POLISH OFFICERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 91, 17 April 1943, Page 5

POLISH OFFICERS

Missing From Soviet Prisoner Of War Camps INVESTIGATION REQUESTED Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, April 16. The Minister for National Defence in the Polish Government in London, Lieutenant - General Kukiel, has issued a statement concerning the 8300 missing Polish officers, who were released from Soviet prison camps in the spring of 1940 and into whose fate the Poles decided to ask the International Red Cross to make an inquiry. The Germans allege that the bodies of many thousands of Polish officers were found buried near Smolensk and also allege that they were murdered by the Russians. Lieutenant-General Kukiel's statement says that 5000 Poles, including 4500 officers, were imprisoned near Smolensk, 3920, including 100 officers, were imprisoned near Kharkov, and 6570, including 380 officers, were imprisoned near Kalinin. The Soviet began to release them in April, 1940,, but 8300 officers are still missing.

General Sikorski, Polish Prime Minister, raised the matter with M. Stalin during his visit to Moscow in December, 1941. Lit- Stalin assured him that all ofncex-2 had been released. The Poles subsequently supplied the Soviet with an incomplete list of 4643 missing officers, compiled by their comrades. The statement adds: "Not one of the listed officers has been sent back to the Polish Army, neither has the Polish Government nor the Embassy ever received an answer to questions concerning their whereabouts. We have become accustomed to the lies of German propaganda and understand the purpose of its recent revelations, but, in view of the detailed information given by the Germans concerning the bodies, the necessity has arisen that the mass graves should be investigated and the facts verified by a proper international body, such as the Red Cross."