"Tell the Jewish leaders that this is no case
for politics or tactics. Tell them that the earth must be shaken to
its foundations, the world must be aroused. Perhaps then it will wake
up, understand, perceive. Tell them that they must find the strength
and courage to make sacrifices as painful as the fate of my dying people,
and as unique. This is what they do not understand. German aims and
methods are without precedent in history. The democracies must react
in a way that is also without precedent, choose unheard-of methods as
an answer. If not, their victory will be only partial, only a military
victory. Their methods will not preserve what the enemy includes in
his progress of destruction. Their methods will not preserve us....
"You ask me what plan of action I suggest to the
Jewish leaders. Tell them to go to all the important English and American
offices and agencies. Tell them not to leave until they have obtained
guarantees that a way has been decided upon to save the Jews. Let them
accept no food or drink, let them die a slow death while the world is
looking on. Let them die. This may shake the conscience of the world....
"This we did not intend to tell you, but I want
you to know it. We do not demand such sacrifices from our leaders abroad
out of cruelty. We expect to make them here ourselves. The ghetto is
going to go up in flames. We are not going to die in slow torment, but
fighting. We will declare war on Germany – the most hopeless declaration
of war that has ever been made...."
J. Karski, Story of a Secret State, Boston,
1944, pp. 327-328.