Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-29
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

- O-CALLED constructive efforts
for settlement of the Polish
German controversy are in the
~ making. They originate with
Poland. On their outcome may
depend the success or failure of the
Geneva Disarmament Conference. The
rapprochement program attributed to
the Poles does not concern the Polish
Corridor, recently branded in Washing
ton by French Premier Laval and
Italian Foreign Minister Grandi as the
gravest danger to European peace now
extant. Poland declares that the Cor
rider for her is a closed and unde-
batable incident. She contends that
she would no more negotiate for its re-
turn to Germany than France would
negotiate for the recession OF Alsace-
Lorraine.
What the Poles are ready to discuss
with Germany, this writer is authori-
tatively informed, is a PoliSh-German
non aggression pact concerning East
Prussia-that section of Germany which
is cut off from the fatherland by the
Corridor and which separates Poland
from the Baltic. Poland is prepared
under international guarantees, to re-
nounce all designs on East Prussia II
Germany will 'demilitarize" that prov
ince SO that it can never be used as q
basis for attack on neighboring Poland
M. Laval told Senator Borah that il
some solution Of the Polish German
problem can be devised, the founda-
tons of European peace will be laid. II
a solution remains undiscoverable, M
Laval left it to be inferred that Europe
will continue to be a powder barrel and
disarmament a dream. The French
premier found considerable acquiescence
in this view at Washington.
Perilous "ApprehensiOns."
The Poles say that there are two
clearly defined and equally perilous
approximations" The existence of which
must be acknowledged. Unless states
| men in Poland, Germany and the rest
of Europe face these realities, hope OF
peaceful adjustment Of Polish German
problems is remote.
One of these apprehensions is Polish;
| the other German. The Poles, or al
least a large, influential and militant
section Of them, contend that while East
| Prussia, since severance from the Reich
has famished economically to the point
OF ruin, it has become an armed
camp" from which a revengeful Ger
many some day may attack Poland. In
| SubStantiation of these Polish fears, at
tention is called to the belligerent &C.
| Invites of the German steel Helmets
organization in East Prussia, and to the
recent voting of $3.50 000, 900 bNthe Ber-
lin government for strengthening of the
provinces industrial, agricultural and
/ defensive resources.
| AS against these Polish alarms, the
Germans point to the unchecked agita-
ton In Poland for annexation of East
| Prussia, with its Baltic Coast, and also
for suppression of Danzig as a free
state, because of its predominant Ger
| manic character and hence its menace
to the Poles as the seaport of the Polish
Corridor. Danzg'S Importance as q
port, the Germans claim, has been sys-
tematically diminished by the Poles in
favor OF their newly created harbor at
Gdynia. Germany is convinced that
the Poles intend, whenever they believe
the moment propitious, to conquer East
Prussia and make themselves the indis-
putable masters of Northeastern Eu-
rope from Lithuania to the frontiers of
Germany beyond the Corridor. The
| Germans recall the role at Paris of Ro-
main DmowSki, the statesman, who, to-
gether with Ignace Paderewski, was
Poland's chief spokesman at the peace
conference.
East Prussia Essential.
In q celebrated memorandum sub
mitted while the conference was cary
ing up Europe Dmowski declared: THE
Corridor is worthless to Poland unless
she obtains East Prussia as we'll" DR..
Stan1slas Slawski, another representa-
tive Polish authority, in his book on
the Polish German question, observes
1T Is sufficient to glance at the map to
realize that East Prussia forms a bar
rier which keeps Poland from the sea. -
With view to closing the yawning
breach between the conflicting Polish
and German apprehensions regarding
East Prussia, Poland now is credited
with advocating the "demilitarization"
Of that German province as the one