In response to the Holocaust, the United Nations approved the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948. This UN document, along with American leaders and others in the international community, promised "never again" would genocide be allowed to happen:
"Out of our memory...of the Holocaust we must forge an unshakeable oath with all civilized people that never again will the world stand silent, never again will the world...fail to act in time to prevent this terrible crime of genocide....."
Source: Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, Remarks at the Presentation of the Final Report of the President's Commission on the Holocaust, September 27, 1979.
"...We announced that we will vigorously support, consistent with the United States Constitution, the ratification of the Genocide Convention. And I want you to know that we intend to use the convention in our efforts to expand human freedom and fight human rights abuses around the world. Like you, I say in a forthright voice, 'Never again!'"
Source: Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States, Sept 6, 1984 in a speech to B'nai B'rith.
"The extraordinary hero that this center honors is our living embodiment of remembrance. The two pledges of Simon Wiesenthal's life inspire us all --
'Never forget' and 'Never again.' He reminds us that we as a people must study closely the lessons of the concentration camps. And, yes, like many here, Barbara and I have been to Auschwitz. We've seen the images of human evil. And literally, when I left, I left part of me. But I took something away in its place: the determination not just to remember but also to act.... In the memory of the millions who died, we must not forget. We must not close our hearts. We must not fail to act."
Source: George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States, June 16, 1991 remarks at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Dinner in Los Angeles, California.
"The United States and the international community must take action. If the horrors of the Holocaust taught us anything, it is the high cost of
remaining silent and paralyzed in the face of genocide. We must discover who is responsible for these actions and take steps to bring them to justice for these crimes against humanity."
Source: Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, quoted in New York Times on August 5, 1992.
"Through our words and our deeds, it is our obligation to keep the flame of memory of those who perished burning bright and to ensure that such dark chapters of history are never repeated."
Source: Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, April 24, 2012, Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day
"Out of our memory...of the Holocaust we must forge an unshakeable oath with all civilized people that never again will the world stand silent, never again will the world...fail to act in time to prevent this terrible crime of genocide....."
Source: Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, Remarks at the Presentation of the Final Report of the President's Commission on the Holocaust, September 27, 1979.
"...We announced that we will vigorously support, consistent with the United States Constitution, the ratification of the Genocide Convention. And I want you to know that we intend to use the convention in our efforts to expand human freedom and fight human rights abuses around the world. Like you, I say in a forthright voice, 'Never again!'"
Source: Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States, Sept 6, 1984 in a speech to B'nai B'rith.
"The extraordinary hero that this center honors is our living embodiment of remembrance. The two pledges of Simon Wiesenthal's life inspire us all --
'Never forget' and 'Never again.' He reminds us that we as a people must study closely the lessons of the concentration camps. And, yes, like many here, Barbara and I have been to Auschwitz. We've seen the images of human evil. And literally, when I left, I left part of me. But I took something away in its place: the determination not just to remember but also to act.... In the memory of the millions who died, we must not forget. We must not close our hearts. We must not fail to act."
Source: George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States, June 16, 1991 remarks at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Dinner in Los Angeles, California.
"The United States and the international community must take action. If the horrors of the Holocaust taught us anything, it is the high cost of
remaining silent and paralyzed in the face of genocide. We must discover who is responsible for these actions and take steps to bring them to justice for these crimes against humanity."
Source: Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, quoted in New York Times on August 5, 1992.
"Through our words and our deeds, it is our obligation to keep the flame of memory of those who perished burning bright and to ensure that such dark chapters of history are never repeated."
Source: Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, April 24, 2012, Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day