May 9, 1963
Page 8199
DEDICATION OF THE PADEREWSKI MEMORIAL MARKER
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, this morning I had the privilege and honor to attend the ceremonies dedicating the memorial marker to Ignace Jan Paderewski at the Arlington National Cemetery.
This dedication had a special significance for me, for the final resting place of the great Polish pianist, composer, patriot, and statesman is beneath the mast of the U.S.S. Maine, symbol of American patriotism and love of freedom, and namesake of the State to which my father came from Poland in search of freedom.
Ignace Jan Paderewski was already renowned as a musician when in December 1919 he went to Warsaw to help organize a Provisional government for free Poland. He later served as Premier and Foreign Minister, participating in negotiations for the Versailles Treaty. He later served as President of the Polish Government in Exile after the Nazi conquest of World War II. He died in Now York City June 29, 1941.
At the order of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the body of Paderewski was temporarily placed in a repository beneath the mast of the U.S.S. Maine. No sign or symbol has identified this resting place because it was understood that it was to be temporary. Over the years, however, numerous requests had been made for identification of some kind.
Senator WILLIAMS of New Jersey, in a Senate speech last year, asked that some memorial be provided. As a result of meetings and White House action since that time, the Army has fashioned a marker to designate the site. Senator WILLIAMS worked with the Army, the State Department, and Polish-American groups to arrange today's ceremony. Congressmen who have participated in meetings with the Senator are Representatives JOHN BRADEMAS, ROBERT N. GIAIMO, HARRIS B. McDOWELL, and CLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI.
I was moved by the ceremonies this morning. They honored a hero of Poland, the United States and the free world. President Kennedy's presence and inspiring comments emphasized the importance of Paderewski to our own heritage and devotion to liberty.
I want to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Senator WILLIAMS of New Jersey, whose efforts made this suitable tribute possible. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the remarks by Charles Rozmarek of Chicago, president of the Polish American Congress and the Polish National Alliance, the remarks by Senator WILLIAMS and the remarks by the President be printed in the RECORD at this point.
In addition, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the remarks made at the 10th anniversary of Paderewski's interment by the then Chargé d'Affairs of the Polish Embassy, Michael Kwapiszewski, be printed in the RECORD at this point. It is a thoughtful appreciation of Paderewski's contributions which should be remembered today.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
ADDRESS OF MR. CHARLES ROZMAREK, PRESIDENT OF THE POLISH AMERICAN CONGRESS AND THE POLISH NATIONAL ALLIANCE, DE LIVERED AT THE DEDICATION OF PADEREWSKI MEMORIAL TABLET IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL
CEMETERY, WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 9, 1963
Americans of Polish heritage are grateful to the President of the United States, to Senator HARRISON A. WILLIAMS, of New Jersey, to the Army, and to the State Department for this ceremony.
This is not merely a dedication of a plaque identifying the temporary resting place of the remains of Ignace Jan Paderewski. This is, rather, a continuation and renewal of the tributes that are being paid to the memory of one of the greatest artists and statesmen of our troubled times.
All Americans understand our pride in Paderewski, as the son of the land of our ancestry. We are the first, however, to recognize the fact, that Paderewski belongs to more countries than Poland.
Through his genius, he also belongs to America and to all mankind.
Paderewski, one of the great geniuses in the world of music, dedicated his spiritual riches to the highest ideals of freedom in world statesmanship.
Once asked who was the greater -- the statesman or the artist -- Paderewski replied without hesitation, "The statesman." And he gave this definition of the term, which applies so precisely to himself:
"I speak of that man of state whose courage, morality, and wisdom open for humanity a greater path of destiny; of those rare spirits which, voicing the innermost hopes and visions of the race. mold the future and hold up the torch of life."
It was the tragedy of this man, that in the darkening shadows of his life, he saw his beloved Poland once more the victim of Russo-German conspiracy, which subjected the Poles to unspeakable atrocities of war and wasted their homeland.
After the superhuman effort on behalf of Poland during and after World War I, he was blessed with a vision of his native land -- free and independent. His joy, however, was short.
For in 1939, when barbarian conquerors from the West and East devastated Poland, Paderewski again gave himself fully to the cause of freedom. Almost 80 years old at that time, he accepted the presidency of the Polish National Council In Exile, and once again fulfilled his destiny to unify and lead his people in their valiant fight for freedom.
It was not given to him to see his beloved Poland a free and independent state and to see international peace based on justice and Christian ethics. He died in New York, on June 29, 1941, among his steadfast friends and admirers -- the Americans. He died in the country for which his affections were second only to those of Poland. And the Americans decided that his remains will rest on the free soil of America until such time when Polish soil will be free.
Some day, Paderewski will return to Poland in the blazing glory of his spiritual greatness. These remains, now reposed in Maine Memorial will be enshrined in the Polish National Pantheon -- the Royal Castle of Wawel in Krakow, and will join in eternal peace and glory the kings of Poland and such noble and inspiring spirits as those of Kosciuszko, Mickiewicz, Sienkiewicz and other lights of Polish heritage.
It is for us, the living, to hasten the clay of the liberation of Poland and to work for a just peace and international justice among nations.
Paderewski has shown us the path of devotion and courage in a deeply patriotic living, and in the service of the only cause worth living for and dying for -- the cause of freedom for all the people, everywhere.
REMARKS BY SENATOR HARRISON A. WILLIAMS
Thank you, Mr. Rozmarek. As you have indicated, Ignace Jan Paderewski gave the world much to admire during his lifetime Since his death in 1941, his memory has continued to inspire those who yearn for freedom. That memory we honor today, and in doing so, we are honored as trustees of the great spirit of Paderewski. Our trusteeship dates from the beginning of the most difficult times for our Nation, and Paderewski spirit -- the spirit of liberty -- today motivates all freemen. The warm affection that we have for the people of Poland is expressed here, too. It is a friendship that will endure as long as justice and liberty are revered.
REMARKS OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY AT THE CEREMONY HONORING IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI, ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, MAY 9, 1963
We gather here today to pay tribute to one of the overwhelming figures of our century. Ignace Jan Paderewski was a great Pole, a great musician, a great statesman and, above all, a brave and compassionate human being.
His life exhibits some of the extraordinary contrasts of our age. Little could seem more antagonistic among human activities than music and statesmanship. Yet Paderewski was a virtuoso of both. This was no accident; for he knew that both were rooted in the idea of liberty -- that both depended on the freedom of man to respond to his own vision f life. For Paderewski, the world of art was the completion of the world of politics. As he once put it, "La patrie avant tout: ensuite l'art."
He was, of course, one of the supreme artists of our time. I shall always count it a great sorrow never to have heard him play. The purity of his genius moved millions around the world -- and the fulfillment of this towering talent as pianist and composer would have been enough for most men. But Paderewski was, above all, a patriot who could not rest comfortably while his countrymen suffered or lived in bondage. He saw Polish independence as a means of liberating the Polish creative spirit. He gave freely of his energy and resources throughout his life in an unceasing effort to win and protect the freedom of his native land.
No one contributed more generously to the relief of the victims of the First World War in Poland than Paderewski. In Allied capitals he was the eloquent champion of Polish independence, and his personal influence helped persuade Woodrow Wilson to include a free Polish state as one of his 14 points. For a time, Paderewski even assumed the leadership of the new Poland, serving as Prime Minister and arguing the Polish case in the council chambers of Versailles.
When a Second World War exposed Poland to new threats, Paderewski, now 80 years old, once again pleaded the Polish cause, He died on these shores in 1941, and President Roosevelt gave his body this temporary resting place here at the Arlington National Cemetery until the time would come for final burial in a free Poland.
The United States is everlastingly in debt to those Polish patriots, like Pulaski and Kosciuszko, who fought for our own independence 180 years ago. We are therefore glad to recall that the reestablishment of Poland after the First World War was in no small measure the consequence of American representations on Poland's behalf. Within a few months of Paderewski's death, the United States was again committed in a great struggle to assure independence to all nations. That struggle has not been concluded. The pursuit of that goal remains a keystone of our foreign policy.
To Americans, Paderewski stands for national independence, for national dignity, for humanity and for art. It is fitting that the the mortal remains of this Polish patriot, whose life and work for half a century were so closely bound to the United States, should rest in our national cemetery until the moment comes for reinterment in his homeland. His music may at last be silent but
the cause for which be lived and died is immortal.
REMARKS BY MICHAEL KWAPISZEWSKI, MAY 26, 1951
It is not possible to approach today's cere mony without humility and reverence. The
more years separate us from the fateful hour a decade ago when Ignace Jan Paderewski closed his eyes in final sleep, greater and greater looms his figure on the darkened horizon of our world. And the greater the figure, the more difficult is my undertaking to evaluate him as a human being, as a statesman, a humanitarian, and a patriot.
There are those who have rendered such great service to humanity and have achieved such rare distinction that they, in a sense, lose their identity as nationals and become the pride of many nations. Such a one is Paderewski -- a beloved son of Poland, the adopted child of all the nations -- a citizen of the world.
It does not rest within the present capacity of any man to appreciate accurately the contributions of Ignace Paderewski to mankind. They are so many and so diverse as to make such appraisal impossible.
His genius knew no bounds, covering every area of the human struggle and human aspiration.
His earthly remains have been given resting place in this shrine of American heroes only temporarily, however, for the American Nation and American leaders realize what was his desire. To return alive or dead to his beloved Poland, whose banner he so proudly carried throughout his life.
Our vigil over his earthly remains must be the expression of our own and his undying hope, that in glory he will return where he wished to rest, in the soil of free Poland.
The great Frenchman, J. J. Rousseau, gave to the Poles the advice so well applicable to the present day: "If you Poles cannot prevent your neighbors from swallowing you, you can at least make certain that they will not digest you."
This the Polish nation is doing today.
Let us be worthy of this struggle, let us close our ranks and conduct ourselves as the immortal Paderewski would wish.
In closing, permit me to quote from the eminent American statesman, the late Charles Evans Hughes, when he paid a touching tribute to Ignace Paderewski on the 10th anniversary of the independence of Poland in 1928: "He has given the world the extraordinary spectacle of the combination of the genius of the artist, the ardor of the patriot, the zeal of the philanthropist, and the wisdom of the statesman. In the period of unparalleled strife and most severe distress, he brought to the crisis the inestimable benefit of constructive leadership. He has known how to inspire, how to rescue, how to conserve. Creative power has rarely had such an opportunity, and rarely has opportunity been so nobly used. He has served his country well, and he has thus added luster to his broad service to humanity."