“The Israeli historian Yaacov Falkov meticulously documents the sporadic negotiations between the Polish government-in-exile in Britain and Germany in Between Hitler And Churchill (Academic Studies Press), a work of complex scholarship.”

— Sheldon Kirshner, The Times of Israel

“Between Hitler and Churchill is a groundbreaking historical study that is both original and revelatory. With the acumen of a seasoned detective, Yaacov Falkov masterfully assembles new sources, shedding light on a crucial and long-forgotten episode from WWII. His work reveals obscured tensions among Poland, Soviet Russia, and Britain during the early years of the war, and crucially, it exposes secret negotiations with the Nazis that might have ended the war as early as 1940. Written with the gripping allure of a thriller, this book not only captivates but also challenges us to fundamentally reconsider much of what we thought we knew about the Second World War.”

— Prof. Danny Orbach, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, author of The Plots against Hitler and Fugitives: A History of Nazi Mercenaries During the Cold War.

“In his fascinating and immensely readable account of World War II diplomacy, espionage, and everything in between, historian Yaacov Falkov paints a detailed picture of an attempt to reach a secret agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and Nazi Intelligence Services. Weaving a tale that is hard to put down, he describes the activities of Samson Mikiciński and  Edward Szarkiewicz, two Jewish-born businessmen, the first who carried out clandestine operations in occupied Poland and elsewhere, and the second, who orchestrated the arrest of the first, claiming that he collaborated with Nazi spy agencies. While the reader may not agree with the author's conclusions regarding the feasibility of the Polish government coming to terms with a Nazi occupation similar to France, and how to regard Polish leaders who tried to establish a relationship with the Germans during the first phase of occupation, it still makes for a fascinating and thought-provoking read.”

— Prof. Judy Baumel-Schwartz, Director, Finkler Institute for Holocaust Research, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan Israel.

“The story you are about to read possesses all elements of a thriller, but it is based on painstaking archival research. Falkov recreates the tangled web of relationships in the Polish-German-British geopolitical triangle, from the Nazi invasion of Poland to Churchill’s political marginalization of Sikorski and his government in the autumn of 1942. Questioning a black-and-white picture of this period in historiography and popular culture, Falkov depicts the actions and fates of two Polish Jews, Samson Mikiciński and Edward Szarkiewicz to demonstrate that history is much more complex and enigmatic than we could ever imagine.”

— Bojan Aleksov, author of Jewish Refugees in the Balkans, 1933-1945 (Brill, 2023)

"In the field of intelligence history, fact is often stranger and more surprising than fiction.  Falkov's book exceeds that and shows how fragile history is at key points of decision-making and how World War II may have taken a radically different course than it did. The book is about two people, adventurers, secret agents, men of the world, working for different sides but with quite similar traits, undertaking perilous covert missions which could change the destiny of Europe.

Falkov's book is a must read not only for WWII fans but to anyone interested in intelligence and history. The reverberations of the events examined in this book shape conflicts in Europe even today."

— Prof. Shlomo Shapiro, Paterson Professor in Security and Intelligence, Bar-Ilan University, and Chairman of the International Intelligence History Association (IIHA)

Dr. Yaacov Falkov is an Israeli-Latvian historian and former Visiting Scholar at Oxford University, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), and The World Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem. He teaches at Tel-Aviv University, consults for Holocaust museums in Israel and Latvia and writes extensively about World War II history.

Important Background Events 

Officer Ranks of the Polish Armed Forces during World War II 
Major and Minor Dramatis Personae 
Glossary of Terms, Abbreviations, and Acronyms 
Acknowledgments 

Introduction. A Chance Encounter at the Warsaw International Airport and Its Surprising Ramifications

Part One

VILE TRAITOR OR SUPERHERO?

Chapter 1

From Provincial Polish Jew to Chilean Diplomat

Obscure Origins 

Renouncing His Roots

Getting Acquainted with Berlin 

The Fiasco in Paris and the Return to Poland 

Rescuing Jews and Reaching out to the Nazis 

In the Frock Coat of a Diplomat 

Chapter 2

The Miracle Worker of Occupied Warsaw

The Escape from Hell as a Pleasure Trip 

The Great Comeback in France 

The Office on Frascati Street 

The Road to Freedom through the Enemy Lair 

Gestapo Officers Thrown Into the Street 

The Birth of the Wondrous Union of the “Tiger” and the “Fox” 

“I Have Done Something for Poland” 

Chapter 3

The Top Player of Fascist Bucharest

The Polish War on Romanian Soil 

No More Trips to the General Government 

The Polish Rival and His Bulgarian Connections 

The End of the Fragile Partnership 

The Move to Turkey 

The Polish Desk at the Chilean Embassy 

Chapter 4

A Base of Operations and Secret Negotiations on the Banks of the Bosporus

In the Backyard of the World War 

An Open and Cynical Struggle 

Among Criminals and Nazi Spies 

Acting at the Behest of the Polish Government 

Chapter 5

Suspicions, Preparations for Neutralization, and an Abduction in Istanbul

The Beginning of the Great Hunt 

The Object of Surveillance from the Ambassador Hotel 

A Partner in the Crosshairs 

“A Little, Cunning Jew” 

The Odd Inmates of the Latrun Prison Camp 

The Last Stage in the Struggle for the Fate of “Lis” 

A Belated Alibi from the Gestapo Files 

The Failure of the Game of Prevention 

The Most Sensitive Undertaking 

“The Turks Have Given an Outstanding Performance!” 

Hints in the Ambassador’s Diary 

A Noble Flight 

Chapter 6

Publicity, Investigation, and a Mysterious Death in the Sands of Haifa

A Worldwide Sensation 

The Mysterious Inmate P. 

The Invention of a Nazi Superspy 

The Intelligence Analyst Crying out in the Wilderness 

Futile Interventions 

An Anonymous Grave in the Land of the Forefathers 

A Polish Domestic Affair 

Part Two

A COUNTERINTELLIGENCE ACE OR A DESPICABLE SADIST?

Chapter 7

A Plot Hatched in London under the Auspices of MI5

Terrified Poles in Palestine 

The Mystery of Room B at the Westminster Hospital

The Grey Eminence of the Polish Army in Exile 

Cast Down from the London Olympus 

Chapter 8

Egyptian Exile, Professional Fiasco, and Disappearance in the Mists of History 

The Best Investigator in the Middle East 

The Survivor from the KMF 25-А Convoy 

Captain Dunlop Refuses to Rewrite Reports 

“A Super-Intriguer Who Has Fallen out with This Department” 

A Life without Aspirations 

Part Three

THE WORLD AFTER SAMSON AND EDWARD

Chapter 9

The Battle Over the Legacy of “Lis” 

A Tiny Army in a Large Leather Suitcase 

A Polish-Turkish Diplomatic Crisis around the Division of Jewish Property

The Lawyer Florin Writes to General Gürsel 

Chapter 10

The Fates of the Secondary Characters in this Drama, against the Backdrop of the Processes That Shaped Its Course

The Chronicle of a National, Political, and Personal Fiasco 

The Desperate Search for a Polish Quisling 

The Betrayers Betrayed 

Keeping a Low Profile 

Afterword

A Perfect Tragedy of Imperfect Heroes 

Open Ranks

Sane Realists in the “European Jungle” 

The Legacy of Thucydides 

Sources and Bibliography 

Notes

Index of Names