106095986

DNIA

f. IW

ARCMBISHOPS MOUSE. WESTWINSTER LOHDON.5 W I

aDDRESS GIVEN BY HIS SHA.CE THE ARCHBISHOP OF WESTMIUSTER AT A MEETING AT CA1T0H HALL OH MOHDAY, 5TH MARCH, 1945, OF THE aIIGLO-POLISH CATHOLIC AS50CIATI0N.

Four weeks ago I accepted with great eagerness an invitation to adćress this word of greeting to you, my Polish friends. I did not then foresee that within so short a time world events would have altered the naturę of today’s meeting. I had hoped to offer you my felications. Instead I must offer you my sympathy. Let me say frankly that no Englishman who retains pride in his country^łs honour can stand today before a gatherin. of his Polish comrades with-oat embarrassment. I do not wish to e^aggerate the gravity of the present situation. I should not care to accuse British Statesmen of infiaelity to Polana - that nation which first aared to aefy the Nazi dictator:    that nation

whose sons, with tireless courage, guarded the English skies in our owa day of peril and isolation.

I do not, like many, accuse our Prime Minister of selling both allies and honour for political advantage.

Hor do I bulieve that his courac-e v;as uneąual to the task of standing up to Marshal Stalin. I am willing, indeed I am anxious, to believe that the representatives of Gieat Britain at the recent Crimean Conference did all in their power to save the integrity and freedom of Poland; all in their power save this - they did not break the Grand Alliance They might have disrupted the unity of the United Wations. Before we condemn them for refusing to pay this price we must, in justice, be ąuite oertain that Poland nas in fact been sacrifioed. Before disappointment turns to anger and anger to bitterness, we must confront the realities of the Russo-Polish tragedy. I cali it the Russo-Polish tragedy because every honest man admits that there would be no dispute, no cause for grievanoe, and no tragedy, if Poland had to deal only with the Western Democracies.

What are the faots? The facts are that Marshal Stalin refused to yield to the persuasion of his British and American colleagues. There would appear to be no word in Russian for compromise. Whenever democratio statesmen make terms with the Marshal they, not he, must compromise. This being so - and no sane man denies the obvious - the alter-natives before President Roosevelt and Mr. Churchill at Yalta were either to accept the Russian solution of the Polish problem or to take the first step leading to separation and ultimately to a state of war between the Soviet Union and the Democracies. That is the brutal truth. You may say that appeasement of a dictator postpones but does not prevent war. I beg of you, neyertheless, seriously to oxamine the orisis and all its implications before deolaring that it was the duty of the Western Statesmen to break with Russia. You know as I know so wcll that a breach between Russia and the West today would mean that all the sacrifices of the last five years would bu madę void.