I am grateful that Kenneth and Margaret McCaleb believed this important historical event shouldn’t be forgotten and granted me the opportunity to complete “The Country That Said ‘No'” research project.

My research trip to Bulgaria with Dr. Joy Dworkin was an amazing experience, which I will never forget. We had the opportunity to meet so many people with different lifestyles, different fates. In 1942, most of them were just children who probably did not realize what plan Hitler had for them. Today, these people still remember the horror of the war. I know how hard the interviews were for them, and I would like to thank them for all their cooperation.

Now is my chance to thank everybody who helped me with the project. Thank you, Dr. Dworkin, for coming with me to Bulgaria and never refusing to offer help even when you were extremely busy.

Special thanks to Dr. David Locher and Dr. William Tannenbaum who are the other two members of my research team and who could not come with me to Bulgaria but whose help was extremely valuable. Thanks to Dr. Chad Stebbins for his assistance.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank Dr. Jelio Jelev for the interview he gave for The Chart. Last but not least, I owe a big “thank you” to my family for their support, understanding and belief in me.

Iana Vladimirova