The Secret State Series #6
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Albright, a biographical essay by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an afterword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, previously unpublished photos, notes, further reading, and a glossary—is an apt legacy for this hero of conscience during the most fraught and fragile moment in modern history.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 #6:
The Secret State #6 “Hunted”
From Polish Officer to German Slave: 1944
by Jan Karski: Highlights and excerpts by PL Sturgis:
From Polish Officer to German Slave: 1944
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 #6:
From Polish Officer to German Slave: 1944
“Hunted”
Bites #16-20,Back in the Saddle:
#17) My Letter to the Polish Citizens:
#18) Creating a Masterpiece:
#19) Denationalizing Poland:
#20) Suspecting a Traitor:
#18) Creating a Masterpiece:
#19) Denationalizing Poland:
#20) Suspecting a Traitor:
by Jan Karski :
#16) Back in the Saddle:
I grew impatient waiting for Danuta’s brother, the underground guide. I paced recklessly around the house irked by the delay. Danuta’s wit irritated me and my replies became curt and snappish. One evening as she and I sat moodily in the parlor we heard a scratching on the window that faced the back of the house. We leaped out of our chairs and ran to the window. I restrained my impatience while Danuta reproved him for coming too early. He patted her head and told her not to worry because he hadn’t been caught yet. She burst into tears and left the room. “This life is killing her” he said as he turned to me. “She is a very sensitive girl and repressing all her feelings, as she has been doing, is not good for her. Take care of her, won’t you, Witold?” I told him I would try my best. He shook his head and sighed and rather abruptly changed his tone. His voice took on the precise impersonal ring of the officials. “Your request for work in the underground propaganda branch has been accepted by the authorities. You will draw up a list of the required equipment and begin activity as soon as you can. Now, let us go into another room. I have brought you instructions for your new work. We went up to my bedroom and talked over what was to do. When we finished he watched my reaction silently for a moment and then broke into a smile.
#17) Letter to the Polish Citizens:
After my long period of enforced inaction I took to my underground duties with exaggerated zest. The very next day I had Danuta scurrying all over the village searching for all sorts of advertizing literature and city and telephone directories. When she found time to catch her breath she asked me for an explanation of the endless requests I had been making. “My Dear girl,” I answered in high spirits for I was elated at being active again. “You are about to witness the birth of an immortal literary masterpiece. In a few moments I shall begin the composition of an eloquent letter. This letter will be received by everyone in the Reich who has a Polish name. That is what we will try to accomplish. We want to remind everyone of Polish origin that, even though they are nominally German, Polish blood still flows in their veins. “Calm Down!” she scolded! “Don’t excite yourself so! If you raise your voice much louder you won’t need to send letters. Everyone in the Third Reich will have heard you, even then Gestapo!” I sat down and took a deep breath and continued more soberly. “In the letter I shall urge the former Polish citizens to study the history of their country. I shall cite some of the worse brutality of the Gestapo and I shall conclude by attempting to convince them that despite the ruthless methods of Nazi warfare, Germany will lose the war!”
#18) Creating a Masterpiece:
I began my first underground work on a masterpiece composition. These were my directions.: “During the next few days we shall go through all the directions with a fine tooth comb. (names and addresses) We shall pick out every Polish name and compile a directory of our own. Then we shall have this list and copies of the letter delivered to the members of the underground who work in this part of Poland incorporated into the Reich. They will have the letter copied by the thousands and forwarded to the names we have selected.”---- “It is all so simple,” Danuta said. “And how will we send them? By carrier pigeon?” “No!” I said. “It will be much simpler to use the means that the German government has established for us. Since the incorporated part of Poland is now considered to be a part of Germany all we do is address the letters, put stamps on them, and mail them. Letters from one part of the Reich to another are seldom censored. We set to work, hardly allowing ourselves time to relax. We finished the task in a few days. Danuta’s brother Lucien, the young guide, visited again at the completion of this product. He was very pleased. He showered me with compliments and provoked his sister by asking me if she had slowed up my work much. Still it was quite evident that Lucien had something on his mind besides the letters.
#19) Denationalizing Poland:
Lucien was worried about the low morale of the Polish citizens. He asked if I heard of “Bulle?” I told him I heard the name but knew nothing about him. Danuta cut in. “How could you not know about him? Everyone knows he is a beast!” Her brother scolded her. “Come now! You act as if Witold is responsible for Bulle’s actions!” he paused to collect his thoughts and then replied, “Bulle is one of the worst kind of category improvised by the Germans to meet changing conditions. It has a dual purpose. One is to denationalize Poland and another is to lower the morale of the citizens. German culture was to be introduced; German schools, and institutions, holding sway to the exclusion of all others. It was decreed that the only persons to be tolerated in this territory were those individuals who would speak German and send their children to German schools, and serve the Vaterland. Most of the pre war Germans now hastened to obtain citizenship papers to become Reichdeutsche. The overwhelming majority of the Polish population refused to accept the Germans “glorious opportunity” to accept solidarity with the Reich. they continued to speak in Polish and were hopelessly slow at learning German. Faced by having their generous offer humiliatingly ignored, the Nazis decided to make some concessions. Any person who had the remotest claim to German blood could apply to German officials for privileges such as security and food as a German citizen.
#20) suspecting a Traitor:
The young guide Lucien, continued explaining about “Bulle.” --- “All of the Germans “so called” favors only brought a hand full of renegades. To the patriotic Polish citizens the Germans were objects of mitigated contempt. The greedy ones who submitted were regarded as either criminal traitors or weak sniveling wretches.” Well, naturally, I was aware of the universal attitude, nevertheless, I found Lucien’s attitude rather incomprehensible. I considered Danuta’s outburst to be emotional and rather far fetched. It was apparent that she and her brother had so much hatred, disciplined only by self control, and that does not often last to achieve success in the underground. I wanted to know the motives that animated their hatred toward this one individual. Danuta clenched her fists and rattled on in uncontrollable indignation. “Bulle” is not even an ordinary traitor. He sneaks around buying drinks for the peasants and urges them to cooperate with the Nazis. Everyone knows he turns in names of our members in the underground.” Lucien corrected her sharply. “We have no proof!” She threw up her hands. “Do you expect a confession from him in writing?” “We must have proof!” he answered. “We can not condemn anyone without evidence. When we have evidence against him we will take action.” Then Lucien switched the conversation to future planning. “Well, Witold, when this first job of the letters has been successfully completed what do you propose to do?” “I have an idea,” I said. “This time, instead of writing appeals to the Polish people to maintain resistance against Nazi oppression I will pen letters to the Nazi authorities asserting the most ardent desire to help serve them.
(to be continued) ....
(To be continued )
Daily Bites of The Secret State Series #6
“Hunted:”
From Polish Officer to German Slave: 1944
#22) The Underground Stranger:
#23) A Secret Task:
#24) A Favor Based on Trust:
#25) Mysterious Rescue:
by Jan Karski 1944 :
“From The Secret State”
#1) Hiding Out:
#2) Three Days of Confinement:
#3) Breach of Discipline:
#4) A Touch of Underground Measles:
#5) The Farmer’s Daughter:
#6) Meeting the New Me:
#7) Out of my Shell:
#8) Trading the old Coat for the New:
#9) At Home on the Farm:
#10) Getting Acquainted:
#11) The First Three Weeks:
#12) My Role as a Gardener:
#13) Midnight Underground Guest:
#14) A Familiar Voice:
#15) Returning to Underground Work:
#16) Back in the Saddle:
#17) My Letter to the Polish Citizens:
#18) Creating a Masterpiece:
#19) Denationalizing Poland:
#20) Suspecting a Traitor:
#21) The Fraudulent Letter:
#22) The Underground Stranger:
#23) A Secret Task:
#24) A Favor Based on Trust:
#25) Mysterious Rescue:
#26) A Bloody Fight:
#27) Emotions of Guilt:
#28) Committing a Crime or Saving a Life?
#29) Destroying documents:
#30) Leaving for Cracow:
LibertygroupFreedom
https://redd.it/6y400k
“Hunted”
From Polish Officer to German Slave: 1944
From Polish Officer to German Slave: 1944
"FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY"
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