Changes

The Soviet Union denied responsibility for the murders until 1990. In 2010, the [[Duma]] of the [[Russian Federation]] officially condemned the crime and apologized to Poland.

The Soviet Union denied responsibility for the murders until 1990. In 2010, the [[Duma]] of the [[Russian Federation]] officially condemned the crime and apologized to Poland.

Soon after the [[Third Reich]] had invaded the Soviet Union in [[Operation Barbarossa]], the Polish government in exile signed a pact with [[Joseph Stalin]]. Although the Poles wanted a declaration that all pacts the USSR had signed with the Nazis were null and void, Stalin refused to consider any suggestion that he surrender the territory he seized consequent to the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact]]. It was to uphold security guarantees given to Poland at the [[Treaty of Versailles]] that the British Empire entered the war in the first place and empire was sympathetic to Polish interests. The british Empire nonetheless pressured the Poles to withdraw this demand, since, in Churchill's words, "We could not force our new and sorely threatened [Soviet] ally to abandon, even on paper, regions on her frontier which she regarded for generations as vital to her security." The London Poles conceded but only after the British Empire agreed to state in writing that all agreements that adjusted Poland's pre-war borders were null and void. The Soviet-Polish agreement was signed on July 30, 1941, and [[Anthony Eden]] formally notified the [[UK House of Commons]] of the arrangements that same day. In response to a parliamentary question about Britain's commitment, however, Eden stated that "The exchange of notes which I have just read to the House does not involve any guarantee of frontiers by His Majesty's Government."

Soon after the [[Third Reich]] had invaded the Soviet Union in [[Operation Barbarossa]], the Polish government in exile signed a pact with [[Joseph Stalin]]. Although the Poles wanted a declaration that all pacts the USSR had signed with the Nazis were null and void, Stalin refused to consider any suggestion that he surrender the territory he seized consequent to the [[Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact]]. It was to uphold security guarantees given to Poland at the [[Treaty of Versailles]] that the British Empire entered the war in the first place and empire was sympathetic to Polish interests. The british Empire nonetheless pressured the Poles to withdraw this demand, since, in Churchill's words, "We could not force our new and sorely threatened [Soviet] ally to abandon, even on paper, regions on her frontier which she regarded for generations as vital to her security." The London Poles conceded but only after the British Empire agreed to state in writing that all agreements that adjusted Poland's pre-war borders were null and void. The Soviet-Polish agreement was signed on July 30, 1941, and [[Anthony Eden]] formally notified the [[UK House of Commons]] of the arrangements that same day. In response to a parliamentary question about Britain's commitment, however, Eden stated that "The exchange of notes which I have just read to the House does not involve any guarantee of frontiers by His Majesty's Government."

{{See also|Volhynia massacre}}

{{See also|Volhynia massacre}}

In the Polish village of Parosle near Sarny, a gang of [[Ukrainian nationalist]]s posing as Soviet partisans deceived the villagers who had hosted the gang during the day. In the evening, the bandits surrounded all the houses and killed the Polish population. 173 people were killed. Only three people survived. Two were able to hide under the corpses and one boy turned himself in. A later investigation of the murdered revealed the extreme cruelty of the executioners. Infants had been nailed to tables with kitchen knives. Several people were skinned. Women were raped, some had their breasts cut off, many had their ears and noses cut off, their eyes cut out, their heads cut off. After the massacre, there was a drinking feast in the house of the local village school. After the executioners left, among the scattered bottles of homemade liquor and leftovers, a one-year-old child was found nailed to the table with a bayonet and had a piece of sour cucumber in his mouth that one of the bandits had not eaten." ''Semaschko Turowski: Atrocities committed by Ukrainian nationalists against the Polish population in Volhynia in 1939 and 1945.<ref>Myroslav Yurkevich, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Orhanizatsiia ukrainskykh natsionalistiv) ''This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).''</ref>

In the Polish village of Parosle near Sarny, a gang of [[Ukrainian nationalist]]s posing as Soviet partisans deceived the villagers who had hosted the gang during the day. In the evening, the bandits surrounded all the houses and killed the Polish population. 173 people were killed. Only three people survived. Two were able to hide under the corpses and one boy turned himself in. A later investigation of the murdered revealed the extreme cruelty of the executioners. Infants had been nailed to tables with kitchen knives. Several people were skinned. Women were raped, some had their breasts cut off, many had their ears and noses cut off, their eyes cut out, their heads cut off. After the massacre, there was a drinking feast in the house of the local village school. After the executioners left, among the scattered bottles of homemade liquor and leftovers, a one-year-old child was found nailed to the table with a bayonet and had a piece of sour cucumber in his mouth that one of the bandits had not eaten." ''Semaschko Turowski: Atrocities committed by Ukrainian nationalists against the Polish population in Volhynia in 1939 and 1945.<ref>Myroslav Yurkevich, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Orhanizatsiia ukrainskykh natsionalistiv) ''This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).''</ref>

====Tehran conference====

====Tehran conference====

In November 1943, the [[Big Three]] (USSR, USA, and UK) met at the [[Tehran Conference]]. Both Roosevelt and Churchill officially agreed that the eastern borders of Poland would roughly follow the Curzon Line. The Polish government was not notified of this decision and the only information given was the press release claiming that ''We await the day, when all nations of the world will live peacefully, free of tyranny, according to their national needs and conscience''. The resulting loss of the "eastern territories," approximately 48% of Poland's pre-war territory, to the Soviet Union is seen by Poles as another "betrayal" by their Western "Allies".

In November 1943, the [[Big Three]] (USSR, USA, and UK) met at the [[Tehran Conference]]. Both Roosevelt and Churchill officially agreed that the eastern borders of Poland would roughly follow the Curzon Line. The Polish government was not notified of this decision and the only information given was the press release claiming that ''We await the day, when all nations of the world will live peacefully, free of tyranny, according to their national needs and conscience''. The resulting loss of the "eastern territories," approximately 48% of Poland's pre-war territory, to the Soviet Union is seen by Poles as another "betrayal" by their Western "Allies".

According to many historians, Churchill and Roosevelt promised Stalin to settle the issue with the Poles, however they never sincerely informed the Polish side. When the Polish Prime Minister visited Moscow, he was convinced he was coming to discuss borders that were still disputed, while Stalin believed everything had already been settled. This was the principal reason for the failure of Polish Prime Minister's mission to Moscow.

According to many historians, Churchill and Roosevelt promised Stalin to settle the issue with the Poles, however they never sincerely informed the Polish side. When the Polish Prime Minister visited Moscow, he was convinced he was coming to discuss borders that were still disputed, while Stalin believed everything had already been settled. This was the principal reason for the failure of Polish Prime Minister's mission to Moscow.

 

==References==

==References==

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