Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, a Polish writer, journali, legendary resistance fighter and an courier between the commanders of the Home Army in Warsaw and the Polish government in exile, the head of the Polish section of Radio Free Europe , for a quarter of a century and an advisor to the US presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter died Thursday evening, January 20 in Warsaw.
Jan Nowak-Jeziorański fought in the Polish Army during the Polish September Campaign in 1939. He was taken prisoner of war by the Germans but managed to escape and returned to Warsaw. He joined the Polish resistance and in 1940 . He also served as an envoy between the commanders of the Home Army and the Polish government in exile and other allied governments. In 1944 he took part in the Warsaw Uprising. For his bravery and his travels through the German-occupied Europe he was awarded with the Virtuti Militari, the highest Polish military medal. He also gained a nick-name Courier from Warsaw (Kurier z Warszawy), which he later used as a title of his memoirs.
After the war, Jan Nowak-Jeziorański stayed in the West, initially in London and then in Munich and Washington. Between 1948 and 1976 he was one of the most notable personalities of the Polish division of the BBC radio agency. In 1952 he took the job as the head of the Polish section of the Munich-based Radio Free Europe. He became one of the most popular radio personalities in communist-held Poland. After giving up his posts in 1976, he became one of the most prominent members of the Polish American Congress and headed the organisation between 1979 and 1996. He also worked as an advisor to the American National Security Council. He promoted Poland and was one of the most important advocates of Poland's membership in NATO.
In July 2002 he returned to Warsaw for good. He was an active supporter of Poland's entry into the European Union. Most of his books, published abroad as well as those published in Poland after 1989, were best-sellers and gained him even more popularity.
To commemorate this great man Polish Embassy in Washington organized on February 2 a memorial service. Ambassador Przemysław Grudziński, Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Professor Zbigniew Brzeziński, Ambassador Daniel Fired and AJC President Robert Goodkind were among the speakers and honorary guests at the ceremony.

Statement by President George W. Bush

Recognizing the Death of Jan Nowak-Jezioranski President Bush mourns the passing in Warsaw of Jan Nowak-Jezioranski, a great Polish freedom fighter and American patriot. Jan Nowak's life was devoted to freedom's cause. He was a leader in freedom's struggle in the 20th century from Poland's resistance to the Nazis in World War II through the return of democracy to Poland after 1989, in which he played important roles. Jan Nowak-Jezioranski pursued his values tenaciously, and contributed greatly to the building of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. A longtime leader in the Polish-American community, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 in recognition of his achievements on behalf of liberty.