.

A more fitting commemoration of the tragedy of Yalta and the nefarious role of FDR would have been a moment of silence, the remembrance of martyrs, e.g., Alla Horska, Volodymyr Ivasiuk, Vasyl Stus and many from other nations as well.

The UIA has hosted many wonderful events, such as the recent event honoring the Klitschkos. However, FDR-Yalta was a big mistake. I can only apologize to the Ukrainian community for my part.

Askold S. Lozynskyj
New York

Regarding Plast and the UCCA

Dear Editor:

My brief comments are prompted by a letter to the editor, "Plast and UCCA, consider the issues," written by Dr. Roman Baranowskyj. It is my personal opinion that two statements in that letter are questionable.

Dr. Baranowskyj writes: "Plast is a non-political and non-denominational entity and cannot belong to any organization that is political." First of all, it should be emphasized that the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America is not a political, but a civic organization. In the United States there are two main political parties, Democratic and Republican and many Ukrainian civic and community leaders belong to either party.

I was especially surprised by the following statement in Dr. Baranowskyj's letter: "Therefore, I am sincerely sorry to see that the younger generation of seniory, who hold responsible positions in the Plast leadership, having the best intentions, but not familiar with the whole picture, are naively susceptible to the persuasion of agitators who exploit their lack of full knowledge." I am convinced that the UCCA does not employ agitators to fool the younger generation of Plast seniory.

Today we live in wonderful and exciting times for Ukraine. Our community in the United States is proud of the election observers program organized and coordinated by the UCCA. Two other recent developments promoting reconciliation in our community should be mentioned. At the UCCA convention in Philadelphia in September 2004, two members of the Ukrainian National Association were elected to the UCCA executive board. Most recently, the UCCA executive board unanimously elected a Committee on Reconciliation chaired by Julian Kulas. This committee also includes representatives from the Ukrainian National Association and the Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics.

In these challenging times for all of us, there is no need to be obsessed with the past. We should try to be proactive rather then reactive.

Ivan Z. Holowinsky
Somerset, N.J.

Building bridges is most important

Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to Prof. John Paul Himka's letter published in your March 6 edition.

I agree with Prof. Himka that there is no place for "national scorecards" in order to keep tabs on who did what to whom. This approach is a relic from a past era.

I have no interest in seeing the hatreds, the bigotry, the anti-Semitism, and the xenophobia of the 20th century (and earlier) passed onto my children.

Yes, I do know my history. My family was majorly affected by historical events in the 20th century. Those that survived bear the scars to this day. Those events have also left their mark on me and, I daresay, on my children. However, I know the lessons to be learned. The main lesson to me is that we have to build bridges to, and find common ground with other groups, to solve the truly pressing problems of today.

I am with President Viktor Yushchenko and Prof. Himka on this one.

M. Szul
Toronto

The Ukrainian Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and commentaries on a variety of topics of concern to the Ukrainian American and Ukrainian Canadian communities. Opinions expressed by columnists, commentators and letter-writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either The Weekly editorial staff or its publisher, the Ukrainian National Association.

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