POLAND’S CASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23884, 11 August 1939, Page 9

POLAND’S CASE

THE TRUTH ABOUT DANZIG GERMAN HEGEMONY OPPOSED CLAIMS OF HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY At the request of the Council of the Polish Newspaper Publishers’ Association, acting on behalf of the Polish press, we publish the subjoined statement which sets out the claims of Poland in respect of Danzig:— For nearly a thousand years, since first mentioned in the chronicles of history in the tenth century, until present times, Danzig has belonged to Poland, with the exception of the years 1308-1454. 1795-1807, and 18151919. The first Danzig inhabitants were Slavs, the majority being Poles. In 1308 the Knights of the Teutonic Order, brought to Poland by one of the Polish princelings, having gained possession of Danzig by subterfuge, destroyed the town and slaughtered about 10,000 unarmed citizens, later to be replaced by German colonists. Poland’s Victory

In 1454, following Poland’s victory over the Teutonic Knights, in which she was greatly assisted by the inhabitants of Danzig, the town reverted to Poland. As a reward for their lovaltv and help in the war. the Polish King granted the town (he privileges of a Free City. During the next 340' years of close contact between Danzig and Poland, Danzig conducted the maritime trade of the Polish Republic. During this period Danzig’s prosperity grew very rapidly. It became, after Amsterdam, the second largest port in Europe. Danzig always was most loyal apd deeply attached to Poland. Forcibly annexed by Prussia in 1795, despite the armed opposition put up by the people, Danzig declined to the status of a small garrison town in Prussia of secondary importance, from which the Polish element was evacuated by force, its place being taken by Germans. During the periods of separation from Poland the turnover of the port, of Danzig declined considerably. Prior to the Great War this turnover was about two million tons. After being incorporated in the Polish Customs system, i.e., on the restoration of contact with its natural economic background— Poland—the port’s turnover commenced to grow very rapidly, and for the past year this was 72,000,000 tons. Geographical Position The territory of the Free City of Danzig, situated at the mouth of the Vistula, the only large Polish river which falls into the sea—being at the same time Poland’s most important waterway—belongs geographically to Poland. Danzig, as the only natural river and seaport, is of pre-eminent importance to Polish economic life. Two-fifths of Poland’s total maritime trade, which represents 80 per cent, of the whole of her merchandise turnover with foreign countries, passes through Danzig. The Danzig area is of immeasurable importance to Poland also from the point of view of the safety of Gdynia,. Poland’s second port on the Baltic, and the defence of the whole maritime frontier of Poland, which is only 104 kilometres long. In fact. Gdynia is situated only a few kilometres distant from the boundaries of the Free City of Danzig’s territory. For the above economic and strategic reasons, Poland cannot permit the Danzig area to become part of-Germany. It must be pointed out that, as a port. Danzig can exist and thrive only if it has Poland as an economic background. Emnhasis should be riven to the fact that the joint total turnover of all the German ports on the Baltic, 12 in number, is practically just as much as the joint turnover of Gdynia and Danzig, approximately 16,500,000 tons per annum. Germany’s Attitude

Germany’s real reasons for demanding possession of Danzig, the statement says, are as follows: Germany’s propensitv to menace Poland on the Baltic, which is equivalent to cutting her off from the sea.

To make Poland’s access to the sea dependent on Germany, thereby making the whole of Poland’s economic life dependent on Germany. By aiming at a complete economic and military*subordination to • deprive Poland of freedom of choice among the political systems of Europe, which would mean that Germany would obtain such a hold over Poland as to subordinate Poland’s population of 35.000,000 to the German political system. This would be equivalent to a hegemony of the Germany. The direct consequences of such a revolution in the relation of nolitical forces in Europe would actually mean the loss of nolitical freedom bv the Baltic and Balkan States in view of the geogranhical and nolitical key situation of Poland. In this way, ' Germany will extend its supremacy on a population of 180.000,000. Prom the above it is evident that the Danzig nroblem cannot be considered either from the point of view of the number of residents in the Free City, or by th esize of its territory. This problem cannot be considered either from the point of view of the number of residents in the Free City, or by the size of its territory. Tins was clearly understood by Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, when in his political tpstament he inscribed the words: “ Whoever possesses the estuary of the Vistula and Danzig will be more Poland than he who governs her.” The separateness of Danzig from Germany and its retention within the boundaries of her customs and economic system will be defended by Poland by all available means, nor will she allow herself to be pushed back from the Baltic. By not agreeing to the annexation of Danzig by Germany, Poland is defending her political and economic independence, thereby opposing the establishment of German hegemony in Europe. _____