WHEREAS:

There have been widespread observance of the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe; and

WHEREAS:

The President of the United States of America has chosen to commemorate this occasion by visiting and laying a wreath in the German military cemetery at Bitburg where no fewer than 40 of the infamous and dreaded Waffen S.S. lay buried; and

WHEREAS:

President Reagan chose to ignore the pleas of countless Americans asking him to omit the cemetery from his itinerary; and

WHEREAS:

President Reagan has succeeded in re-awakening the pain and suffering of those victims of the Waffen S.S. — be they American soldiers, prisoners-of-war, resistance fighters, Jews, political dissidents, clerics or the surviving families of all these people.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

The International Executive Board hereby condemns the thoughtlessness and utter disregard shown by the President of the United States of America for the feelings and sensibilities of a large segment of the population of this country.