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Albright, a biographical essay by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an afterword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, previously unpublished photos, notes, further reading, and a glossary—is an apt legacy for this hero of conscience during the most fraught and fragile moment in modern history.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 #11-15,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:
#13) True to form “Warbird”
#14) Destination: Allied Authorities:
#15) Journey to the Border:
by Jan Karski :
#11) From Berlin to Brussels to Paris:
On the trip to Brussels I pretended to have a toothache so as not to get involved in a conversation but this time a merchant stuck to me like glue and insisted on helping me. When we reached Brussels he accompanied me to a German Red Cross station. At the station my teeth were inspected by a uniformed German non commissioned officer and a nurse. When they were through examining me the nurse smiled at me and spoke reprovingly: “You are very careless. Your neglect has lost you many teeth.” I had a terrible urge to tell her that what she called neglect was brutality from her Gestapo men. This is war....was my silent thought....One group of Germans knock your teeth out and another group swabs them with peroxide! They didn’t ask for papers as I pretended not to be able to talk. On the train to Paris I dropped the role of a man with a tooth ache and drowsed under the sedative. I arrived in Paris at 6 AM on a cold rainy morning. It was too early to report to the place arranged for me by the organization. I left my suitcase at the check room and went for a walk. Whenever I did come to Paris I always wanted to stay there forever but now my only desire was to get out of the city as rapidly as possible to get a taste of the wide free world outside the zone of German occupation and influence. My thoughts were interrupted by the tramp of the German regiment marching up the street. The men wore steel helmets with rifles on their shoulder, their heads lifted in arrogant pride and scorn. I felt tears running down my cheek. I wanted to embrace the first Frenchman I met saying: “Have confidence. We will win but keep fighting!”
#12) Contacting the French Underground:
Finally I reached my Paris destination. The meeting place for my underground contact was a small confectionery shop near the station. An old lady whose presence I expected was seated behind the counter. I approached her and she smiled at my stipulated conversation we had set up ahead of time. With great charm and hospitality she offered me some coffee and pastry. She then arranged to put me in touch with members of our own underground unit. We still had a Polish Military and a political branch in France directed respectively by army officers who had not been able to leave France, and by Polish citizens who had settled there a long time ago. That organization collaborated actively with the French underground. Three days after my arrival a French physician supplied me with my identity papers, which stated that I was a french citizen of Polish origin. I could not be expected to speak French fluently because I had always lived in Polish surroundings. He also provided me with a work permit and French driving license. Ten days later I took the train to Lyons with a French worker who had been instructed to facilitate my crossing to the Spanish Frontier. At the house he took me I was amazed to see a Captain of the Polish Officers training school I had attended. I was able to supply him with information about his family being alive and well. the Captain had been prisoner and escaped and joined the French underground. Now he was in charge of the Polish section which was busy helping refugees cross the Spanish border.
#13) The True to form “Warbird”
In Lyons I had a rather pleasant time with my friend, the Captain of the Polish Army. Although Lyons was occupied by the Germans it was one of the centers of anti Nazi activities. We enjoyed nearly unrestricted freedom to move about. For one thing the secret organization operated under much easier conditions than they did in Poland. Contact with England was easier and all the work was simplified by the fact that communication with neutral countries was possible. It occurred to me that Poland did not leave one single piece of good fortune to make her lot easier. We were certainly the unluckiest of all peoples. In Lyons I met the most genuine true to form “War Bird” about forty years old, indestructible, and a native of the suburbs of Warsaw. He had been living in France since 1940 and as happy in chaos war time as a fish is in the water. He had been a professional farmer, factory worker, and house painter. He had been in the French Army in a session of failures and had crossed the country many times from the channel to the Mediterranean. he was an extraordinary thin but wise man. He had been stripped of all but what was necessary for his existence and his face was worn and rigid. his means of transportation and his present mode of existence were mysterious. “I have an idea”” he said. “Come along with me and I will do all the thinking.” “Goodbye” I said jokingly. He winked, tipped his hat, and strolled away.
#14) Destination: Allied Agents:
The order finally came through for me to get to Southern France on my own. I was to report to a young Spanish couple who had emigrated to France. While waiting to return to their country they were working for the underground. I secured a permit to travel by train to Perpignan. I located the couple easy enough in a small house on the outskirts of the town from a diagram given to me. A guide would be there to get me across the border to Barcelona. There, I was to contact some Allied Agents who had been notified by radio of my impending arrival. I had faith in the ability of the young Spanish couple to get me through. After a few days they apologetically informed me that they were having difficulty. the border was under constant surveillance and I would have to wait until a safe plan was perfected. It was inadvisable for me to leave their house at all. The next few days were endless. My hosts were out nearly all the time. I could not concentrate on reading any of the books. At last they informed me arrangements were made for my crossing the border. A guide named Fernando would go with me. we would both be on bicycles. He would keep his light on and I would follow behind him with my light off. If he stopped and rang the bell I would know to seek for safety. If he stopped without ringing his bell I was to join him. Fifteen minutes after we started I heard his bell ringing and saw his lights go out. I turned and headed back to the house where the Spanish couple lived, cursing under my breath.
#15) Journey to the Border:
My guide Fernando returned shortly after I arrived back at the Spanish couple’s house. He explained calmly that it was a German patrol and we would not have been able to cross the border. The following night Fernando and I walked four miles out of the village where we met two Frenchmen. They supplied us with bicycles and we started down the dim road, using the same system we had the night before. It was a nerve wracking trip. Every time Fernando turned a curve his lights went out. I had to peddle furiously to keep up with him. We had been peddling forty miles when Fernando stopped and waited for me to keep up with him. When I dismounted Fernando took both bicycles and hid them in the shrubbery. Then he informed me I must wait here for another guide. I sank down on the moist earth and dozed off. I woke to find Fernando back again. “I could not find your guide,” he said. “You will have to wit for me in the fishing boat. Lie down and don’t let anyone see you. I will be gone a day or two but someone will bring you food and drink,” --- I barely nudged for more than sixty hours. At intervals an invisible hand would bring food and something hot to drink. When the cramped position became unbearable I quieted myself by repeating the words...”Remember Slovakia!” Since that day I had learned to never let impatience sway my actions again. Fernando did come back and introduced me to my new guide. The hike through the Pyrenees was delightful. On the third day my guide left me in a cave while he went to check where the German police posts were located.
(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”
Bites #16-20,The Old Spaniard:
#17) Landing in Barcelona:
#18) Reaching my Contact:
#19) Meeting the Consul General:
#20) Receiving the Necessary Certificates:
Bites #16-20,The Old Spaniard:
#17) Landing in Barcelona:
#18) Reaching my Contact:
#19) Meeting the Consul General:
#20) Receiving the Necessary Certificates:
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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