No light, but rather darkness visible
Serv'd onely to discover sights of woe
Serv'd onely to discover sights of woe
Milton, Paradise Lost, Book I
FOREWORD
As we approach the 70th
anniversary of the announcement of the discovery of the Katyn Massacre site it
is appropriate to present a summary of the steps leading to discovery, the
announcement and the role of various individuals in the events not only of
1943, but 1940 and 1951-2. I will attempt to present this information in a semi-chronological
manner in month order – but given the twelve year span covered, as well as two
continents, and at least four nations and a the nationals of a dozen or more countries,
there may be some discrepancies in continuity.
This blog is based on three years research which
was compiled in the book entitled English-speaking
Witnesses to Katyn Recent Research Angielskojęzyczni
Świadkowie Katynia Najnowsze Badania, which was published in a tète bèche Polish-English bilingual edition by the Muzeum Wojska Polskiego
in July 2012, and also includes my research since that time. The specific documents and quotations I will refer
to are appropriately cited in the footnotes to the book, while the new material
–which will include copies of the materials referencing the coded letters sent
by the POWs, as well as new material about General Bissell and Dr. Milosavich,
will be included in the revised edition of my book and precise citations will be
included therein. As I continue to blog
about this material additional information will be included as it is located.
As Professor Anna Cienciala wrote in her
review – the book is not meant for bedtime reading nor is this blog – but it
will allow those who are interested to gain a deeper understanding of the entire
process.
All materials are copyrighted by Krystyna
Piórkowska, with the exception of documents which are in the possession of
various national archives, while any images which I may use are the possession
of either the English-speaking POWs families or of the West Point or Austrian
National Library Archives. Requests to
quote or otherwise use any material in this blog should be submitted to researchingkatyn@gmail.com
My goal in writing what I hope is a readable
and factual on line description of the events of April-June 1943, January 1944
and October 1951-November 1952 is to
·
Present cogent facts and dispel various myths that
continue to appear in print
·
To attempt to determine what actually occurred in
G-2 in Washington, as well as
·
The sequence of various investigations, and
·
Most significantly to honor the efforts of the POW
witnesses. I particularly want to publicize the committed efforts of the two
West Point graduates – Lt. Colonel John H. Van Vliet, Jr. and Captain Donald B.
Stewart – who from the first moment ensured that the truth about Katyn would be
known. It is my deep regret that neither the Government of the Republic of
Poland in Exile, nor the post-1989 government of the Republic of Poland, have
ever
honored these individuals, whose initial efforts to
inform the US originated from Oflag 64, located in Nazi-Occupied Poland, within
weeks of their return from Katyn and continued unabated until their deaths.
Krystyna Piórkowska
Warsaw-New York April 4, 2013
