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June 1, 1944 POLISH FORTNIGHTLY KEYIEW 3

very good authority that they paid tho fares of the men to comc to London, because it was part of their in-struciion to work for the denuneiation of the Polish Goyemment in London.

and now I doubt very much whether the British Goyemment will have a word to say as to the kind of Poland that will emerge from this confliot. Stalin, I suppose, will determine that.

Mr. Wedderburn

Renfrew, Western (Conservative)

On Poland 1 only want to put forward one persona! opinion, and I entirely admit that Lhere is a great deal to be said on both sides. My own view Is that, quite apart from any ąuestion of territorial compensation, it would be a good thing for Europę that Poland should have East Prussia. It has always seemed to me that, sińce the Germans have removed I understand sorcie 20,000,000 unfortunate Kuropeans from their homes to Germany against their will for forced labour, when it. suited them, we might quite well allow 2,000,000 Germans to be removed from East Prussia when il suits us.

Mr. Raikcs

Essex. South-Eastern (Conservative)

1 heard one hon. Member opposite say that a conrenient thing to do with Poland would be to move the boundaries, so that Russia took Eastern Poland. and Poland took Eastern Germany. Well, that is not the way in which to solvc the problem. It is the way in which you are going, once again, to incorporate dissident minorities in States in which they do not wish to live.

Mr. Rhys Davies

Westhoughlon (Labour)

One suggestion was mado that annoyed me about East Prussia. That is sowing tho secd of the tliird great war in Europę. Can anybody imagine that the Prussians would live happily under the Poles?

Mr, Kirkicood: No, but we are going to teach them.

Mr. Dames: Why on earth should it be suggested that people should leave their homes and be dealt with liko chattcls by the great Po wers? I want to protest against the assumption of the great. Powera that they are entitled to throw batches of the human race from one Government to another without consulting the peoples. I do not think I am saying anything too st.rong when I aad that the present proposal—because I am not so surę that Poland has asked for East Prussia yet—is about the most feul conception in the whole of this business and, at any ratę. is against all the principles of the Atlantic Charter.

I wonder if 1 dare. as an ordinary individual, quote Clauscwitz in support of what I am trying to say? He said " Wars are just the continuance of policy in other fields.” That is exactly what happens; and if the diplomacy of a nation is not straight and honest, then we are bound to have wars. President Wilson, 1 think, during the last war madę a statement about the reasons for war: " The soed of war in the modern world is industrial and commercial rivalry.” I wonder, therefore, whether tliere is any substance in the stateme nt that we went to war for the independence of Poland? Sonie hon. Members contradict that. Some hon. Gentlemen said that we went to war for other reasons entirely. Well, we led the peoples of these islands to believe that we went to war for the independence of the Poland of 1939,

Mr. Mander

\Volverhampton, F.asi (I.lberui)

I should like to say a word, eareful and cautious, I hopc, about the difficult question of Poland. Premier Stalin has madę it elear on morę than one occasion that he wanta to see a free and independent .Poland. Natur -ally, he wants a friendly Poland too. We have in this country a Polish Goyernment, which 1 believe to be moderate, democratic and statesmanlike in its outlook. It has as its Prirne Minister a statesman who is well worthy of confidenee in this respect. At the same time it is fair to rccogoize that there are certain elements in military circlcs to whom the words 1 have just used could not be applied. Tliere are certain elements which are authoritarian in oulook and anti-Soviet. That makes progress difficult. But, taking the attitudc of the Polish Government, I feel there is room for friendly accommo-dation and a settlement between the Polish Government and her great Eastern neighbour. May I say parentheti-cally that I feel that with regard to the rccent question of the Polish Jews, the Polish Government havc done everything in their power to put things right and to prevent these occurrences and that it is through no unwillingness on their part that these soldiers are not. in the British Army. It is essential that any agreernent should be freely negotiated between the two States con-cerned, Russia and Poland. The appearance of pressure or force tnujmre would make progress impossible. I should have thought the Sovict Government fully capable of displaying a magnanimous outlook.

After all, what do two towns, to which the Poles attacli so much importance, matter to them compared with the good will, the friendship and the confidenee not only of the Poles but of vast numbers of people all over the world? If agreernent. could be reached by a friendly gesture from the Soviet Goyernment, it would make things easy for the Poles and they would be rendering an immense service to the whole world, and not least to themselves. It is said that. East Prussia should be given to the Poles in compensation for adjustments with regard to the Curzon łine. I do not think thorc is any connec-Lion between the two or that they should be related together. To my mind the word compensation is not the right word to use. 1 think East Prussia should go to Poland in any case on strategio grounds, because to have Germans there is a danger to world peace, and I hope that will be done. It may be said that would involve a transfer of popuiation but, as the Russian armies advance through East Prussia, there will be a very rapid transfer of popuiation. Any Germans who may be there at the time will raove away at an extremely rapid pace. But when you think of what is happening in the world, the slaughter in cold blood of millions of civilians, men women and children, by the Germans in that part of the world, and the transfer of whole populations, to talk of the sanctity ol‘ Germans living in a particular area is quite out of the picture. Some peoplo say we must not do anything of that kind unless we get the consent of the German people. because of the Atlantic Charter. I have never heard sucli nonsense—that we should go on our knees and ask the Germans for permission to carry out any changes which may be necessąry for world