Volume IX-Number 2
Mark C. Bauer
Abstract: This article examines the 1939 Katyn Massacre and argues that the USSR utilized its investigation to further its goal of establishing a pro-Soviet regime in Poland. In September 1939, under the guise of combating the German invasion, the Soviets entered Poland and occupied the eastern part of the country. The USSR began to “Sovietize” the Poles, instituting measures such as forced citizenship and the construction of a pro-Soviet government in Poland to ensure that it would never become part of the West. The Soviets incarcerated thousands of Polish military and nonmilitary personnel in prisoner of war camps. Those deemed to be part of the bourgeoisie were sent to special camps where they were interrogated and indoctrinated. Most individuals who could not be indoctrinated were shot in the Katyn Forest on grounds that they were hostile to the Soviet State. These mass executions, which took place between April and May of 1940, became known collectively as the Katyn Massacre. In June 1941, following German attacks, the USSR began talks with the Allies and a tepid rapprochement with the legitimate Polish government now based in London, known as the London Poles, began. Polish officials demanded that the Soviets release and account for the prisoners of war taken during the USSR’s invasion in 1939. After further investigation facilitated by the Germans, Polish officials learned of the Katyn Massacre, thus straining the Russo-Polish relationship. The Soviets swiftly pinned the massacre on the Nazis and painted the Poles as Hitler sympathizers for their condemnation of the USSR. They utilized their pro-Soviet government in Poland to spread propaganda slandering the London Poles while favoring the pro-Soviet government. Despite overwhelming evidence indicating Soviet guilt in the matter, President Roosevelt chose not to condemn the USSR as he believed that the Nazis were behind the massacre or that doing so would put Allied harmony at risk, thus jeopardizing the war effort. Nevertheless, it undercut the London Poles’ authority and legitimized the pro-Soviet government in Poland, solidifying the USSR’s grip over the war-torn country.
Key Words: Poland, Katyn Massacre, London Poles, WWII, USSR, Soviet
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