The Secret State Series #3
Story of a Secret State stands as one of the most poignant and inspiring memoirs of World War II and the Holocaust. With elements of a spy thriller, documenting his experiences in the Polish Underground, and as one of the first accounts of the systematic slaughter of the Jews by the German Nazis, this volume is a remarkable testimony of one man's courage and a nation's struggle for resistance against overwhelming oppression.
Karski was a brilliant young diplomat when war broke out in 1939 with Hitler's invasion of Poland. Taken prisoner by the Soviet Red Army, which had simultaneously invaded from the East, Karski narrowly escaped the subsequent Katyn Forest Massacre. He became a member of the Polish Underground, the most significant resistance movement in occupied Europe, acting as a liaison and courier between the Underground and the Polish government-in-exile. He was twice smuggled into the Warsaw Ghetto, and entered the Nazi's Izbica transit camp disguised as a guard, witnessing first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust.
Karski's courage and testimony, conveyed in a breathtaking manner in Story of a Secret State, offer the narrative of one of the world's greatest eyewitnesses and an inspiration for all of humanity, emboldening each of us to rise to the challenge of standing up against evil and for human rights. This definitive edition—which includes a foreword by Madeleine Albright, a biographical essay by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an afterword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, previously unpublished photos, notes, further reading, and a glossary—is an apt legacy for this hero of conscience during the most fraught and fragile moment in modern history.
Karski was a brilliant young diplomat when war broke out in 1939 with Hitler's invasion of Poland. Taken prisoner by the Soviet Red Army, which had simultaneously invaded from the East, Karski narrowly escaped the subsequent Katyn Forest Massacre. He became a member of the Polish Underground, the most significant resistance movement in occupied Europe, acting as a liaison and courier between the Underground and the Polish government-in-exile. He was twice smuggled into the Warsaw Ghetto, and entered the Nazi's Izbica transit camp disguised as a guard, witnessing first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust.
Karski's courage and testimony, conveyed in a breathtaking manner in Story of a Secret State, offer the narrative of one of the world's greatest eyewitnesses and an inspiration for all of humanity, emboldening each of us to rise to the challenge of standing up against evil and for human rights. This definitive edition—which includes a foreword by Madeleine Albright, a biographical essay by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an afterword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, previously unpublished photos, notes, further reading, and a glossary—is an apt legacy for this hero of conscience during the most fraught and fragile moment in modern history.
Jan Karski was born in ód , Poland, in 1914.
He received a degree in Law and Diplomatic Science in 1935 and served as a liaison officer of the Polish Underground during World War II. He carried the first eyewitness report of the Holocaust to a mostly unbelieving West, meeting with President Roosevelt in 1943 to plead for Allied intervention. Story of a Secret State was originally published in 1944, becoming a bestseller and Book of the Month Club selection. After the war, Karski earned his PhD at Georgetown University, where he served as a distinguished professor in the School of Foreign Service for forty years. He died in Washington, DC, in 2000. Karski has been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. In 2012, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by our President.
"His wartime saga as officer, as Soviet prisoner, as escapee, in the hands of the Gestapo, and as a Polish Underground activist and courier, is beyond remarkable. In a world today where words such as 'courage' and 'heroism' have been so overused—applied freely from sports to entertainment to politics as to be rendered practically meaningless—Jan Karski was the rare human being who embodied both."
He received a degree in Law and Diplomatic Science in 1935 and served as a liaison officer of the Polish Underground during World War II. He carried the first eyewitness report of the Holocaust to a mostly unbelieving West, meeting with President Roosevelt in 1943 to plead for Allied intervention. Story of a Secret State was originally published in 1944, becoming a bestseller and Book of the Month Club selection. After the war, Karski earned his PhD at Georgetown University, where he served as a distinguished professor in the School of Foreign Service for forty years. He died in Washington, DC, in 2000. Karski has been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem. In 2012, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by our President.
"His wartime saga as officer, as Soviet prisoner, as escapee, in the hands of the Gestapo, and as a Polish Underground activist and courier, is beyond remarkable. In a world today where words such as 'courage' and 'heroism' have been so overused—applied freely from sports to entertainment to politics as to be rendered practically meaningless—Jan Karski was the rare human being who embodied both."
"In the words of James Russell Lowell's rousing hymn:
'Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide, in the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side.' Perhaps more than most of us, Jan Karski faced such a choice in the starkest of possible terms, and made his decision as courageously as one could. . . . Jan Karski was a patriot and a truth teller; may his words always be read and his legacy never forgotten.
"Secret State is an indispensable and compelling historical document of World War II and the Holocaust, written by a supremely courageous humanitarian."
"Secret State is an indispensable and compelling historical document of World War II and the Holocaust, written by a supremely courageous humanitarian."
The Secret State Series #3:
The Secret State #3 “Open Contact”
by Jan Karski: Highlights and excerpts by PL Sturgis:
The Secret state Series 1: “The Underground” by Jan Karski:
Introduction: During my four and a half months absence while captured by the Russians and the the Germans, Conditions in Poland had changed considerably. The first few conversations made me conscious of the fact that the consolidation of the underground had practically been achieved. The movement had crystallized into the major organization: The coalition of the four largest political parties;
1) The Peasants
2) The Socialist
3) The Christian Labor
4) The Nationalist.
This was the official military organization which had been recognized by the government as a military unit enjoying equal rights with the Polish Army in France. The most important need for that third party was to unite and agree on a chief delegate. The government was not interested in the personality of the candidate, nor his political affiliation, nor was he to become involved in party representation. The government would confirm the appointment of any individual who possessed authority and had the confidence of the population.
(hmmmm? 1940 sounds familiar in 2017)
The Polish underground State to which Karski belonged was under the authority of the Polish government in London. He admitted that besides this organization there were other organizations carrying on their activities under the direct influence of Moscow. Being the first active member of the Polish Underground and in the fortunate position to publish some aspect of its story, he hoped that it would encourage others to relate their experiences and that out of such narratives the free people all over the world would be able to form an objective opinion as to how the Polish people reacted during the years of German conquest.
Daily Bites of The Secret State Series #3:
“Open Contact”
Bites #21-25,Creating a Free Militia:
#22) Unfortunate Pre- War Rulers:
#23) Post War Poland
#24) Remember the History of Poland:
#25) Not an Ordinary War:
by Jan Karski :
I spent most of the next six days in Angers working on the report the underground officer requested. After I was through I called Sikorski’s secretary again to ask for an appointment. Kulakowski requested for me to come to our embassy to meet him. I went with considerable excitement. Sikorski was highly regarded in Poland. He was a kind man and a European of broad culture. He was a great General and Statesman. After the catastrophic defeat of Poland we put all our hopes in him. Since the First World War he had been particularly close to the French General Staff and many leading French military men held him in high esteem as a strategist. He permitted me only a brief conversation in his office and told me to meet him in the Cafe Weber for lunch the following day. I arrived and ordered our drinks. Sikorski was extremely polite but inquired a good deal about my past and listened to my response with attentive and sympathetic interest. We discussed the military situation. Sikorski granted that the German Army was formidable but he had faith in the ultimate victory of France. He refused to risk an opinion on the probable time of the conclusion of the war. He said, to be on the safe side, the organization should count on a long war. During this conversation I realized how this man looked to the future.
#22) Unfortunate Prewar Rulers:
This is not only a war of independence for us. We do not want merely to re-establish the prewar status quo. We can not revive mechanically a past which was, to some degree, the cause of what has happened. Remind the people of this and let them not forget, we are fighting, not only for an independent Poland, but for a new state assuring to all her citizens political and social freedom. Unfortunately, our prewar rulers felt that Poland should develop through a (so called) strong hand system. This was contrary to our tradition and national spirit. It can not be revived and the men responsible for it can not come to power again! Post war Poland must be built up by the free political parties, the professional unions by means of knowledge, experience, and good will, and not by any privileged group. Sikorski thought many of his compatriots did not understand his language, but the Polish youth will understand. “Let us first finish our job with Germany. Then a hard task of reconstruction awaits us.” Sikorski advised. When we left the luncheon he suggested a second meeting at a hotel in Angers. There I outlined the view point of the underground leaders on the need for a unified organization and what its structure should be. Sikorski concurred almost wholly. The movement, he said, must not be confined merely to the function of resistance, but must take shape as an actual state.
#23) Post War Poland:
“A free state must take place. It must be created and maintained at all costs, no matter how crude it is. Furthermore, the army must be united into a whole rather than an aggregate of atomic bodies and stressed that the military had to be integrated completely into the political and social structures. the military can not be allowed to remain distant or isolated. The liaison must be complete and conditions of mutual responsibility must be made to prevail!” General Sikorski went on....”But the Army shall never be allowed to interfere in political life. We had enough of that! It must be the armed forces of the people, animated by the idea to serve the people, and not to rule the people, nor to lead them.” Then I brought up one of the thorniest questions the underground ever had to face. “How literally shall we interpret our principle of non collaboration? Sometimes it may be valuable for us to have our men in one of the German organizations. Can we do that?” I asked. Sikorski’s reply was wholly characteristic. “The Polish people in Paris live very well. We have few worries and we can not tell the starving people in Poland what to do. I would not attempt to impose my will. It would be immoral. The function of the government in France is merely to take care of their interests abroad. If they want my suggestion I would say that any collaboration is unfavorable to our international political status. The Polish people in Poland shall do whatever they judge necessary. We do not issue orders to the Polish people. Our task is to fight the Germans.”
#24) Remember the History:
Sikorski, Prime Minister of the French Underground: “We are fighting the germans. Please tell all people to remember our history and our traditions. Then they will be sure to choose the right way. On the subject of a delegate of the government who would be the underground administration and the link between the underground as a whole, and the government in France is of primary importance to Poland and all countries. If any individual has the support of the people in Poland and they desire him as a delegate of the underground, then he shall have the support of France, no matter what his political convictions are.” At the conclusion of the interview Sikorski made it clear to me that the task of the underground and the government in this war was, not only to continue the Polish State, but to develop and improve it. The next day I met Kot (ministry of interior) in the Cafe. We discussed my conversation with Sikorski. He was in complete agreement. He mentioned the opinion that Poland would be occupied for a long time and that the underground must prepare for a long struggle. He then suggested that I get in touch with the Chief of the underground for a conference. I called the Chief’s adjutant who arranged a meeting for us in a modest small cafe. the Chief was a tall type military man about 65 years of age. The first thing he did was to reprimand me sharply for calling his assistant so freely. didn’t I know the telephone could be tapped? I accepted his rebuff without answering. He asked me about conditions in Poland and offered little suggestions. He said he hoped the people in Poland could realize it is not an ordinary war.
#25) Not an Ordinary War:
Altogether I spent six weeks in Paris. During the rest of my time, after my meetings with the Chief Military Officer of the underground organization, I put in long stretches of work preparing reports and reviewing instructions to take back home with me to Warsaw. Before I left I had one last meeting with Kot (Dept of Interior) who gave me a list of names of all the important figures in the underground whom I should be sure to see. He was very cordial and added: “Traditionally, I should compel you to swear that you will not betray us but if you are wicked enough to become a traitor, you are also wicked enough to break an oath. So let us simply shake hands. Good Luck, Karsi!” On the trip back to Poland I retraced my footsteps. The only difference was that I traveled under another name and another set of papers. I took the “Semplon-Orient Express” through Yugoslavia to Budapest. I spent two days there and as a favor to the contact man I agreed to carry a knapsack full of money into Poland, a place of less importance functionary to whom such tasks were usually assigned. This was by no means a small favor. The knapsack, full of Polish bank notes, weighed over forty pounds. With my other equipment it proved a considerable burden. I went by car to the city of Kosice, where I met the same guide who took me over the mountains. It was an uneventful journey. This time we went by foot as the snow had melted. It was near the end of April 1940 when I arrived back in Poland. I carried with me the most momentous “Order of the Polish Government” to the underground.
#22) Unfortunate Prewar Rulers:
This is not only a war of independence for us. We do not want merely to re-establish the prewar status quo. We can not revive mechanically a past which was, to some degree, the cause of what has happened. Remind the people of this and let them not forget, we are fighting, not only for an independent Poland, but for a new state assuring to all her citizens political and social freedom. Unfortunately, our prewar rulers felt that Poland should develop through a (so called) strong hand system. This was contrary to our tradition and national spirit. It can not be revived and the men responsible for it can not come to power again! Post war Poland must be built up by the free political parties, the professional unions by means of knowledge, experience, and good will, and not by any privileged group. Sikorski thought many of his compatriots did not understand his language, but the Polish youth will understand. “Let us first finish our job with Germany. Then a hard task of reconstruction awaits us.” Sikorski advised. When we left the luncheon he suggested a second meeting at a hotel in Angers. There I outlined the view point of the underground leaders on the need for a unified organization and what its structure should be. Sikorski concurred almost wholly. The movement, he said, must not be confined merely to the function of resistance, but must take shape as an actual state.
#23) Post War Poland:
“A free state must take place. It must be created and maintained at all costs, no matter how crude it is. Furthermore, the army must be united into a whole rather than an aggregate of atomic bodies and stressed that the military had to be integrated completely into the political and social structures. the military can not be allowed to remain distant or isolated. The liaison must be complete and conditions of mutual responsibility must be made to prevail!” General Sikorski went on....”But the Army shall never be allowed to interfere in political life. We had enough of that! It must be the armed forces of the people, animated by the idea to serve the people, and not to rule the people, nor to lead them.” Then I brought up one of the thorniest questions the underground ever had to face. “How literally shall we interpret our principle of non collaboration? Sometimes it may be valuable for us to have our men in one of the German organizations. Can we do that?” I asked. Sikorski’s reply was wholly characteristic. “The Polish people in Paris live very well. We have few worries and we can not tell the starving people in Poland what to do. I would not attempt to impose my will. It would be immoral. The function of the government in France is merely to take care of their interests abroad. If they want my suggestion I would say that any collaboration is unfavorable to our international political status. The Polish people in Poland shall do whatever they judge necessary. We do not issue orders to the Polish people. Our task is to fight the Germans.”
#24) Remember the History:
Sikorski, Prime Minister of the French Underground: “We are fighting the germans. Please tell all people to remember our history and our traditions. Then they will be sure to choose the right way. On the subject of a delegate of the government who would be the underground administration and the link between the underground as a whole, and the government in France is of primary importance to Poland and all countries. If any individual has the support of the people in Poland and they desire him as a delegate of the underground, then he shall have the support of France, no matter what his political convictions are.” At the conclusion of the interview Sikorski made it clear to me that the task of the underground and the government in this war was, not only to continue the Polish State, but to develop and improve it. The next day I met Kot (ministry of interior) in the Cafe. We discussed my conversation with Sikorski. He was in complete agreement. He mentioned the opinion that Poland would be occupied for a long time and that the underground must prepare for a long struggle. He then suggested that I get in touch with the Chief of the underground for a conference. I called the Chief’s adjutant who arranged a meeting for us in a modest small cafe. the Chief was a tall type military man about 65 years of age. The first thing he did was to reprimand me sharply for calling his assistant so freely. didn’t I know the telephone could be tapped? I accepted his rebuff without answering. He asked me about conditions in Poland and offered little suggestions. He said he hoped the people in Poland could realize it is not an ordinary war.
#25) Not an Ordinary War:
Altogether I spent six weeks in Paris. During the rest of my time, after my meetings with the Chief Military Officer of the underground organization, I put in long stretches of work preparing reports and reviewing instructions to take back home with me to Warsaw. Before I left I had one last meeting with Kot (Dept of Interior) who gave me a list of names of all the important figures in the underground whom I should be sure to see. He was very cordial and added: “Traditionally, I should compel you to swear that you will not betray us but if you are wicked enough to become a traitor, you are also wicked enough to break an oath. So let us simply shake hands. Good Luck, Karsi!” On the trip back to Poland I retraced my footsteps. The only difference was that I traveled under another name and another set of papers. I took the “Semplon-Orient Express” through Yugoslavia to Budapest. I spent two days there and as a favor to the contact man I agreed to carry a knapsack full of money into Poland, a place of less importance functionary to whom such tasks were usually assigned. This was by no means a small favor. The knapsack, full of Polish bank notes, weighed over forty pounds. With my other equipment it proved a considerable burden. I went by car to the city of Kosice, where I met the same guide who took me over the mountains. It was an uneventful journey. This time we went by foot as the snow had melted. It was near the end of April 1940 when I arrived back in Poland. I carried with me the most momentous “Order of the Polish Government” to the underground.
(to be continued) ....
(To be continued )
Daily Bites of The Secret State Series #3
“Open Contacts:
Bite #26-30,The Doctrine of the Polish Underground:
#27) Creating a Third Branch:
#28) Selecting Chief Delegates:
#29) The Fatal Error:
#30) Manifesto 0f Walnosc (Liberty)
by Jan Karski 1944 :
“From The Secret State”
The Secret State: Series 3:
#1 A Worthwhile Task:
#2) By the Light of the Moon:
#3) Through Forests and Fields:
#4) Across the German Border:
#5) The Next Train Out:
#6) The New Plan:
#7) Two Different Worlds:
#8) Trust not in a Brother:
#9) Escaping from Lwow:
#10) Mission to France:
#11) Border Meetings:
#12) My Light Afflictions:
#13) Meeting the Top Contact:
#14) Recovering in Budapest:
#15) German Deception Leads to Slavery:
#16) Coping with German Spies:
#17) On the Train to Paris:
#18) No Turning Back:
#19) The Phony War in Paris:
#20) Leaving for Angers:
#21) Creating a Free Militia:
#22) Unfortunate Pre- War Rulers:
#23) Post War Poland:
#24) Remember the History of Poland:
#25) Not an Ordinary War:
#26) The Doctrine of the Polish Underground:
#27) Creating a Third Branch:
#28) Selecting Chief Delegates:
#29) The Fatal Error:
#30) Manifesto 0f Walnosc (Liberty)
#1 A Worthwhile Task:
#2) By the Light of the Moon:
#3) Through Forests and Fields:
#4) Across the German Border:
#5) The Next Train Out:
#6) The New Plan:
#7) Two Different Worlds:
#8) Trust not in a Brother:
#9) Escaping from Lwow:
#10) Mission to France:
#11) Border Meetings:
#12) My Light Afflictions:
#13) Meeting the Top Contact:
#14) Recovering in Budapest:
#15) German Deception Leads to Slavery:
#16) Coping with German Spies:
#17) On the Train to Paris:
#18) No Turning Back:
#19) The Phony War in Paris:
#20) Leaving for Angers:
#21) Creating a Free Militia:
#22) Unfortunate Pre- War Rulers:
#23) Post War Poland:
#24) Remember the History of Poland:
#25) Not an Ordinary War:
#26) The Doctrine of the Polish Underground:
#27) Creating a Third Branch:
#28) Selecting Chief Delegates:
#29) The Fatal Error:
#30) Manifesto 0f Walnosc (Liberty)
LibertygroupFreedom
https://redd.it/6y400k
To be Continued in the Next Daily Bites of “The Secret State Series #3”
"FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY"
Stand Up To Government Corruption and Hypocrisy
NEVER FORGET THE SACRIFICES
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