TREATMENT OF POLAND

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24745, 10 December 1945, Page 5

TREATMENT OF POLAND

RUSSIAN ACTIONS CRITICISED DEBATE IN COMMONS LONDON, December. 7. Russian dominance of Poland, together with the impenetrable scrden of secrecy with which Russia surrounded all the areas under her, control, was preventing the restoration of decent conditions for ‘ the Polish people, and was discouraging the return to Poland of exiles at present unwilling to leave the. havens of free countries, said Admiral E. A. Taylor (Conservative), raising the subject in the House of Commons on the motion for the adjournment. He said that Russia economically was strangling Poland by systematic spoliation. Arrests and deportations of members of the Polish anti-Ger-man underground movement continued. The Russians were using six-feet deep pits 60 yards square as concentration camps, he said. An enormous number of Polish women had been taped. There was no freedom of press or of speech. He appealed to the Stilish Govern-; ment to persuade Russia to remedy this deplorable state of affairs. Mr J. Paton (Labour), ‘while deploring the conditions and events which Admiral Taylor had described, pointed out that Poland was the key to Russia’s security system of buffer states. Russia was justified in organising this system as long as the accepted standards of contemporary civilisation approved the practice. Events of the last 25 years had given the Russians ample grounds for suspicion. Admiral Taylor, he said, should remember that precisely similar criticisms were being levelled at.Britain for conditions in Greece and also' that the present Polish Government was more representative than Colonel Beck’s pre-war system had been. Mr J. D. Mack (Labour) said he had never listened to greater nonsense than he. had heard from Admiral Taylor. It was time someone had the courage to speak up about the Poles who had frequented London during the war. '

Mr Mack said that in bars which the Poles patronised in London could be seen enough anti-Russian propaganda to bring about a greater war than had just been endured. Replying for the Government, Mr Hector McNeil said that Britain accepted the assurances from Mr Molotov about the number of troops in Poland. The Russians were there for good reasons. 'They were maintaining order, and Britain would continue to cpnduct normal observations on their disposition. If the. numbers were excessive, Britain would remonstrate, but only if there was evidence. No evidence had been offered which the Government should be asked to examine. It was untrue to convey the impression that an iron curtain of secrecy existed. There was some sort of press, control, but British correspondents were given reasonable facilities.

Mr McNeil admitted that concentration camps' existed and contained prisoners held mostly for political reasons. He also admitted that ,he was quite certain there had been misbehaviour by Red Army-soldiers, but he could not commit himself to such excessive certainty as Admiral Taylor had shown in making the charges. Mr McNeil added that he considered it wise that the Polish elections should continue to be deferred until conditions returned to normal and while a considerable number of Poles remained outside Poland.

Britain hoped, without thought of reward, to help to encourage the Polish Government to bring Poland back to some kind of stability, Britain would continue to note irregularities, but not in the frame of mind' that everything was wrong. Poland, he said, must be fair to Russia. Bringing up arguments from minds'poisoned against Russia would not advance the cause of Poland.