"The London-based Polish Government-in-Exile was the first Allied government during World War II to bring to the attention of the free world Hitler's intention to annihilate the Jews of Poland. Its representative, Jan Karski, bearing eyewitness accounts of Nazi-perpetrated atrocities urged the leaders of the United States and Great Britain to respond to the crisis by aiding the Jews of Poland. Frustrated by the Allied governments' rejection of active intervention, the exiled Polish leaders then set in motion their own effort to save Jewish lives by organizing cooperative elements of the Polish Underground with their civilian counterparts. They formed the "Council for Aid to Jews" which was in fact the only government-sponsored social welfare agency established to rescue Jews in German-occupied Europe. This organization, given the code name 'Zegota,' provided hiding places and false identity documents for Jewish men, women, and children who were able to escape from Nazi control. Ultimately their efforts saved thousands of lives." -- The Kosciuszko Foundation