| "Poles protest too much", says Mary Reicher (letters, 21/4). On the contrary, they don't protest enough and often too. Much too often this allows gross distortions of basic and undisputed historical facts to proliferate of which her letter is a prime example. It is amazing how much nasty inuendo and, unsustainable but vicious allegations punctuated by subtly malevolent insinuations, can be condensed in about 100 words.
Do Poles protest too much?
Proclaiming that German concentration and extermination camps in German-occupied Poland "could not have been possible without some consent from Polish authorities" is an outrageous and outright falsehood. Poland was attacked and occupied by "Nazi" Germany in 1939-45 (and also by the USSR in 1939-41). It was dismembered, with most of its territory illegally incorporated into the German Third Reich. A small, bleeding rump of central Poland - into which most Poles from "incorporated" territories were deported to make room for "German settlers" - was proclaimed Generalgouvernement (or GG) and ruled directly from Cracow by Hitler's close associate Hans Frank (later hanged for war crimes).
Unlike elsewhere in German-occupied Europe, there was never any Polish collaborationist government. Quite simply, there were no Polish authorities of any kind in German-occupied Poland that could have in any way "consented" to setting up of German murder camps on Polish soil. However, there was the Polish Government-in-Exile in London that continued to fight Nazi Germany with whatever means it had and inspire resistance.
Ms Reicher's letter clearly, however absurdly and quite contrary to well documented historical facts, implies that this Government-in-Exile somehow allegedly "consented" to setting up German death camps. Of which, sadly, there were many, many more than she lists. Incidentally, were German-appointed Judenrats that, extrapolating Mary Reicher's distorted logic, would have also "consented" to sending Jews to extermination camps really "Jewish authorities"?
Eugene Andrew Bajkowski
Media spokesperson
Australian-Polish Community Council of the ACT
Link to another letter to the Editor, The Australian
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