>>7845352
This is all based on coerced hearsay. What would you expect POW's at the mercy of their captors to say? Definitely not very convincing.
"The group of American and British POWs had been taken by the Nazis against their will to witness the scene.
What they saw convinced two Americans, Capt Donald B Stewart and Lt Col John Van Vliet, that the killings must have been carried out by the Soviets, rather than the Nazis, who did not occupy the area until 1941.
A statement from one, Captain Donald B Stewart, made in 1950, confirmed he sent a coded message, the gist of which was: "German claims regarding Katyn substantially correct in opinion of Van Vliet and myself."
They were apparently persuaded by the advanced state of decay of the bodies - suggesting they must have died before August 1941, when the Germans seized the area.
They also saw items found on the bodies, including letters, diaries and other items, none of which was dated later than the spring of 1940.
And the good state of the men's boots and clothing suggested the men had not lived long after being captured by invading Soviet forces."