About a Man with capital M
Professor Jan Kozielewski (“Jan Karski” was his codename used for security reasons in times of the 2nd World War) was born on the 24th of June 1914 in Lodz (since 1994 the Lodz City History Museum has a special exposition dedicated to Jan Karski). He was raised in the sense of tolerance taught to him by his mother. The multicultural Lodz in the period between the two World Wars was filled – despite some anti-Semite incidents – with the atmosphere of friendliness and kindness between the Poles, Jews, Germans and Russians who lived in the city. The rules of tolerance taught to him in his youth and his school-time friendship with Jewish schoolmates in the Josef Pilsudzki gymnasium – had an important influence on his attitude later during the war.
After his father’s death he moved together with his mother to Lvov. There he started studies at the Law Department of the Jan Kazimierz University and at the Diplomacy Study. After his graduation he joined the Cadet School of the Artillery Reserve and finished it as the prime student, receiving as an award an honorable saber from the President of the Polish Republic. Already before the war he was actively working in the field of diplomacy: he did his consular internship in the German city of Oppeln and his diplomacy internship in Geneva. He also worked for over a year as an officer in the General Consulate in London.
In December 1939 he departed on his first courier mission to Paris-Angers, where thanks to his remarkable memory and language skills he was able to deliver information about the state’s condition to the polish government in exile.
His third and most important mission started in 1942. He received the mission to deliver to the polish government in London a report about the polish underground political parties and their activists. Before that he also was able to sneak into the Warsaw Ghetto, where representatives of the Jewish organization BUND handed him a report concerning the annihilation of the Jews in Poland, which was in fact a dramatic plea to the leaders of the Allies to stop Hitler’s murder policy (this was well described by Mark Edelman, who at that time had just met Karski). Disguised as an Ukrainian Guard of an SS Support Formation he sneaked into the Nazi concentration camp in Izbica near Lublin. His reports and remarks about the annihilation of the Jews were delivered not only to the Polish Government in exile, but also to the British Minister of Foreign Affairs Anthony Eden. In Britain he also met with representatives of political,writers and journalist circles, including a meeting with Arthur Koestler, who, without giving the name of the courier, presented Karski’s report in an audition for the BBC. The script of the audition was later published in a small brochure together with texts from Aleksei Tolstoi and Thomas Mann. Information delivered by Kozielewski shocked also Schmuel Zygielbojm, who represented the Jewish circles in London.
Jan Karski was also received in an audience by the President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt , by the state secretary Cordell Hull and by other representatives of the politics and elites of America. He was aware that much of his Jewish mission was a failure – the politicians of the Allies despite his pleas were not willing to take action to support the Jews.
- “The tragedy of the Jews was based on the fact – said professor Karski in one of his interviews – that in the end of 1942 the main war strategy was decided between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin. The strategy headed towards […] the destruction […] of the German war potential, the unconditional surrender of Germany and bringing the war to an end as fast as possible with the smallest possible loss on the side of the Allies. This strategy also assumed that the alliance with Russia should be kept at any cost […] Was Hitler to defeat Russia, the war would have without doubt lasted until today. These objectives were accomplished and the tragedy of the Jews was in this context a small matter, similar, to the fate of the 100 million people in Central and Easter Europe.”
In 1944 he wrote the book “Story of a Secret State” – a story about the Underground State in occupied Poland. It immediately became a bestseller in the United States (the issue reached 360 000 prints) and soon it was translated to many other languages. After the world and the Moscow-controlled government in Poland accepted the Yalta arrangements concerning the post-war influence zones in Europe, Karski resigned from his work in the Polish Embassy in Washington. He decided not to come back to Poland (he came back only as an American citizen in 1974 due to a query connected with his second book).
He again started studies in the field of political sciences and diplomacy. He became connected with the Georgetown University in Washington, where he defended his Ph.D. and became a professor. He gave lectures on political doctrines and international relations in Eastern and Central European countries. He was concerned one of the top specialists in this topic in America. As a delegate to the Department of State he gave lectures on the American democracy in many countries of the world : Nepal, Southern Wietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Birma and in French speaking African countries: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia or Cameroon. For over 20 years he gave lectures in governmental agencies including the Pentagon.
In 1985 his second book – “The Great Powers and Poland 1919-1945” was published. Karski focused in it on the policies of the Great Powers of Europe towards Poland, since the treaty of Versailles to the Yalta arrangements. He looked at them through the glass of strategic goals and results, which they brought to the country. In many minds he destroyed the romantic myth of Poland’s importance in Europe, uncovering many unknown political facts from the 20’s and 30’s. He became known in the world again mostly by his appearance in Claude Lanzmann’s film “Shoah” – an almost 10 hour long image, documenting the stories of the living witnesses of the Holocaust.
Profesor Karski received many awards for his activity including: Honoris Causa degrees from many universities around the world, medals (including the Order Of the White Eagle). He also was honored by statesmen from all over the world. In 1982 he was recognized by the Yad Vashem Institute as the Righteous Amongst the Nations. In 1994 in the USA his story was described in the book “Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust.” In the same year he was made the honorary citizen of Israel. In 1998 the Yad Vashem Institute nominated him for the Peace Nobel Prize. Two years before his death he received the Honorary Citizenship of the city of Lodz.
Opinions about Karski:
How can someone not admire this great Pole – great in every meaning of the word – who dared to uncover and condemn anti-Semitism, dominating in various chauvinistic groups of the polish underground – a zealous catholic, who risked his life to save the Jews doomed to die in the death camps built by the Germans in his country? Worried by their tragedy he stopped thinking about anything else. He spoke about it with anyone he met during his travels […]. And then he became silent. He understood his words were falling into emptiness. The people had other worries and the leaders had different goals. […]
However his testimony gave fruit. It was thanks to him, that we know that one man, if he wants it, can influence the course of history. […] Thanks to him next generations will be able to believe in humanity…
Elie Wiesel (American writer and journalist of jewish origin; Peace Nobel Prize winner in 1986): parts of the introduction to the book: “Karski. How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust”, polish edition 1996.