Evening star., 1944-07-12

To the Editor OF The Star.
Even though DR.. Otto Stein nrefsc..
MS letter on the Poles with the assert,o,
mat 1t Is written "sine ira ct studio.
tne reader who knows history and who
mas regard for truth and justice is str,,ck
py Its inaccuracies its omissions (which
one hardly can believe are uninten-
uonap, its one-sided presentation Of
Iacts and its distortions. Evidently h.
belongs 70. the group of people-all too
common aias-who are highly impressed
oy material power and who consider II
expedlent to side with the strong against
their victims.
do not know what DR.. STEMS spe-
claity Is but I doubt that it is history.
ana feel certain it Is not ethics. He
lacks the capacity and training for
ooJectlVe straight thinking, hence the
Vagueness In his presentation and con-
sequent confusion even as to time and
place. Although I tried my best to
follow him closely, had to reread his
statements several times in my efforts
not entirely successful-to distinguish
between the Austrian and the Polish
governments "oppressions' of the
Ukralnlans (who are falsely called
Ruthenians" says he, without knowing
apparently that the latter name is an
older one for the same people, AS Persia
Is for Iran.
These Ukrainians live in the SOUTH
eastern part of Poland, or-as it was
called under the Austrian regime-East-
ern Galicia, and not in the western part.
as 1t Is mistakenly stated by DR.. Stein.
According to the Polish census before
1899. there were over 5000 900 of them.
while the whole population of Poland
was estimated at $4,000, 900, and not
81 900 900. as Dr. Stein enormously saws.
As to the historic boundaries of the
Polish state before its partitions in the
18th century, they extended much far
ther to the east than those of 1899. as all
the maps Of Europe in 177l prove.
Thus, DR.. STEMS accusations Of Poland's
"lebensraum" expansion are unfounded.
While describing the poor economic
status of the Ukrainian peasants under
the Austrian and the Polish regimes.
he forgets to mention that such was the
status of the Polish and the Russian
peasants as WELL He also conveniently
forgets the infinitely worse conditions
under which exist those of the $500 900
Poles who have survived their deporta-
tions to Siberia in 1939-40, and many
nationals of the Baltic States who share
the tragic fate of the Poles. To them
such life as depicted by DR.. Stein of the
Ukrainian peasant of bygone days
would seem-in compa rison with their
own-a veritable paradise. To them the
possession OF one bed for the whole
family, one pair of boots, cabbage and
beans would be luxuries indeed. and the
ownership of few chickens a goat or
a shaggy horse an undreamed of wealth,
DIR. STEMS attitude toward Poland re-
minds of one of Jean de La Fontaine's
Fables" about the animals holding
court of justice to find out who was the
law-breaker among them. The lions,
bears, wolves. etc, finally established
that it was the donkey. He ate some
grass.
No intelligent person ever thinks
that his nation is faultless, and neither
do the Poles. In fact self-criticism is
often carried to extremes by them.
Nevertheless, they know as well as all
those who are familiar with their psy-
chology that greed, treachery and lack
OF courage never have been their ma
tional traits.
A POLE.