The promotion of Dr Danuta Drywa’s book “The Ambassadorship of the Republic of Poland in Bern. A story kept quiet” took place in Warsaw at the Press Centre yesterday. The publication describes the activities of the Polish diplomats from what is known as the Bern Group, which was focused on the Polish embassy in Switzerland, and other representatives of the Polish diplomatic service who saved Jews during the Second World War.
“Going deep into the subject of ambassadorship, the diplomatic correspondence between Bern and London, as well as other embassies,. is a very interesting story for a historian researching documents. It would make a great script for a thriller. All the diplomats worked on the edge of breaking the law, since the German government attempted to pressure the Swiss into closing the Polish embassy, so they had to be very careful all the time”, said the author of the book, Dr Danuta Drywa at the promotion event.
“What’s unique about this book is the fact that we had no state officially. We had to do much more, without applying for Polish passports since it was impossible at the time. We had to cooperate with other embassies and Jewish organisations in order to get the funds to bribe appropriate officials and receive diplomatic passports. That is why it is so interesting”, added prof. Magdalena Gawin, the deputy minister of culture and national heritage.