The Secret State Series #10
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Albright, a biographical essay by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an afterword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, previously unpublished photos, notes, further reading, and a glossary—is an apt legacy for this hero of conscience during the most fraught and fragile moment in modern history.
Jan Karski was born in ód , Poland, in 1914. 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.
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."
"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 #10:
“How the War was Won” The Atlantic Charter: Declaration of War:
by Jan Karski:
Highlights and excerpts by PL Sturgis:
Reference Collier's Encyclopedia: Book 2 page 431:
Highlights PL Sturgis:
A Declaration was made in a joint statement issued August 14,1941, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, following a meeting held aboard the USS somewhere in the North Atlantic August 9 through 12. The charter sets forth the principles of the United States and the United Kingdom propose to shape their national policies ---DURING THE PERIOD OF WORLD WAR 2 AND THE POST WAR PERIOD!
The text of the statement follows:
The President of the United States of America and the Prime Minister Winston Churchill, representing His majesty’s government in United Kingdom, being met together deem it right to make known certain in the national policies of their respective countries, on which they base their hopes for a better future for the world.
1. Our countries seek no increase in power: territorial or other:
2. Our country's desire to see no territorial changes that do not accord with the fully expressed wishes of the people concerned.
3. Our countries respect the right of all people to choose the form of government under which they will live. They wish to see sovereign rights and self government restored to those who have been deprived of them.
4. Our countries will endeavor with due respect for their existing obligations to further the enjoyment by all States, great or small, victor or vanquished, of access on equal terms to the trade and the raw materials of the world which are needed for their economic prosperity.
5. All countries deserve to bring about the fullest collaboration in the economic field with the object of security for all improved labor standards, economic advancement, and social security.
6. After the final destruction of the Nazi tyranny we hope to see established a peace which will afford to all nations the meaning of dwelling in safety within our own boundaries, and which will afford assurance that all people in all Lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want.
7. such a peace should enable all people to travel the high seas and oceans without hindrance.
8. Our countries believe that all nations of the world, for realistic as well as spiritual reasons, must come to the abandonment of the use of force. Since no future peace can be maintained if land, sea, or air, armaments continued to be employed by nations which threaten aggression outside of their frontiers, our countries believe, pending the system of general security, the destruction of such national regimes is essential. This will likewise aid and encourage all other people of their crushing burden of armaments. Declaration of War:
Daily Bites of The Secret State Series #10:
How the War was Won:
“The Atlantic Charter” by Roosevelt and Churchill”
Bites #21-25,Through Algeria to London:
#22) Two Days of Preliminary Reports:
#23) Reporting to Poland’s Underground Leader:
#24) General Sikorski’s Report to United Nations:
#25) A Friend and a Commander in Chief:
by Jan Karski :
#21) Through Algeria to London:
That night I prepared to leave for Algeria the two body guards were introduced to me. On the train my guide entered the third compartment. I followed. There was only one empty seat matching my ticket number and I dropped into it. It sounded simple enough. After Poland this should be child’s play. The inspection passed off easily as I pretended to be sleeping. At nightfall we got off in Algeria and took a quiet stroll to the Sea of Gibraltar, where as a center of international intrigue was so quiet. On the seashore we stepped into a small fishing boat which would transfer me on the high seas into an English motor boat which whirled me off to end up in a two story building which was an officer’s residence. We went through a long dark hall and emerged into a lounge furnished comfortably in English club style. A pleasant hum of conversation issued from the next room in which we entered. A man disengaged himself from a group of English officers and approached us. “Good Evening,” he said. “I am Colonel Burgess. We are all very glad you have arrived safely. Tomorrow the governor will see you and then it’s off to London on a bomber.” He introduced me to the other men. I had rarely enjoyed such congenial company. We talked for a long time and when I went to bed I was in a hilarious mood. I woke up in the morning with a sense of luxury. It was so pleasant not to have one’s feet turn to ice the moment one exposes them to air. Later that night we took off in a heavy American bomber, “The Liberator.” The next noon after a smooth flight we coasted into an English airfield.
#22) Two Days of Preliminary Reports:
It was two full days before I was delivered to the Polish Authorities. My first duty was to report to Stanislaw Musulaczyk and then the Minister of Interior in our government. His department had jurisdiction over the activities of the underground. His main task was to maintain contact with the secret organization in Poland to give them financial and military aid, and if necessary, to help in the work of directing them. the reports I had to make on all sectors of the underground in Poland and the general situation of the German occupation took me a long time. The sense of being abroad and free lasted only till I began to make my reports. Then I noticed that all my mind and all my emotions were transported back to Poland. This was true in all my future work. In all the times that my activities consisted in transmitting my knowledge of events inside Poland I invariably felt that I was reliving my experience and was back again in the Gestapo, haunted, suffering, atmosphere of the underground. After my preliminary reports I was asked to see Prime Minister General Sikorski. My admiration, and the admiration of the People in Poland for this man, grew tremendously. He was one of the rare great men who do not crush a nation with their personality.
#23)Reporting to the Polish Underground Leader:
General Sikorski did not seek to impose his will on Poland, although his position and Commander in Chief as head of the government, including head of the Army of the underground, gave him ample opportunity to exercise unlimited power. I had a long conversation with him about the plans of the men in the underground for the future organization of Poland. The common desire so deeply rooted in all our fighters, to make Poland a genuine, unshakable democracy; one that would insure justice and freedom to every inhabitant. I told General Sikorski that the overwhelming desire of the majority was that he carry out our aspirations and lead the nation of Poland during the difficult years to come. His answer was wistful. “The people must not forget that Old General Sikorski is more than 62 years old. He is a very tired man. His only hope and ambition is to be able to contribute to the resurrection of a free and independent Poland.” It was quite plain that General Sikorski never wanted to be the leader, now would have ever become a dictator to Poland. He merely wanted to serve his nation to the best of his ability. My schedule, at that time, called for me to return quickly to Poland. I asked general Sikorski what his political program was during the war.
#24) General Sikorski’s Report to the United Nations:
General Sikorski: “Above all, I want to contribute to the maintenance of unity among the United Nations. Only that unity can liberate mankind from Hitler’s curse. That unity alone can secure a permanent peace. We must understand that after this war there can be no place for imperialism, isolation, and nationalists (superiority) of any kind.” I asked him then if he thought there was a chance of realizing such a program? “Why not?” he answered. “Consider the achievements of Anglo American genius. Can we not learn from them the views and institutions (historical) which have not only made them powerful but secured democracy and freedom for hundreds of millions of people? I rely on America and England.” At that time he was immensely confident about the future. He had recently from America where his discussions with President Roosevelt had apparently been, both important and, heartening. In England, similar conversations between General Sikorski and Prime Minister Churchill had occurred after his return from United States. I asked his opinion on the future of Russo-Polish relations? He pondered for a while, then got up and paced the floor. Then he spoke with careful deliberation: “No one can foresee developments at this stage. My own policies are firmly based on the necessities of collaboration between all the United Nations. As Prime Minister and as a Polish citizen I will do all I can to facilitate such collaboration by the people and by the people’s laws.
#25) A Friend and a Commander in Chief:
When I was getting ready to leave General Sikorski, he said to me: “Young man, you have worked hard in this war. For what you have done you will be decorated and awarded with the highest medal in the Polish Army. The ceremony will take place in a few days but because I like you personally, and have known you through a long and difficult time, because you have honest eyes, and because they gaze upon me with friendship, accept this cigarette case from me. It is not a gift from a Prime Minister or a Commander in Chief, but a present from an old gentleman who has suffered a great deal, who has endured many disappointments, and many sad hours, who is tired and appreciates your friendship. It comes from a man who loves the youth; a youth that will build up a new Poland and a new world.” He went to his desk and pulled out a silver cigarette case from the drawer. It had his name engraved on it. He handed it to me with a warm smile. I felt proud and humble. We shook hands and he told me to get some rest. --- “Don’t allow these conferences and reports to wear you out.” he warned. “Do not allow our Allies to do what the Gestapo failed to accomplish! You look thin and pale. I heard you have lost some teeth. It’s not fitting for a young officer! We can reconstruct those teeth the Gestapo knocked out! Show me your wits, Young man, and never forget!” “General” I answered. “I will never forget, nor will my children, nor my children’s children!”
(to be continued) ....
(To be continued )
Daily Bites of The Secret State Series #10
How the War was Won:
“The Atlantic Charter” by Roosevelt and Churchill”
#27) My Report to United Nations for Poland:
#28) My Report to United Nations War Crimes Commission:
#29) Last Day with General Sikorski:
#30) Crossing the Finish Line: (the end)
by Jan Karski 1944 :
“From The Secret State”
The Secret State: Series 10:
#2) Escaping the Death Camp:
#3) Recovering from a Living Nightmare:
#4) The Farewell Party:
#5) The Sacred Ceremony:
#6) From Warsaw to Berlin:
#7) An Unnecessary Risk:
#8) Visiting old Friends:
#9) Friends of my Enemies:
#10) Brainwashing the Youth:
#11) From Berlin to Brussels to Paris:
#12) Contacting the French Underground:
#13) True to form “Warbird”
#14) Destination: Allied Authorities:
#15) Journey to the Border:
#16) The Old Spaniard:
#17) Landing in Barcelona:
#18) Reaching my Contact:
#19) Meeting the Consul General:
#20) Receiving the Necessary Certificates:
#21) Through Algeria to London:
#22) Two Days of Preliminary Reports:
#23) Reporting to Poland’s Underground Leader:
#24) General Sikorski’s Report to United Nations:
#25) A Friend and a Commander in Chief:
#26) Awarded the Cross of Virtuti Militari:
#27) My Report to United Nations for Poland:
#28) My Report to United Nations War Crimes Commission:
#29) Last Day with General Sikorski:
#30) Crossing the Finish Line: (the end)
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To be Continued in the Next Daily Bites of “The Secret State Series #10”
How the War was Won:“The Atlantic Charter” by Roosevelt and Churchill”
"FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY"
Stand Up To Government Corruption and Hypocrisy
NEVER FORGET THE SACRIFICES
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