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Congressional
Briefing on Compensation
POLISH AMERICAN
CONGRESS PARTICIPATES
IN CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING
ON NAZI FORCED LABOR COMPENSATION
(February 16, 2001) Les Kuczynski, National Executive
Director of the Polish American Congress, spoke at a congressional
briefing that was held on Capitol Hill in
Washington, DC on February 13, 2001 to present information and
materials on compensation for former World War II Forced and Slave
laborers.
At the invitation of the Co-Chairmen of
the Central European Caucus, Congressman William Lipinski (D-IL)
and Congressman Jack Quinn (R-NY), a panel of experts presented
information on how prospective claimants can apply for
compensation from the new German Foundation. Press kits were
distributed to the approximately 60 attendees representing over 35
member so U.S. Congress, which included
guidelines for their constituent offices.
In addition to Mr. Kuczynski, of the Polish American Congress,
other panelists included Mr. Myroslaw Smorodsky, plaintiff
attorney and representative of the World Congress of Ukrainians,
and Audrey Cash, Field Coordinator, GFLCP (German Forced Labor
Compensation Program) of the International Organization for
Migration (IOM).
The Polish American Congress and IOM will be preparing
public service announcements and media pieces to reach all
potential claimants in the United States and Canada. From a total
of at least 8 million people who were subjected to forced or slave
labor by the Nazi's during World War II, today it is projected
that more that one million living survivors worldwide would be
eligible for compensation payments. The Polish American Congress
estimates that there could be as many as 20,000 Polish claimants
in the US and Canada. Survivors living in Poland must apply to the
Polish-German Reconciliation Foundation in Warsaw. The deadline
for all applications is August 11, 2001. The Polish American
Congress has established a toll-free helpline for the U.S. and
Canada callers: 1-866-480-1944 or claimants may write for
information by e-mail to: forced-labor@www.polamcon.org/
Claim forms and general information is available on the
PAC website at: http://www.polamcon.org/ and
on the IOM website at: http://www.compensation-for-forced-labour.org/
[End]
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