OCTOBER 19 - DAILY CHRONICLES OF HISTORY

OCTOBER 19

1939

The Haupttreuhandstelle Ost (HTO) was established by Hermann Goering on October 19, 1939 as part of his four year plan to revitalize German economy. Its mandate was to co-ordinate the systematic confiscation of Jewish and Polish assets throughout Nazi-occupied Poland, that is -  state-sponsored robbery. By 1942, the HTO repossessed over 200,000 factories, shops, businesses, personal property and possessions found in over 500,000 apartments, expropriation of over 200,000 plots of land, and further pillaging of other valuables (public and private) totaling billions of zlotys, as well as 270 million reichmarks of Polish state and private properties.  The Nazi Germans established corporations whose sole purpose was dealing in these stolen goods.

1944

The Fourth Moscow Conference ended on October 19, 1944. It was a secret meeting held in Moscow  between Churchill and Stalin, in which the fate of post-war Europe was decided along Western and Soviet spheres of influence.  It is said that Churchill scrawled his proposal unceremoniously on a scrap of paper, in which he accepted the Soviet claim on Poland, as well as 90% of Romania and 75% of Hungary and Bulgaria; while the West would receive 90% control over Greece while Yugoslavia would be split 50-50.  This scenario might have joined the ranks of legend or myth, but it did happen according to William Averell Harriman (US Ambassador to the Soviet Union).  Although Harriman was not present during the secret talks, the Soviets informed him about it later.  Apparently, Stalin examined the scrap of paper and pondered it for a moment, then wrote a large check in blue pencil and handed it back to Churchill. Churchill commented: "Might it not be thought rather cynical if it seemed we had disposed of such issues, so fateful to millions of people, in such an offhand manner? Let us burn the paper." Stalin counseled, however, to save the historic scrap of paper, which Churchill referred to as a "naughty document." It was later known as the  "Percentages Agreement."

1984

Three agents of the Ministry of Internal Security (Soviet Communist controlled secret police) murdered a popular pro-Solidarity priest, Jerzy Popiełuszko. He was a Roman Catholic Priest.  As the facts emerged, thousands of people declared their solidarity with the murdered priest by attending his funeral, held on November 3, 1984.  Jerzy Popieluszko has been recognized as a martyr by the Roman Catholic Church, and was beatified on June 6, 2010 by Archbishop Angelo Amato on behalf of Pope Benedict XV.