Is normal man can be friends with hundreds of prominent aristocrats, politicians, scientists and artists? Retinger could - Wlodzimierz Kalicki states in the article "A player who built Europe" published in "Gazeta Wyborcza" from 18-19 September 2010. Who was the most mysterious figures in Polish history of the twentieth century?
Jerome Joseph Retinger (1888-1960). He was born on April 17, 1888 in a house on the street Wiślna 3 in Krakow. He was the youngest child of Joseph Stanislaw Retinger Krakow's famous lawyer and Maria Christina, daughter Emiliana Czyrniańskiego chemistry professor, rector of the Jagiellonian University.
His father died when Joseph Jerome was only 10 years old, his mother to get funds for children's education family sold the property and bought a smaller one in the vicinity of Wieliczka. After graduating from a Catholic high school St. Anne in Krakow Retinger was received into the novitiate of the Jesuit order in Rome (it happened with the help of a friend of the family of Count Władysław Zamoyski), which, however, soon left to start his studies at the Ecole des Sciences Politiques and at the Faculty of Literature at the Sorbonne. After they finished, thanks to the protection Zamoyski involved with the elite of the then Paris, referring extensive knowledge of local artists and politicians shortly after defending a thesis became the youngest doctor of literature in Europe. On this did not end his adventure with his studies, he attended the classes for the study of psychology nations in Munich, he was also in Florence and in London the London School of Economics.
Over the next few years, until the outbreak of World War I most of the time he spent in Cracow, where he became involved with the local artistic bohemia. In this period also established a close friendship with Joseph Conrad. Together with him Retinger acted for the Polish cause in Western powers seeking to support of the Entente countries. In 1916 he was one of the people sent to Austria to negotiate peace with the emperor Charles I. As he wrote in his memoirs:
While I dealt with exploring the possibility of a separate peace with Austria-Hungary, it seemed to me that plays an important role in international politics, but it can only be indulged. Maybe my actions were among the many, can simultaneously carried out other conversation. Then I ran out of curiosity, to examine whether the role played, actually was so great as I thought. I can only say that I worked diligently, and when I found that the implementation of the plan is impossible, even stopped to think about it. Maybe I treated myself too seriously, but I was then very young
As noted by Bogdan Piedmont during World War I in addition to activities for Polish independence Retinger also met with the leaders of the Zionist movement - Chaim Weizmann, the future first president of Israel, Vladimir Żabotyńskim and Nahum Sokolov. He knew then (1917) Athur Capela - Englishman, with whom he started working on his book
The World on the Anvil("The World of the workshop"), which
advocated the establishment of a world government , based on the close alliance of France and England.
During the peace negotiations has put a lot of parties and therefore had to leave France. He moved to Spain, where in the 20's he moved to Mexico. , where he met one of the local union leaders, later minister in the government of Plutarco Calles, Morones Luis Negrete. Over time, very involved with the then Mexican administration became its unofficial adviser in many areas. It should be noted Calles Masonic ties, as well as the fact that it inspired by religious persecution led to the outbreak of civil war known as the creation of "Cristero". When Calles and Morones lost in the mid-30's power and were expelled from Mexico, Retinger returned to Europe.
After returning to the Polish dealt with contacts between opposition to rehabilitation camps. Here's what he wrote about it Juliusz Zulawski:
From 1935 until the outbreak of the war, he was in constant motion between Warsaw, London, Paris, Prague and the Czech Moravian Ostrava, meeting Niedziałkowskim, Professor Cat, General Sikorski, Witos, Korfanty arranging their meetings with European politicians. And he can always - due to extensive acquaintances and exploit their skills - to reach everyone, to whom he wanted to reach. Overcome by the concept of creating a viable alternative to the Polish government rehabilitation, he devoted himself to this completely.
These good relations with Sikorski resulted, after the outbreak of the Second World War and took up its position of Prime Minister, proposed cooperation which Retinger adopted. Soon the rest of his connections after being attacked by Germany, France, Churchill helped to obtain the consent of the Polish forces to escape to England. This further strengthened its relations between the two policies, Retinger became one of his closest advisors Sikorskieg about what he called his "cousin of the devil" (the term was served later as the title of one of the biographies written by Algirdas Terlecki).
During this period, he played an important role in diplomatic activity for the Polish cause. For example, after the conclusion of the Sikorski-Maisky, he went to Moscow and there with Wladyslaw Anders worked for the release of detainees in the Soviet Union of Poles.
Sikorski's death found him while in the UK, where it quickly went to Gibraltar. Many of his contemporaries Retinger suspected of involvement in the attacks, including paying attention to the fact that so far almost always accompanied by the Prime Minister on foreign trips. On the other hand Retinger himself admitted that he Sikorski refused to participate in the ill-fated trip because he wanted to bring his personal secretary.Moreover, as like other opponents of this theory, Retinger was present during the two previous "accidents" air Sikorski.
New Prime Minister Stanislaw Mikolajczyk used him as a "cichociemnego" and sent to a top-secret mission to the occupied Polish. The mission was to confidential to the extent that they did not know about it even military authorities in London and therefore after his arrival at the beginning of April 1943 to the Army got an order to liquidate Retinger (suspected him of spying). The order was withdrawn over time and although it is not confirmed what was the specific purpose of his mission, he eventually returned safely to England (where they had such plans for missile V-2).
After the war and the arrest of his associates Retinger longer involved in Polish affairs. Due to limited space now move to its post-war activities when engaged in a movement to European integration .
It was a practice consistent continuation of its existing operations, which are dealt with in the First World War. The first step towards this done as early as 7 May 1946 when the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham Hause gave a talk titled European continent . Soon they became involved in the movement of integration and builds on the knowledge already possessed. During this period, he met with representatives of the various communities in Western Europe, he traveled to London, Paris, The Hague and Rome. He met with representatives of the Labour Party and the hierarchs of the Church (such as Cardinal. Monti, who later became Pope Paul VI).
Finally got his playing an important role in the pan-European organization, amounting to nearly 800 delegates of the congress, which was held from 8-10 May 1948 in the building of the Dutch Parliament in The Hague. As he later admitted, "all the great European treaties grew out of the fertile soil of this bold collection" . Over time, however, with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community and the withdrawal of the UK from the integration movement Retinger lost his enthusiasm for further action, and soon decided to withdrawal from activities for European integration.
This did not mean, however, a complete cessation. He saw the need to have a broader, transatlantic integration primarily with the United States. The culmination of this was a meeting that took place in May 1954, when the most influential people in the United States and Europe met at a hotel near Arhnem in the Netherlands. Bilderberg Hotel was called and as it turned out it's name is forever associated with this group.
Meeting of the Bilderberg Group began to take place regularly, about once a year in different countries. Although the meeting was attended by journalists, there was no any press releases, subjects and conduct of the meeting was shrouded in mystery. However, the same Retinger in 1956 published a paper on it, which detailed the objectives of its business and its current members listed.
By the end of the 50's he was the secretary of the group, but in the end had to give it up because of more and more advanced lung cancer. died in London, June 12 1960 years .
Around a Joseph Retinger no shortage of speculation and conjecture. Suspected him of collaborating with British intelligence and even the Soviet. Remain unclear, as its relationships with Freemasonry, of belonging to the suspects by many researchers. He was a true "gray eminence" behind many important for the history of the first half of the twentieth century events. Probably about the true nature of its activities historians still argue over many years.
Selected publications:
- Poles in the civilizations of the world (1937)
- The Bildenberg Group (1956)
- Conrad and his Contemporaries Selections (1975)
- The European Continent? (1946)
