The Washington times., 1920-09-03
POLES IGNORE
ADVICE 0Ey.S S.
Polite Rebuff Of Colby Note
Serves Notice They Play
Lone Game OF War.


AZ the state Department, secre-
Nary Colby said that the conference
kad been ON general state mstt~r$
ana that there had only been casual
sIl~sisa 10 the Polish situation.
sTho newspapers Ieaped 90 . con-
eIusiea this ssorniag for which
Auch can be said" the Secretary
said, leaving the Waite Hous~, "but
I am not sure that IL In the riGht
cancellation. The note must be read
in the night Of conditions over there
We must not too readily place the
censtructiOn en- the note that Poissa
q evasive."
Secretary of State Colby and
Undersecretary of State Davis went
to the White House this morninx
for a conference with the President.
IL II understood that they were 10
diseus~ the Polish note and the pos
abilities Of the United States mnk-
Ing a reply TO ID.
Poland, casting international dtplo-
macy aside, has decided to hght the
forces of Soviet Russia to nnish'
sven though she must make the hght
alone, according to the Interpretation
pf officials here today upon the Poiish
oote made public late yesterday.
IGNORE COLBY's REQUESTS.
Poland in her note ignored all OF
the requests and suggestions made py
Secretary OF State Colby, and while
officials refused to make any detaiied
comment, the Inference was plain
that this Government Will not strain
N "a
nation has seen fit to adopt policy
not in keeping with the policy or this
nation.
Secretary Colby's only comment on
the Polish reply was that 1T Is a
very satisfactory discussion or the
matter" State Department ofnciais
point out that the note is in generai
an assurance on the part of Poland
that the warfare it is now engaged
in is purely defensive and that Poland
will not continue aggressive tactics
after the safety of Poland Is assured
through military success.
ALL COULD BE EXPECTED.
This assurance, it is said. Is about
all the United States could expect at
this stage of the conflict.
Secretary Colby, in his note to Po-
land, after stating that the first Pol
ish invasion of Russia helped the
Bolshevik cause, suggested that To-
make a formal declaration or It's
intention to- refrain from TERRITORIAL
aggressions in Russia, that II an
nouncc that its war efforts were not
against united Russia, and that 1t
remain within the ethnographic boun-
daries fixed by the peace conference.
The Polish government in its reply
ignores these requests so far as spe-
eific and direct reply is concerned.
and calls attention to. the fact that
Poland is playing "a lone hand and
that from a military standpoint she
must reply upon her own military
strength and be governed by mill
tary necessities. %
"The most sincere desire to live on
peaceful and friendly terms with her
eastern neighbors" is expressed by
Poland, and this is the closest ap-
proach in the note to an answer to
the American suggestions.
SAY NOTE is REBUFF.
While in some circles the note was
Interpreted as a rebuff to the United
States for it's failure to render all Of
the aid which Poland has asked, rep
resentativcs of the Polish government
here declared that such was not the
ease and that the note was simply the
statement of u nation which is fight
ing a desperate enemy and that no
statements could be made which
might be of value to that enemy.
If Poland agreed definitely to the
suggestions made by the United
States, the Russians would benefit by
these diplomatic moves, according to
!he representatives, of the Polish Gov
nninfad
that a, guarantee on the part OF
Poland that there was no intention
to advance beyond the bouhda ries
laid down by the peace conference
would be of distinct military ad-
vantage to the Bolshevist and would
allow their military leaders to draw
their plans accordingly, knowing well
where the battle they are waging
would end. Such a statement, it was
said, would enable the Russian mill
tary leaders to withdraw their forces
In the north and pursue more strenuous
iy their activities against General
Wrangel in Crimea, thus interfering
with the efforts of that anti-bol-
.heviki leader.
Poland's- reply was received with
some disappointment here and IL is
understood that it was particularly
disappointing to the President, for It
lnterferes with the campaign which
he had opened by the statement of
the policy of this nation against any
ismemberment of Russia.
The President, through Secretary
Colby, in declaring that the United
States was opposed to the disme mber-
nent of Russia and was not aligned
against the Russian people, had hoped
70 appeal to the gerat mass OF the
Russian people, thereby breaking in
upon the morale OF the Soviet forces.