ГУЛаг Палестины

SAFER: He [Simon Wiesenthal] remembers that even before the Germans arrived, Ukrainian police

went on a 3-day killing spree.

WIESENTHAL: And in this 3 days in Lvov alone between 5 and 6 thousand Jews was killed.

...

SAFER: But even before the Germans entered Lvov, the Ukrainian militia, the police, killed 3,000

people in 2 days here. (60 Minutes, The Ugly Face of Freedom, October 23, 1994)

VIEW #2: THE LVIV POGROM WAS MASSIVE AND POST-GERMAN.

The Ukrainian police ... had played a disastrous role in Galicia following the entry of the

German troops at the end of June and the begi

Vengeance, 1989, p. 34, emphasis added)

Thousands of detainees were shot dead in their cells by the retreating Soviets. This gave rise

to one of the craziest accusations of that period: among the strongly anti-Semitic population

the rumour was spread by the Ukrainian nationalists that all Jews were Bolsheviks and all

Bolsheviks were Jews. Hence it was the Jews who were really to blame for the atrocities

committed by the Soviets.

All the Germans needed to do was to exploit this climate of opinion. It is said that after

their arrival they gave the Ukrainians free rein, for three days, to 'deal' with the Jews.

(Simon Wiesenthal, Justice Not Vengeance, 1989, p. 36, emphasis added)

VIEW #3: THERE WAS NO LVIV POGROM.

From the Ukraine Einsatzkommando 6 of Einsatzgruppe C reported as follows:

Almost nowhere can the population be persuaded to take active steps against

the Jews. This may be explained by the fear of many people that the Red

Army may return. Again and again this anxiety has been pointed out to us.

Older people have remarked that they had already experienced in 1918 the

sudden retreat of the Germans. In order to meet the fear psychosis, and in

order to destroy the myth ... which, in the eyes of many Ukrainians, places

the Jew in the position of the wielder of political power, Einsatzkommando

6 on several occasions marched Jews before their execution through the

city. Also, care was taken to have Ukrainian militiamen watch the shooting

of Jews.

This "deflation" of the Jews in the public eye did not have the desired effect. After a few

weeks, Einsatzgruppe C complained once more that the inhabitants did not betray the movements of

hidden Jews. The Ukrainians were passive, benumbed by the "Bolshevist terror." Only the ethnic

Germans in the area were busily working for the Einsatzgruppe. (Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of

the European Jews, 1961, p. 202)

The Slavic population stood estranged and even aghast before the unfolding spectacle of the

"final solution." There was on the whole no impelling desire to cooperate in a process of such

utter ruthlessness; and the fact that the Soviet regime, fighting off the Germans a few hundred

miles to the east, was still threatening to return, undoubtedly acted as a powerful restraint

upon many a potential collaborator. (Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of the European Jews, 1961,

p. 201)

First, truly spontaneous pogroms, free from Einsatzgruppen influence, did not take place; all

outbreaks were either organized or inspired by the Einsatzgruppen. Second, all pogroms were

implemented within a short time after the arrival of the killing units; they were not

self-perpetuating, nor could new ones be started after things had settled down. (Raul Hilberg

summarizing anti-Jewish activity in Ukraine, The Destruction of the European Jews, 1961, p. 204)

The Ukrainian violence as a whole did not come up to expectations. (Raul Hilberg, The

Destruction of the European Jews, 1961, p. 204)

Do you not find it disturbing, Mr. Jordan, that 60 Minutes' claim of a massive pre-German pogrom in Lviv is

contradicted by Simon Wiesenthal's earlier statements that the pogrom was post-German? And do you not find it even

more disturbing that when we turn from media stars like Simon Wiesenthal and television a

to respected historians - in fact, the most respected historian of the Jewish Holocaust, Raul Hilberg himself - that

there is a curious lack of awareness of this most egregious of all World War II pogroms, and in fact flat denials that

anything of the sort ever happened?

Yours truly,

Lubomyr Prytulak

cc: Ed Bradley, Steve Kroft, Morley Safer, Lesley Stahl, Mike Wallace

Jordan Letter 3 May 14/96 Nowhere is the SS so openly celebrated

May 14, 1996

Michael H. Jordan

Chairman, Westinghouse Electric Corporation

11 Stanwix Street

Pittsburgh, Pe

USA 15222

Dear Mr. Jordan:

There are certain questions that keep revolving in my mind to which I can't seem to find any answers - perhaps

you could help me with one of these.

The particular question which I have in mind at the moment is what it was that led Morley Safer to the conclusion

that the Galicia Division reunion in Lviv - scenes of which were shown on "The Ugly Face of Freedom" - was in fact the

most open celebration of the SS imaginable - in Mr. Safer's own words: "Nowhere, not even in Germany, is the SS so

openly celebrated."

Now for what strikes Mr. Safer as being the most open of all conceivable celebrations of the SS, I would think

that the corroborative scenes shown should have contained all, or most, or at least several of the following

ingredients:

(1) a display of photographs of Hitler,

(2) a display of photographs of Himmler, head of the SS,

(3) a display of swastikas,

(4) a display of the lightning-bolt "SS" insignia, or any "SS" insignia,

(5) the playing of Nazi songs, perhaps Nazi marching songs,

(6) goose-stepping on the part of the participants,

(7) participants raising their hands in the "Heil Hitler!" salute,

(8) pro-Nazi literature distributed to the participants as part of the celebration,

(9) pro-Nazi statements elicited from the participants by reporters,

(10) pro-Nazi statements made by speakers addressing the celebrants,

(10) reminiscences of Nazi successes during World War II,

(12) expressions of anti-Semitism.

I would think that before a summary as extreme as "Nowhere, not even in Germany, is the SS so openly celebrated,"

a responsible reporter would have mentally run over such a check-list to measure precisely how much corroboration was

really at hand. Had Mr. Safer done this, he would have come up with a remarkable figure - and that figure is exactly

zero! Zero out of a possible twelve! In other words, the scenes aired by 60 Minutes contain not a shred of evidence

- not the smallest clue, not the slightest hint - that this was in any way a "celebration of the SS." To speak words

as provocative and inflammatory as were Mr. Safer's, while at the same time offering as corroboration scenes which in

no way support those words, perhaps demonstrates the contempt in which Mr. Safer holds the intelligence of the 60

Minutes viewer.

Had Mr. Safer done just a bit of homework before he started talking, he would have discovered that the Galicia

Division was a combat unit whose only role was to fight the Soviet advance on the Eastern Front. Had Mr. Safer done

just a bit of reading before giving vent to his prejudices and stereotypes, he would have discovered that the Galicia

Division has never been so much as accused of any war crimes or any crimes against humanity - not even by the Soviets

who have always been rabidly anti-Nazi, and against whom the Galicia Division fought. Had Mr. Safer demanded from his