Eastern Europeans in embassies and communities around the
capital region are upset today that Virginia's new D-Day memorial monument,
unveiled in a ceremony this past week, contains a statue of the head of
notorious Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
Residents of Bedford, VA, were
equally appalled when they found out about the statue, but now the fallout
has now reached official Washington. The Cable
has heard from multiple embassy officials today that they are getting calls
from their local communities complaining about the statue. It's especially
disconcerting to European diplomats, whose countries have spent decades
scrubbing all traces of communist paraphernalia from their parks and public
areas.
"I'm shocked as a European citizen and as a European
diplomat," one embassy official said. "It's shocking because this person was
responsible for the deaths of millions of people."
For what it's worth, the plaque underneath Stalin's likeness
is hardly a tribute to the late communist ruler.
"In memory of the tens of millions
who died under Stalin's rule and in tribute to all whose valor, fidelity, and
sacrifice denied him and his successors victory in the cold war," it reads.
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