Underground Fight in Poland; Arrest of General Rowecki; Death of General Sikorski

Abstract

The break in diplomatic relations between Russia and the Polish Government disrupted the political line along which General Sikorski had been moving for a year and a half. This would have been less harmful if it had been accompanied by a reduction in the popularity of the Soviet Union in the West, as occurred in the United States for a short time after the revelation of Katyń. Unfortunately this did not happen. Russia had so many concealed and open friends in the United States and in Britain and her propaganda was so adroit and so unscrupulous, that the short-lived reduction in her fortunes was rapidly replaced by new and great successes. The victory at Stalingrad was claimed to be the turning-point of the war, while the Western press expatiated on the heroism of the Soviet soldiers and the great sacrifices of Soviet society. At the same time they attacked the Poles and the Polish Government for disrupting the unity of the allied camp. Their stubbornness over the eastern frontiers was depicted as nonsense because, after all, Poland was not entitled to them. The situation became somewhat paradoxical, because although the Polish Government neither wanted nor intended misunderstanding among the Allies, these were the only hope for Polish affairs. A glimmer of hope appeared in May 1943 after the decision taken in Washington to postpone the invasion of Europe until 1944, when Stalin withdrew his ambassadors from the USA and Britain, but this was a gesture without consequences.KeywordsRadio StationDiversionary ActionPolish ElementSoviet SocietyPartisan GroupThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.