Below is the text of the official PAC position:
Germany’s aggression and occupation brought catastrophic changes to Poland. Relative to its total population, the country suffered the greatest property, human, and material losses of any European nation. The effects are and will remain visible for generations to come.
The Polish American Congress supports efforts to obtain compensation for Poland for the war damage caused by Germany’s invasion and occupation of the Republic of Poland in 1939–1945. This issue remains one of the most serious challenges in Poland’s postwar history.
The Polish American Congress is currently gathering information and preparing a plan for appropriate action.
To this day, Poland has not received due compensation for the losses it suffered.
The report on the losses Poland suffered as a result of German aggression and occupation during World War II, 1939–1945, was prepared in Poland by a team of 33 researchers and specialists from various fields, including historians, archivists, property appraisers, economists, and lawyers.
The total calculated losses amount to 6.22 trillion Polish zloty — the equivalent of USD 1.53 trillion or EUR 1.3 trillion.
The fact that Poland came under oppressive Soviet control after World War II made it impossible to resolve the question of reparations. The 1945 Potsdam Agreement established Germany’s obligation to pay reparations to Poland, but at the same time introduced the principle that they would be paid through the USSR.
Poland had no influence on the provisions of that agreement. The Polish state not only could not take part in deciding on reparation payments, but was also forced to hand over significant quantities of coal to the USSR — a strategic resource that was badly needed for postwar reconstruction.
Moreover, Poland was deprived of any financial assistance after World War II. West Germany and other Western European countries received aid from the European Recovery Program, also known as the Marshall Plan, while Poland was forced by the Soviet authorities to reject it.
To protect itself from paying compensation for war damage, the German state invoked the doctrine of jurisdictional immunity, which deprived Polish war victims of legal recourse to seek redress from Germany.
These circumstances led the Polish government to formally approach the German state in order to comprehensively resolve the question of compensation.
In September 2022, the Polish parliament adopted a resolution on seeking compensation for the damage inflicted by Germany during World War II.
In October 2022, the Republic of Poland formally demanded that the Federal Republic of Germany pay compensation of 6.22 trillion Polish zloty — the equivalent of USD 1.53 trillion — for material and non-material losses, as well as compensation for individual victims of German aggression and occupation and their family members.
In a diplomatic note dated December 28, 2022, Germany refused to enter into any negotiations with Poland, claiming that the matter is closed.
Like the government of the Republic of Poland and the majority of Polish society, we cannot accept that claim. We fully agree with the view that the question of compensation owed by Germany for the damage inflicted on Poland in 1939–1945 cannot be considered closed, settled, or time-barred.
The Polish American Congress is an organization representing approximately 10 million Poles and Americans of Polish descent in the United States. Its members include Polish American organizations and individual members.
At least two generations of Polonia were directly affected by World War II; many people emigrated as a result of Germany’s aggression against Poland and were unable to return.
The rule of law, consistent with the current state of international law and the protection of human rights, requires every country to pay compensation for all damage caused by unlawful aggression. Poland is also entitled to compensation; Germany has paid compensation to other states and nations. It is an injustice that Berlin refuses to pay compensation to Poland.
We hope that the German government will take systematic steps to compensate for the losses Poland suffered at Germany’s hands. We believe that fair compensation is essential both for reconciliation and for building the international order.
Polish American Congress
Executive Committee