Andrzej Wajda on the Katyn massacre

The Polish film maker Andrzej Wajda, interviewed by Benedetta Craveri, explains why he decided to make a film called 'Katyn', about the massacre of over 20,000 members of the Polish elite committed by the Soviets in 1940. "Katyn is deeply rooted in the Polsih memory ... . The Polish communist regime was never willing to tell the truth about Katyn, no book, no debate on the subject was allowed. The memory of it represented a big obstacle in relations between Russia and Poland. ... At the same time, the attitude of the allies also damaged relations between Poland and the west. Their silence concerning the massacre has been considered a betrayal. This is indeed why part of the Polish elite chose communism, even though it was known who perpetrated the crime."

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