Theatre of Cruelty and absurdity

On behalf of the Service

The fresh was published in the series entitled “Biblioteka Radień” under the title “Spying and Adventure Stories” conducted by the publishing home Narodna Młaż. In addition to criminal and sensational works, specified as Arthur Conan Doyle or Raymond Chandler – and thus having a major amusement value – texts were published in a series of texts, which could be called propaganda, due to the fact that they praised service in the organs of the communist state. Nikolai Aretov, a investigator of Bulgarian sensational literature, concluded: “It is simply a secret of polyshinel that many [Bulgarian] crime novelists enjoyed the trust and support of safety services, The Ministry of the Interior and another bodies, and the kind gestures were made by both sides. Apart from financial, publishing and another delicate applicable matters, the cooperation of writers and employers with officers' paginas besides has the another side that deserves attention. This is about information that the safety Service has made available to carefully selected authors. There is no uncertainty that this information was the impetus for the creation of many works.” specified works had a very useful value for the communist regime: their task was to form a affirmative image of the services in accordance with russian patterns, build an image of the enemy and in a “appropriate” way to item certain events concerning cases for the communist government that were embarrassing.

Before the People's Court

This happened and in the case of the Katyn crime, due to the fact that communist Bulgaria had its infamous part here. possibly not so much about the execution itself, due to the fact that it is the work of the services of the russian Union, alternatively than the blurring of russian responsibility. And in this context, the fresh by Miładin the Apostle "The mistake of the expert" appears--there is no uncertainty that its origin was inspired by Bulgarian secret services. A fewer words about the historical background. 1 of the members of the global Medical Commission was Bulgarian pathologist Marko Markow. In the spring of 1943 he took part as a delegate of Bulgaria in the exhumation work at the pits of death in Katyn, alongside another specialists from the countries cooperating with the 3rd Reich (such as Finland, Romania, Hungary) or neutral ones (such as Switzerland). After the exhumation work was completed, Markow signed a protocol stating that Polish officers were murdered in Katyn early in the spring of 1940. At that time, these areas were within the limits of the USSR – this meant that the work for the Katyn crime fell on the russian authorities.

When in the late summertime of 1944 the Red Army practically took Bulgaria without 1 shot, the communists installed here shortly began to introduce russian with the spirit of order. They set up the alleged People's Court, whose task was to justice all – as it was recorded in propaganda at the time – “criminals of the monarchofascist regime”, or representatives of the Tsar authorities of Bulgaria. Each of the 13 judges of the Court dealt with a different social group of the erstwhile political system, e.g. the first composition judged the highest officials of pre-war Bulgaria, members of the Tsar family, prime ministers and ministers, the second composition dealt with the deputies sitting in the Bulgarian parliament since the early 1940s, the 4th – the highest command of the Bulgarian Tsar army. Katyń, on the another hand, remained a substance of precedence for the communists. The trials were short and the sentences were highly severe – more than 2.5 1000 people were sentenced to death at the time, for life – 2,000, and another 5,000 people were sentenced to prison for many years. For comparison: during the Nuremberg trials, erstwhile German war criminals who had hundreds of thousands blood on their hands were tried, only 12 people were sentenced to death.

Prayer over the pits of death – in the background of Fr Stanisław Jasinski, an envoy of the Krakow metropolitan cardinal. Adam Sapieha. Photo: Public domain

The 3rd composition of the People's Court judged outside Markov besides another specialist in forensic medicine, Georgie Mikhailov, and 3 Orthodox clergy. As Bulgarian delegates in 1943, they visited another mass graves discovered by the Germans of NKVD victims from the years of large panic (1937–1938) – in Vinnica, Ukraine. All of them – and the head of the Czaric propaganda office Boris Kocev – were accused of being “a tool of fascist manipulation” and of spreading “goebelsian, Nazi propaganda” to the russian Union.
The Markov trial and delegates from Vinnytsia were held on 19–28 February 1945. Feared by russian security, Markow appealed in his evidence the findings of 1943, besides presented arguments in favour of the russian version of events, presented by the alleged Burdenko commission, while this 1 blamed the Germans for the crime. Markow testified before the Court that in 1943 he signed the protocol under force from the Germans and in fear of his own life. These statements by the Soviets were then utilized during the Nuremberg trials to support the Burdenko Commission and the Germans' accusations of work for the Katyn crime. Markow was cleared of charges before the Court and then released. In conversations with his loved ones, he later admitted that the Katyn case had broken him. He lived with the awareness of sharing in the lie, and since he remained on the mark of the service, he had to watch out all step of the way. So erstwhile in the early 1950 ’ s he received letters sent by members of the United States committee of enquiry to analyse the Katyn crime, he left them unanswered and reported to safety that specified letters had reached him. The communist state gave him the chance to make his technological career. He became head of the Faculty of Forensic medicine at the University of Plovdiv, and erstwhile the Medical Academy was established in Sofia in 1950, Markow became its rector. He died in 1967.

Expert in Katyn

The main character of the fresh "The mistake of an Expert" is the docent Methodi Martinow – it is the alter ego of Marków, whose author changed his name, but he retained the initials. Martinov is simply a pathologist who works at the Sophibian Institute of Judicial Medicine. At the explicit command of Bulgarian Prime Minister Bogdan Filov in the spring of 1943, he goes by air through Berlin and Warsaw to Smolensk, and from there – to Katyń, where the mass graves of Polish soldiers were found small earlier. On site, he meets another representatives of the global Medical Commission, participates in exhumations, conducts a section of 1 body, chosen by him, extracted from the bottom of death, after which he signs a protocol stating that the corpses of Polish soldiers were buried 3 years earlier, thus supporting the the thesis that the perpetrators of the execution were Soviets. So much for the storyline, totally consistent with the actual course of events. The characters Martinov meets during his journey to Katyń, both Bulgarian politicians and officials in Sofia, German officers in Berlin and the vicinity of Katyń, as well as representatives of local power in the Smolensk-occupied Germans. No wonder, however, the fresh is simply a decently featured paper woven from actual dates, characters, and places. In this historical feature skeleton, however, the Apostles were active in propaganda elements. The actions of the main character, his thoughts, the full main feature line are to convince the recipient that the real perpetrator of the Katyn massacre is not the Soviets, but the principals of the appointment of the global Medical Commission and the authors of the "presentation" around the pits of death in Katyn – that is, Germany. The well-written text was to popularize among Bulgarian audiences the main points of russian propaganda in terms of work for Katyn crime and to rise doubts about arguments another than Soviet.

Thus, the fresh exposes the moments of the actual past of Docent Markov, who act in favour of russian propaganda, while the episodes and events which russian viewpoints contradict. Martinov, in the Apostle's view, is so full of uncertainty as to who is the actual perpetrator of the Katyn crime ("Three years?", calculated in thought, conducting the section--Impossible! Where are the signs of decomposition? ” He wonders if the evidence Germany gives him is authentic. The novel, as it were, smuggles many arguments, straight drawn from russian propaganda publications, including primarily from the materials of the alleged Burdenko commissions. He cites the alleged witnesses there – like Parfion Kisieliow – who were to see that Poles were shot by Germans in 1941, quoting documents, e.g. dated 15 August 1941, in which Boris Mienszagin, Mayor of Smolensk from the time of the German occupation, orders escaped Polish prisoners of war to deliver after capture to the commandant. The full communicative in the Apostle's fresh is led to the final conclusion – and this is that by signing a protocol of blame in April 1943 Sovietly for the Katyn crime, the Bulgarian pathologist made a mistake in the title of the novel.

A Look After Years

Apparently Katyń's case was a burden on the author of the novel, due to the fact that in a 2016 book entitled “In the Devil’s ear” he dedicated a full chapter to her. The Apostles in it defend their 1973 publication, suggesting that he obtained Markov's acceptance for specified a admission, on the another hand, at the end of the chapter mentions, though very timidly, the fact about the Katyn crime. He describes in item 1 of his meetings with the Bulgarian pathologist. He was preparing for 1 of the medical journals a sketch dedicated to Markow, so he simply asked the prof. about his participation in the global Medical Commission and the signing of the final protocol in Katyn. The Apostle's account shows that the professor's answer was ambiguous, and Markow besides suggested that erstwhile writing his text, he omit the Katyn thread--as he did.

Interestingly, immediately thereafter, the Apostles admit that Katyn as a war crime on specified a shocking scale intrigued him. erstwhile he received an offer to compose a sensational fresh from the publishing home Narodna Mlaż any time later, he considered Markov's mission in Katyn to be an excellent subject for the book. "I've even invented the title – reports – ‘The mistake of an expert’".

Specialists are reviewing materials and papers extracted from the pits of death. On the left in a uniform Gerhard Buhtz, a German physician, a forensics expert leading exhumations in Katyn. The second on his right without Marko Markov's hat. Photo: Public domain

Interestingly, the process of searching for material for publication described by the Apostle. He found them, he says, in the Moscow KGB archives. Well, during his stay in Moscow at a conference of medical historians 1 “free afternoon” went to the Lenin Library. Most of the materials concerning Katyn were there, as he points out, classified. Yes, it is! "I filled out the essential forms and amazingly rapidly received approval to review 2 thick folders with various notes, paper clippings, written papers concerning the circumstances of the Katyn crime. And all, I stress, were in favour of the authoritative version that the crime was committed by Germany during the business of Smolensk and the surrounding area." For a reason, it seems that the KGB librarians agreed so rapidly that the Apostles should look into the files. After all, there were all essential materials to see for himself what the "truth" is. Finally, this "truth" according to the expectations of russian services was to be conveyed in his novel.

While seeking information about Mark Markov, the Apostles besides utilized the archives of safety in Sofia, he besides met with Dimityr Wapcarov, who was Markov's prosecutor in the trial before the People's Court. From him, he learned that Markov's acquittal had been requested by “the russian KGB officer”. He was to visit the pathologist in prison, and then, in a conversation with Wapcarov, he “proposed” the release of the accused and reconstruct him to work. Of course, the Bulgarian People's Court – so harsh towards all criminals – obediently complied with the russian officer's request. However, the apostles do not point out that in exchange for the release of Markow he had to accept russian argument in Katyń.

There is another interesting item in these memoirs: erstwhile the work on the fresh had already begun, a general of Bulgarian safety named Marinov contacted the Apostle. He invited the author to a gathering that he had since been in Markow's apartment, while the hostess was the widow of the deceased professor. At this meeting, General Marinov, who spoke of himself as a friend of the Markov family, had the Apostle ask him to resign from writing a fresh about Katyn. This one, as he himself points out in his memoirs, had a brisk answer to the general that he would compose the book anyway.

Coloured truth

You don't should be a specialist to know that the full communicative had to look different than the Apostles in their memories. In the early 1970 ’ s, the issue of building a monument in London to the people murdered in Katyn was loud. In the environment of Polish emigration, a committee was created to build a monument, and there was a publicity in the media of the Katyn case. There was even a debate in the British Parliament. The russian embassy fiercely protested against specified initiatives, and especially against blaming Moscow for the crime that Germany had committed.

In the face of the increasing British-Soviet diplomatic scandal, there was a Bulgarian subject – although it is not known precisely whether it was Sofia's initiative or the consequence of an order from Moscow. It was most likely at that time that Milan of the Apostles, a young, promising medical historian, was called upon by Bulgarian services – possibly even by an officer named Marinov – and received an unrejected proposal: he would compose a fresh that would popularize the russian version of the "truth" about the Katyn crime. The Apostle's attribute as the future author was the fact that he personally knew the character of the publication, wrote the mention of it, in addition to being a doctor himself, so he could include (and authenticate) in the specialist text the nuances of the pathologist's work, and too as a literate he was not a novice. In return, he received a promise of promotion, a generous fee, and any help. And that's why nobody made him any difficulty in searching for material in Moscow and Sophibian archives. All this is not in the Apostle's memoirs, but so in the totalitarian reality of the communist state in which the powerful services prevailed it must have looked.

In the hell ear

In the "autobiographical novel," as the Apostles call his memories, there are 2 more interesting themes. The author describes his visit to the medical congress, which took place in Poland in Łódź in 1983. He contacted him at the time, as the Apostles describe it, the "Colonel of the Medical Service of the Polish Army", besides attending the Congress. The officer explained that the reason for the gathering was "The mistake of the expert", and then he secretly whispered that he represented the Polish underground. He besides offered to supply him with papers concerning Katyn: “We want to show you the evidence, true, authentic, original, concerning the guilt of the executioners in Katyn.” Bulgaria took advantage of the offer, which active complex logistics maneuvers, circulated around the city, moved from the car to the car, yet an anonymous man showed him a folder in which there were papers from Katyń, paper clippings, photos, notes, etc.

The second point of interest in the Apostle's memoirs is that shortly after the publication of the novel, the Polish embassy in Sofia was expected to buy 400 copies of it. It is not rather clear what the intent is, due to the fact that to prepare a possible translation into Polish – if anyone were to consider specified a anticipation at all – it would surely be adequate for individual pieces. However, not only that in the Polish translation the Apostle's fresh did not appear, but in Polish publications not only from this period, but in general – there is no mention of it.
But truly peculiar in the evidence The Apostle's love is the ending of the Katyn thread: in just a fewer sentences, the author explains that learning the fact about Katyn became possible only after the collapse of the USSR. He concludes: “I have seen the minute erstwhile movie genius Andrzej Wajda presented a shocking movie about Katyn. What else?! Candles for the shot and deep bow!’ In all this, however, the Apostles show no remorse or guilt--though writing his fresh in the 1970s, he took the side of the perpetrators. But there is simply quite a few uncertainty in these records who was actually behind the crime--as if yet the Apostles themselves were not convinced. At 1 point, he even writes: “Marko Markow erstwhile told me, ‘ Of course, I had doubts! Where was the only body we were expected to study, or was it not for Germany to set up this theatre of cruelty and absurdity?”

Who is liable for Katyn is obvious. However, the Soviets were not the only ones active in the suppression of responsibility. People who chose to do so did so not only under compulsion or fear, but besides for money and career. It's a good thing there's more curtains in this show.

In connection with the 85th anniversary of the Katyn crime, we prepared a peculiar edition of “Polish Armed Forces”.

Feel free to read!