Obama Makes Nice with Poland
After accidentally insulting Polandearlier this week, President Barack Obama sent a letter of apology to Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, and the pair are friends once more. In fact, according to The Associated Press' Vanessa Gera, Komorowski sees the gaffe and the president's apology as furthering Poland's ongoing effort to eliminate the rankling phrase "Polish Death Camps" from use. "With this letter Poland has gained an important ally in its battle against the misleading, wrongful and painful term 'Polish death camps,' " Komorowski said, according to his Website.
RELATED: Poland Won't Let Obama Off the Hook for 'Death Camp' Gaffe
The president should have referred to Nazi concentration camps in German-occupied Poland as he posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to World War II Polish freedom fighter Jan Karski. Obama wrote in his letter:
In referring to "a Polish death camp" rather than " a Nazi death camp in German-occupied Poland," I inadvertently used the phrase that has caused many Poles anguish over the years and that Poland has rightly campaigned to eliminate from public discourse around the world. I regret the error and agree that this moment is an opportunity to ensure that this and future generations know the truth.
The full text of the letter is available at Komorowski's site.
