Patrick C. Leech retweeted
Behold the triumph and joy of books: bibliophiles and readers across the world can celebrate this delightful moment....
An old Syrian man who had escaped the vile Assads and their Human Slaughterhouse state returns from exile after their downfall to uncover and recover his hidden library.
He takes an axe to the wall and out of the dust and plaster emerges.... his books, treasures of freedom, totems of openmindedness everywhere....
@abdalhadea
This Syrian old man hid his private library in his home in the city of Damascus since the end of 2011 before escaping to Kuwait out of fear of the Assad regime, where the mere presence of a banned book could lead you to Assad's gulag and death under torture.
Today, the uncle returned to his library and completely removed the wall behind which he had hidden it, revealing valuable books that the Assad regime prohibited possessing and circulating.
A post about my visit to the Berlin Wall exhibition in KC!
open.substack.com/pub/histor… – at Kansas City, MO
The historian’s life: tales of intersecting sources open.substack.com/pub/histor…
Patrick C. Leech retweeted
This story was truly heartwarming. I found it in the CBS archives. A man approaches a CBS reporter in Russia after realizing they are American and shares the story of his captivity. He had been held in a concentration camp alongside American soldiers, separated from them by a large fence.
Each American soldier received five kilos of food from the Red Cross every Friday, but the Germans allowed nothing for the Red Army POWs. They were given only a small amount of soup each day and were constantly starving.
Some U.S. soldiers came up with a plan with the Red Army POWs across the fence to throw food over to the Russian prisoners. The plot was eventually discovered, and the Gestapo brought all 8,000 American soldiers outside and demanded they reveal the names of the Russians involved on the other side. Not a single American opened his mouth or betrayed them.
Introducing a New Series: The Hungarian Crisis of 1956 open.substack.com/pub/histor…
Coming in 2026! Happy New Year! BÚÉK!
substack.com/profile/350851-…
The lyukas zászló ("holed flag") of the Hungarian Uprising is a symbol of the events that began on October 23, 1956. It is also a reminder of how public protests can be mishandled and escalatory.
Lyukas Zászló (The Holed Flag) – Patrick C. Leech patrickcleech.com/2025/10/23…
Attention #GradStudents! Join me and several @faithandhistory colleagues for a Q&A about being on the job market!
Melba Lórik was one of hundreds of Hungarian Americans who volunteered in the US resettlement program for Hungarian refugees. Today's post highlights her work and points us important solutions for our moment as well.
patrickcleech.com/2025/09/18…
A brief update as I seek to recommence posts. Thanks for your patience, more to come soon! patrickcleech.com/2025/09/08…














