The Times TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1937. Poland's Place in Europe

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 33, 9 February 1937, Page 6

The Times TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1937. Poland's Place in Europe

The centre >of interest on the European chessboard lias shifted to Germany’s eastern frontier. Yesterday we were informed that the British Foreign Minister, Mr. Anthony Eden, had left for a fortnight’s “holiday” on the Riviera. His first day of leisure, according to to-day’s cables, opened with an interview with the Polish Foreign Minister, Colonel Beck, and from Poland itself comes news of a £100,000,000 scheme to move her national defence industries to a safety zone as far removed from the German border as possible. In the same message the information is given that the Nazi group in. Danzig, Poland’s “corridor” port taken from Germany after the war, has become more militant than ever and is apparently deliberately aiming at a return to Germany at the earliest possible moment. These significant happenings may or may not he the direct aftermath ot Hitler’s speech and the resultant disappointment over the absence of any sign that Germany is likely to alter her role of keeping Europe “on the jump.” it is, however, obvious that the huge defence scheme now announced is being partly if -not wholly financed out of the big French loan to Poland* of 2,260,000,000 francs announced a little over a mouth ago. This financial aid was frankly described by Foreign Minister Delbos in the Chamber as “a necessary factor in France’s national defence.” Its aim is to draw Poland away from Germany and into the group of nations coming within the French sphere. Not only an effective revival of the Franco-Polish alliance, hut also an important rapprochement between Poland and the Little Entente, particularly Czechoslovakia, underlies the jjart of which is in the form of commercial credits to be used by the Polish Government for buying armaments and industrial equipment from French firms. , Reports have been published declaring that France has obtained from Poland guarantees that she would rush immediately to the aid of Czechoslovakia if Germany ever attacked the latter country. These. reports were officially denied at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs where it was declared that they arose out of an incorrect and exaggerated interpretation of an incident in the Chamber of Deputies’ debate on the loan. A Deputy asked M. Delbos whether the French Government had attempted to obtain such assurance from Poland, pointing out that this would go far toward removing the prevalent anxiety as to Germany’s intention in regard to Czechoslovakia, since the Reich would not dare attack if Hitler knew that both Poland and France would aid Czechoslovakia. M. Delbos evaded a direct answer, replying that “neither collective security of France had been neglected for a moment during the negotiations. ” In diplomatic circles in Paris the position was believed to be as follows: France has been making intensive efforts lately to improve the relations between Poland and Czephoslovakia, which have often been anything but good. With Rumania, on the other hand, Poland has very good relations. Following the Franco-Rumanian rapprochement, the French Government was able to persuade Rumania to act as an intermediary between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and the result was a distinct improvement in the relations of Poland with the entire Little Entente. Informed observers in Paris were inclined to agree that this was a true view of the situation and to discount as at least premature reports of a Polish promise to aid Czechoslovakia. What is certain and already of unquestionable importance is that France appears to be succeeding to a remarkable degree in reconstituting and even reinforcing, and gradually extending her network of defensive mutual assistance pacts, on which the French believe they depend for the preservation of peace and ‘'European status quo