Slavomir Rawicz Message Board
Mike posts on 10/31/2006 2:11:40 PM
Hi Richard, the 'Anonymous' post at 8:11;52 was mine and my name is Mike. Though, I am not sure whether that negates the contents of my post. I would like to add that the presenter of the program actually contacted the Rawicz family and they have not, to my knowledge, denied anything about the program. They have, however (and commendably in my view) re-iterated Rawicz's own repeated claims that his wish was to bring to the attention fo the world the plight of many millions of persecuted Poles.
Anonymous posts on 10/31/2006 11:58:33 AM
Richard - I find it laughable that you accuse anybody of 'hiding' behind anything, when all you've done over the last few years on this site is run away from, avoid or ignore reasonable dispute about the validity of this book. I can understand why you have found it impossible to engage in serious debate about it, but you must realise that your own contributions to this site have provided little, if any, value or substance, in defence of The Long Walk. Over forthcoming years I hope you'll accept the facts for what they are, as well as the accumulation of doubters who have searched in vain for answers, not least from Polish communities in Britain and overseas.
richard rawicz posts on 10/31/2006 8:19:18 AM
Please if you are going to add to this forum have the decency to add your name and not hide behind anonymous !
Anonymous posts on 10/31/2006 8:11:52 AM
Mary - why particularly did you think the program was poorly executed? It was supported by documents at the Sikorsky museum including the amnesty papers from the Russian ministry issued at the very time that the book claimed Rawicz was in India - the name and date of birth of this person were the same as the book's author so you have to admit to there being strong evidence they were one and the same.
So you have someone whose own family admit he changed details reguarly - while that in itself can be put down to an ageing memory, when this is combined with documentary evidence you have genuinely question the whole thing. If he heard an account told by people who did do the trip, it would account for the inconsistencies that have created so much controversy. As has been said - there is a remarkable story out there, it is just unlikely that it was Rawicz's.
Anonymous posts on 10/31/2006 5:08:39 AM
Following on from the R4 programme, I think it's pretty conclusive about TLW being the work of a fantasist - albeit one who may have been corrupted to a degree by others for commercial gain or to support their own fantasies. I can't understand why the programme was rubbished by a previous posting to this site. It's a great relief that documents can now trace the pre 1943 history of this man - there can be little doubt that the Pinsk doucments are genuine. This is obviously something which is very hard for his family to accept, but I think deep down they also know it. I knew Slav well and I know for a fact that he made up a number of details - some of importance to his overall story. I won't go into detail here, but trust me, he did. The ironic thing is, is that his REAL story was probably at least as interesting as the one he made up!
mary smythe posts on 10/31/2006 3:45:02 AM
Re the program 8pm last night .I have never heard such a poor program in my life, it was very badly excecuted,I would imagine the response to such a badly informed program will have to be readressed.
Anonymous posts on 10/30/2006 4:09:12 PM
..and unfortunately it is all shown to be a fabrication :o(
But I guess all is not lost - there is evidence that some gulag prisoners did escape their sentence and appeared in Indai; and if they took the approximate route that Rawicz described and if the book was one ot two removed from the participants it would account for the inaccuracies and inconsistencies.
So perhaps the silver lining to this cloud is that it is not a complete lie - maybe he heard others tell it and took the story on himself: a third-hand recounting. And how many biographies do we wonder at when they contain just as little evidenced veracity?
kate posts on 10/28/2006 9:21:15 AM
don't forget bbc radio 4 monday october 30th 2006 at 2000 hours the long walk is up for discussion.
pat vidler posts on 10/27/2006 4:20:34 PM
to all the skeptics out there regarding survival in such harsh conditions you ought go out into some of the extremes of nature before you comment. the human body is an amazingly resilient thing. it is amazing to read the comments of people who probably have never stepped out of a city in their boring miserables lives. to these people i suggest you travel a bit and experience the extremes of the earth you live on. however make sure you have people from the places you visit accompany you to hold your hands because i feel that psychologically you unlike mr rawicz would not have the state of mind to survive the extremes of nature experienced by mr r even if you were wrapped up in the cotton wool of the tourist industries of these countries. that and tricks of the mind like yetis and 13 days in the gobi are possible, but for all we know maybe it was longer in the gobi and maybe mr r did meet the abominable snowman, its just a pity he was to hooked up in survival to satisfy our curiosity with a complete zoological survey for us. but there again i think its forgivable he did'nt.
marc posts on 10/23/2006 2:55:03 PM
Just read his book that I picked up second hand. Hadnt realised it was reissued or so widely read. Fascinating and moving. I must say I was a little sceptical about the bits in the Gobi and realised something was up when I got to the Yetis in the Himalayas. Searched the net to see what research had been done on his book.Given the files available now in the Soviet Union and the UK its odd that no records have been found of his trial, time in the Gulag and wartime service. Equally I think it extremely unlikey that there is no record of "Smith" in the US. Having said that there are details in the book that are so inconsequential yet believable that they must be true. Maybe he elaborated in the story, maybe Dowing (?) encouraged him to - but I think he went through something traumatic - the kernel of truth in his story.
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