Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-02-11
Polish Issue Remains
Thorniest Problem
Solution Held Possible Only on
Basis of Compromise
By Garrett D. Horner.

Basis OF Compromise
By Garrett D. Homer.
| What to do about Poland is the cur
| rent $64 question in American foreign
policy to which the State Department
frankly does not know the answer.
Aside from the matter Of boundaries,
three courses are open:
/. Promote a suggestion of the Polish
government-in-exile in London that an
interallied commission rule Poland
until free elections can be held.
q Continue recognition Of the Lon
don cabinet as the government Of Po-
land.
g. Recognize the Soviet-supported
Polish Committee of National LIBERIA
ton as the provisional government.
The difficulty Is that as practical
matter any attempted solution of the
Polish problem must be acceptable to
the Soviet Union to be effective, and
the Soviets have some very definite
ideas about Poland which are hard to
I reconcile with American principles.
The only hope for an early answer to
the State Department dilemma appears
to lie In the hope that decision may
be reached during the current meeting
| Of President Roosevelt, Prime Minister
Churchill and Premier Stain.
In the meantime, this government
continues to deal with the Polish gov
| eminent in London. This Is in line with
the American principle of not recog-
nizing usurpation Of power by
| group considered not representative of
the country it seeks to govern. The
Lublin Committee recognized by Russia
as the provisional government is so con-
sidered.
There is a big conflict between prin-
ciple and reality in this case, however
With Soviet armies occupying virtually
all OF Poland, 1t seems certain that any
administrative power exercised by the
Poles will be In the hands Of the Lub-
lin group as long as Russia wants it that
way.
We need Russian cooperation to win
the war, and our hopes OF establishing
a permanent peace can't amount to
much more than wishful thinking unless
we manage to continue to get along
with the Soviet Union. Regardless Of
what We would like to see done about
Poland, we must consider whether the
matter Of who governs Poland is i'm
portant enough to us to risk a clash
with Russia on the issue.
1t appears, therefore, that some for.
mula for dealing with the Lublin pro-
visional government" is the most likely
solution, despite knowledge that most of
its members are Communist agents first
and Poles second. Perhaps some effort
to make it appear more representative,
such as bringing some members of the
London group into the picture, may be
undertaken to make such a move more
palatable to American public opinion.
Rule OF Poland by an inter-Allied
commission probably would be the best
solution so far as this Government Is
concerned. The note of the Polish
government in London suggesting such
action is being considered by the State
Department, but with no real hope that
1t will prove practical The stumbling
block again is the Soviet Union, which
Is not expected to agree to such a pro-
posal.
Complaining the whole question Is
fear that Senate reaction to any settle
ment Of the Polish problem considered
unfair by American standards, possibly
coupled with power politics" settle
ments in the Balkans, would lead to re.
lection of United States participation
IN world security organization which
would have to accept such arrange
ments as accomplished fact.
MIR. Roosevelt presumably is empha-
sizing in his talks with Stain the i'm
portance OF American public opinion,
which might be thrown back to an iso-
lationist viewpoint by actions which
cannot be reconciled with democratic
idealism. At the same time, the Presi-
dent may be expected to carry forward
efforts to prepare American public
opinion for the inevitable compromises
that are necessary to reconcile differ
ences OF view between world neighbors
determined to get along together.
+*
In his January 6 message to Congress
the President warned against "perfec-
tionism." He pointed out that inter-
national cooperation us not q one
way street" and that to build a secure
peace we must be willing to respect
and tolerate and try to understand"
the opinions of other nations Nations,
like individuals, do not always see alike
or think alike" he added, land inter-
national cooperation and progress are
not helped by any nation assuming that
1t has monopoly of wisdom or of
virtue"
The United States and Russia are
far from seeing alike and thinking alike.
1t is as difficult for Stain, perhaps, to
understand why Americans should OBJ
ject to the Soviet using tough" methods
to assure q government in Poland
friendly" to the Soviet Union as it is
for us to understand how he could
term such procedure democratic"
Willingness of this Government to
support q compromise with "perfec-
tionism" on the Polish question was in
dicated in q statement by Secretary OF
State Stettinius last December 10, when
he said we would have M ohiectior -