APRIL 4
1939
Józef Beck met at breakfast with Lord Halifax and Winston Churchill in London. On the same day in the afternoon, Beck talked with Neville Chamberlain. Beck came to London as a direct result of the unconditional guarantee given to Poland in the House of Commons by the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, on March 31, 1939. He arrived to complete the formalities and to gain reassurance that if Poland were attacked by Hitler, Britain would intercede on her behalf.
1943
Newly built gas chambers and crematory V became operational at Auschwitz.
1945
Ohrdruf camp was liberated by U.S. troops, later visited by General Eisenhower. Seeing the Nazi crimes committed at Ohrdruf made a powerful impact on Eisenhower. He wanted the world to know what happened in the concentration camps. On April 19, 1945, he again cabled Marshall with a request to bring members of Congress and journalists to the newly liberated camps so that they could bring the horrible truth about German Nazi atrocities to the American public. On the same day, Marshall received permission from the Secretary of War, Henry Lewis Stimson, and President Harry S. Truman for these delegations to visit the liberated camps.
1989
Signing of the Round Table Agreement between Solidarity, led by Lech Walesa, and the Polish government took place on April 4, 1989 after 58 days of deliberations. The talks took place at the behest of the Polish government in an attempt to defuse growing social unrest due to economic malaise and runaway inflation. Among the demands made by Solidarnosc was the legalization of independent trade unions, the introduction of the office of President (thereby annulling the power of the Communist party general secretary), who would be elected to a 6-year term, and the introduction of a Senate. The Round Table talks were of great importance in paving the way for a free and democratic Poland, and finally abolish communism in Poland.
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