FBI director James Comey has caused huge offense to a key U.S. ally by using language that suggested that Poland was an accomplice in the Holocaust . Poles are waiting to see if Comey would issue an apology — something that had n't happened by late Monday . Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna said he expected him to say sorry so the matter can be settled . Comey said last week , 'In their minds , the murderers and accomplices of Germany , and Poland , and Hungary , and so many , many other places did n't do something evil . 'They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do , the thing they had to do . That 's what people do . And that should truly frighten us . ' FBI director James Comey , pictured at a news conference last month , has caused huge offense to a U.S. ally by using language to suggest that Poles were accomplices in the Holocaust . Comey 's comments are particularly offensive to Poles not only because they had no role in running Auschwitz and other death camps where Jews were murdered during World War II , but because they were themselves victims of the Third Reich . In all , 6 million Polish citizens were killed during the war , about half of them Jewish and the other half Christians , with many Polish priests , members of the intelligentsia and political resistance killed in Auschwitz and elsewhere . Poland also had a committed anti-Nazi resistance movement and Polish fighters fought alongside the Allies throughout the war . Poles see themselves as heroes of the war who have never been properly recognized , making comments like Comey 's hurt even more . Comey originally delivered the remarks on Wednesday at the U.S . Holocaust Memorial Museum in arguing for the importance of Holocaust education . The speech was adapted for an article published in The Washington Post on Thursday . U.S . Ambassador Stephen Mull attends ceremonies marking the 72nd anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising , in front of the monument to the Heroes of the Ghetto , in Warsaw , Poland , on Sunday , April 19 , 2015 . The Polish reaction was swift . On Sunday , the U.S. ambassador to Poland , Stephen Mull , was called to the Foreign Ministry in a formal act of protest on the 72nd anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising . Mull , a well-liked figure in Poland , went into damage-control mode . 'Saying that Poland and any other country other than Nazi Germany were responsible for the Holocaust is a mistake , is harmful and is offensive , ' Mull said . 'Director Comey certainly did not mean to suggest that Poland was in any way responsible for those crimes . ' In Washington , U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf later echoed that sentiment , saying that 'Poles certainly bore a huge brunt of the barbarism of Nazi Germany . ' 'Director Comey certainly did not intend to suggest otherwise , did not intend to suggest that Poland was in some way responsible for the Holocaust , ' she said . The FBI had no immediate comment on the matter . Polish leaders all had something to say about the controversy . 'To those who are incapable of presenting the historic truth in an honest way , I want to say that Poland was not a perpetrator but a victim of World War II , ' Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said on Sunday . ' I would expect full historical knowledge from officials who speak on the matter . ' Not all Poles behaved heroically during the war . Anti-Semitism was deep in the 1930s and some Poles pointed Jews out to the Nazis , who often could not tell Jew from non-Jew . There were also some cases of Poles murdering Jews during the war . But collaborating was never the official state position , as it was with Vichy France , for instance . In fact , during the war , the Polish underground army had a program to save Jews , called Zegota . And Poles caught denouncing Jews to the Nazis were even killed by the Polish resistance . President Barack Obama caused a similar controversy in 2012 when he used the wording 'Polish death camp . ' Poles feel that that wording implies Polish complicity , and Obama later expressed 'regret ' for the gaffe . 'In referring to ' a Polish death camp ' rather than ' a Nazi death camp in German-occupied Poland , ' I inadvertently used a phrase that has caused many Poles anguish over the years and that Poland has rightly campaigned to eliminate from public discourse around the world , ' Obama wrote at the time . ' I regret the error and agree that this moment is an opportunity to ensure that this and future generations know the truth . ' The entrance to the Auschwitz death camp in Oswiecim , Poland . There was a Polish program to save Jews , called Zegota , and Poles caught denouncing Jews to the Nazis were even killed by the Polish resistance .
press spokesman James Comey stated in remarks last week that Poles were accomplices during the holocaust . Comey 's remarks are offensive to Poles as they had no role in Polish death camps and were themselves victims of the Third Reich . Poles see themselves as heroes of the war who have never been properly recognized , making the comments yet more hurtful . The remarks came shortly before the 72nd anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising , which was commemorated on Sunday . The U.S. ambassador to Poland , Stephen Mull , was called to the Foreign Ministry in a formal act of protest . The incident echoes a gaffe by President Obama in Poland when he referred to ' a Polish death camp ' - he offered his regrets for the error .