NOTES TO POLISH GOVERNMENT

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24960, 22 August 1946, Page 5

NOTES TO POLISH GOVERNMENT

Alleged Oppressive Actions, BRITISH AND U.S. CONCERN (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, August 20. “The British Government is concerned to learn that it is widely believed in Poland that grave irregularities occurred in connexion with the Polish referendum,” says a British Foreign Office Note to the Polish Government.

The United States Government has also sent a Note to the Polish Government, largely along the lines of the British Note.

The British Note recalls that the referendum was held in accordance with the Crimea and Potsdam conversations, which called for free, unfettered elections in Poland, for which reason Britain considers that she has “both the right and the duty” to bring the matters in question before the Polish Government.

Particular complaints quoted are the allegations that many leading supporters of the Peasant Party were arrested shortly before the referendum, that the Army was made to vote collectively, and that the count was interfered with.. The British Note expresses Britain’s conviction that for conducting free elections it is essential that:

(1) All democratic anti-Nazi parties should be allowed equal facilities. (2) All three parties should be represented on all electoral commissions, and the votes should be counted in the presence of all parties. (3) Results should immediately be published in all voting districts. (4) There should be an adequate system of appeal in the event of election disputes. The Note adds: “His Majesty’s Government is confident that the Polish Provisional Government will take into account the views presented in making arrangements for the elections.” It then states that Mr Bevin trusts that requests that- the text of the elecoral law will be made available to Britain will be complied with.

The United States Acting-Secretary of State (Mr Dean Acheson) has released the text of the American Note to Poland, which protests against “oppressive acts which prevented normal democratic political activity.”

The Note accuses the Polish Government of having permitted the persecution of the Polish Labour Party by arrests, censorship restrictions, administrative interferences, and other oppressive acts.