Evening star., 1940-02-11
Polish Government
Thrives in Fronce
BI Frederic J. Haskin.

existent. A part Of the terrain now Is
incorporated in the German Reich and a
part now is claimed and occupied by
Soviet Russia. Another partition Of Po-
land has taken place. But Poland as a
political entity is far from dead, because
| the head, the brain, has not been exter-
minated. For centuries the ancient city
| Of Warsaw was capital Of the Kingdom
| Of Poland. Under Russian rule it re-
mained the capital of the province and,
| when the republic was erected by the
treaty of Versailles, 1t became the capital
of a nation again.
answer Of Warsaw" to the question as
to what city is the capital of Poland
would have to 60 to the foot of the class,
which, in all probability, would be a
crowded position. For Warsaw today is
merely one of the German occupied cities.
The capital of Poland now Is many hun
| dreds of miles to the westward. It Is the
| 2,000-year ar-old city of Anglers in France.
| This is not figure Of speech. BY an
agreement with the French government,
Poland has been definitely established at
Anglers. The Polish government is set up
there and, under extraterritorial rights
! granted by France. Polish law prevails.
| This French city Of $4,000 inhabitants
| normally now has been swelled by a
| large influx of Polish officials and their
suites and is. for all legal purposes, as
Polish as Warsaw save that the vast
French Army stands between 1t and the
German foe.
The President of Poland is not there.
He had been interned when he fled to
Rumania, but, under parole, was permit
ted to 60 to Switzerland for medical
treatment However, Prime Minister
General Sikorski is there, Undersecretary
Of State Strasburger is there and q host
of other Polish officials
4 y 4
What makes this transplanted capital
even more real is the fact that 1t is on
cially recognized as such by foreign pow
ers. The American Ambassador, An
thony Drexel Biddle, now is accredited
not to Warsaw but to Anglers in France.
A very old and picturesque medieval cas-
tie has been set aside for him as his En-
| bassy. M. Lucien Noel is accredited to
Angers as the French Ambassador to the
Polish government. So is Sir Howard
Kennard, the British Ambassador. 1t is
the same with the Ambassadors and
Ministers of other nations.
The Polish government now occupies
three large structures on the Boulevard
du Marechal Foch in the very center of
the city Of Anglers and gradually will take
over more space. The various ministries
of state, of war, Of the exchequer and 50
on have their STATS almost as though
they were in Warsaw.
The work on which the Polish govern
ment chiefly is engaged is an effort to
reconstitute Polish state. The Poles,
although now hereft Of their country,
have by no means bowed under the ad-
verse fortunes of war. They have every
expectation that their country will be
recovered and before very many more
months have passed. The government
sitting at Anglers plans to be prepared
to take over conduct of affairs again In
Warsaw the moment that is made pos
sible by a victory of the allied democ-
racies.
The ministry of war is actively recruit
ing a new Polish Army. Quite q number
Of Poles escaped from Poland after the
INVASION some of them wounded. Many
aviators got out, few with their air
planes. But the main body of the new
Polish Army is being made up Of Poles
who had emigrated. There are nearly
500, 900 Poles resident in France. From
Canada and the United States pours a
constant stream of volunteers for the
new army. France Is assisting In arming
the recruits, not few of whom are vet
erans. and right now formidable forces
are training under the Polish flag in
France. They will assist, of course in
holding the Maginot Line at need. hut
their real purpose is to recapture Poland
when opportunity offers. Polish naval
ships which escaped are serving with the
British fleet.
There is long-standing friendship
between France and Poland. In the
18th century, when Poland was one of
the most important kingdoms in Europe,
the Diet elected q new king. It Is inter-
esting to note that Poland long followed
q somewhat curious monarchical system
1t did, indeed, have kings, but the throne
was not passed on by heredity unless the
people so willed. The Polish Diet elected
its kings. When one died or for some
reason was dethroned the Diet looked
around for whom it thought would be
the best man.
On this occasion they elected Henri,
Due dAnjou, the brother Of Charles TX,
King Of France. He reigned in Poland
and, later, on the death of his brother
without more immediate heir, also be-
came King of France, reigning as Henri
III. Ever since this joint kingship there
has been traditional bond Of friendship
between the two countries. At the vari-
Gus partitions Of Poland, refugees have
fled to Paris as a matter of course. IN
asmuch as France is traditional enemy
Of Germany, the Poles, as victims Of
Nazi aggression, have been all the more
welcome.
Perhaps the choice Of Anglers as the
Polish capital was prompted by the cir
cumstance that 1t Is the ancient capital
Of the County Of Anjou. the domain Of
the Due d'Anjou, who became King Of
Poland.
Anglers is some 100 miles southwest Of
Paris In the Department Of Maine-et.