In 1991, Senator Steve Symms and Representative Dana Rohrabacher introduced concurring resolutions in the United States Congress urging the construction of "an International Memorial to the Victims of Communism at an appropriate location within the boundaries of the District of Columbia and for the appointment of a commission to oversee the design, construction and all other pertinent details of the memorial." In 1993, Rohrabacher and Senator Jesse Helms sponsored amendments to The FRIENDSHIP Act of 1993 which authorized such construction. The Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on December 17, 1993. The Act cited "the deaths of over 100,000,000 victims in an unprecedented imperial holocaust," and resolved that "the sacrifices of these victims should be permanently memorialized so that never again will nations and peoples allow so evil a tyranny to terrorize the world." The 100 million victim number is taken from the controversial Black Book of Communism, often criticized for inflating numbers to reach the 100 million mark. . The statue is a recreation by Thomas Marsh of the "Goddess of Democracy", which was destroyed in Tiananmen Square by the government of the People's Republic of China According to Title IX, Section 905 of Public Law 103–199, an independent organization was to be established to construct, maintain and operate the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as to collect the contributions for the establishment of the memorial and to encourage the participation of all groups suffered under communism. In 2007, the foundation completed the Victims of Communism Memorial, which was dedicated by President George W. Bush. Since March 2014 Marion Smith serves as Executive Director. In 2016, the Foundation released a list of 51 prisoners of conscience in Cuba just before President Barack Obama's visit and meeting with Raúl Castro. In 2020, the foundation released a report calling attention to organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs in China. In April 2020, the organization announced they will be adding the global victims of the COVID-19 pandemic to their death toll of communism, blaming the Chinese government for the outbreak and every death caused by it.
Programs
Victims of Communism Memorial
The memorial was dedicated on June 12, 2007 — the 20th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's "Tear down this wall" speech in Berlin. The unveiling of the statue in Washington DC earned international press attention. The land was a gift of the US Parks Service, and the remaining cost, over $1 million, was raised from private sources. Sculpted by Thomas Marsh, it is a 10-foot bronze replica of the Papier-mâchéGoddess of Democracy statue made by student democracy protesters leading up to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.
Museum
The foundation aims to build a museum in Washington, D.C. The foundation is working on a proposed budget for a museum near the National Mall, and has received a $1 million grant toward the museum from the government of Hungary. Plans for the museum include exhibit space, an auditorium, archives, and resident scholars.
In 2015, the foundation released a biopic video series called Witness Project, featuring interviews with witnesses of communism. Other projects include national seminars for high-school teachers and for college campuses
