Evening star., 1952-12-25
The Crime at Kotyn

Russians were responsible for the Katyn forest
massacre of nearly 5000 Polish officers comes as
something of an anti-climax. For as the details
of this black crime gradually came to light
during the committee hearings all reasonable
doubt to the guilt of the Soviets wiped out.
More to the point at this time are some of
the committees conclusions bearing on the set
ting in which this mass murder was committed,
and the part played by our own Government
in concealing the facts from the American people.
The Katyn victims were among $4,000
Polish officers and intellectuals who fell into
Russian hands, The bodies of those slain in
the Katyn forest were found in common grave.
The others, coming from different prisoner
camps, have never been found. Evidence given
the committee indicates, however, that the
others also were slain-one group possibly being
taken out in bargeS and drowned in the
White Sea.
This is the sort of "crime against hui
manity" that was condemned with pous Rus
sian concurrence) at Nuremberg. It is doubtful,
however, that any effective punitive action,
short of war, can be taken against the Russians
now. The House group suggests an appeal to
the U. N General Assembly and the Inter
national Court of Justice But there is little
that those enfeebled agencies can do.
There is something that we can do, however,
and that is to examine our own connection with
this affair and try to profit from our own
mistakes.
The bodies of the Katyn victims were found
by the Germans in April, 1943, and the Nazis
Immediately charged the Russians with respon-
sibility. The latter replied by blaming the
Germans.
Some highly placed American officials, from
President Roosevelt down, unquestioningly
Il
indicating that the Germans were right. A
"top secret" report from an American officer who
had visited the scene as German prisoner was
filed by Army Intelligence. Then it vanished
from the files That report indicted the Rus
sians The owl and the FEC successfully 81
fenced Polish broadcasters in this country who
were saying that Russia had committed the
murders
All this-apd more-waS done oStenSibly on
grounds of military necessity-the presumed
need to placate our Russian allies and keep
them in the war.
The committee found, however, that this
suppression of facts, this excessively tender re-
gard for Russian sensibilities, persisted after
hostilities had ended. Long after any possible
justification Of military need had evaporated, the
facts still remained suppressed. And it was on
the basis Of suppressed facts, plus the culti-
waited myth of Russian good will and peaceful
Intentions that we blithely joined the United
Nations and let our military establishment de-
teriorate into the shell it had become at the
beginning of the Korean war.
The committee thinks there ought to be
some further investigation, particularly of the
roles played in this business by Army Inteli-
gence, owl and the FEC. That such investi-
cation might prove fruitful is indicated by
the limited inquiries already made by the
House group.
The real question, however, is not how and
why and by whom the wool was pulled over our
eyes during the war and postwar periods. Those
facts should be established if possible. But the
larger question is whether we are not still being
kdded, or are kidding ourselves, when we pre-
tend to believe there is any possibility of ar
irving at decent settlement or understanding
with the Russians. Certainly the details of the
Katyn massacre strongly suggest that we are
trying to come to terms with cutthroat, and
that he is only awaiting favorable opportunity
to WELD his knife.