The Government Plenipotentiary for Compensation for Damage Caused by German Aggression and Occupation between 1939 and 1945 sent a letter to American opinion leaders, pointing out the scope of German destruction during the occupation of Poland. He stressed that Poland had never renounced war reparations from Germany and had not been compensated for the losses.

In letters addressed to 23 major, influential American think tanks (including The RAND Corporation, The Brookings Institution,  The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, The Center for Strategic and International Studies, The American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, The Hoover Institution, The Cato Institute, The Aspen Institute, The Institute for the Study of War), Deputy Minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk presented the scope of material, human and cultural destruction, pointing to the records contained in the “Report on the losses suffered by Poland as a result of the German aggression and occupation during World War II in the years 1939-1945.”

Polish consular missions in the US have been obliged to activate lobbying efforts among scholars and members of Congress. The goal is to adopt a resolution by both the Senate and the House of Representatives calling on the government of the Federal Republic of Germany to pay compensation and reparations for losses suffered by Poland and Poles under the agreement between the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Polish government is counting on American parliamentarians, experts, scholars, politicians and cultural figures to take up the topic of reparations and compensation. This situation has an adverse effect on the Polish-German dialogue. This unregulated issue sets a precedent that creates an incentive for war crimes, looting and murder today, including during Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

In view of the wrongs, suffering and damage caused by Germany, the Government of the Republic of Poland draws the attention of American friends to the disparities between how Poland was treated compared to other countries at the Potsdam Conference and the legal doctrine of immunity from prosecution of Germany at present. It deprives Polish victims of the German occupation of their right to seek reparations through legislation. This is the case we cannot come to terms with. Poland prioritises the defence and protection of the weakest, the disadvantaged and those who cannot assert their rights themselves. Leaving the issue in its current state would be a violation of the fundamental human rights.

We emphasise that Ukrainian Bucha, Izyum and Hostomel recall the aggression of Germany and Russia against Poland in September 1939. There is no justice in the world of the present that forgets the wrongs done in the past. While it is now obvious (and rightfully so) to the community of free and democratic nations that crimes against Ukraine require legal consequences and the aggressor should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine, Poland has never experienced a similar act justice.

Raising awareness among the American society about the issue of reparations has a cross-party dimension, and Poland’s demand for the amount of compensation due, estimated at PLN 6,220,609 million or USD 1,532,170 million, is supported by the majority of the Polish public, which strengthens our argument.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland has begun cooperating in the area of supporting Poland’s activities in the US with representatives of the Polish community, including the Polish American Congress. We would like to thank and express our appreciation to the Polish Diaspora, to those Poles in the US who, for patriotic reasons, lobby for the Polish position among American political and opinion-making circles.

 

MFA Press Office