Poland’s leaders on Thursday guardedly accepted words of regret from FBI boss James Comey over remarks that seemed to equate Poland’s role in the Holocaust with that of Germany.
The remarks last week sparked protests and demands for an apology from Poland’s leaders, who stressed that Poland was a victim, not perpetrator of World War II.
Comey said in a speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum about the importance of Holocaust education: “In their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary … didn’t do something evil.”
“They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do. That should truly frighten us,” Comey said in the speech which was published by the Washington Post, and posted on the FBI’s website.
Comey met Wednesday with Poland’s ambassador to Washington, Ryszard Schnepf, and handed him a hand-written letter expressing regret over linking Poland and Germany in his speech, according to Poland’s Foreign Ministry.
“Poland was invaded and occupied by Germany,” Comey’s letter said. “The Polish State bears no responsibility for the horrors imposed by the Nazis. I wish I had not used any other country names because my point was a universal one about human nature.”
Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna reacted by saying: “Better late than never. The matter is closed.”
But Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz was less forgiving. “To be sure,” Kopacz said, “every Pole had expected more.”
President Bronislaw Komorowski remarked that Comey’s letter marked an “evolution in the right direction.” But he also suggested that Americans should gain more knowledge about Poland under Nazi occupation.
Poland suffered brutal German occupation during the entire war and put up active opposition. In all, 6 million Polish citizens were killed during the war, about half of them Jewish and the other half Christians.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
Poland was not a victim…..their anti-Semitism helped the Nazis…they were thrilled when the Germans were taking away the Jews. They had free reign over the Jewish homes & businesses…they thought if the Jews were gone they’ll have heaven on earth. They only realized too late that the stability and commerce of the Jews kept their towns and cities prosperous. Now, they still hate the Jews. Is their enconomy better than before the war??? Of course, they blame the Jews for this, too.
Its a bit strange that Poland is making a big fuss about this because if Americans do start researching Poland’s behaviour in the war time, they might just find that even though they were victims of the Nazis themselves, their behaviour towards their Jewish neighbours was sometimes atrocious. There are many such stories.
How about the Poles, who committed atrocities, and collaborated with their Nazi occupiers, expressing their regret?
That’ll probably happen just after the Turks acknowledge guilt for Armenian genocide.
Both dogs of a different breeds.