WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s leaders said Wednesday they weren’t satisfied with a White House explanation that President Barack Obama misspoke when he referred to “Polish death camps” during a ceremony honoring a World War II hero.
The phrasing is considered hugely offensive in Poland, where Nazi Germany killed Poles, Jews and others in death camps it built during World War II.
President Bronislaw Komorowski said he has written to Obama and hopes the letter will lead to a “joint correcting of the unfortunate mistake” that could prevent the use of such phrases in the future.
White House spokesman Jay Carney on Wednesday reiterated that Obama misspoke.
“This was a simple mistake, and we regret it,” he said. “It was Nazi death camps that the president was referring to.”
Carney said Obama had not spoken to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
