Fact Check: Nazis did the Katyn massacre not the Soviets

Fact-Check: "Nazis did the Katyn massacre not the Soviets"

What We Know

The Katyn Forest Massacre refers to the execution of approximately 22,000 Polish military officers and intelligentsia by the Soviet NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) in 1940. This event occurred during the Soviet occupation of eastern Poland, following the division of Poland between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union as per the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. In April 1943, German troops discovered mass graves in the Katyn Forest, which they used as propaganda to accuse the Soviets of the massacre, despite the fact that the killings had been carried out under Soviet orders while the area was under Soviet control (source-2).

An investigation by an internationally-staffed medical commission, organized by the Germans, concluded that the massacre occurred in 1940, when the area was indeed under Soviet control. This finding was used to disrupt the alliance between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union during World War II (source-1). Following the war, the U.S. House of Representatives established the Madden Committee in 1951, which unanimously determined that the NKVD was responsible for the executions.

Analysis

The claim that "Nazis did the Katyn massacre not the Soviets" is contradicted by extensive historical evidence and investigations. The primary source of this claim appears to be the German propaganda efforts during World War II, which sought to shift blame onto the Soviets after the discovery of the mass graves (source-4). The Madden Committee's findings, which relied on records from the State and War Departments and extensive witness testimony, confirmed that the NKVD was responsible for the executions (source-2).

While some narratives suggest that the Soviets attempted to blame the Germans for the massacre, the overwhelming consensus among historians and official investigations is that the NKVD executed the Polish officers (source-5). The Institute of National Remembrance has documented how the Soviets constructed counter-evidence to support their claims of German responsibility, but these efforts were largely seen as attempts to obscure their own culpability.

The reliability of the sources supporting the claim that Nazis were responsible is questionable, as they often stem from propaganda or revisionist histories that lack rigorous scholarly support. In contrast, the findings of the Madden Committee and the historical consensus are supported by credible documentation and witness accounts (source-6).

Conclusion

The claim that "Nazis did the Katyn massacre not the Soviets" is False. The evidence overwhelmingly supports that the Soviet NKVD was responsible for the massacre of Polish officers in 1940. The narrative suggesting Nazi responsibility is primarily rooted in propaganda efforts during World War II and lacks credible historical backing.