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Albright, a biographical essay by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an afterword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, previously unpublished photos, notes, further reading, and a glossary—is an apt legacy for this hero of conscience during the most fraught and fragile moment in modern history.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 #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 :
#26) The Doctrine of the Polish Underground:
The Doctrine I carried from France acknowledged the idea of unification of all underground groups into one underground state and it became known as the “Doctrine of the Polish Underground.” When after stopping at a point near the frontier for a few days I finally arrived in Cracow and contacted the authorities of the underground. I discovered that the foundations had already been laid for the carrying out of this task, although the completion required some time. In Cracow my initiation into the mechanism of the underground took place and I was able to recognize, for the first time, the high level which the organization had already reached. I was never left alone for a single moment. After a few days in Cracow it became apparent to me that every move I made, nearly every word I spoke, and even the food I had eaten, was known to my superiors. Each time I returned home I found someone at my door who exchanged pass words with me and departed. In one occasion it had been arranged that I was to meet in front of my door an elderly lady carrying a blue umbrella and a basket of potatoes at 9:45 AM. Early that morning I decided to go to Mass which ended at 9:30 AM. I found the lady waiting at my door. We went to our destination. the next evening a liaison man came to inform me that the underground was charging me with sleeping away from my residence and being in contact with people unknown to the underground organization. the woman had reported me for returning to my house and not coming out of my house.
#27) Creating a Third Branch:
The awareness that I was continually being spied upon jarred on my nerves. I asked the authorities why it was being done? They informed me they were not as yet sure of my prudence and in case I was arrested by the Gestapo they had to know immediately and take necessary measures. Conditions in Cracow had changed considerably during my 4 and a half months absence. The first few conversations had made me conscious of the fact that the consolidation of the underground had practically been achieved. The movement had crystallized into two major organizations: The coalition of the four largest political parties: The Peasants, the Socialists, the Christian Labor, and the National Parties. 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 coalition was actually endeavoring to create a Third Branch, namely that of the Chief Delegates and of the Provincial Delegates of the government. The function of this branch, in the name of the government, and with the collaboration of the political and social forces in the underground, is to organize the economic, political, and judicial administrations of Poland through the underground. One of the most important needs to obtain agreement was on the person of the future Chief Delegate and Provincial Delegates.
#28) Selecting the Chief Delegates:
The instructions I brought to Poland concerning the unification were simple and clear. The government would approve any candidate for the position of the Chief Delegate, or any one of the Provincial Delegates, chosen by unanimous consent of the political parties. The government was not interested in the personality of the candidates, nor their political affiliations, nor would the candidates become involved in settling questions of party representations. The government would confirm the appointment of any individual who possessed enough authority and the confidence of the population of Poland, and purely in an advisory capacity the government had suggested the name of Mr. Boreski. One of the first things I heard when I returned to Poland was the news of Boreski’s arrest. He, and many others, had paid with their lives for the success thus far obtained in organizing the Polish Underground State, a task which Boreski and his friends were among the first to undertake. The Leader of the Christian Labor Party, Teka, had also been shot. He had been one of the most active political leaders in the country, having been instrumental in bringing about, among the various parties, an understanding which was of enormous importance. The most important of the hour in Cracow was naturally, the beginning of a large scale of Franco-German hostilities. Most of the leaders in Cracow believed this to be the hastening of an Allied victory. They felt convinced that the war would be short. I persisted in the opinion shared by the government ...This would be a long war.
#29) The Fatal Error:
While I was in Cracow I lived with a man who had been my friend in prewar days. He was a leader of the socialist Party and a first rate newspaper man. Moreover, he was a man of wide knowledge and broad political views, sober, and realistic in his conduct and appraisals. The special talent which made him invaluable for underground work was his ability to avoid attracting attention to himself or his activities. Among the many leaders I met he seemed to be the only one who realized that relying on France’s strength was a fatal error. The mere fact that the Germans began active hostilities indicated that they had the means to do so. The fact that the Allies did not take offense on land, sea, or air is proof that they could not afford it. In any war, strategically and tactically, the attacker always has the advantage. I stayed with him about three days. He was living in the suburbs under an alias and working in one of the few cooperative stores the Germans had spared. The address of his house was the one in which he had registered and his living quarters were on the second floor. As a precautionary measure he slept on the ground floor in the apartment of his contact. Should the Germans come to arrest him they would look for him on the second floor. Naturally, they would not find him but he would know they were there. In the mean time he could slip out by taking out a couple loose boards from the kitchen floor and enter into the cellar. There was an underground passage which led through three houses and ended at the corner of the next street, creating a fair chance to escape.
#30) Manifesto of Walnosc (Liberty)
When I was ready to leave my friend in Cracow he handed me a package of literature to distribute on the train or in Warsaw. He asked me to first read it myself. The title was “The Manifesto of Walnosc (Liberty) May 1, 1940. It was an eloquent summation of the position of the Socialist Party and highly indicative of the positions of the time.
“Polish Citizens: We appeal to you: Polish workers, peasants and intellectuals: In an hour of great distress we raise our voice in these days of our enslavement. It was the voice of Polish Socialism. In the days of Polish independence that voice was heard again and again, rising to condemn the policies of Poland’s despotic rulers. It is the voice of the Polish workers of Warsaw calling each other to fight the invaders. We appeal to you to remember the day of Independence. May the first approaches. On the shores of the Bug River it will be set aside as an official Holiday. You are aware it is not a day for tribute to Stalin and Hitler, but a day for concentrated preparation for an intrepid struggle. Poland has been defeated. the murderous attack of the German Army did not meet with proper resistance. History has taught the Polish Nation a dreadful lesson. For us now, the road to freedom leads through the torture chambers of the gestapo and the G.P.U., through prison, and concentration camps; through mass deportation and mass executions. Oppressed and persecuted, we are finally grasping the bitter truth. The destiny of our country can not be entrusted to the representatives of those classes that have shown themselves unable to make Poland great, powerful, and righteous. End of Series 3:
To be Continued in the Next Daily Bites of “The Secret State Series #4”
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While I was in Cracow I lived with a man who had been my friend in prewar days. He was a leader of the socialist Party and a first rate newspaper man. Moreover, he was a man of wide knowledge and broad political views, sober, and realistic in his conduct and appraisals. The special talent which made him invaluable for underground work was his ability to avoid attracting attention to himself or his activities. Among the many leaders I met he seemed to be the only one who realized that relying on France’s strength was a fatal error. The mere fact that the Germans began active hostilities indicated that they had the means to do so. The fact that the Allies did not take offense on land, sea, or air is proof that they could not afford it. In any war, strategically and tactically, the attacker always has the advantage. I stayed with him about three days. He was living in the suburbs under an alias and working in one of the few cooperative stores the Germans had spared. The address of his house was the one in which he had registered and his living quarters were on the second floor. As a precautionary measure he slept on the ground floor in the apartment of his contact. Should the Germans come to arrest him they would look for him on the second floor. Naturally, they would not find him but he would know they were there. In the mean time he could slip out by taking out a couple loose boards from the kitchen floor and enter into the cellar. There was an underground passage which led through three houses and ended at the corner of the next street, creating a fair chance to escape.
#30) Manifesto of Walnosc (Liberty)
When I was ready to leave my friend in Cracow he handed me a package of literature to distribute on the train or in Warsaw. He asked me to first read it myself. The title was “The Manifesto of Walnosc (Liberty) May 1, 1940. It was an eloquent summation of the position of the Socialist Party and highly indicative of the positions of the time.
“Polish Citizens: We appeal to you: Polish workers, peasants and intellectuals: In an hour of great distress we raise our voice in these days of our enslavement. It was the voice of Polish Socialism. In the days of Polish independence that voice was heard again and again, rising to condemn the policies of Poland’s despotic rulers. It is the voice of the Polish workers of Warsaw calling each other to fight the invaders. We appeal to you to remember the day of Independence. May the first approaches. On the shores of the Bug River it will be set aside as an official Holiday. You are aware it is not a day for tribute to Stalin and Hitler, but a day for concentrated preparation for an intrepid struggle. Poland has been defeated. the murderous attack of the German Army did not meet with proper resistance. History has taught the Polish Nation a dreadful lesson. For us now, the road to freedom leads through the torture chambers of the gestapo and the G.P.U., through prison, and concentration camps; through mass deportation and mass executions. Oppressed and persecuted, we are finally grasping the bitter truth. The destiny of our country can not be entrusted to the representatives of those classes that have shown themselves unable to make Poland great, powerful, and righteous. End of Series 3:
(to be continued) ....
(To be continued )
Daily Bites of The Secret State Series #4
“A New Regime”
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)
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