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June 1, 1944 POLISH FORTNIGHTLY REYIEW 7

Poland who, out of her thirty-four milłion origlnal in-habitants has already lost nine million by deportation and massacre, and we should think also morę frequently of the Poland who has plnyed such a glorious part in Southern Italy and earned the thanks of General Alex-ander. 1 submit that it will bo a poor prospect for a brave new world if gratitude and sympathy are to become a drug on a political market. " Be to her virtuea ever kind; be to her faults a little blind ” will not make a bad motto for all the Allies, in their dealings with each other both during and after the war and I recommend it most specifically to some among our Allies, both great and smali, who are already a little bit inclincd to be crltlcal of us. There is too much ill-informed criticism whlch often tends to degenerate to mere crabbing, and on that 1 would only say that there is no decoration morę ignominious than the Iron Cross of a whispering cam-paign.

Lord Barn by

My Lords, 1 should like, with the indulgence of the Housc, to say a few words on the subject of Poland. This ąuestion has already been referred to, at greater length than I had expected it would be, by the noble Viscount Lord Samuel, and what he sald has been endorsed with great emphasis by l-<ord Vansittart. We all of us take particular interest in countries with wliich we are specially familiar. It so happens that in the twenty-two years of the life of the Polish Ropublic T have visited Poland morę often. and have had morę relations with Poles, than probably any other member of this House. It is because I have had so much contact with Poland, and because 1 have had business and personal relations of great intimacy with almost every succeeding Polish Govcrnmcnt during the life of the Republic, that 1 wish to endorse the generous terms in which Lord Vansittart gave expression to the feeling which we have in this country for Poland, the country wliich alone among our Allies has produced no co-operator at all with the enemy.

It is on those grounds, and on the grounds of the galłantry of the Polish aviators and soldiers in every sphere where il has been possible for Iliom to oppose the enemy, that. Poland calls for special considcration. The Prime Minister emphasized in his speech yesterday the difficulty of the position. and madę the appeal that no words should be said which might lead to delay in the settlement for which we all hopc. Howevor, when voices are permitted in this country which are critical of Poland, there is no reason why voices should be sup-pressed, above all in this House, which express sympathy with Poland.

It is on those grounds that. I make the appeal that, in this crisis in the relations between Poland and one of our Allies, there is no reason why we should fail to era-phasize that magnanimity is the ąuality most called for at the moment. There is no reason why, when we see the danger of unilateral decisions with regard to territory in advance of the peace settlement, and in disregard of the principles which have been enunciated by this country and by the other Allies, we should suppress our views. We liope that just as one great Ally, the United States, will expect us to speak frankly, so another great Ally will not take offence if emphasis is laid on the fact that We hope for adl)er(.nce to those principles and that we think that on the part of both sides in this dispute—and no less in the case of Poland—there should be an elastic yielding towards the speedy bnnging about of a solution, the lack of which is causing such anxiety to the friends of Poland and such hazards to the whole cause of the Allies.

The Secretary of State for Dominiit^Afairs (Viscount Cranborne) (Lord Ceeil)

Perhaps at this point I might address myself very briofly to the difliculty between Russia and Poland of which mention has been madę by a good many speakera in this debate. This, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, is one of those questions for which a solution has not yet been found. We should all of us be very wise to use great discretion in speaking of it at the present juncturc. Indeed all those noble Lords who have spoken to-day have shown Ihat discretion in a marked degrec. Rut may I at least say this? It has been sugge3ted-not this afternoon, but it has often been suggested— that it would have l>een wiser if His Majesty’s Govern-rnent had kept aloof from this problem altogether. I really do not think that would huvc been a practicai course for us. After ali, we are an Ally of both countries, each of which has had so glorious a record In the w^rar, and at a time when it seemed possible that there would be a serious clash between our two Allies, it was natural. nay, almost inevitable, that we should offer our good offices to resolve the differences between them. Indeed. we have every reason to belicvc that our attempt was welcomed by both the Governments concerned. Un-happily that attempt failed, and all we can do at present is to make it elear, as the Prime Minister did yesterday, that we

“ would welcomc any arrangement between Russia and Poland, however it was brought about. whether directly between the Powera concerned or with the help of His Majesty’s Government or any other Government.”

We are not proud about this matter; we are only anxious to help in any way we can.

Exception was taken by the noble Viscount, Lord Samuel, to the word “ compensation ” used by certain member3 of His Majesty’s Government in connection with the Polish-Russian negotiations. 1 do not think myself it is necessary or right to quibble too much about words. One man will use one word, another niań will use another word. Tt is perfectly elear from the Prime Minister’s speech yesterday that it was not his intention in any way to undermine the Atlantic Charter. In fact, he expres*sed very firmly his adherence 1o that document. What I suggest is important in any sett lement that may eventually be reached is that if Poland is to survive-and I have no doubt we all wish the Polish nation to survive—she should be given “an ample seaboard and a good, adequate, and reasonablc homeiand in which the Polish nation may safely dwell.” That is very important, and anything less than that. in my opinion, is likely to sow the seeds of futurę trouble. I eould not help think-ing, as I listened to the noble Lord, Lord Noel-Buxton, that he almost seemed morę concerned about the futurę of Germany than he was about the futurę of Poland. Let us not forget that we owe a great deal to Poland-more than we can ever repay. I liope we shall never neglect her interests or abandon her in order to appease our enemies.