The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-06-13
TODAY and TOMORROW
By WALTER LIPPMANN

- ~ ~ y - SSsSS
BY WALTER
Poland An
We can measure the importance
of the political arrangements in the
great battle for Europe when we
see that the President invited the
Prime Minister Of Poland to be in
Washington this week and has ask
ed General de Gaulle to come iii
the next few weeks.
Agreements both which Poland
and with France are Of pressing
Importance. Mr.. Sumner Welles,
with whom / have been having a
friendly argument, has been taking
the opposite view-namely, that a
political agreement with France
can be postponed until the
war is over, or as he puts it until
the French people have had the
opportunity of. freely selecting their
government" But it is demonstr-
Bile that the war cannot be con-
cluded successfully without the full
participation OF the French and Pc.
fish governments, and the invita-
tons to Mr.. Mikolajczyk and to
General de Gau,le are a recogni
ton Of this fact.
For the three great powers in
the European theater have ben I'm.
able as yet to agree on the basic
terms Of the arfn,ct:ce wajch they
mean to impose on Germany. When
Mr.. Welles himcelf raises lis voice
against the idea Of the great pow
ers attempting Ito dictate the
destinies of the world, the truth
is that in so far as they have been
attempting to do this they have
not been succeeding. 1t is mislead.
ing to suggest that London, Mos.
COW and Washington have been die
tating the future Of Europe; the
reality of the matter is that, far
from debating, they have been
stalled and have as yet made none
of the vital and necessary decisions
and are thus in grave danger of ar
irving at the end OF the German
war as politically unpreparsd as
they were for the downfall of Mus
solini.
The reason they have been
stalled is that no vital European
question can be decided without
France and without Poland, and
the absence of these two countries
from our councils has made all the
great European questions insoluble.
Mr.. Welles' view that France and
Poland could be ''represented' in
their absence by other European
countries, and by Latin American
countries, arises, I submit, from a
fail,1ae to appreciate correctly the
concrete issues.
As the Soviet armies m e
through Poland into Germany two
things need to be clearly agreed
upon. One is the line which sep
arates the territory aGministere d
by the Soviets from the territory
administered by the Polish govern
ment. This is the Soviet Polish
boundary question, and If it cannot
be settled it has to be settled dc
facto. There is second line, o,
equal or even of greater iYnpor
lance, which has to be drawn. Il
ie the line Of the Polish German
boundary.
It is impossible to fix the eastern
frontier OF Germany except with
the full participation Of the Polish
government. That line should be
fixed in the arfnistice; failure to
fix it then, leaving such vital ques-
tons as East Prussia, Silssia or
the Corridor open, would invite
endless trouble. For no Polirh gov.
eminent can be set up successfully
in Warsaw if it does not have a
clear idea Of the territory it is to
administer, Of the population if
must govern, Of the resources it
controls. Without a Polish govern
ment clearly established on Polish
territory, the Soviet armies &C.
cupying Germany win have their
lines of communication running
through a political norman ISLAND.
They will be occupying Germany
not knowing where Germany ends
and Poland begins.
These are not imaginary prob
lens but the very substance of the
essential problems which must be
solved In order to conclude the war
They are insoluble without a Po-
ljch government which is in full
agreement with the Soviet govern.
ment.
The. President must realize this
or he would not have invited the
Polish Prime Minister to Washing.
ton just after we entered France
and just before the Soviets launch
their offensive through Poland.
With memorable logic IL follows that
he cannot impose an effective. ar
mistice on Germany from the West
IL there is no agreement with. a
French government on the terms
OF this armictice and on the means
Of enforcing. it.
Merely to occupy western a n d
southern Germany the British and
american armies must hsye lines
OF communication, whirh run