During World War II, the Allies knew that the Germans were committing mass genocide on Jews. Information on this subject was provided to them by a Pole, Jan Karski, but it did not trigger any reaction from the allied countries.
Jan Karski (born Jan Romuald Kozielewski) worked in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs from January 1939. When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and unleashed World War II, he put on his uniform, took up arms and defended the country. He fought until he was taken captive in the territory of the Soviet Union. This state was allied with Nazi Germany and attacked Poland on September 17, 1939. Thanks to a trick, Karski managed to escape and began to operate in the structures of the Polish underground state. He became a courier.
He slashed his wrists to prevent the disclosure of information
The task of the couriers was to transfer information between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Poles fighting in the occupied country. It is worth mentioning that Poland after it fell under the pressure of the Third Reich and the Soviet Union, created a government in exile which gave orders to Poles fighting in the occupied country creating the Polish Underground State with political representation and a large army.
During one of the courier actions, Karski was caught by the secret German police, the Gestapo. Being afraid that he would not withstand the torture and give out all the information, he slashed his veins. His cuts were blocked and he was taken to hospital where Polish conspirators recaptured him. Jan returned to his courier activities.
Disguised as a guardian
Jan Karski entered the Warsaw ghetto twice. There, the Germans crammed Jews into inhuman conditions, where disease, hunger and death prevailed. He also managed to enter the German camp for Jews disguised as a Ukrainian guard from the formation that supported the German SS. It was a transit ghetto in Izbica in the Lublin region. He saw with his own eyes how inhumanly the Germans treated Jews. The world had to learn about this tragedy.
Three versions of the report
Jan Karski wrote a report in which he wrote down how the Germans committed genocide against Jews. Three versions of the report were created. He wrote the latter in 1942. Then it was translated into English and sent to the leaders of the Allied countries. In the report, Karski also presented the functioning of the Polish Underground State, which was unique in Europe as the only complex structure of this type of underground activity.
To convince the allies
Karski was sent by the Polish government-in-exile to the USA. There, on July 28, 1943, he met with the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He handed over the report to the Allies and proposed measures to counter the Holocaust: to issue an ultimatum to the Germans that in the event of a continuation of the mass murders of Jews, German cities would be bombed. He also pointed to another solution: bombing the railroads that led to the German concentration camps. It was to be accompanied by help with money, documents and weapons for the Jews who sought protection from the murders. The American president’s response was extremely surprising: “We will get even with Germans after the war. Mr Karski, please correct me if I am wrong, but is Poland an agricultural country? Don’t you need horses to cultivate your land?”
After the failure of his visit to Roosevelt, Karski did not give up sharing the truth about the Holocaust. He reached many famous and influential personalities in the USA, including General William Donovan and Secretary of State Cordell Hull. He met not only with politicians but also with Hollywood artists, journalists, clergy, writers and filmmakers. He chose the most important passages from the report, memorized them, and spoke about the report for 18 minutes in order not to let the audience weary. Nothing worked. They did not want to believe him, and some believed that it was an element of Polish propaganda.
A report for everyone
During the war, an unsuccessful attempt was made to make a film about Karski’s reports. Also, the idea of the book was used. In November 1944, the book by Karski “Story of a Secret State” was published. The book has become very popular. Many US citizens learned from it about the existence of the Polish Underground State, the National Amy, and about how Poles and Jews suffered as a result of German terror in occupied Poland.
After war
Jan Karski tied his post-war life with the USA and started working at Georgetown University in Washington. Poland has repeatedly distinguished him for his heroic actions during World War II. Israel has not forgotten him either. In 1982, the Yad Vashem Institute awarded him the Righteous Among the Nations medal. He was also nominated in 1998 even for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Karski died on July 13, 2000, in Washington. He was buried in the US capital at Mount Olivet Cemetery. The then presidents of Poland and the USA, Aleksander Kwasniewski and Bill Clinton, participated in the funeral.