Imperial Valley press., 1945-01-03
WORD TERRITORIAL"
CLEARLY DAMANDS DEFINITION
Riverside Daily PreSs)

(Riverside Daily Press)
On both sides of the Atlantic, Prime
Minister Churchills support of Stains
demands on Poland is being stigmatiZed
as violating the first of the eight prin-
ciples of the Atlantic Charter: Their
countries G.e., Greac Britain and the
United States, ther the other subscribers
to the charter, including the Soviet I'm
ion) seek no ACKNOWLEDGMENT, territorial
or other.
The question is, what is meant by ter
ritOrial"? Does it apply to % the boun-
daries which existed when World War II
broke out in September, 1889? Or (2),
to the boundaries which existed when the
Atlantic Charter was signed? Or 90, to
soil which properly pertains to a country
by reason of nationality or history, or
geographical unity?
Failure to define territorial was one
reason why the United States stayed out
of the League of Nations a quarter of a
century ago.
American opposition to the league CEN
tered around article X of the league
covenant: THE members of the league
undertake to respect and preserve as
against external aggression the territorial
integrity and existing political lnde-
pendence of all members of the league
In l919-l920 it was pointed out that this
language might apply to Korea, which
had been absorbed by Japan, or to Ire
land then an integral part OF Great Brit
aim If the Koreans reVolted from Japan,
and were aided by China or if another
nation helped the Irish to become inde-
pendent, would the United States be obi
gated under article X to help Japan hold
on to Korea or Great Britain to hold on
to Ireland?
With the PARTITION of Poland, most of
this territory went to Russia, a section
in the south (Galicia) to Austria. Thus
it was under non-POlish sovereignty for
about a century and a quarter prior to
the outbreak of World War |. The Allies
assigned it to Russia, after the treaty OF
Versailles was formulated, by drawing
the Curzon line This followed in gen
eral the demarcation between Polish and
non-Polish nationalities. Russias demand
today is for a Soviet-Polish boundary
which roughly follows the Curzon line.
Poland got the territory now in dis
pute as result Of victory over the Soviet
Union in war in 1920. The Allies officially
frowned upon this Polish acquisition.
nt OIlItQ oIllCo, HIlOoO NpNI 20 iiSN'
been instrumental in drawing the Curzon
line, frowned upon it unofficially In 1889
Russia occupied Poland up to the Cur
zon line in some areas, not quite up to
it in other areas, and held this territory
when the Atlantic Charter was signed in
August, 1910.
But the Soviet Union has to find an
other principle than nationality to justify
absorption of the Baltic states. The Esths
in Estonia are more nearly akin to the
Firms than to any other race. The Let's
of Latvia and the Lithuanians are closely
related and form distinct racial group.
What is now Estonia was part of Rus
sia for more than two centuries prior to
World War l. Part of what is now Lat
via was Swedish before 1921, then Rus
sian; part was under Poland until 1875,
then under Russia. But Lithuania had a
long history under or as part of Poland
prior to 1895, when most Of it was taken
over by Russia. The three Baltic states
were for all intents and purposes part of
the Soviet Union when the Atlantic Char
ter was signed.