Poland must give back Nazi plunder

The memoirs of the Polish resistance fighter Jan Karski, who died in 2000 in the US, have been published in English for the first time. Karski describes how the family that hid him was murdered by the Nazis and their property plundered. The majority of these stolen goods went into state ownership after the war. Poland's refusal to return them to the heirs tarnishes its reputation, write the conservative daily The Times: "Last Friday, for the first time, Poland took on the EU presidency. It now speaks for Europe, but what can be said about, for example, the trial of Ratko Mladic, when crimes from Poland's own past remain unrequited? ... Millions of Poles, both Jewish and Christian, were stripped of everything - homes, land, businesses, forests, factories and furniture. Under communism, those stolen goods often devolved to the Polish Government or local authorities. Tracing their ownership is complex, but not impossible. At the very least Poland should open its archives to make it easier for its dwindling band of Holocaust survivors to draw up accounts in preparation for the day when Poland finally pays up."

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