[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 10, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         TRIBUTE TO JAN KARSKI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 10, 1997

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary 
and heroic accomplishments of Jan Karski, and to invite my colleagues 
to join me in commending this man who refused to sit quietly and watch 
the extermination of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. Mr. Karski 
risked his life to journey into the heart of the Warsaw ghetto and a 
concentration camp so that he could effectively detail and then convey 
the horrors of the Nazi regime to the Allied forces. Through his 
accounts, he is credited with providing President Franklin D. Roosevelt 
with the motivation to establish the U.S. War Refugee Board, an 
organization that saved tens of thousands of Jewish lives toward the 
end of World War II.
  Born in 1914 in Lodz, Poland, Jan Karski joined the Polish 
underground at the age of 25. He was caught and tortured by the Gestapo 
but did not divulge any information pertinent to his cause. After being 
rescued from a prison hospital by members of his underground 
organization, he disguised himself and snuck into both the Warsaw 
ghetto and in concentration camp. There he witnessed the emaciation, 
hopelessness, and subhuman conditions that characterized both by the 
ghetto and the camp.
  Mr. Karski's mission was to gather information and convey these 
horrors to the outside world. Upon speaking with London authorities in 
1942, his frightful accounts were met with disbelief and denial. One 
member of the Polish National Council, Szmul Zygebojm, insisted upon 
hearing every detail of the squalor that Karski had witnessed, Zygebojm 
made a vow to do what he could for his fellow Polish Jews that were 
still living. A few days after his conversation with Mr. Karski, he 
committed suicide, despairing, and discouraged that he could not help 
his homeland.
  In July 1943, Mr. Karski met with President Roosevelt to inform him 
of the atrocities being committed by the Nazis and of Hitler's Final 
Solution. he also met with Felix Frankfurter, a member of the U.S. 
Supreme Court. At Justice Frankfurter's request, Mr. Karski again 
described the horrors he had seen with his own eyes. After listening 
quietly, Justice Frankfurter responded, ``Mr. Karski, a man like me 
talking to a man like you must be totally frank. So I must say: I am 
unable to believe you.'' The Polish Ambassador jumped to his feet in 
indignation at having his young representative insulted. Justice 
Frankfurter explained, ``Mr. Ambassador, I did not say this young man 
is lying. I said I am unable to believe him. There is a difference.'' 
Mr. Speaker, one can only imagine the strength Mr. Karski must have 
possessed to constantly tell his harrowing story, only to be met with 
disbelief and in some cases denial.

  In 1944, Jan Karski wrote the book ``Story of a Secret State'' 
detailing his experiences, which became a bestseller. After the war, he 
moved to the United States where he married, became an American 
citizen, and received a doctorate from Georgetown University. Mr. 
Karski went on to a distinguished teaching career at Georgetown. His 
many honors and awards include the distinction of ``Righteous 
Gentile,'' bestowed by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. 
He is also an honorary citizen of Israel, the recipient of a Doctorate 
of Human Letters honoris causa from Georgetown University, the 
recipient of a special citation by the United Nations, and the 
recipient of the Order virturi Militair, the highest Polish military 
decoration.
  Mr. Karski's humility is always evident. When visiting the National 
holocaust Museum, he came upon the Wall of Righteous, the tribute to 
non-Jews. He quickly passed the plaque upon which his name was 
inscribed, instead preferring to seek out the names of his underground 
comrades. Mr. Karski is quick to point out that ``the Jews were 
abandoned by governments, by church hierarchies, and by societal 
structures. But they were not abandoned by all humanity.'' He feels 
that he is no different from anyone else who tried to ease the plight 
of the Jewish people. Remarkably, he insists he did ``nothing 
extraordinary.''
  The true nature of Jan Karski, despite his protestations, is summed 
up by two men whose words speak for themselves. Shimon Peres said, ``a 
great man is one who stands head and shoulder above his people, a man 
who, when surrounded by overpowering evil and blind hatred, does all in 
his power to stem the tide. Karski ranks high in the all-too-brief list 
of such great and unique personalities who stood out in the darkest age 
of Jewish history.'' In the words of Elie Wiesel: ``Jan Karski: a brave 
man? Better: a just man.''
  Mr. Speaker, once again I urge my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing the courage and selflessness of Jan Karski. He is a hero 
who risked his life for strangers to fulfill what he considered his 
duty as a human being.

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