The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-05-05

Exile Government
May be Liability
For Population
BY Charles p. Stewart

A GOVERNMENT IN EXILE
can be a liability as well as an
asset.
When the war started and the
smaller countries began TO he over
run, mostly by the Nazis, their in.
dependent Administrations natural
ly disappeared in the face OF au-
thority exercised by the invaders.
However, the direction OF de-
tailed local affairs was inconyen-
tent for the cOnquerors. engaged, as
they were with more urgent prob
lens elsewhere. SO they booster,
here and there, Quisling into
power, subject TO their dictation.
The original Quisling, as | sup
pose nearly everyone knows by
now. was a chap Of that name in
Norway. His job is TO be a native,
disreputably acquiescent to AXIS
orders. The initial Norwegian
Quisling had the more than doubt.
ful honor Of having his monickeg
wished onto the stunt wherever.
somewhere. or other, the AXIS
picked him for the post in his par
ticular capital. Quisling No. ! sim
ply was the first OF them. A "Quis-
ling may have any kind OF a real
family name annd still be "Quis-
ling"
Well lot Of folk in this Axisly-
dominated countries did not like
Quisling rulership. Right in their
own midst they could not do any
thing about it, not being strong
enough.
However. such OF them as could.
took refuge IN other friendly lands
and fixed up in them what they
called governments in eXile"-that
is, cabinets representative OF their
own various states, insofar as they
were able TO be representatives OF
people under the real subsection Of
their respective Quislings.
or course, the anti-AXis powers
which harbored them treated the
overrun little democracies' gov
ernments in exile" as the genuine
articles.
They made postwar plans with
them and treated them generally
on a basis Of diplomatic equality,
ignoring the home.staying Quis,
lings as mere Axis hirelings which
Is what they are, unquestionably.
For this sort OF purposesHhe
governments in exile" have classi-
fled as assets. They have served as
spokesman for their home folks
vast majorities. they have been
handy for the United Nations CAPT
tails TO negotiate with relative to
ultimate peace terms and they have
existed as demonstration that the
Axis has licked them only super
Ecially. Else why governments in
exile?
Thus they have been assets to
the United Nations.
They also must have been some
thing OF a conclusion TO their
loyal countrymen back home, and a
bit of fret TO the Axis leadership,
due TO its inability to suppress
them.
Such was the rule until the out.
break Of the row between Russia
and Poland.
Poland, swiped at BY the Nazis,
set up an exile government" in
London.
The United Nations took II for
granted that the. Poles were anti
Axis. So did then government in
exile"
Nevertheless. the Poles had pleu.
~ Of past trouble with Russia.
Berlin fixed up the story that the
Russians had mastered Poles
wholesale and inquired whether or
not Warsaw was going TO fall for
il.
The Quisling regime there
promptly answered negatively. That
was what might have been expect.
ed from a Quisling group any
where. The difficulty was that the
Polish exile government IN Lea
don Endorsed the boiler. demanding
an accounting from Moscow.
Moscow sassed back immedl'
ately.
This furiously strained relations
within the United Nations relation
ship inclusive OF the Americans,
the British, their miscellaneous asso.
ciates Russians among them) and
the pretty formidable Poles - II
their London government IN exile"
speaks for them, as 1t obviously
does.
The United Nations can't entirely
disregard Poland. And yet Russia is
one OF the most formidable OF them.
II is a split in the very center OF
their organization OF them.
g. Is there an explanation?
There is, indeed.
Poland's population is mainly IN
dustrial and agricultural, like Rus
sia's. II has. though, a small gov.
erning class-aristocratic anad mil
itary. very similar 10 Germanyi
corresponding class.
TT rf