MURDERED POLISH OFFICERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 1 May 1943, Page 5

MURDERED POLISH OFFICERS

RED CROSS INVESTIGATION REQUEST LARGELY MISUNDERSTOOD London, April 30. The Polish Government’s request that the International Red Cross investigate the graves at Katyn which are the immediate cause of the Russian Government's severance of relations with the Polish Government, has been largely misunderstood, says the diptomatic correspondent of “The Times.” There was never any suggestion that the Red Crosos should hold a judicial inquiry and attempt to settle the responsibility for the murder of the Polish officers. Such an inquiry would outside the province of the Red Cross. The Polish Government chiefly hoped that Red Cross officers could help in the identification of the bodies and give a general report* on the graves. As is well known, the request to the Red Cross was no more than a spark which touched off the powder. Some of the deeper causes of misunderstanding were mentioned in the Polish Government’s note published yesterday, which asked “for the release from the Soviet Union of thousands of families of Polish soldiers and fo the release of Polish fighting men.” Here immediately a highly complicated problem was uncovered, involving the question of the present citizenship of many of these people. The first public response of Moscow to the statement seems unfavourable. A Moscow message reports that the British Ambassador, Sir Archibald Kerr and Admiral Standley ,U.S. Ambassador, were among those who saw Count Tomer (Polish Ambassador) off. The Polish diplomatic party expects to travel from Kuibyshev to Persia.—P.A