BRAMA, November 2, 2002, 1:00 am ET

Mykola Wasylyk
Ellenville, NY 12428

October 11, 2002

The Honorable John Ashcroft
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Ashcroft:

My name is Mykola Wasylyk. I have been an exemplary and law-abiding citizen of the United States of America for the past 54 years. I have lived here, voted here, married and raised my children here. And now I am in the process of being deported. I am appealing to you, sir, in this, my eleventh hour, on a strictly humanitarian basis. I am seeking a reprieve, a waive of deportation, a miracle. Here is my story.

In 1943, German Armed Forces swarmed the country of my birth, Ukraine, which was then under Polish occupation. To exercise their collective power, they took three young boys from my village and hung them defiantly before our horrified eyes. Following this, the Germans ordered all young men born 1918-1925 to be taken to work to Germany. No questions asked. Refusal meant certain death. On October 4, 1943, they loaded us all into cattle boxcars, took us into Polish territory, and dropped us in the town of Trawniki. We were not oriented with what was going on between the barracks and there were already many people from German prisoner-of- war camps present. We were informed that they were going to train us. A few of these officers were from German Waffen SS.

Approximately two months later, they ordered us to walk the perimeter of our camp. We learned that, on the other side, Jewish prisoners were working in a nearby factory, but, we never saw them. Soon after, they transferred our unit to Budzyn, about 100km away. Nearby, behind a wire fence, were civilian people working in a German factory about 2km from us. We were never allowed any physical interaction with them. Occasionally they used us as watchmen behind the fence outside of the camp where, away from the watchful eyes of the Germans, we allowed ourselves some much-needed sleep. Later, they transferred us back to Trawniki.

The Germans were constantly moving us around like pawns, especially when the Russian forces began to attack. At one point, we ended up in Dresden where many were killed or wounded during the bombings. Germany was losing the war. They let us go wherever we wanted. I didn’t go back to Ukraine because it was occupied by the Soviet Union. We chose Western Germany, because, at the time, it was occupied by the American Army and that meant freedom. We worked hard cleaning up the mess that the war had created and eventually were told to find a DP camp to get into. We went to one in Augsburg, Germany, where we received food in exchange for work. All of us, young and hungry, were involved in many different occupations.

I belonged to the Youth Organization of Scouts and then attended the Theatrical Studio. One day I made an application to enter the United States. Henceforth, approximately thirty of us were taken by our Theatrical Group to the American Consulate. I personally did not appear before the committee. One of the actors, Mr. Walter Z. (name withheld for this printing) (still alive today and residing in Florida), went to answer questions on our behalf, questions such as how we had come to Germany from Ukraine. Mr. Z. himself signed my papers for me in the Consulate. That was good enough for the Consulate. I don’t remember anything else about the matter. I was on my way to America.

Once in the U.S., I became a citizen in 1954, living peacefully and happily with my family for 45 years until the autumn of 1999. That October, I went to Florida for vacation with my wife. One day, the phone calls began... people telling us about newspaper articles questioning my whereabouts during the war, headlines referring to me as “Nazi in Hiding”. We were stunned. A few days later, I received an official letter from the OSI to get in touch with them. I responded, of course. To make matters worse, I was interrogated for 8 hours upon returning home, answering allegation after allegation. I even proposed a lie detector test to back up my position, but, was denied this simple request by the opposing Counsels Jeffrey Menkin and Ellen Chubin. What has happened to the rights to liberty and due process of law possessed by citizen and non-citizen alike? Are we no longer innocent until proven guilty?

To date, no one has provided any evidence of war criminality against me. I did not join the SS auxiliary forces or voluntarily serve with them in Trawniki or Budzyn. There is no evidence of any incident in which I was involved that could be considered as directed wrongfully at any other individual, whether a forced labourer-prisoner, or any other person. No one can present any wrongdoing on my part since entering this country more than 50 years ago, in fact, many can vouch for my good character and excellent standing within the various churches I’ve belonged to as well as within the Ukrainian and American communities in which I’ve played numerous active parts. Last year, I was stripped of my U.S. citizenship and ordered to relinquish my U.S. passport. Judge Norman A. Mordue would not allow me the option of meeting with him in court on this. He simply stood by the decision and again I was silenced. Any of these issues can be corroborated by my attorney, Brian M. Gildea of New Haven, CT. Should you wish to oblige me, he can be reached at (203) 387-7493. My case number is referenced as A# 07-167-684.

After three years of this constant harassment, I am emotionally, mentally and financially drained. I am on various medications for my heart, prostate and double hip replacement surgeries. I have great difficulty walking with a cane and my hearing is poor. I would be pleased to provide you with all of my pertinent medical records should they be required.

I have nothing to hide and everything to lose.

In closing, I am appealing to you, as one human being to another. Please do not allow our justice system to throw an innocent old man out of the only country he has called home for half a century. I believe in justice and I trust that somehow it will be served to me fairly when all is said and done. Any intervention on my behalf would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Mr. Ashcroft, for your attention to and consideration of this very important, most heartfelt plea.

Sincerely,
Mykola Wasylyk

CC:
Director Robert Mueller, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson
Commissioner James Ziglar, Immigration and Naturalization Service
Assistant Attorney General Ralph F. Boyd, Jr., Civil Rights Division
Senator Patrick Leahy, Chair, Senate Judiciary Committee
Representative James Sensenbrenner, Chair, House Judiciary Committee
Mr. Michael Sawkiw, President/Ukrainian Congress
Mr. Dmytro Hryhorchuk, President/Ukrainian Self-Reliance Association
Mrs. Roma Hadzewycz, Editor-in-Chief/The Ukrainian Weekly
Mr. Askold Lozynsky, President/Ukrainian World Congress
Mr. Stefan Hawrysz, Executive Director/United Ukrainian American Relief Committee
Mr. Howell Raines, Executive Editor/The New York Times
Mr. Brian M. Gildea, Esquire

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