Tsira Chikvaidze
The University of Georgia
Professor, Head of the Department of History
Tbilisi, Georgia
Tsira Chikvaidze
The University of Georgia
Professor, Head of the Department of History
Tbilisi, Georgia
US Public Law 86-90
Abstract
During the “Cold War” period in the United States, the term "Captive Nations" became established. It was used to refer to those peoples who "found themselves in the grip of Soviet communism's imperialist and aggressive policies around the world, as well as those nations that were under Soviet domination and had their national independence and individual liberties taken away.“
The term “Captive Nations” referred to the countries within the Soviet Union (excluding Russia) and those in the socialist bloc. On July 17, 1959, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation designating the third week of July as "Captive Nations Week" and stating that similar proclamations would continue to be issued annually until the freedom and independence of all captive nations around the world were achieved.
The initiator, author, and lobbyist of the "Captive Nations Week" resolution was Lev Dobriansky (1918-2008), the son of Ukrainian immigrants born in America. He was an American historian, economist, professor at Georgetown University in Washington, and diplomat. Lev Dobriansky was also the chairman of the editorial board of “The Ukrainian Quarterly,” a journal published in America. For Ukrainians, Georgians, and other immigrants from “captive nations” residing in the U.S., this journal was the best platform for the struggle against the Soviet regime. Georgian immigrants, including V. Nanuaishvili, collaborated with the journal and published articles there.
Lev Dobriansky’s efforts yielded results, and the United States enacted “Public Law 86-90,” which emphasized that since 1918, the imperialist and aggressive policies of Russian communism had led to the creation of a vast empire that posed a serious threat not only to the United States but to the security of all free peoples worldwide. The imperialist policies of Communist Russia, through both direct and indirect aggression, had caused the situation in Eastern and Central Europe, countries within the Soviet Union, North Korea, Albania, North Vietnam, and others. Loss of national independence; that the people of the United States shared the aspirations of these countries for the restoration of their freedom and independence; that the third week of July 1959 was declared as “Captive Nations Week” and called on the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies and events.
According to the U.S. 'Public Law 86-90,' in 1959, an anti-communist organization called the 'National Captive Nations Committee' (NCNC) was established in Washington, D.C. The founder and chairman of this organization for a long time was indeed Lev Dobriansky.
Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the restoration of independence by Georgia, Georgia was also listed among the “Captive Nations.” Since 1959, every U.S. president felt it was their duty to remind the entire world that the Soviet regime was suppressing freedom and democracy worldwide. For Georgia, the “Captive Nations Week” played a significant role in the struggle to free itself from Soviet rule and communist governance.
Keywords: Captive Nations, Cold War; Dobriansky L., Georgia, Soviet Regime.