The Secret State Series #2
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Albright, a biographical essay by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an afterword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, previously unpublished photos, notes, further reading, and a glossary—is an apt legacy for this hero of conscience during the most fraught and fragile moment in modern history.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 #2:
The Secret State #2 “No Longer a Poland” 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 #2:
“No Longer a Poland”
Bites #26-30,Uniting the Scattered Remnants...
by Jan Karski :
It was only after my return from Poznan that I began to understand the underground movement. Dziepatowski had introduced me to a few other members whom I had gotten to know well. I continued to drift about. My efforts to find the work most suited to me bore little fruit and induced only haphazard and disconnected assignments. The partial cause of this was the general condition of the underground movement at this period. At the end of 1939 it had not, as yet, become at all like the complex highly organized body into which it finally evolved. At this adolescent stage of its existence there was no dominant single power, but there were instead a number of single groups, organizations, and centers of resistance. They were either isolated from each other or connected only loosely in the hit or miss fashion of people who have interest in common but have not found an effective means of expressing their common desires or making them pull together. As a matter of fact, anybody who had some imagination, a little ambition and initiative, and a great deal of courage, could, and often did, start an outfit of his own. The names as well as the aims of some of these short lived undertakings were often utterly fantastic! Examples were:...”The Avengers”....”The Gory Hand”...”God’s Judgment” ---- These programs ranged from a black hand terrorism through political programs to a revival of all embracing religion. Polish citizens are particularly susceptible to this kind of secret atmosphere and there were excellent opportunities for it to grow. Many of the men who founded these inspired cliques hoped the war would end soon and that their group would play an important role in winning back the Polish State.
#27) My Second Mission:
Soon there were more stable elements present and principles of unification in our underground organization that began to operate. There were political parties that the German occupation had by no means disintegrated. The principles of unification were internal and external. A strengthening of relations between the underground movement in Poland and the government which had been functioning in France brought an increasing connection between the political parties themselves in the face of the common threat. The second organization which emerged was the military. It’s first purpose was to unite all the scattered remnants into a strong body. It was through one of these political parties that I received my second mission. It was arranged for me to go to Lwow, perform a number of functions there, and afterwards make an attempt to reach France and contact the Polish government in Paris and Angers. Orders had come from General Sikorski and the Polish government for all young Polish citizens to try to escape to France. These orders applied particularly to pilots, mechanics, sailors, and artillery men. I was in the category of artillery men. If I reached France I would be performing a double task: Obeying the order and carrying out a double assignment for the underground. At this period the parties in Poland and the government in France were seeking to strengthen their connections. The government needed the support of the people in occupied Poland. The people’s only representatives which were these parties that were the main factors in the underground resistance, needed the support of the government, and wished to have their opinions expressed in the inter allied councils,The only organization that could express them.
#28) An Official Coalition:
A formula was finally established and transmitted by a special courier system (messengers) between France and occupied Poland. It was based upon the appointments by the major Polish political parties: 1) The National Party 2) The Peasant Party 3) The Socialist Party 4) The Christian Labor Party: Some of the most prominent members happened to be in France and were already in the government or playing an important role in politics were their official representatives. The parties in Poland could, by this means, exercise a legitimate influence on the government by the instructions they were able to forward to these men. They also assumed inside Poland the character of an official coalition, rather than a group of political parties. The Polish government secured by this means, the tangible support of their occupied country and enjoyed greater authority with their French allies. In Warsaw an understanding between these four parties had been partially in existence since the memorable days of the defense of Warsaw in September of 1939. (No Longer a Poland) The political organizations had not ably distinguished themselves by the disciplined patriotic efforts. The objective of my Lwow mission included trying to understand the similarities between the parties in Lwow and the establishment of the closest possible unions between the organizations in the two cities. Besides that, I was to inform the leaders in Lwow the conditions prevailing under German occupation, and after having thoroughly familiarized myself with conditions in the Lwow area under the Soviets, I was to proceed to France and report to the Polish government.
#29) The Hunter and the Hunted:
Men remain unchanged. Similar needs dictate similar measures. There are always the hunters and the hunted. The ones who hate humanity and want to rule the world. I am proud to be in the underground organization but I must confess that this kind of work did not exactly suit me. The main thing to be made clear is that our cause is not lost so long as we maintain our national continuity, the legal and moral aspects of a state, and a will to fight. That is our continuity, to maintain the continuity of the Polish State, which merely by accident, had to descend into the underground. Since we are in it then we need to reproduce all the offices and institutions of a state. It must have authority over our people and make it impossible for a traitor to arrive in Poland. We will not permit any competition on Polish territory. The “Sikorski Government” in the city of Angers must defend us and our rights during this war and be responsible to us. These are the basic conditions. This is our only hope for our struggle against our enemy. To summarize the main points, we do not admit, and refuse to recognize the existence of any legal or political occupation. The presence of a German Regime in Poland is artificial and strong. Second, ... The Polish State continues its existence unchanged, except in form. Its location in the underground is wholly accidental and without legal significance. Third,.... We can not tolerate the existence of any Polish Government cooperating with the occupants. If any traitor appears we will kill them.
#30) Rescuing Jews from Germany:
The Polish Government was abroad. They used their freedom to defend our rights. Not only against our enemies, but in our relations with our friends. The main job of fighting the Germans was being done here by us. It was done to the limits and to the last drop of our blood! Political life must function and in an atmosphere of absolute freedom. The Germans did not tolerate the existence of a single political party. We did not intend to ask them! We ignored them! We had to act secretly. What I mean is that we had freedom within the frame work of the underground movement. The underground must have an army. All military action against the enemy was subordinated to a supreme military command. It is complicated but very necessary. The basic plan of my trip was quite simple. I would have in my possession a statement from a Warsaw factory that I was going to work in one of its branches near the Russ-German border. The document was authentic, precluded all danger, and was absolutely indispensable because the Germans frequently searched and investigated train passengers. To travel further than 100 miles one also had to have permission from the Germans. Near the border I was to contact a man who would smuggle me across the line. He was part of a cell of the Jewish underground which was collaborating with us. The main task of the cell was to bring Jews from Germany into Russian occupied territory where they would be safer. Then I would proceed with a group of these fugitives across the line and be guided to the nearest railroad station where I could take the train for Lwow. In Lwow I would report to a given address and make myself known by a pass word.
#27) My Second Mission:
Soon there were more stable elements present and principles of unification in our underground organization that began to operate. There were political parties that the German occupation had by no means disintegrated. The principles of unification were internal and external. A strengthening of relations between the underground movement in Poland and the government which had been functioning in France brought an increasing connection between the political parties themselves in the face of the common threat. The second organization which emerged was the military. It’s first purpose was to unite all the scattered remnants into a strong body. It was through one of these political parties that I received my second mission. It was arranged for me to go to Lwow, perform a number of functions there, and afterwards make an attempt to reach France and contact the Polish government in Paris and Angers. Orders had come from General Sikorski and the Polish government for all young Polish citizens to try to escape to France. These orders applied particularly to pilots, mechanics, sailors, and artillery men. I was in the category of artillery men. If I reached France I would be performing a double task: Obeying the order and carrying out a double assignment for the underground. At this period the parties in Poland and the government in France were seeking to strengthen their connections. The government needed the support of the people in occupied Poland. The people’s only representatives which were these parties that were the main factors in the underground resistance, needed the support of the government, and wished to have their opinions expressed in the inter allied councils,The only organization that could express them.
#28) An Official Coalition:
A formula was finally established and transmitted by a special courier system (messengers) between France and occupied Poland. It was based upon the appointments by the major Polish political parties: 1) The National Party 2) The Peasant Party 3) The Socialist Party 4) The Christian Labor Party: Some of the most prominent members happened to be in France and were already in the government or playing an important role in politics were their official representatives. The parties in Poland could, by this means, exercise a legitimate influence on the government by the instructions they were able to forward to these men. They also assumed inside Poland the character of an official coalition, rather than a group of political parties. The Polish government secured by this means, the tangible support of their occupied country and enjoyed greater authority with their French allies. In Warsaw an understanding between these four parties had been partially in existence since the memorable days of the defense of Warsaw in September of 1939. (No Longer a Poland) The political organizations had not ably distinguished themselves by the disciplined patriotic efforts. The objective of my Lwow mission included trying to understand the similarities between the parties in Lwow and the establishment of the closest possible unions between the organizations in the two cities. Besides that, I was to inform the leaders in Lwow the conditions prevailing under German occupation, and after having thoroughly familiarized myself with conditions in the Lwow area under the Soviets, I was to proceed to France and report to the Polish government.
#29) The Hunter and the Hunted:
Men remain unchanged. Similar needs dictate similar measures. There are always the hunters and the hunted. The ones who hate humanity and want to rule the world. I am proud to be in the underground organization but I must confess that this kind of work did not exactly suit me. The main thing to be made clear is that our cause is not lost so long as we maintain our national continuity, the legal and moral aspects of a state, and a will to fight. That is our continuity, to maintain the continuity of the Polish State, which merely by accident, had to descend into the underground. Since we are in it then we need to reproduce all the offices and institutions of a state. It must have authority over our people and make it impossible for a traitor to arrive in Poland. We will not permit any competition on Polish territory. The “Sikorski Government” in the city of Angers must defend us and our rights during this war and be responsible to us. These are the basic conditions. This is our only hope for our struggle against our enemy. To summarize the main points, we do not admit, and refuse to recognize the existence of any legal or political occupation. The presence of a German Regime in Poland is artificial and strong. Second, ... The Polish State continues its existence unchanged, except in form. Its location in the underground is wholly accidental and without legal significance. Third,.... We can not tolerate the existence of any Polish Government cooperating with the occupants. If any traitor appears we will kill them.
#30) Rescuing Jews from Germany:
The Polish Government was abroad. They used their freedom to defend our rights. Not only against our enemies, but in our relations with our friends. The main job of fighting the Germans was being done here by us. It was done to the limits and to the last drop of our blood! Political life must function and in an atmosphere of absolute freedom. The Germans did not tolerate the existence of a single political party. We did not intend to ask them! We ignored them! We had to act secretly. What I mean is that we had freedom within the frame work of the underground movement. The underground must have an army. All military action against the enemy was subordinated to a supreme military command. It is complicated but very necessary. The basic plan of my trip was quite simple. I would have in my possession a statement from a Warsaw factory that I was going to work in one of its branches near the Russ-German border. The document was authentic, precluded all danger, and was absolutely indispensable because the Germans frequently searched and investigated train passengers. To travel further than 100 miles one also had to have permission from the Germans. Near the border I was to contact a man who would smuggle me across the line. He was part of a cell of the Jewish underground which was collaborating with us. The main task of the cell was to bring Jews from Germany into Russian occupied territory where they would be safer. Then I would proceed with a group of these fugitives across the line and be guided to the nearest railroad station where I could take the train for Lwow. In Lwow I would report to a given address and make myself known by a pass word.
End of Series 2:
(to be continued)
Daily Bites of The Secret State: Series 3: “Open Contacts:
By Jan Karski:
(to be continued) ....
Series 2
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https://redd.it/6y400k
To be Continued in the Next Daily Bites of “The Secret State Series #2”
"FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY"
Stand Up To Government Corruption and Hypocrisy
NEVER FORGET THE SACRIFICES
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