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Today in Labor History March 5, 1940: Six high-ranking members of the Soviet politburo, including Joseph Stalin, signed an order for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, cops and military officers. 14,700 of them were prisoners of war. This extrajudicial mass execution was known as the Katyn massacre. Afterwards, the Soviets tried to cover their tracks by blaming the Nazis for the massacre. They continued to deny responsibility until 1990, when the government finally acknowledged and condemned the killings and cover-up.