Word: karski
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Violinist-Executioner. Karski went out in the rainy, cheerless afternoon to the apartment, six blocks away, of an old friend from his days at Lwow University. There Karski had belonged to an association that lectured to the peasants on literature, history, hygiene. The peasants were mildly interested in Karski's lectures. But they loved the intense, gifted, frail young high-school student who went with him and played the violin after his talk. This was Dziepatowski. He was now an executioner for the underground...
Dziepatowski was 21 or 22. Through other members of the underground he got Karski false papers. Karski was now Kucharski, born in Luki, in poor health, a primary-school teacher. He was sent to a photographer in a poor district, given a photograph that was enough like him to be claimed as his, but vague enough to be disowned if necessary. For two weeks Karski waited, memorizing the new story of his life...
Underground Coalition. He was sent to Lwow. Four Polish parties-the Christian Labor Party, the Socialist Party, the National Party, the Peasant Party-had formed a coalition in the days when Warsaw was besieged. Karski was ordered to help bring about a similar understanding in Lwow. He went first to Borecki, a prominent 60-year-old politician who still lived in his own apartment and carried poison in his signet ring. The old man said: the underground is the official continuation of the Polish Government. It has three tasks: to protect the people, to record German crimes, to keep...
...Karski was sent to France. With a Polish prince, a young lieutenant and a guide, he went to the Tatra Mountains in the Carpathian range. They posed as a skiing party, never speaking to passersby, sleeping in mountain caves until they reached the Hungarian border. Karski met an underground agent in a border town, was motored to Budapest, hidden in a hospital, given papers to prove he had been in Budapest since the beginning of the war. He took the Simplon-Orient Express to France, six weeks of freedom, and talks with General Sikorski...
...Karski went back to Poland the way he had come, carrying 40 lbs. of Polish banknotes. He remained in Warsaw two weeks, then set out for Paris again. This time he was to carry the points of view of the different Polish parties to the Government-in-Exile. He was also to give the Government their agreements about the division of administrative posts in the underground Government. Each of the four parties gave Karski its confidential plans and programs to memorize, so he could give them to each party's representative in Paris. He swore he would not divulge...