To: Europe Media.net Transitions Online

Dear Sir or Madam:

I would like to voice my strong objections regarding the article published on your Web Site, titled "Victims and Oppressors " and written by mr. Tomasz Krzyzanowski.

The above mentioned article is prejudicial and slanderous towards Poland and the Polish people in general, and the population of the town of Jedwabne in particular. It could be even classified as besmirching and racist against Polish people and Poland.

This article featured in your publication is based on the prejudicial, full of lies and manipulations book written by John Tomas Gross and titled "Neighbours".

Perusing the first few pages of John Tomas Gross' book "Neighbours" one's hopes rise that here we will learn the truth about the crime of Jedwabne. The author is being introduced as a noted historian (by education he is a sociologist), professor of political sciences of the University of New York and author of essays on the subject of Polish-German-Jewish relationships in the years 1939-1948.

Gross names various sources that he relied on. Unfortunately, as one reads his book, one is assailed by doubts whether the version presented in it is trustworthy. Although Gross mentions various sources and refers to numerous historians, yet in his argumentation he is relying on the statements of one man only - Szmul Wasersztejn, a Jew living in the town, but according to some witnesses, not present there during the massacre. (Teodor Eugeniusz Lusinski to the Institute of Jewish History, 20.03.95, according to Dr. Marek Jan Chodakiewicz). This crown witness of Gross, in Poland went under the name of Stanislaw Calka or Calko, and not Wasersztejn, who after the war was an agent of U.B. in the rank of lieutenant. (UB-Communist State Security Forces responsible for death and torture of many Poles).

Other two so called "eyewitnesses", that testimonies Mr. Gross based his book on, Abram Boruszczak never lived in the town of Jedwabne and Eljasz Gradowski, was sentenced by the Soviet authorities for theft and deported to Soviet Union in 1940, well before the events in Jedwabne took place. He returned to Jedwabne in 1945. Another one is Karol Bardon, volksdeutsch and the German gendarme, who was sentenced to a death penalty for collaboration with the German occupying forces and when submitting his testimony was fighting to save his life, that was indeed commuted by the Communist authorities to a life sentence.

Also material evidence provided now by the exhumation of the victims grave is clearly contradicting thesis provided by Mr. Gross's book.

Instead of 1600 dead, burned in the barn, forensic and archaeological experts estimate this number as maximum 400.

Also, Mr. Gross alleges that there was no German participation in the massacre, and their sole purpose to be there was taking photographs. But the exhumation of the graves and surrounding area discovered 89 shells of Mauser 7.5 mm, (weapon being standard German army rifle from the WWI till the end of WWII, with some modifications carried in 1935), plus 1 cartridge and 2 bullets coming from 9mm Parabellum pistol were also found on the site - all date back to World WarII. One of the bullets was lodged in the body of the victim end came from Parabellum, that also was a standard weapon of the German officers. As stated by prof. Kola, who was supervising exhumation, many of the rifle shells had 1939 stamped on.

As the historical sources, witness testimonies and material evidence strongly indicate, nobody was "DESPERATELY SEEKING GERMANS", as Mr. Krzyzanowski would want it, they were there and not only taking photographs, but also shooting.

Beside of the "anti-Semitism" that Mr. Gross stated as the reason for a massacre, he also mentions other motive, theft and robbery. But exhumation discovered some gold and silver coins, gold jewellery and watches buried in the graves together with the victims.

According to his "eye-witness" testimonies, Mr. Gross stated in his book that the grave of the victims carrying parts of Lenin's monument supposed to be in the Jewish cemetery, but the pieces of the monument, buried together with the forty two corpses of the Jewish men that supposed to carry it, were found inside the barn not in the cemetery. The head of the monument was marked by the fire, and according to prof. Kola, this monument was buried with the victims together in the barn, before it was set on fire. Here the so-called "eye-witness" testimonies are contradicted by the cold facts of the material evidence. And if the witness's lied in so many aspects, of their testimonies, what else did they lie about.

There are many more lies and manipulations contained in Mr. Gross's book, manipulation and misquoting of the witness's testimonies, documentary sources, evidence. It appears that the only truth contained in his book is the fact that on the 10.07.1941 a number of Jews was burned in the barn in Jedwabne. The rest are lies and fabrications.

The lack of scientific honesty and integrity on the part of prof. Gross, has been commented on by numerous historians, not only Polish, but also Prof. Norman Davies in his polemic with Brumberg featured in the Times Literary Supplement and Dr. Richard Lucas, who is a retired professor of history. He taught at seven universities in Ohio, Florida and Tennessee and is the author of several books. His book "The Forgotten Holocaust" went through several editions, including a Polish one, and is now considered a classic.

And from the Polish historians not only (as Mr. Krzyzanowski would lead us to believe) Prof. Strzembosz and Mr. Gontarczyk severely criticised Prof. Gross for his manipulations, and not only criticised but proved him wrong on every "fact" mentioned in his book, but also Dr. Chodakiewicz, Dr. Musial, prof. Pogonowski, Mr. Zebrowski, Dr. Machcewicz, Dr. Cyra and others. Particularly Prof. J. R. Nowak, who in his recently published book "100 lies of J. T. Gross about the Jewish Neighbours and Jedwabne", using Soviet, Jewish and Polish sources proves beyond reasonable doubt fraudulent thesis of Prof. Gross's book.

Prof. N. Finkelstein in his interview featured in "Rzeczpospolita", under the title "Goldhagen for the beginners" accused Prof. Gross of the "quasi-scientific rhetoric" and branded his book as a typical "Holocaust Industry publication".

All of the writers that I have mentioned above are very highly regarded scholars of the historical science, not only Polish but also British and American, so maybe Mr. Krzyzanowski would like to familiarise himself with their works on the subject and only then would like to voice his opinion.

Also Mr. Krzyzanowski wrongly states that: "... Roman Catholic bishops in late May made a historic apology to the Jews of Jedwabne in northeastern Poland,...".

Two months ago, Poland's Catholic bishops formally expressed their "regret" over the massacre - widely and incorrectly described in the media as an "apology", and the Primate of Poland Glemp together with the Premier Buzek didn't attend 10th of July celebrations.

To obtain more information on the Jedwabne subject I would advice Mr. Krzyzanowski to familiarise himself with the Web Site "We Refuse to Accept the Propaganda of Hatred and Lies... "

http://www.geocities.com/jedwabne/english/index.htm

Maybe Mr. Krzyzanowski would like to carry on what he knows best: being sport correspondent for Reuters, and leave history and moral judgments based on the historical facts alone.

Yours truly,

Chris Janiewicz

Krzysztof Janiewicz, , 0000-00-00

powrot