Link:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/28/russia-posts-katyn-documents-internet/
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Russia Posts Katyn Massacre Documents on Internet
On Wednesday, Russia's archives posted documents about the massacre of over 20,000 Polish officers and citizens during World War II. This was the first time the documents had been posted by Russia since the war, although they had been public for many years. They did so as as gesture towards Poland to mend relations because the case looms large in Polish history and has soured relations between the two countries for decades. The documents were posted to show that Russia was finally excepting responsibility for the killings in Katyn and else where in the 1940s. The documents show signatures giving permission to Soviet soldiers to kill Polish prisoners of war. The document do not reveal the names of the officers that carried out the executions, but Russia plans to make those documents public on a later date. The release of these documents is playing a positive role in helping Russia come to terms with its painful history under Stalin. Since the tragic plane crash on April 10 that killed the President of Poland and 94 other on boards, relations between Russia and Poland have grown warmer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Chris, I very much enjoyed reading your post regarding Russia publically taking responsibility for past actions. I was wondering what your personal opinion on the matter was, if you have a one. Do you feel as though it was appropriate for them to publicize these documents via internet? Or do you think it would have been more wise for them to do so in a fashion less public?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Alexandra's question, I think that this was a good idea to make the documents public. The Russians, by making these documents public, basicly apologized for what they had done to the Polish. It doesn't completely absolve them, but by admitting their mistake it helps a lot.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if first publishing them on the internet was the best choice because it is quite public for such a tragic event. It might have been a better decision to release these documents to the Polish government first and then let them decide what to do with them.
ReplyDelete