SOVIET'S DECISION

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21605, 6 January 1945, Page 3

SOVIET'S DECISION

LUBLIN REGIME RECOGNITION GRANTED POLISH GOVERNMENT (11 a.m.) RUGBY, Jan. a. _J?u?ria has recognised the Polish National Liberation Committee in I übjin ns the provisional Government at Poland. A report quoted by the Moscow radio states that following dm request of the Polish Provisional Government for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the new Polish Government and Soviet Russia the Presidium of the U.S.S.R. decided m recognise the Polish Provisional Government and exchange dinimy>mi.-

-enresentatives. The Soviet Government appointed M. Lebedev Ambassador to Poland. M. Lebedev has been Soviet Minister to the Czechoslovak Government in London since 1941.

This development nas been expected ever since the National Liberation Committee declared itself the provisional Government, which it could not have done without an assurance of Russian support.

The British Government, who wore informed beforehand of the Russian intention, announced several weeks ago that, nevertheless, they proposed ''or Ibe nvesont to continue to regard the Polish Government in London as the legal Government of Poland. They eould hardly do less. The Polish Government has, for more than five venrs. nroved itself the most loyal o f the Allies and raised military, naval

np air fm-pcs whose value has been demonstrated in many hard-foueh 4 campaigns behind the British, American. French and other Allied troops. The Polish Government, even at a lime when Poland itself was being delivered from the Gentians by the Russian armies, has not been able to reach any sort of agreement or understanding with the Russian Government. Since Mikolajczyk's final failure to bridge the gap, the Russians have evidently come to the conclusion that it is a fact they must now formally recognise.

Although it was Britain which, by her alliance with Poland, first began the process of checking German expansion. it has naturally been upon that has fallen the burden of defeating Germany’s eastern ambins. 1! is, moreover, upon Russia that the world will rely to see those ambitions defeated. Since, therefore, as it is the Russians who are primarily concerned with the future of Poland, their view on Polish administration must command respect. These are the facts which Mr. Churchill and President Roosevelt recognised in (heir decisions with Marshal Stalin and which, without doubt, will continue to prevail between the Allies.