10 Despicable War Crimes That Were Shamefully Denied

6. Katyn Massacre - 1940

The Katyn Massacre, perpetrated by the Soviet Union's Secret Police upon Poland's best and brightest people in 1940, was a nasty affair indeed. With a body count of 22,000, Katyn showed the world that Uncle Joe (Stalin) could be every bit as genocidal as his contemporary Hitler. The world did not know about the Katyn Massacre until the Nazis uncovered a mass grave in 1943. I would wager that the Nazis felt rather smug at finding the grave as it acted as a showcase for Soviet brutality. When queried about the massacre, Stalin severed all diplomatic relations with the International Red Cross whom the British had asked to look into it. Attempting to get the Soviet Union in the years of the Cold War to admit to the massacre was a futile endeavour. The USSR initially blamed the Nazis on the genocide. In response, the Nazis made a massive song and dance about the massacre. All of their propaganda about the evils of Bolshevism appeared to be justified. However, the Nazis soon developed a case of cold feet about Katyn because they were worried that their own terrible crimes against humanity in Poland would be discovered. Retreating from the area, the Nazis let the Soviet Secret Police in, and they began a massive cover up. Everyone knew Stalin was guilty as hell but important wartime alliances with the USSR were vital to the war effort so the Allies looked the other way. After the war, for successive Soviet governments 'Katyn' was a taboo word. It was not until the late 1980s that the USSR softened their stance about Katyn under the leadership of reformer Gorbachev and admitted to their crime.