DIRECT AID FOR POLAND

Evening Star, Issue 23379, 23 September 1939, Page 13

DIRECT AID FOR POLAND

WHY BRITAIN DID NOT MOVE FUTILITY OF COSTLY SACRIFICES ALLIES' WAR PLANS WELL LAID (British Official Wireless.) RDGBY, September 22. (Received September 23, at 11 a.m.) There is still some misconception in certain foreign countries of the underlying principles which govern the conduct of war by Britain. Notably, the failure -to prevent the overrunning of Poland has given rise to comment in some quarters which shows a complete misunderstanding of the basic British plan. In the western allied countries, and even in Poland itself, it had always been anticipated that large areas of Poland would quickly fall to the enemy. Nowhere was this more frankly recognised'than in the Polish High Com-, mand, as is shown by the words used by a famous Polish general, who, in bidding farewell to the recent Allied milita.y mission, said: “We shall fight. A large part of our country will be overrun, and we shall suffer terribly. But if you come in we know we shall rise again.” The- geographical situation ot Poland, which is many hundreds of miles from Britain and is surrounded by enemy or neutral countries, through which the transport of arms is impossible, was the fundamental reason, recognised from the outset by the Poles, why the war could not be fought oh a basis of direct help to Poland. Recognition of s-this inescapable fact, which lies at the root of the British war effort, is unaffected by the overwhelming of Poland earlier than the most optimistic forecasts , anticipated. Britain’s realistic view of what the war involves was illustrated in ..he first War Cabinet communique that Britain’s policy was based on the assumption that the war would last three years or more. The importance of this preparedness for a long conflict lies in the fact that, as time goes on, Germany will find herself at a disadvantage, whereas the strength of Britain and her allies will grow from month to month. Britain being prepared for a struggle of this magnitude, it becomes clear that to have squandered efforts on a vain attempt to give Poland direct aid would have been folly; The Prime Minister, in the House of Commons on September 20, said: “ Thera is no sacrifice from which we will shrink, and there is no operation the Government will not undertake—prov' 1 d that our responsible advisers, our allies, and we ourselves are convinced that it will make an appropriate contribution to victory. But what we will not do is to rush into adventures that offer little prospect of success and are calculated to impair our resources and to postpone our ultimate victory.”

DIVISION OF POLAND RUSSO-GERMAN AGREEMENT NAZIS GET ARMAMENT INDUSTRIES BERLIN, September 22. (Received September 23, at 10 a.m.) It is officially announced that the Russian and German Governments have agreed to a demarcation line between the Russian and German armies—namely, along the rivers Pissa, Narew, Vistula, and San. Germany takes Warsaw. The British United Press Berlin representative says under the agreement the San Domierni triangle, in which Poland built up an armament industry, becomes German. The Associated Press says the Russian line includes Lubiin, Luck, Lemberg, Brest-Litovsk, Bialystok, and Vilna. \ SOVIET-OCCUPIED AREAS NORMAL LIFE BEING RESUMED MOSCOW, September 22. (Received September 23, at 10.30 a.m.) A communique claims the occupation of Pinsk as part of the final moppingup operations in the occupied areas. The Tass Agency says life in the occupied towns and villages is resuming normality. It is claimed that the local populations are jubilant over the Russian liberation. They are’co-operating in reorganisation, providing representatives on the new administrative bodies and electing peasants’ committees in the villages. Detachments of workers’ guards are being formed in the country districts to maintain, order. Publication has begun of newspapers in Ukrainian and White Russian dialects. Theatre artists are arriving from Moscow’, and portraits of Stalin are appearing everywhere. The Soviet Press for the first time announces that a Dneiper River war patrol entered Polish waters on Monday evening without resistance. DETAILS WORKED OUT IN MOSCOW LONDON, September 22. (Received September 23, at 11 a.m.) Nazi sources in Berlin state that the preliminary details for carving up Poland were worked out during the German military mission’s visit to Moscow, This mission has departed, and it is expected that diplomatic negotiations will require a week.

SOVIET LETS PEASANTS LOOSE ESTATES LOOTED AND SEIZED LONDON, September 22. (Received September 23, at 1 p.m.)' The Bucharest correspondent of ‘ Th« Times ’ states that the Russians ar« reported to have let loose the peas* antry of Poland in looting and seizing property and large estates. SOVIET TROOPS ON HUNGARIAN FRONTIER BUDAPEST, September 22. (Received September 23, at 12.30 p.m.) 1 Soviet troops have arrived on- th* Russian-Hungarian’ frontier. BREAKING THE NEWS THE GERMAN METHOD LONDON, September 22. (Received September 23, at 11 a.m,) 1 The Exchange Agency’s' Paris correspondent says reports from Amsterdam state that German cards were sent to parents and wives notifying them of the deaths of their sons and husbands. They read; “1. Your son (or busband) will not return. 2. Heil, Hitler.’i