U.S. Ambassador Does Damage Control In Poland After FBI Chief Calls Poles ‘Nazi Accomplices’

The U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Stephen Mull, was summoned to Poland’s foreign ministry today after the FBI chief, James Comey, called out Poland as “Nazi accomplices.” The Polish leaders demanded an apology, which they received, and say the statement was a “falsification of history” and expressed utter outrage over the offensive remarks.

ABC News reports that FBI chief James Comey made the remarks in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post on Thursday. The piece discussed the murderous Nazis and their accomplices which were outlined by Comey as Poland, Hungary. and “many other places”.

“In their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary, and so many, many other places didn’t do something evil. They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do, the thing they had to do.”

However, Poland was quick to rebuke the assumption that they were in cahoots with Nazi Germany and say that simply is not historically accurate. Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski called the comments an “insult” to his country and says he personally sent a letter to Comey expressing his outrage. Komorowski says that not only did the Poles not commit the horrific war crimes, they were actually victims themselves.

“[My letter is] protesting against the falsification of history, especially for accusing Poles of perpetrating crimes which not only did they not commit, but which they themselves were victims of.”

The New York Daily News says that Komorowski was quick to point out specific roles the Polish people played in alerting the public to the Holocaust. For example, Polish citizen Jan Karski was an underground fighter who was the first to alert the world that the Holocaust was underway.

Ambassador Mull says he in no way feels that Poland bears any responsibility for the Holocaust, and that the burden rests solely on Nazi Germany.

“I made clear that the opinion that Poland is in any way responsible for the Holocaust is not the position of the United States. Nazi Germany alone bears responsibility. I now have a lot of work before me to make things right in this situation. Any suggestion that Poland, or any other countries other than Nazi Germany, bear responsibility for the Holocaust, is a mistake, harmful and insulting.”

In fact, it is noted that six million Polish citizens were killed under Nazi Germany’s occupation of Poland during World War II, and that though some poles turned against their neighbors and turned them over to Nazis, many others risked their lives to save their Jewish friends.

What do you think of the FBI chief James Comey’s statement that Poland played a part in the Holocaust?

[Image Credit: Getty Images/ Ian Waldie]