The Polish White Book
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''The Polish White Book'' is a semi-official name of a series of comprehensive reports published during World War II by the Ministry of Information of the
Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...
in London, England, dealing with Polish-German relations before and after the 1939 German-Soviet aggression against Poland. Each publication, released in English, French, German and Polish between 1940 and 1941, consisted of official documents and
affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a statemen ...
s, supplemented with an overview by the Ministry. Notably, the ''Polish White Book'' was released in parallel with ''
The Black Book of Poland ''The Black Book of Poland'' is a 750-page report published in 1942 by the Ministry of Information of the Polish government-in-exile, describing atrocities committed by Germany in occupied Poland in the 22 months between the invasion of Poland in ...
'' series by
G.P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and ...
of New York, published in London by
Hutchinson & Co Hutchinson was a British publishing firm which operated from 1887 until 1985, when it underwent several mergers. It is currently an imprint which is ultimately owned by Bertelsmann, the German publishing conglomerate. History Hutchinson began ...
under a differing title in 1942.


Publishing history

The first volume of the ''White Book'' publication series, released in the spring of 1940, was titled ''Official Documents Concerning Polish-German and Polish-Soviet Relations 1933–1939 – Polish White Book.'' The book described and documented the Polish-German negotiations in the lead-up to World War II. The second volume of the ''White Book'' – sometimes considered to be the first volume of ''
The Black Book of Poland ''The Black Book of Poland'' is a 750-page report published in 1942 by the Ministry of Information of the Polish government-in-exile, describing atrocities committed by Germany in occupied Poland in the 22 months between the invasion of Poland in ...
'' – was titled ''German Invasion of Poland'' (''L'Invasion Allemande en Pologne'', Paris: Flammarion, 1940). The third volume of ''The Polish White Book'' was titled ''German Occupation of Poland. Extract of Note Addressed to The Allied and Neutral Powers.'' It is a 240-page report, published in 1941 during World War II by the Ministry of Information of the
Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...
, describing atrocities committed by Germany in
occupied Poland ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...
. It contains 180 appendixes with lists, names, dates, and the circumstances of Nazi brutality toward Polish civilians, including men, women and children. Most of the book consists of appendixes, documenting the locations of
Nazi ghettos Beginning with the invasion of Poland during World War II, the Nazi regime set up ghettos across German-occupied Eastern Europe in order to segregate and confine Jews, and sometimes Romani people, into small sections of towns and cities furtheri ...
where thousands of Jews perished, and the shift in extermination methods from shooting to poisoning by gas. The affidavits confirm
Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
’s personal involvement in the liquidation of the
Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (german: Warschauer Ghetto, officially , "Jewish Residential District in Warsaw"; pl, getto warszawskie) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the G ...
and the final transports to
death camps Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...
. The ''Polish White Book'' was written as a plea for help to the world community. At the time of its compilation, there were two million
Polish Jews The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lo ...
still alive in occupied Poland, hoping for an international rescue effort.


Contents

As the reports of Nazi war crimes in occupied Poland increased dramatically, new volumes of ''The Polish White Book'' series were released. The ''German Occupation of Poland'' (1941) – also known as the second volume of ''The German Invasion of Poland'' (1940) – is sometimes considered a preamble to ''
The Black Book of Poland ''The Black Book of Poland'' is a 750-page report published in 1942 by the Ministry of Information of the Polish government-in-exile, describing atrocities committed by Germany in occupied Poland in the 22 months between the invasion of Poland in ...
'' (1942) by the
Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...
. The ''White Books'' by the Polish Ministry were released over the course of two years. The original ''Polish White Book'', along with its subsequent volumes were published in both Paris by ''
Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, wife of Camille Flammarion * Flammarion engraving by unknown artist; appeared in a book by C ...
'' and in London by
Hutchinson & Co Hutchinson was a British publishing firm which operated from 1887 until 1985, when it underwent several mergers. It is currently an imprint which is ultimately owned by Bertelsmann, the German publishing conglomerate. History Hutchinson began ...
.
.13 of 253 in PDF Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Carol City, Florida, Curry started rapping while in the sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape in 2011. Influenced by underground Flo ...
/sup> The final ''White Book'', titled ''German Occupation of Poland. Extract of Note Addressed to the Allied and Neutral Powers'' was released by Greystone Press of New York in 1941. The book contained a 55-page overview, signed by Auguste Zaleski in London on May 3, 1941, and 180 appendices with evidence of forced expulsions and deportations of Jews to overcrowded ghettos, where starvation and disease were commonplace, along with evidence of deliberate destruction of the Polish nationhood, in a total of 243 printed pages. The ''White Book'' was followed by ''
The Black Book of Poland ''The Black Book of Poland'' is a 750-page report published in 1942 by the Ministry of Information of the Polish government-in-exile, describing atrocities committed by Germany in occupied Poland in the 22 months between the invasion of Poland in ...
'' printed by
G.P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and ...
of New York in 1942. It was a collection of authenticated documents, depositions, eye-witness accounts, and Ministerial summaries, describing and illustrating with photographs, the
Nazi crimes against the Polish nation Crimes against the Polish nation committed by Nazi Germany and Axis collaborationist forces during the invasion of Poland, along with auxiliary battalions during the subsequent occupation of Poland in World War II, consisted of the murder of ...
and
War crimes in occupied Poland during World War II Around six million Polish citizensProject in PosterumRetrieved 20 September 2013.


''German Occupation of Poland'' (1941). Sections

# ''Note'' # ''Outrages Against Persons'' # ''Outrages Against Religion'' # ''Outrages Against Polish Culture'' # ''Outrages Against Property'' ; Appendices # ''The Law and Customs of War on Land-ivth Hague Convention'' # ''German Documents'' # ''Polish Documents''


Notes


External links

*Archive.org
'German Occupation of Poland Extract of Note Addressed to The Allied and Neutral Powers'.
*Worldcat.org
'German Occupation of Poland'


See also

*
The Black Book of Poland ''The Black Book of Poland'' is a 750-page report published in 1942 by the Ministry of Information of the Polish government-in-exile, describing atrocities committed by Germany in occupied Poland in the 22 months between the invasion of Poland in ...
*
Karski's reports Karski's reports were a series of reports attributed to Jan Karski, an investigator working for the Polish government-in-exile during World War II, describing the situation in occupied Poland. They were some of the first documents on the Holoca ...
*
Pilecki's Report Witold's Report, also known as Pilecki's Report, is a report about the Auschwitz concentration camp written in 1943 by Witold Pilecki, a Polish military officer and member of the Polish resistance. Pilecki volunteered in 1940 to be imprisoned i ...
*
Vrba–Wetzler report The Vrba–Wetzler report is one of three documents that comprise what is known as the ''Auschwitz Protocols'', otherwise known as the Auschwitz Report or the Auschwitz notebook. It is a 33-page eye-witness account of the Auschwitz concentratio ...
{{Authority control The Holocaust in Poland 1941 in Poland 1941 documents Government reports 1941 in England Holocaust historiography Holocaust historical documents International response to the Holocaust