Dispute about Karski
Both the motion to commemorate Jan Karski and the same motion concerning Ryszard Kukliński, have been submitted a few years ago. Both names are now in the Warsaw bank of possible street names.
Members of the Jan Karski Association argue that the courier, in contrast to colonel Kukliński, is seen as an unambiguously positive figure and does not cause any arguments nor controversy. Moreover, the members if the Association point out that Karski was not connected with the place where the street named after him is located. The people who lodged the protest are convinced that such a figure should become patron of a street in the center of Warsaw.
The chairwoman of the Council of Warsaw agrees with such argumentation. The Warsaw councilmen will settle this dispute in the nearest future.
Ryszard Kukliński was colonel of the People’s Army of Poland. Between 1971 and 1981 he transmitted information concerning the Polish People’s Republic, the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact to the West. He also informed the Americans about the plans of imposing the martial law in Poland.
Because of the danger he faced, he escaped to the US where he settled under a false name. In 1984 the court of the Polish People’s Republic sentenced him to the death penalty. This sentence was revoked in 1995. Kukliński died in America in 2004.
During the Second World War Jan Karski was the emissary of the Polish Underground State. He transmitted information about the Holocaust to the Allies. He managed to get into the Warsaw Ghetto twice. He also reached the transit camp in Izbica. He was an eyewitness of the extermination of the Jews.
In 1982 Jan Karski was honored with the title of the Righteous Among the Nations and in 1995 with the Order of the White Eagle. He was nominated to the Nobel Peace Prize. He died on July 13th, 2000 in Washington. More about Jan Karski on the “Polish Righteous” portal.
