I myself have been in Warsaw for over three years and can be a witness to many acts of savagery which would scarcely be credited by any civilized people. Man-hunts in the streets of Warsaw were a daily occurrence. The usual method was for S.S. troops to block a street and take all men and women between the ages of 14 and 50 years to special concentration camps. Here they were sorted-people who showed any sign of intelligence were then, sent to permanent concentration camps where mostly they died after a few months. The rest were sent to forced labour in Germany. Any people who tried to escape were shot in the street.

Today is the 35th day of the battle for the Polish capital – a city with a population of 1,300,000 people. During those 35 days there has been no communication with the provinces. Therefore no food has reached Warsaw. Rations are already very short, in many places people are starving. The greatest tragedy is for the small children who receive no milk or special nourishment that they need. The people here hear with hungry envy of the liberation of Paris after four days of fighting. They heard that the British Army rushed thousands of tons of food and medical supplies to the French population. Warsaw during the first few days of the uprising received some much needed help in form of ammunition dropped by the R.A.F., but for the past two or three weeks has received no relief whatever.

Poland is our oldest ally in this war. Despite all she has suffered at the hands of the German invaders, she has remained always an active power against the enemy. Polish troops fought in France in 1940; later Polish pilots took part in the battle of Britain, her troops fought at Tobruk, and are still fighting in Italy and France. The Home Army in Poland itself has now risen and is also fighting openly as it has fought under cover during the whole war. Poland is a country which I, as an Englishman, am proud to call an ally. She produced no government to co-operate with the Germans. The only government she has acknowledged is the one in exile in London. To end I would like to make an appeal to the British Nation. It is short: HELP FOR WARSAW.

Sir, I have seen a radiogram in which it is stated that from four to seven machines daily drop supplies over Warsaw. Sir, I can state that these supplies are not dropped in the centre of the city where they are most needed. And I have not heard that there have been any dropped near the city. I have agreed to accept the proposition to act as correspondent to The Times – as communicated to me by E…, subject to your agreement.

Sir, I think that if supplies of ammunition and bandages do not reach us within 48 hours, the city will be unable to fight much longer. Sir, I am your obedient servant.

On every conceivable little piece of open ground are graves of civilians and soldiers. Worst of all, however, is the smell of rotting bodies which pervades the whole centre of the city. Thousands of people are buried under ruins; it is at the moment impossible to evacuate them and give a normal burial. Soldiers fighting to defend their battered barricades are an awful sight. Mostly they are dirty, hungry, and ragged. There are very few who have not received some sort of wound. And on and on, through a city of ruins, suffering and dead. The morale of the soldiers is also going down in most cases.

Sir, last night a small number of containers were dropped on Warsaw at widely scattered points. As far as I have been able to check, five were found of which three contained surgical supplies. Have not found out contents of other two.

Question 1
How do you estimate the present military situation in Warsaw and the losses suffered by the city, the civil population and the Home Army forces?

Answer
The military situation in Warsaw is serious. The preponderance of the Germans, chiefly of their technical equipment, is overwhelming. We are holding out only thanks to the heroism of the front line soldiers and the inflexible will to resist shown by the whole population in spite of the great shortages encountered at every step. Effective and very urgent help from the Allies is essential for us. For some days past the approach of the Soviet front and air combats over the city have to some extent contributed to a weakening of German air raids on Warsaw. The losses suffered by the city are enormous. A large part of Warsaw with its historic buildings and monuments simply does not exist but lies in ruins. All the public utility institutions in the city have been destroyed by bombardments. The civil population has sustained enormous losses, which it is not yet possible to estimate in figures. The losses of the Home Army formations depend on the sector on which they fight; in one of the sectors where bitter fighting had lasted for many days the casualties come to 70 per cent. Where a life and death struggle is going on painful and very large losses are unavoidable.

Question 2
Some centres abroad have brought up the point that the Rising began prematurely and that it had not been co-ordinated with the High Command of the Red Army. May I know your views on this matter?

Answer
It is no time to discuss whether the Rising was premature or not. I state that if we had not taken up arms on or about August 1st it would have been impossible for us to have done so at all since all our manpower would have been swallowed up by the German system for digging trenches, or sent to factories far from Polish soil. Warsaw would have been a deserted city. We were unfortunately not able to co-ordinate our fighting with the Soviets. A number of attempts launched with this in view yielded negative results. When the Rising broke out we immediately informed the competent Soviet authorities by wireless via London.

Question 3
The wireless and press of the world has beer, repeating your name for the past six weeks in connection with the Rising in Warsaw. Could I secure some details regarding your person for the editors of The Times and the New York Times?

Answer
What can I tell you about myself? I am a soldier. Beginning with the first World War, I have been a front line officer. After the catastrophe of 1939 I began to work from November of that year on the organization of the Home Army in Poland. First in Cracow. and then from 1941 in Warsaw as Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Home Army. The Commander-in-Chief unfortunately was arrested by the Germans in the summer of 1943 and since then I have taken up command of the Polish Home Army.

Sir, I am unable to carry out my duties as energetically as usual owing to a wound in my leg.

Sir, owing to loss of personnel due to enemy action and the destruction of the radio station I have been unable to send messages during two days. I believe that from now on work will go forward normally. The food situation in Warsaw is critical. The only water available is from freshly dug wells. Epidemics are beginning to appear. An enormous percentage of the population is wounded, and many killed.

Ten battalions of infantry, two battalions of engineers, one company of nine 'Tiger' tanks, twenty 75 mm. self-propelled guns, fifty 'Goliath' mobile tanks, six 75 mm. guns, two mortars 280 mm. calibre, two 380 mm. guns, one 600 mm, mortar, one platoon of mine-throwers and a number of flame-throwers, one armoured train with eighteen heavy machine guns and a battery of 105 mm. guns.