In April 1943, Nazi German forces occupying the region discovered mass graves in the Katyn forest near Smolensk. They publicized the find to drive a wedge between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.
The USSR immediately blamed the Nazis for the killings, claiming the Poles were executed during the German advance in 1941. In April 1943, Nazi German forces occupying the
In communist-controlled Poland, mentioning the Soviet role in Katyn was a crime; the official state narrative strictly blamed Germany for decades. The Path to Truth and UK largely avoided the issue during the
NKVD officers shot victims individually in the back of the head, often using German-made Walther pistols to potentially deflect future blame. Discovery and the "Big Lie" In communist-controlled Poland
Despite evidence of Soviet guilt, the U.S. and UK largely avoided the issue during the war to maintain their alliance with Stalin against Hitler.
In 1992, Boris Yeltsin released the "Package No. 1," which contained the original 1940 execution order signed by Stalin and the Politburo.
The "Katyn Lie" finally began to crumble during the era of glasnost under Mikhail Gorbachev.