The Secret State Series #9
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Albright, a biographical essay by Yale historian Timothy Snyder, an afterword by Zbigniew Brzezinski, previously unpublished photos, notes, further reading, and a glossary—is an apt legacy for this hero of conscience during the most fraught and fragile moment in modern history.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 #9:
The Secret State #9 Hitler’s Jewish Extermination:
Top Officer in WW2 to German Slaves,
to Top Underground Courier:
(an unknown chapter of World War 2)
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 #9:
Bites #11-15,Preparing for War in the Ghetto:
#12) Visiting the Desolation:
#13) The Living Dead:
#14) Forced Labor:
#15) The German Death Tax:
by Jan Karski :
#11) Preparing for War in the Ghetto:
When the Zionist Leader spoke up in desperation the Bund leader seemed startled at what his partner would reveal. “We did not intend to tell you but we want you to know it. We do not demand such sacrifices from our leaders abroad out of cruelty. We expect to make sacrifices here ourselves. The ghetto will go up in flames. We are not going to die in slow torment, but in fighting. We will declare war on Germany! It will be the most hopeless Declaration of War that has ever been made.” The Bund leader bent toward me to add his confirmation. He whispered delicately, as though he was afraid someone might be hiding behind the wall to thwart the plan. “We are organizing a defense of the ghetto; not because we think we can defend it, but because we want the world to see the hopelessness of our battle as a demonstration and a reproach. We are, even now, negotiating with your commander for the arms we need. We will see whether we have the right to die fighting and not as Hitler has ordered us to die suffering!” Two days later I went to the Warsaw ghetto with the Bund Leader and another Jewish underground leader. The houses were old and shabby. The streets were narrow with no sidewalks. Great gaps were torn from the Germans bombarding and no repairs had ever been done. The heaps of rubble remained as they had fallen and an 8 foot high wall had been built around the desolation.
#12) visiting the Desolation:
As we entered the ghetto inside the 8 foot wall, where the 400,000 Jews had been forced to stay, I wore an old shabby suit and a cap pulled down over my eyes. I tried to make myself look very small and thin. At my side, walked two typical inhabitants, dressed in rags and looking scrawny and half starved. Adjoining the outside wall was an open court that surrounded the entire ghetto. One of the buildings was constructed so that the door opened from the outside and an exit from the cellar. This building gave many Jews the opportunity to connect with the outside. With the willing to take the risk of being caught it was comparatively easy. Now that the Warsaw ghetto no longer exists I can mention the secret passage with impunity. Now this friendly building can no more help the Polish Jews than I could harm them by mentioning it. The only reason you could not call that ghetto a cemetery was because some of the bodies still moved. Some of these people were still living if you could call it such. Apart from their skin, eyes, and voice, there was nothing human left in these figures. Everywhere there was hunger and misery. The atrocious stench of decomposing bodies; the pitiful moans of dying children; the desperate cries of people struggling for life against impossible odds. To pass beyond that 8 foot wall was to enter a world utterly unlike anything that has ever been imagined. The entire population seemed to be living in the street.
#13) The Living Dead:
As we picked our way across the mud and rubble the shadows of what once had been men and women flitted by us in pursuit of someone or something, their eyes blazing with hunger. Everyone and everything seemed to vibrate with unnatural intensity. We passed an old man leaning against the wall for support, staring with glassy eyes into space. I thought about the phrase in the Bible ...”Behold the man” and felt at that moment I understood the meaning of that phrase. As we walked on, everything became increasingly unreal. The names of streets, shops, and buildings had been printed in old Hebrew characters. My guide informed me that an order from the Germans had been issued forbidding the use of Polish language in the ghetto. Many of the inhabitants could not read the names at all. From time to time we passed a well fed German policeman who looked abnormally bloated. We crossed to the other side to get away from him as though he was the one who contaminated us. Mothers huddled close together on benches nursing withered infants. There were children with every bone in their body showing as skeletons. Then we heard the sound of a large number of footsteps rising and falling in unison. A group of about a hundred young men were approaching us. They marched in the middle of the street and were led by a German policeman.
#14) Forced Labor:
When the Zionist Leader spoke up in desperation the Bund leader seemed startled at what his partner would reveal. “We did not intend to tell you but we want you to know it. We do not demand such sacrifices from our leaders abroad out of cruelty. We expect to make sacrifices here ourselves. The ghetto will go up in flames. We are not going to die in slow torment, but in fighting. We will declare war on Germany! It will be the most hopeless Declaration of War that has ever been made.” The Bund leader bent toward me to add his confirmation. He whispered delicately, as though he was afraid someone might be hiding behind the wall to thwart the plan. “We are organizing a defense of the ghetto; not because we think we can defend it, but because we want the world to see the hopelessness of our battle as a demonstration and a reproach. We are, even now, negotiating with your commander for the arms we need. We will see whether we have the right to die fighting and not as Hitler has ordered us to die suffering!” Two days later I went to the Warsaw ghetto with the Bund Leader and another Jewish underground leader. The houses were old and shabby. The streets were narrow with no sidewalks. Great gaps were torn from the Germans bombarding and no repairs had ever been done. The heaps of rubble remained as they had fallen and an 8 foot high wall had been built around the desolation.
#12) visiting the Desolation:
As we entered the ghetto inside the 8 foot wall, where the 400,000 Jews had been forced to stay, I wore an old shabby suit and a cap pulled down over my eyes. I tried to make myself look very small and thin. At my side, walked two typical inhabitants, dressed in rags and looking scrawny and half starved. Adjoining the outside wall was an open court that surrounded the entire ghetto. One of the buildings was constructed so that the door opened from the outside and an exit from the cellar. This building gave many Jews the opportunity to connect with the outside. With the willing to take the risk of being caught it was comparatively easy. Now that the Warsaw ghetto no longer exists I can mention the secret passage with impunity. Now this friendly building can no more help the Polish Jews than I could harm them by mentioning it. The only reason you could not call that ghetto a cemetery was because some of the bodies still moved. Some of these people were still living if you could call it such. Apart from their skin, eyes, and voice, there was nothing human left in these figures. Everywhere there was hunger and misery. The atrocious stench of decomposing bodies; the pitiful moans of dying children; the desperate cries of people struggling for life against impossible odds. To pass beyond that 8 foot wall was to enter a world utterly unlike anything that has ever been imagined. The entire population seemed to be living in the street.
#13) The Living Dead:
As we picked our way across the mud and rubble the shadows of what once had been men and women flitted by us in pursuit of someone or something, their eyes blazing with hunger. Everyone and everything seemed to vibrate with unnatural intensity. We passed an old man leaning against the wall for support, staring with glassy eyes into space. I thought about the phrase in the Bible ...”Behold the man” and felt at that moment I understood the meaning of that phrase. As we walked on, everything became increasingly unreal. The names of streets, shops, and buildings had been printed in old Hebrew characters. My guide informed me that an order from the Germans had been issued forbidding the use of Polish language in the ghetto. Many of the inhabitants could not read the names at all. From time to time we passed a well fed German policeman who looked abnormally bloated. We crossed to the other side to get away from him as though he was the one who contaminated us. Mothers huddled close together on benches nursing withered infants. There were children with every bone in their body showing as skeletons. Then we heard the sound of a large number of footsteps rising and falling in unison. A group of about a hundred young men were approaching us. They marched in the middle of the street and were led by a German policeman.
#14) Forced Labor:
The men accompanied by the German policeman were wearing worn and dirty clothes. It was apparent that they were stronger and better nourished. As they passed I noticed a package of bread and vegetables that each man carried. Their physical condition was better than any of the inhabitants. There was something “robot like” about their appearance. They walked stiffly. The muscles on their faces seemed to have set rigidly into a mold of habitual unbroken fatigue. Their eyes were blank and glazed. They focused straight ahead as though nothing could distract their attention. “Those are the fortunate ones,” the Bund leader informed me. “The Germans still find them useful. They can work repairing roads and tracks. They are protected as long as their hands last and their muscles move. Everyone in the ghetto envies them. We supply as many people as we can with forged documents proving that they hold similar jobs. Otherwise they would be murdered. We have saved thousands of lives this way but I fear this will not work much longer.
#15) The German death Tax:
We passed by corpses lying in the street naked. I asked my guide why they are lying naked? “When a Jew dies his family takes his clothes off and throws his body in the street. If not, they have to pay the Germans to take his body. The Germans have instituted a burial tax so high that none in the ghetto can pay it.” It was so sad. The phrase came to my mind again, which I had thought of so often walking through this hell on earth. “Behold the man!” I hadn’t noticed many old people so I asked my guide if the old people stayed inside. The answer came from a voice that seemed to issue from the grave! “No! Don’t you understand the German System yet??? Those whose muscles are still capable of any effort are used for forced labor. The others are murdered by quota. First come the sick and aged, than the unemployed, then those whose work is not directly connected with the German war needs; finally, those who work on roads and trains and in factories. Ultimately they intend to kill us all.”
(to be continued) ....
(To be continued )
Daily Bites of The Secret State Series #9
Hitler’s Jewish Extermination:
Top Officer in WW2 to German Slaves,
to Top Underground Courier:
to Top Underground Courier:
#17) After the Shooting:
#18) Reports to the Allies:
#19) A Special Meeting:
#20) Requesting Drastic Details:
by Jan Karski 1944 :
“From The Secret State”
The Secret State: Series 9:
#21) So Many Interviews: So Many Meetings:
#22) Tales of Horror:
#23) Preparations for Entering Death Camp:
#24) buying Back a Life:
#25) Inside the Death Camp:
#26) The One Way Train Ride:
#27) Indescribable Dehumanizing:
#28) Marching through the Death Camp:
#29) Posted at the Death Gate:
#30) The Massacre: (to be continued) How the War was Won:
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https://redd.it/6y400k
Hitler’s Jewish Extermination:
Top Officer in WW2 to German Slaves,
to Top Underground Courier:
to Top Underground Courier:
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