Evening star., 1945-03-10
Problem of Poland
Held Poorly HondIed
London, Lublin Groups Should
Attend Conference, Writer Says
BY David Laurence

Attend Conference, Writer Says
BY David Laurence
Poland-to protect whose territorial
integrity Great Britain and France went
to war against Germany In 1939-is to
be the forgotten nation of the coming
San Francisco Conference.
The invitations specified that, to be
eligible for attendance, nation must
have declared war on Germany or
Japan.
Poland has done this and more. She
not only signed the United Nations
declaration in January, 1912, but she
has placed an army in the field and is
fighting against the Germans.
When the Yalta Conference was held,
an announcement was made that both
the United States and Great Britain
would continue to recognize the Polish
government which is resident in Lon
don. Russia, on the other hand, had
recognized the government created at
Lublin.
Thus, so far as the United States and
oASoo AoAAediIl dlC COilCcluCu. llleTe Ii
legitimate government exercising au-
thority in the name of the Polish people
and there is another government re-
Gently moved from Lublin to Warsaw
which claims the same right.
Moscow Appeased.
Under the circumstances no invitation
was issued to the Poles, for fear of
offending Marshal Stain. 1t so happens
| that the Polish government in London Is
still recognized by nearly all the men,
bers of the United Nations group as
| well as by neutral nations, but this
factor was disregarded in order to ap-
pease Moscow.
The action of the United States and
| Great Britain in eliminating the Lon
don cabinet of the Polish government
from the San Francisco Conference
even though by every legal right the
| Polish unit in London is as much
member of the United Nations as when
the first agreement was signed by the
same unit in 1912. is an unfortunate
handling of an admittedly difficult
problem.
What might have been better, of
course, was to extend an Invitation to
the Poles to send two delegations, Just
as is done in political conventions in
America where there is dispute as to
credentials, and it might have been pos
sible to give each unit half vote.
In any event, it would have been a
triumph for free discussion of inter-
national affairs if the Polish delega-
tions had been given chance to present
their respective cases.
There is unhappily tendency among
many Americans to shrug their shoul-
ders and say it doesn't matter much
what happens to Poland or her bound
aries or her government. Yet it was
on account of PolanGs claim to piece
OF land known as the Polish Corridor
that Germany declared war on Poland,
and then Britain and France came into
the conflict and ultimately the United
States was involved.
Pledges by Officials.
A great deal of Importance, too, at
taches-or ought to attach-to the writ
ten pledges and utterances of public
men. Confidence in those promises
depends on how long they are honored
Thus on July 80, 1941, the day that the
Poles signed treaty in London, An
thony Eden handed statement to the
Polish Premier which said
II also desire to assure you that his
majesty's government does not recognize
any territorial changes which have been
effected in Poland since August, 1885,"
Again, on December 18, 1914, Secretary
Stettinius in public statement declared
that the United States stands unequiv-
ocally for strong, free and independent
Polish state. and added:
! 1T has been the consistently held
! policy of the United States Government
that questions relating to boundaries
should be left in abeyance until the
! termination of hostilities."
1t will be recalled that Polish military
forces participated in the Allied cam
paign in Norway in 1910, that the Polish
Air Force accounted for every fifth
| enemy plane brought down in the battle
| of Britain in the summer and autumn of
1910, that Polish forces fought in the
North African campaign and in Italy
and the Polish 1st Armored Corps took
part in the invasion of Normandy and
fought in France, Belgium and Holland
Certainly the Polish people have
earned the right to have some repre-
sentation at the United Nations Con-
ference at San Francisco, even If a
/ Lolo -
/ chosen. Maybe that's the way to make
beginning toward unified govern
ment.