Protest letter to "The Observer"Chris Janiewicz
Protest letter regarding publication of the article "Poland's
willing executioners' by George Steiner
Dear Sir or Madam:
Views that Mr. Steiner expressed in your publication are based on the badly
researched book written by J. T. Gross "Neighbours".
There are many questions one can ask after analytically, not emotionally
reading prof. GrossÂ’s book and comparing his statements with various sources
and researches done by Polish recognised historians. Many questions could be
raised about the methodology used by prof. Gross.
Below I enclose my own comment about prof. GrossÂ’s book "Neighbors", that I
hope you will be able to publish as an answer to the article written by Mr.
Steiner.
Yours truly,
"Neighbors" - literature or history
Perusing the first few pages of Jan T. Gross' book "Neighbors" 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 - Shmul Wasersztein, 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 Calka and not Wasersztein, who after the war had the rank of
lieutenant in U.B. (dreaded Communist State Security Forces). This fact was
established by Prof. Tomasz Strzembosz, who has been researching this period
of Polish history for many years, based on depositions of two reliable
witnesses who were interrogated by Wasersztein (Calka) at the UB after the
war.
Another witness whose testimony is used by prof. Gross, Abram Boruszczak,
never lived in Jedwabne, and another witness, Eljasz Gradowski, was
sentenced by the Soviet authorities for stealing of some electrical
equipment and deported to Soviet Union in 1940, well before the events in
Jedwabne took place. He returned to Jedwabne in 1945
Prof. Strzembosz draws attention to the credibility of sources and witnesses
on which Gross relies.
In the matter of the Polish witnessesÂ’ testimonies, Gross is extensively
using the testimonies of people who were interrogated by the U.B. (Communist
State Security) in 1949. That organisation was well known for extracting
statements from the suspects by using such methods as torture, sleep
depravation, beatings and the threat of deportation to Siberia, not only for
the suspects, but also for their families.
Most of the accused recalled their "confessions" in front of the court. This
was not only an act of self-defence. It was also a sign of bravery. After
all, the accused were immediately returned to the "tender, loving care" of
secret police officers, who had tortured the confessions out of them in the
first place. Here I would like to remind, that prof. GrossÂ’s main witness
was one of the functionaries in that apparatus. The confessions were in
accordance with a preordained scenario, unofficially promoted by the
Communist leadership who promoted the idea that Polish society was "fascist"
and "reactionary", what was supposed to create an explanation for the
repressive regime and an excuse for the West inaction.
Yet, it would appear that such facts have no meaning for Prof. Gross,
because throughout his book he extensively uses the testimonies of Karol
Bardon, originally sentenced to the death penalty, which was commuted to a
15 years prison sentence. Any man subjected to such circumstances would tell
anything that the interrogating officer wants him to say, simply to survive.
What sort of pressure did the interrogating officers exert on him?
Testimonies and confessions obtained by such methods wouldnÂ’t be admissible
in any court of law in any democratic country.
When on the subject of the witness testimonies and methodology that a
historian should use in analysing his sources and then disseminating his
findings, I would like to mention the statement that Prof. Gross himself
made in the book "Neighbours":
"As far as the craft of the historian who deals with the era of the gas
ovens is concerned, I think we must radically alter our attitude toward the
sources. Our initial attitude toward each testimony of near victims of the
Holocaust should change from the inquisitive to the affirmative."
This is a startling statement because it would be practically tantamount to
abandoning the scholarly standard.
In each instance, if possible, historians must attempt to verify the
sources, testimonies, recollections and memoirs against other documents. A
history scholar needs to apply a rigorous litmus test to each testimony by
checking it against other witness account and contemporary documents:
Jewish, German, Polish, and Soviet. Finally, he has to divide recollections
into first- and second-hand observations and classify their reliability
accordingly.
The lack of scientific honesty on the part of prof. Gross, has been
commented on by numerous historians, among others by Dr. SĹ‚awomir Radon,
chairman of the College of IPN (Polish National Remembrance Institute)
conducting the present investigation headed by the public prosecutor
Radoslaw Ignatiew. They accuse prof. Gross of drawing premature conclusions
without a solid research of Polish and German archives and following up all
possible leads.
Unfortunately, Prof. Gross doesnÂ’t adhere to such standards in his book.
ThatÂ’s why "Neighbors" should be classified as a literary work and not as
historical research, ergo not factual in every aspect.
Yours truly,
Krzysztof Janiewicz, , 0000-00-00
"The Observer"
Guardian Unlimited
Email: letters@guardian.co.uk
I would even call it racist against Polish people
Chris Janiewicz
Email: krzysiekj@hotmail.com
The internet address of Mr. Steiner's article is http://www.observer.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,470068,00.html
Christopher Janiewicz