Revealing the truth about the Katyń massacres Cover Image

Dezvăluirea adevărului în problema masacrelor de la Katyń
Revealing the truth about the Katyń massacres

Author(s): Ion Constantin
Subject(s): Social history, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), History of Communism
Published by: Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti
Keywords: Katyn; war crimes;

Summary/Abstract: The Katyn massacres were one of the 20th century’s most tragic experiences, the result of which was that a large part of the Polish elite was destroyed as dictated by the March 5, 1940 decision of the USSR leadership, at head with Stalin. The road to truth about Katyn was extremely difficult, as the Sovieth authorities, the secret services and the institutions they controlled did their best to wipe away all traces of the crimes and preclude the identification of those who had ordered and performed the assassinations. They concealed, destroyed and faked evidence, denying any clues and facts. Because for a long time, it was not possible in that country to further try to establish the truth, the Polish exiles took over the task. Only after the collapse of the USSR the archives of the former Soviet Union could be actually accessed and the first investigations be made into the crimes of Katyn. Twenty years after the fall of Communism, many aspects related to the destinies of the Poles killed in the spring of 1940 are still obscure.

  • Issue Year: XLVI/2010
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 19-26
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Romanian