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Dr. Yaacov Falkovis 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.
“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)
