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In Letter to Polish President, President Obama Expresses Regret Over Term "Polish Death Camp"
ABC News ^ | Friday, June 1, 2012 | Jake Tapper

Posted on 06/01/2012 10:48:39 AM PDT by kristinn

President Obama wrote a letter to the president of Poland in which he expressed regret for his words during the Medal of Freedom ceremony in which he referred to World War II-era “Polish death camp” instead of a Nazi death camp in Germany-occupied Poland.

“In referring to ‘a Polish death camp’ rather than ‘a Nazi death camp in German-occupied Poland,’ I inadvertently used a phrase that has caused many Poles anguish over the years and that Poland has rightly campaigned to eliminate from public discourse around the world,” President Obama wrote. “I regret the error and agree that this moment is an opportunity to ensure that this and future generations know the truth.”

SNIP

President Komorowski received permission from the White House to post the entire letter on his website. http://www.president.pl/en/news/news/art,309,president-on-barack-obamas-letter.html

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: jankarski; obama; poland
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From the Polish President's website:

US President Barack Obama in a letter to Polish President Bronisław Komorowski wrote he had inadvertently used the phrase "Polish death camp" in his recent speech and expressed regret over the mistake.

President Bronisław Komorowski said on Friday that President Barack Obama's letter may be an important element of the struggle for historical truth. Thanks to the letter Poland has gained an important ally in its battle against wrongful qualifications, the president said.

"The events of the past few days and the US President's reply may, in my opinion, signify a very important moment in the struggle for historical truth," president Komorowski told a press conference. "With this letter Poland has gained an important ally in its battle against the misleading, wrongful and painful term 'Polish death camps'" the Polish president said.

"I am convinced that Polish state authorities and institutions, with special emphasis on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be able to take adequate stock of the US President's declaration in their further (...) struggle for the eradication of confusing, painful and untrue qualifications found in public language outside Poland," the President declared.

The following is the text of President Barack Obama's letter to President Bronisław Komorowski:

Thank you for your letter of May 30. I was proud to honor Jan Karski with the Medal of Freedom, our nations's highest civilian honor. My decision to do so was a reflection of the high esteem in which the American people hold not only a great Polish patriot, but the extraordinary sacrifices of the Polish people during the Nazi occupation of the Second World War.

In referring to "a Polish death camp" rather than " a Nazi death camp in German-occupied Poland," I inadvertently used the phrase that has caused many Poles anguish over the years and that Poland has rightly campaigned to eliminate from public discourse around the world. I regret the error and agree that this moment is an opportunity to ensure that this and future generations know the truth.

A we all know, the Polish people suffered terribly under the brutal Nazi occupation during World War II. In pursuit of their goals of destroying the Polish nation and Polish culture and exterminating European Jewry, the Nazis killed some six million Polish citizens, including three million Polish Jews during the Holocaust. The bravery of Poles in the underground resistance is one of history's great stories of heroism and courage.

Moreover, there simply were no "Polish death camps." The killing centers at Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Treblinka, and elsewhere in occupied Poland were built and operated by the Nazi regime. In contrast, many Poles risked their lives - and gave their lives - to save Jews from the Holocaust.

That is why I paid tribute to Polish victims of the Holocaust during my visit to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in April. It is why I was honored to pay my respect at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier and the Monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto during my visit to Warsaw last year. An it is why, during the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 201, I commended the government and people of Poland for preserving a place of such pain in order to promote remembrance and learning for the world.

I know well the bonds of friendship between our two countries. I was proud to welcome you to the NATO Summit in my home town of Chicago, which is home to the largest Polish community in the world outside Warsaw. As President, I have worked with you to strengthen the enduring ties between our nations so that our alliance is stronger than it has ever been.

Poland is one of America's strongest and closest allies. We stand united in facing the challenges of the 21st century in Europe and around the world, and I am confident that, working together, we can ensure that the unbreakable bonds of friendship and solidarity between us will only grow stronger in the days and years ahead. (PAP/ own information)

1 posted on 06/01/2012 10:48:52 AM PDT by kristinn
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To: kristinn
No invitation for a beer summit?
2 posted on 06/01/2012 10:51:05 AM PDT by MichaelCorleone (Forget the GOP and build the Constitution Party, because the status quo is no longer the way to go.)
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To: kristinn

Obama is too proud to say simply that he is sorry.


3 posted on 06/01/2012 10:51:43 AM PDT by thethirddegree
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To: kristinn

Obama - stupidier then a fifth grader...


4 posted on 06/01/2012 10:53:28 AM PDT by mom4melody
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To: kristinn
I gotta admit, I'm surprised. This dude usually 'doubles down'. This is a very rare act of contriteness from Obama.

Obama is awful, but he did this one right, once he made his mistake.

+1 like.

5 posted on 06/01/2012 10:55:28 AM PDT by Lazamataz (People who resort to Godwin's Law are just like Hitler.)
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To: kristinn

How did he find the time to write this letter?


6 posted on 06/01/2012 10:56:17 AM PDT by ColdOne (eI miss my poochie... Tasha 2000~3/14/11 0bie don' t eat my dog!)
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To: kristinn

It’s a decent letter, but I noticed no “I apologize” or “I’m sorry” anywhere in it.

Not part of his vocabulary. It’s a really stupid thing he did, and probably even stupider not to just put “I apologize” in the letter, because honestly the letter is not terrible, and that would have capped it off.


7 posted on 06/01/2012 10:57:45 AM PDT by hitchwolf
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To: thethirddegree

Meanwhile, he’s banned from the White House Lech Walesa, former Polish President, Peace Prize recipient (who actually put his life on the line to earn the prize). who was to have accepted the medal on behalf of Karski. He was banned for being “too political.”

As opposed to John Paul Stevens, the most reliable liberal vote on SCOTUS for decades; and Dolores Huerta, as despicable a marxist as ever existed.

Nothing but class oozing from the People’s White House.


8 posted on 06/01/2012 10:58:46 AM PDT by DPMD
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To: thethirddegree

Will all the jobless people now they are going to have to compete with out of work teleprompters.


9 posted on 06/01/2012 10:59:13 AM PDT by artificial intelligence (Your data will be processed by me for future input. Thank you.)
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To: kristinn

Apparently in diplospeak “regret” means “I’m sorry if you were offended” whereas “apologize” means “I’m sorry - I was wrong”.

This smacks of a non-apology which is entirely within character.


10 posted on 06/01/2012 11:00:51 AM PDT by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: kristinn

I guess Poland will accept this, but it still doesn’t sound like a real apology to me.


11 posted on 06/01/2012 11:03:21 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Lazamataz
I can't see the +1 in his deflection:

“. . .regret the error and agree that this moment is an opportunity to ensure that this and future generations know the truth . . .”

The kenyan is the one who does not know the truth, yet he shrugs it off on the rest of us.

12 posted on 06/01/2012 11:05:06 AM PDT by KittenClaws (A closed mouth gathers no foot.)
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To: Cicero

When is he going to write a letter to the American people expressing regret over the continual use of the phrase “President Barack Obama”???


13 posted on 06/01/2012 11:07:50 AM PDT by RightFighter (It was all for nothing.)
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To: MichaelCorleone

He’s at the Chicago Death Camp latter today. -Wb


14 posted on 06/01/2012 11:09:17 AM PDT by Wagonboy (STOP GLOBAL WHINING!)
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To: Lazamataz

“This is a very rare act of contriteness from Obama.
Obama is awful, but he did this one right, once he made his mistake.”

Read the letter again. where he says
“,” I inadvertently used the phrase that has caused many Poles anguish over the years and that Poland has rightly campaigned to eliminate from public discourse around the world”

he never said he was wrong to call them Polish death Camps. he makes it seem as though he was correct and everyone knew it but since Poles tried to eliminate the phrase perhaps he ( 0dumbo) should not have sued the phrase

that is NO apology and in fact is a further slap in their face


15 posted on 06/01/2012 11:13:56 AM PDT by RWGinger (Simpl)
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To: kristinn
Wow. Obama apologize? Even if it's just a flunky writing over Obama's signature, for a confirmed pathological narcissist to publicly admit error is a sign that they took major political damage from this gaffe.
16 posted on 06/01/2012 11:47:48 AM PDT by Paine in the Neck (Socialism consumes everything)
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To: kristinn

Barack Obama isn’t to blame, he attended a little Red schoolhouse all his life. Can he he’p it if his history lessons were tainted by Communist revisionist history?


17 posted on 06/01/2012 12:48:51 PM PDT by a fool in paradise (Washington could not tell a lie, Nixon could not tell the truth, Obama can't tell the difference.)
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To: Cicero
BHO is a "step-skipper"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eaUXkicnXQ
18 posted on 06/01/2012 12:50:15 PM PDT by kenavi (Obama doesn't hate private equity. He wants to be it with our money.)
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To: kristinn

That ain’t no apology, the only thing 0bama is sorry about is that he may have alienated the Polish voting bloc in the upcoming general election ASSUMING we even have an election.

I still haven’t ruled that out from the Kenyan Mugabe.


19 posted on 06/01/2012 1:23:49 PM PDT by mkjessup (Eternal Vigilance (aka FReeper Tom Hoefling) has my vote for President in 2012.)
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To: kristinn

I sincerely appologize if any Pollocks were offended by my remarks.


20 posted on 06/01/2012 1:32:13 PM PDT by The_Media_never_lie (The First Bystander must be removed!)
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