Karski, Jan

Karski, Jan (1914–2000),pseudonym of Jan Kozielewski, an emissary between the Polish Socialist party and the Polish government-in-exile in London. In November 1942 he reached London with details of the Final Solution. Having entered Belzec disguised as a guard, he gave an eyewitness account of it in action to, among others, Eden and Roosevelt. When he described the fate of European Jews to Judge Felix Frankfurter in New York, the judge's reply was typical of western reaction to the news of the Final Solution, which others had already reported (see Nowak, Ringelblum, and Schulte): he said he did not believe him. When Frankfurter was assured that Karski was telling the truth he replied: ‘I did not say this young man was lying. I said I cannot believe him. There is a difference.’ Because of Karski's evidence the Polish government-in-exile made a formal appeal to the Allied governments. On 17 December, these issued a declaration condemning ‘this bestial policy of cold-blooded extermination’, and held the Bermuda conference the following April.