Evening star., 1942-06-15
Territorial Integrity
Forecast by Treaty
Writer Sees Promise of Peace
Without Annexutions
In AneIo-Russion Poet
BIZ Bertrdm Benedict.

By Bertrdm Benedict.
The terms of the treaty recently con-
cluded between Great Britain and Rus
sia have stimulated hopes for more salts
factory territorial settlements after this
war than after the First World War.
The preamble aligns both signatories
with the Atlantic Charter of August IA,
1941. The first two of the principles then
enunciated by President Roosevelt and
Prime Minister Churchill read: Their
countries seek no aggrandizement, ter
ritorial or other; and "they desire to
see no territorial changes that do not
accord with the freely expressed wishes
Of the peoples concerned" These prin-
cipals are restated in Article v of the
treaty between Russia and Great Britain,
which pledges them to "act in accord
ance with two principles, of not seeking
territorial aggrandizement for them
selves, and Of non-interference in the
internal affairs Of other states"
These declarations must be read in
the light Of the generally known insist
ence of the Soviet government, until re-
Gently, of receiving after the war the
three Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and
Estonia, a section Of Finland, a section
Of Poland, and, to the southeast, Bes-
sarabia and Bukovina.
In September October, 1899, after the
German defeat OF Poland and the Rus
sian occupation Of Eastern Polish terri
tory, Russia forced protectorates upon
the three Baltic states. When Finland
would not accept similar protectorate,
Russia on November 80, 1889, opened war
on Finland. Russia alleged that the
territorial position of the four countries
made them a threat to Russia on the
northwest.
In June, 1910, the Baltic states were
occupied outright by Russia, and in the
following August they were formally in
corporated in the Soviet Union. Does
this mean that Russia will not recognize
them as independent after the war?
After Germany invaded Russia in June,
194l, German forces drove the Russian
armies out of the Baltic states, which
now are under full German occupation.
Soon thereafter, Finland opened war on
Russia. On December 6. l941, Great
Britain. as an earnest Of full co-opera-
ton with the Soviet Union, declared war
on Finland. The United States is still
at peace with Finland, exerting pressure
to detach Finland from the Axis camp.
The Finnish government must now be
pondering seriously Russia's present
pledge not to seek territorial aggrandize-
ment and not to interfere with other
states after the war.
The several governments in exile OF
the Nazi-occupied lands in signing the
Declaration of the 26 United Nations on
January /. 1912, subscribed to the "pur-
poses and principles" of the Atlantic
Charter. If this means that they will
forgo territorial demands after the war,
a long step will have been taken toward
satisfactory peace settlements. One diff
ficulty with the peace terms Of the last
war was that Czechoslovakia, Poland,
Yugoslavia, Rumania and Greece in
sisted that as members of the victorious
camp they were entitled to recoup them
selves at the expense of the war losers
Germany, Austria, Hungary. Bulgaria
and Turkey. They insisted all the more
firmly because Italy received territory
outright In Europe, and Great Britain
and France were assigned inundated ter
ritory in Africa and Asia.
If Russia forgoes territorial claims
after victory over Germany. 1t will be
only with the assurance that the peace
settlement completely will remove Ger
many as threat to Russian safety. In
1919 France was dissatisfied with the de-
gree of safety represented by the League.
France insisted on pledge by the United
States and Great Britain for immediate
assistance in case of aggression by Ger
many.
When the treaty to that effect failed
because the United States Senate would
not even consider 1t, France looked for
safety in alliances. One French alliance
was with Poland. When Poland in 1920
occupied some 10000 square miles of ter
ritory which had been incorporated in
Lithuania, the League was powerless to
protect Lithuania because France stood
behind Poland.