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Title: Russian military historian blames Poland for WWII (Putin's party wants to ban revisionism)
Source:
Associated Press
URL Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap ... m499ylfgjcz4oiShe9xhgD98JU99G4
Published: Jun 4, 2009
Author: MIKE ECKEL
Post Date: 2009-06-07 12:26:24 by Deasy
Keywords: Danzig, Revisionism
Views: 286
Comments: 18
MOSCOW (AP) — As the Kremlin presses a campaign to recast Russia's 20th century history in a more favorable light, a research paper published Thursday on the Defense Ministry's Web site blamed Poland for starting World War II. The unorthodox reading of history appears to be the latest effort by Russian historians to defend the Soviet Union and its leaders, especially their role in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War. Russia has angrily rejected claims that a Stalin-era famine in Ukraine amounted to genocide, and Russia's Supreme Court recently turned down an appeal to re-open an investigation into the massacre by Soviet secret police of Polish military officers and intellectuals in Russia's Katyn forest during World War II. The generally accepted view is that Poland was a victim rather than the aggressor in the conflict, and that Adolf Hitler's 1939 invasion of Poland marked the start of the war. Many Western historians believe Hitler was encouraged to invade by the treaty of non-aggression signed by Moscow and Berlin, called the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, which secretly divided eastern and western Europe into spheres of influence. Hitler's pact with the Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was signed on Aug. 24, 1939. Germany invaded Poland Sept. 1. Blaming Poland would deny Russia played a role in starting the war by sealing the secret accord. The research paper posted on Russia's Defense Ministry Web site is not an official government statement. But the author is listed as Col. Sergei Kovalyov, director of the scientific-research department of military history, part of the Institute of Military History of the Ministry of Defense. A person who answered the phone at the Defense Ministry press office refused to comment, but said a statement would be posted on the Web site soon. Ministry spokesman Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky told the Interfax news agency that analytical articles posted on the ministry's Web site do not necessarily reflect the ministry's official position. The paper, titled "Fictions and Falsifications in Evaluating the USSR's Role On the Eve of World War II," recounts how in the run-up to Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, Hitler demanded that Poland turn over control of the city of Danzig as well as a land corridor between Germany and the territory now known as Kaliningrad. "Everyone who has studied the history of World War II without bias knows that the war began because of Poland's refusal to satisfy Germany's claims," he writes. Kovalyov called the demands "quite reasonable." He observed: "The overwhelming majority of residents of Danzig, cut off from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles, were Germans who sincerely wished for reunification with their historical homeland." Kovalyov, who works in St. Petersburg, could not be immediately located for comment. Arseny Roginsky, a historian with the rights group Memorial, said Kovalyov was entitled to his opinion "and he shouldn't be thrown in prison for that." "But if this indeed reflects the position of the government — in as much that it appeared on the Web site of the Ministry of Defense — then this is indeed dangerous and shameful," he said. Polish government officials had no immediate comment; much of the country on Thursday was marking the 20th anniversary of the collapse of communism in Poland. Last month, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the creation of 28-member commission to investigate "the falsification of historical facts and events aimed to disparage the international prestige of the Russian Federation." Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party is drafting legislation that would make it a crime to belittle the Soviet contribution to victory in World War II. Both moves were widely criticized by liberals as efforts to whitewash Soviet era abuses. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Related articles
Telegraph.co.uk - Jun 6, 2009
National Post - Jun 5, 2009
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty - Jun 5, 2009
The Moscow Times - Jun 5, 2009
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#1. To: Deasy (#0)
They must've been reading the NY Times, whose Moscow Bureau chief Walter Duranty reported at the time, "all talk of famine now is ridiculous."
Russians are good at slaughtering people, their own, or whoever is at hand. They did not become the largest country in the world by peaceful means.
Just how many European countries WEREN'T at fault for helping to start WWII? Screw them all then, and the same applies now.
There is much profit to be made by a few in any war, death is just an incidental distraction.
Exactly. That's why Stalin in particular was so good at it. Same for Mao. They killed however many millions it took, and then some. And that's one reason the US hasn't "won" these wars in the third world which our presidents have mired us in. We kill a lot of people, but not the millions it takes. Of course, the answer is not to kill more people, but to stay out of these wars in the first place.
I've spent hours yesterday and today watching the Military channel and their D- Day remembrance footage (coupled with interviews of Medal of Honor winners). It's fascinating. I've come away with what I thought I would: there is no way today's military is a fraction of what it was in WWII. Putting aside all the reasons why we went to war, and simply comparing the mettle of American kids today against those of 65 years ago and it's like comparing hardened steel to marshmallows. How does this add to the discussion? Today's military has no business starting wars with this group of diversity driven cream puffs.
Bogie vs. Major Strasser.
Patton v Petraeus
Jethro... "Patton Excerpts "Often I have encountered in life that great disappointments have proved to be the road to future successes." "You must be single-minded. Drive for the one thing you have decided. You will find that you will make some people miserable; those you love and very often yourself. And, if it looks like you are getting there, all kinds of people, including some whom you thought were loyal friends will suddenly show up and do their Goddamndest, hypocritical best to trip you up, blacken you and break your spririt. Politicians are the worst; they'll wear their country's flag in public, but they'll use it to wipe their asses in the caucus room, if they think it will gain them a vote." Was Patton taken care of????
My kind of guy. He did get some awful care in the hospital, didn't he? There's a new book out, I'll get the name after dinner, but the author is quite convinced he was killed.
Interesting. Thanks for the ping.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Patton just prior to his "demise"...concerning attacks upon him by the politicians. "It is my present thought . . . that when I finish this job, which will be around the first of the year, I shall resign, not retire, because if I retire I will still have a gag in my mouth . . . I should not start a limited counterattack, which would be contrary to my military theories, but should wait until I can start an all-out offensive . . . ." The government knew this.....
Of course they knew.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. That's why many churchgoing East Texas rednecks went around muttering as their hero, Lord Dubya's war quickly went wrong, "'They' won't let us FINISH THE JOB!" The latter phrase in all caps is "code" for nuking ALL Iraqis or anyone else Bush decided was an "evildoer" into vapor. It is quite disconcerting that supposed "Christian" people can easily be mindwarped into such "thinking" by the MIC mouthpieces on Faux News and the Zionist propagandists in the Southern Baptist pulpits, but I know what I witnessed around here from 2003 on. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't humane and, most of all, these are "Christians" and not Christians. Or, as some deliberately misspell it, they are Christains.
“I would give no thought of what the world might say of me, if I could only transmit to posterity the reputation of an honest man.” - Sam Houston
Patton was one of those men that were wither loved or hated by his men. From what I gather there is no middle ground. He had a huge ego but unlike most, he could back it up with results. If Ike hadn't given Pattons' fuel to MOntgomery, the US would have won the war a lot earlier. But Ike gave the Germans time to dig in while Patton waited for fuel. Ike has a lot of blood on his hands and IMO his loyalty is somewhat questionable. I'd trust Patton over Ike any day, and I am way too young to have known either. There's a program on the History channel called Patton 360. It's a good program IMO. .
It's a forum post, not a doctoral thesis. Click for Privacy and Preparedness files
Agreed, but I'd paint with a broader brush than that. It wasn't just the baptists. .
It's a forum post, not a doctoral thesis. Click for Privacy and Preparedness files
The truth could have helped us a good deal. We could have avoided a lot of mistakes, like the no-win wars. I don't think we should have had a hot war with Russia after WWII, but it looks like Patton and MacArthur had some valuable insights into what was happening.
Russia has angrily rejected claims that a Stalin-era famine in Ukraine amounted to genocide
I've already said too much.
#2. To: MUDDOG (#1)
#3. To: Deasy (#0)
Dancing Turtles and Bouncing Boobs
...that's Turtle Island.
#4. To: Turtle (#3)
#5. To: Cynicom (#2)
They did not become the largest country in the world by peaceful means.
I've already said too much.
#6. To: MUDDOG, Cynicom, all (#5)
And that's one reason the US hasn't "won" these wars in the third world which our presidents have mired us in. We kill a lot of people, but not the millions it takes.
#7. To: Jethro Tull (#6)
I've already said too much.
#8. To: MUDDOG (#7)
#9. To: Jethro Tull, randge, James Deffenbach, Deasy, christine, All (#8)
#10. To: Cynicom, PSUSA (#9)
General George S. Patton was assassinated to silence his criticism of allied war leaders claims new book
Score: 87
Post Date: 2008-12-23 08:23:26 by PSUSA
5 Comments
By Tim Shipman in Washington Last Updated: 5:09PM GMT 21 Dec 2008 General George S. Patton was assassinated to silence his criticism of allied war leaders claims new book 'We've got a terrible situation with this great patriot, he's out of control and we must save him from himself'. The OSS head General did not trust Patton The newly unearthed diaries of a colourful assassin for the wartime Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the CIA, reveal that American spy chiefs wanted Patton dead because he was threatening to expose allied collusion with the Russians that cost American lives. The death of General Patton in December 1945, is one of the enduring ...
#11. To: Cynicom (#9)
#12. To: Cynicom (#9)
Politicians are the worst; they'll wear their country's flag in public, but they'll use it to wipe their asses in the caucus room, if they think it will gain them a vote.
Lord Acton
#13. To: James Deffenbach, jethro tull, randge, Deasy, christine, all (#12)
#14. To: Cynicom (#13)
Lord Acton
#15. To: Jethro Tull (#6)
Today's military has no business starting wars with this group of diversity driven cream puffs.
#16. To: Deasy (#10)
It's a fine line between being too specific and long winded and therefore too irritating to bother to read, and being too cryptic and therefore too irritating to try to interpret.
#17. To: Sam Houston (#15)
It is quite disconcerting that supposed "Christian" people can easily be mindwarped into such "thinking" by the MIC mouthpieces on Faux News and the Zionist propagandists in the Southern Baptist pulpits,
It's a fine line between being too specific and long winded and therefore too irritating to bother to read, and being too cryptic and therefore too irritating to try to interpret.
#18. To: Cynicom, PSUSA, James Deffenbach (#13)
The government knew [that Patton was going to go public]
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