I wish everyone a happy New Year to come, and I hope that for all, it will be more prosperous than the one just ending.

            I have been reading a very remarkable book, first published in 2003, that was publicized in the Polish Weekly when the authors were in town on a promotional tour shortly after the book’s release.  I refer to “A Question of Honor,” written by Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud. It is the story of the Kosciuszko Squadron and other Polish heroes who continued to fight alongside the allies during World War II after the fall of Poland. It is also the story of how Poland and the noble principles of democracy were ultimately betrayed by England and the United States in the name of a perceived but highly questionable “expediency,” because Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt believed it was vital to the war effort to placate Joseph Stalin and his Communist Regime.

            Part one of the book, titled “Exodus,” will absolutely inspire you with pride at the exploits and accomplishments of Polish pilots and other military and civilian heroes who came to the aid of England during the Battle of Britain. The book details the enormous odds they overcame simply to escape the blitzkrieg and oppression of the Nazis, goes on to explain the prejudices and obstruction they faced (first at the hands of the French and later the British) trying to earn the support they were entitled to as allies to simply allow them to fight Hitler, and finally the strategic and pivotal role they played in turning the tide against axis aggression.

            Part two, titled “Betrayal,” will break your heart. Here is detailed the “back-story” of how the United States and Great Britain first pledged aid to Poland, guaranteed the safety of Poland’s pre – 1939 borders and its sovereignty, but ultimately failed to live up to their promises and, indeed, their obligations. Churchill and F.D.R. caved in to Stalin’s threats and demands and accepted his obstruction when Poland demanded direct support in seeking its freedom prior to and during the Warsaw uprising in August of 1944. Olson and Cloud have done a masterful job of showing how the personalities of the “big three” leaders, the ebb and flow of the fortunes of war and the manipulation and suppression of publicity and truth resulted in the otherwise unthinkable tragedy of Poland during and after the war.

            There is an almost incredible history lesson contained in this book, and it is truly a revelation to those like me who did not live through that time or to those who are too young to remember it. The betrayal of the high minded principles of the Atlantic Charter teach us to be wary of repeating the mistake of relying on principle alone, and remind us to understand the practical interests that drive international politics.

            I have often spoken of the need for Polonia to tell the story of Poland through popular media, but I am grateful to Olson and Cloud, who are both highly respected and experienced American journalists, for telling this particular story with such compelling style. Perhaps if the book were written by Polish authors it would be dismissed by some as propaganda or hubris. Instead, it stands as a powerful historical documentary in print. For more information, see the web site www.lynneolson.com/questionofhonor.