Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Roman C. Pucinski, whose tireless efforts helped shed light on the horrific Katyn Massacre of 1940. Mr. Pucinski was a leader in the Polish-American community in Chicago, serving as a U.S. Representative and an Alderman. He passed away on September 25, 2002, but I rise to honor him today because some of his most important life's work will be available to the public for the first time this week. Beginning today, September 10th, the materials related to revealing the Katyn Massacre, that he spent much of his career in Congress working to compile, will be declassified and put on display at the National Archives. I am certain that he would be overcome with emotion if he were able to see the fruits of his labor on this special day.

During World War II, Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany on September 1, 1939, then by the Soviet Union on September 17th. The Soviet Army met little resistance as it advanced through Poland from the east, because Polish troops were ordered not to engage, incorrectly thinking that the Soviets were there to help. The Soviets subsequently took thousands of Polish prisoners of war. Soviet troops, by the order of Joseph Stalin and the Politburo, ordered approximately 22,000 executions of Polish military officers, police officers, and other government officials. These executions are now known as the Katyn Massacre. Nazi troops found the mass graves in 1943 and the Soviet Union denied any responsibility, and maintained that position until 1990.

Leading to the Soviet Union's acknowledgement of crime, Congress established the Select Committee on the Katyn Forest Massacre from 1951-1952, chaired by Congressman Ray J. Madden of Indiana. The committee hired Mr. Pucinski as the bilingual Chief Investigator for the committee because of his experience as an investigative reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times, and his fluency in both Polish and English. Mr. Pucinski worked endlessly to provide conclusive documentation that it was indeed the Soviets, and not the Nazis, who were responsible for this heinous crime. Traveling across Europe and the United States, he found witnesses, took depositions, and uncovered secret documents. He worked to uncover the truth about a great tragedy of World War II, and has helped ease the pain of those affected by Katyn Massacre. I am happy to say that many of the documents he helped uncover and compiled are finally available for public viewing. These documents will serve as a reminder for all visitors to the National Archives the horrors of World War II and the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom.

Mr. Pucinski was born in Buffalo, New York, but grew up in Chicago. He graduated from Northwestern University, and while there began his work at the Chicago Sun-Times. During World War II, Mr. Pucinski served in the U.S. Army Air Forces where he became a Captain and led his bombardier in the first B-29 bomb raid on Tokyo. Following the war, Mr. Pucinski attended John Marshall Law School in Chicago and graduated in 1949. He then went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1959 to 1973 and as a Chicago Alderman from 1973 until 1991. Throughout Mr. Pucinski's lifetime, he was a leader for both Chicago and the city's expansive Polish-American community.

Please join me in honoring Mr. Pucinski's work to investigate and uncover the truth behind the Katyn Massacre. I commend his efforts not only as an investigator, but also as an elected official and I am happy his important work will be available to educate Americans for generations to come.