In addition to lies about the Katyń massacre produced and disseminated by the Soviet state and its officials, there are ‘non-institutional’ lies, which include various false hypotheses and speculations bearing the status of true accounts or documents that have entered the scientific discourse. It is difficult to clearly define the motives of those who invent and repeat these lies. Sometimes they arise from goodwill and hope that they serve the discovery of the truth (some reporters may believe that the accounts are true). They can also result from ill will and be a manifestation of megalomania, a desire to attract attention and even to improve one’s existence. There are also extreme cases of paranoid lies which may result from ill will and also some entanglement connected with the onset of mental illness. This article discusses these issues and provides numerous examples.
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