2nd International Conference: “Witnesses and Testimonies of the Katyn Crime”
On 18 September, the audiovisual hall of the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw hosted the 2nd International Conference, Witnesses and Testimonies of the Katyn Crime.
The event brought together distinguished guests, including representatives of the Katyn Families Association and the Police Families Association, scholars and researchers from academic institutions, members of Memorial — the organisation dedicated to researching Stalinist crimes — David A. Stewart, son of an American witness to the German exhumations in Katyn, as well as friends and benefactors of the museum. The conference was opened by Paweł Żurkowski, Deputy Director of the Polish Army Museum, who welcomed participants and guests.
The academic programme was divided into four thematic panels, each exploring different aspects of the Katyn massacre, its historical evidence, and the contemporary challenges of preserving historical truth.
Panel I. Witnesses of the Katyn Massacre
The first panel, chaired by Dr Bartłomiej Bydoń, Head of the Research Section at the Katyn Museum, opened with a keynote address by David A. Stewart. His presentation focused on the story of his father, Donald Stewart, and on attempts by American officials to suppress his report, which clearly attributed responsibility for the massacre to the Soviet authorities. Mr Stewart’s work is particularly significant, and the Katyn Museum is currently collaborating with him on Polish editions of his publications concerning American archival documents related to Katyn.
Next, Dr Ewa Kowalska of the Search and Identification Office at the Institute of National Remembrance, and former Head of the Katyn Museum, presented research on attempts by Polish prisoners of war to escape Soviet captivity — both during transport to camps and from the camps themselves. Drawing on memoir literature and Soviet documentation, she highlighted both successful escapes and those that ended in recapture or death.
A paper prepared by Dr Izabella Sariusz-Skąpska, President of the Federation of Katyn Families, was then presented on her behalf. It focused on the Katyn war cemeteries — their history, construction, and the threats they face today as a result of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, including the shelling of the Cemetery of the Victims of Totalitarianism in Kharkiv. The presentation also addressed contemporary Russian disinformation concerning Katyn and provocative actions at Mednoye.
The panel concluded with a ceremonial presentation of commemorative distinctions to staff of the Katyn Museum and to David A. Stewart in recognition of their contribution to preserving the memory of the victims.
Panel II. Testimonies of the Katyn Massacre
The second panel was chaired by Sławomir Frątczak, former Head of the Katyn Museum.
Dr Hab. Witold Wasilewski of the Archive Research and Source Publications Department at the Institute of National Remembrance discussed the work of the Madden Committee, the American congressional investigation whose final report, published in December 1952, unequivocally identified the Soviet Union as responsible for the massacre after hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses and reviewing extensive documentary evidence.
Further presentations by researchers from the Katyn Museum examined important archival materials linked to the crime. Dr Bartłomiej Bydoń analysed the report of Lt Col Henry Szymanski, an American officer who served as liaison to the Polish Army in the East during the Second World War and who submitted materials gathered by former Polish prisoners of Soviet captivity, including Józef Czapski and Bronisław Młynarski, to American authorities in 1943.
Dr Joanna Kurczab then presented the museum’s collection of burial artefacts, discussing their legal status, evidential value, and the advanced methods used to study them today, including infrared and ultraviolet imaging, which make it possible to recover writing and details invisible to the naked eye.
Panel III. In search of the truth
The third panel focused on archaeological and forensic approaches to Katyn research.
Professor Anna Drążkowska of Nicolaus Copernicus University presented on the conservation of museum collections, particularly burial artefacts recovered from mass graves. She discussed the complexity of preserving materials that had remained underground for more than half a century and the technical challenges involved in their restoration.
Dr Magdalena Majorek-Lipowicz of University of Łódź introduced work on the Lexicon of Katyn Archaeology, a project gathering documentation and interviews with participants in exhumation work to create a fuller picture of excavation efforts at Katyn and related sites. She also highlighted the use of 3D scanning of burial artefacts, ensuring that accurate digital records survive even if original objects are damaged or lost.
The final presentation in this panel, delivered by Lt Col Dr Bartosz Klepczyński of the Military Gendarmerie Training Centre, explored the use of modern technologies — including laser scanning, photogrammetry, drones, and facial reconstruction from skull remains — in locating burial sites and assisting in victim identification.
Panel IV. Politics above the graves
The closing panel addressed current threats to historical memory and civil society in Eastern Europe.
Members of Memorial, including Anna Mirkes-Radziwon and Konstantin Konoplanko, spoke about present-day Russia, where civil society is under increasing pressure, critics of the regime face persecution, and historical truth is being overshadowed by state propaganda. Their presentations also examined Russia’s long-standing failure to uphold international commitments regarding Polish memorial cemeteries and highlighted actions perceived as hostile and provocative towards Poland.
Kornel Dąbrowiecki, grandson of a victim of the Katyn massacre, discussed contemporary Russian falsifications and manipulations of historical memory in his lecture, Truths, Half-Truths and Falsehoods in Contemporary Russia.
The final speaker, Dr Maciej Wyrwa of the Mieroszewski Centre for Dialogue, addressed the Katyn crime within Belarusian state historical narratives, with particular emphasis on Kuropaty, believed to be a probable burial site of Polish victims. He discussed the Belarusian authorities’ refusal to permit exhumations there and the broader issue of historical distortion.
Closing Discussion
The conference concluded with an open discussion involving participants and invited guests, including representatives of victims’ families. Final remarks were delivered jointly by Dr Bartłomiej Bydoń and Kacper Ciesielski, summarising the day’s proceedings and reaffirming the importance of continued international dialogue, research, and remembrance.
We look forward to welcoming participants again next year for the 3rd edition of Witnesses and Testimonies at the Katyn Museum in Warsaw.
