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POLISH LIBRARY OF FACTS

N• IV

POLISH (POMORZE)

Price 10 Cenll

Publiahed by POLISH INFORMATION SERVICE 385 Madison Avenue NEw YORK CITY 1933 C O' N TEN TS

Page I-Geographic Position...... 5 II-History 5 III-Population 8 IV-The Economic Importance of Pomorze 15 V-East and Its Economic Situation. .. .. 16 VI-The Security of ...... 20 VII-Communication Facilities 21 VIII-Conclusions 25 IX-Bibliography ...... 29

8 POLISH POMERANIA

I. Geographic Position Polish Pomerania often referred to in as the "Corridor" is the maritime province of . It is situ­ ated along both banks of the lower and includes the Polish coast-line on the Baltic. It lies between 52° 50' and 54° 50'latitude and 17° 10'-20° 25' longitude, Green­ wich meridian. Pomerania forms one of the sixteen administrative dis­ tricts (voyevodships) of the Republic of Poland, namely, the voyevodship of Pomorze. Its area is 6,327 sq. miles and its population-according to the census of 1931­ 1,086,144. Pomorze is the which affords Poland and its 32,000,000 inhabitants the only outlef-to the sea, and the only means of direct communication with the countries of Western and America. The total length of the Polish coast-line is 87 miles or 2.5% of an Poland's boundaries. In other words, one mile of coast line serves 1,723 square miles of Poland's territory and 368,000 of her population. The significance of these figures can be seen by com­ parison with other countries. Germany, for instance, has a coast line of 1,077 miles, i. e. one mile for each 169 square miles of territory and for each 60,000 inhabitants.

II. History The present district of Pomorze comprises but a part of historic Pomerania the annals of which show from the very beginning a close connection with the . In prehistoric times Pomorze as wen as the eastern prov­ inces of present Germany, as far West as the River , were inhabited by Slavonic peoples. Reproduction of a German map showing Pomorze as it existed until the first Partition of Poland in 1772. Putl1ger's Histor;sehe.. Senulatlas (page 91)

6 Pomorze became part of Poland in 968 when Mieczyslaw I, who was the first king of Poland, incorporated it into his kingdom. Poland subsequently introduced Christianity in Pomorze. The final incorporation of Pomorze and into Poland was accomplished by the Treaty of Torun in 1466. Since then, until the first Partition of Poland in 1772, i. e. for a total of 306 years the territory formed an integral part of the Polish Kingdom. During that period of over three centuries, the Polish­ German frontier, with Pomorze separating East Prussia from Germany just as it does today, was the most stable frontier in Europe. Not once throughout the three centuries were Polish-German relations disturbed by war. The pos­ session by Poland of her legitimate outlet to the sea formed the best guarantee of peace in that part of Europe. As long as it lasted i. e. until the Partition pe,ace was main­ tained between the two nations. In order to realize the underlying motives for the Par­ tition which followed the 306 years of peace, it is best to refer to the testimony of its chief promoter, . . In the history of his reign he wrote: "One must have been either without address or buried in stupidity not to have profited by an opportunity so ad­ vantageous. I seized this unexpected opportunity by the forelock. By dint of negotIating and intriguing, I succeeded in indemnifying our monarchy for its past losses by incor­ porating Polish Prussia with myoid provinces."* And-trying to justify the Partition to his friend Vol­ taire-he admits: "I know that Europe in general regards the partition of Poland as the result of political intrigues which are at­ tributed to me:'* The have been condemned as the ·Victor Thadde\ls-"Frederick the Great", Brentano's, New York, 1930. p. 286.

7 greatest political crime in modern history. Public opinion throughout the world denounced them. At least one power, Turkey, never recognized the validity of the Partition Treaties. Even before the conclusion of the World War these treaties were legally rescinded by the Partitioning Powers -on November 5, 1916 by the Emperors of Germany and Austria, and on 17, 1917 by the Provisional Govern­ ment of . In view of such moral and legal considerations there was only one course open to the makers of the Versailles Treaty -to restitute to Poland those territories which she held Wlinterruptedly prior to the partitions. Pomorze was one of these territories and its return to Poland must, therefore, be regarded as a mere act of fundamental justice.

III. Population The population of the province has been predominantly Slavonic even in the earliest. days of history. textbooks and historical maps testify to this fact. (Cf.

8 Deutsch slawisch wlgar. Grenzlancle wn 1000 ~ Deutsche 0 SIawen run Litauer ~ RomaJ.lcn ~ Magyaren .....·Madttgebiet des Boleslaw Chrobry (992-1025)

Putzgel"s Historischer Schulatla.r (Page 59) Reproduction of a German Ethnographic map showing that Pomorze was always inhabited by a Polish population.

9 returned only Polish deputies. Not once was a German elected. The first post-war census taken in Poland in 1921 gave the following figures: Total Germans Poles Percentage 939,254 196,029 743,225 79.1% According to the census of 1931 the distribution of na­ tionalities in Pomorze is now as follows: Total Germans Poles Percentage 1,086,141 109,645 976,499 89.9% It is sometimes charged that the decrease in the number of Germans was caused by harsh treatment or discrimina­ tion on the part of the Polish authorities. Such statements have no foundation in fact. The total number of emigrants from Pomorze during the period 1920-1930 was 130,000. 85,000 of these emigrated during the two years (1920-1922) in which, according to the provisions of the , inhabitants of former German provinces could exercise a right of option for German or Polish citizenship respectively. Most of those electing German citizenship returned to the father­ land. About 6,000 of them were permitted by the Polish Government to remain in Pomorze. The German population in Pomerania was mostly com­ posed of Government officials, employees (police, railway and other services) of military and of business men who were either recalled to Germany or left the province of their own volition. This German exodus from Pomorze is one of the most striking proofs of the fundamentally Polish character of the province. Only 1,000 German settlers from Pomorze were repa­ triated to Germany by the Polish Government in accordance with Treaty provisions. These were colonists established

10 BALTIC 8 E A

EAST

·c­r• Polish Speaking , , ~OYe" 90% Population· I of Pomorze J ImID 80 to 90% Miles ~Under 80% 10 20 4Q Census o, , I- 30 " . of 1931 The whole province89'9%

11 there by the Prussian Commission (Ansiede­ lungskomission) for the purpose of Germanizing the coun­ try. They could only exist so long as they received finan­ cial support from the Commission. There is no doubt in the minds of foreign observers that the population of Pomorze is, as it always was, essen­ tially Polish. Charles H. Haskins and Robert H. Lord, territorial ex­ perts of the American Delegation to the Versailles Con­ ference, in their book entitled "Some Problems of the Peace Conference" (Cambridge, Mass., 1920, page 153 et seq.): "Poland needs an access to the sea, but it was not solely because she· needed it that she obtained it. The Peace Conference probably would not have satisfied this desire if ethnical reasons had not authorized it to do so. The Conference did not invent the 'Corridor'; it existed already, and it is clearly inscribed on all honestly compiled linguistical maps." Herr Loebe, until recently President of the Reichstag, declared on January 26, 1927: "In Germany we protest against the 'Corridor', yet everyone agrees that its popula­ tion is Polish," George Bernhardt, famous German publicist and form­ erly political director of the "17ossiche Zeitung" stated in an interview on November 1, 1927: "I admit that in the famous '·Corridor' there are more Poles than Germans," Hugh Dalton, former British Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs state in "Towards the Peace of Nations" (London 1928): "The so-called Corridor is inhabited by an indisputably Polish population.••. On grounds of nationality, the case for Poland retaining the Corridor is very strong already, and will grow with every year that passes." In "Ten Years of War and Peace" (Cambridge, 1927) the late Archibald Cary Coolidge, an eminent American historian, refers to Pomorze in the following terms:­ "The guiding principle should be that of self-determina-

12 POMORZEAND

WESTERN PRUSSJA __ II Polish l"epr'esentaUon, .atthe Reic~stagbefore the Will'. ~ At all Elections ~ At. most. Elect.ions am At. many Elections

.... co

Scale of Miles o 50 ! I tion, and the large majority of the population of the Corri­ dor are and wish to remain Poles." Raymond Poincare in UForeign Affairs" (July 1929) states: "The inhabitants of the Corridor are Polish by race, language and religion." An Italian historian Aurelio Palmieri states in uL'Euro­ pa Orientale" (Rome, August 1925) that Pomerania is Ustoricamente una terra polacca" and its inhabitants are Uanch'esi Polacchi." Today, Pomorze with its 89.9% of Polish population is the most homogenously Polish province of the Republic. The Kashuba The northwestern part of Pomorze is inhabited by the Kashubs. The Kashubs are people of Slavonic origin speaking a Polish dialect. The number of Kashubs residing in Pomorze is about 140,000, or less than 18% of the total population of the province. Although recently claims have been made that the Kashubs are a separate people, different from and antagon­ istic to the Poles, German historians and scholars admit the Polish origin of the Kashubs. Heinrich Berghans, the geographer, describes them as "a people of Polish origin whose language differs but slightly from Polish."I Franz Tetzner, a German author from Danzig, says: "Kashubian and Polish are the same language with but small differences of pronunciation."2 H. Geffchen, speaking of the Kashub population, states that "the Kashubs used to tear up German catechisms brought home from school by their children and demand that religious instruction should be given them in Polish."8 Hellmuth von Gerlach, a prominent German Democrat,-

1 "Physikalischer Atlas." Gotha: 1852, Vol. II, p. 15. • "Die Slaven in Deutschland." Braunschweig: 1902, p. 441- • "Preu,sen, Deutschland und die Polen:' : 1906, p. 108.

14 wrote in "Die Friedenswarte" (July 1927): "It is impos­ sible to contest the Polish nationality of the Kashubs." The list of similar opinions on the subject could be ex- tended almost indefinitely. . Not only German historians but the Prussian Govern­ ment itself recognized that Polish and Kashubian were identical languages. Thus, in the area inhabited by the Kashubs, the German anti-Polish Act of 1908 which re­ stricted the use of the in public meetings to localities with a percentage of Polish population in ex­ cess of 60%, was very thoroughly applied. The common origin of the Poles and Kashubs was fur­ ther proved by the inter-Allied commissions of experts who investigated the character of the population at the time of the Peace Conference. Finally, the Kashubs themselves regarded their people as Poles. In 1919 they sent a delegation to President Wilson to state that since they were Poles, they insisted on being incorporated into the reestablished Polish republic.

IV. The Economic Importance of Pomorze Throughout centuries Pomorze formed Poland's outlet to the sea and the most important channel of her overseas trade. This was admitted by Frederick the Great who, in one of his letters written to Voltaire at the time of the Partition, stated:' "This acquisition was one of the most important I could make, because it joined Pommern with East Prussia, and because, rendering us masters of the Vistula River, we gained the double adv,antage of being able to defend East Prussia, and to draw considerable tolls from the Vistula, as all the trade of Poland goes by that river.1 Similarly, today an access to the sea is indispensable to the political and economic independence of the Polish State. 'Victor Thaddeus "Frederick the Great"-New York, Brent'no's, 1930.

15 The major part of Poland's foreign trade is carried by sea through the Polish port of and the . In 1930 shipments through the two ports consti­ tuted 51.3% of the total turnover of the Polish foreign trade, in the year 1931-62.2%, and in.1932-67%. This yearly increase in the tonnage of sea~carried trade proves the importance of the sea routes for Polish commerce. Prior to 1925, 50% of Poland's foreign trade passed through German territory. In spite of the restrictions im­ posed by Germany on Polish trade since 1925, today 25 to 30% of Poland's trade is still directed via Germany. With­ out Pomorze therefore, 80 to 90% of Poland's exports and imports would come under the economic dependence of Germany. The Polish ports and the territory of Pomorze afford the easiest access for world trade, not only to Poland, but to all the countries of . Were it not for the Polish access to the sea, the shortest direct be­ tween America and Central Europe would be subjected to the monopoly of one country. Pomorze has still other economic aspects. It ranks among the Polish provinces most progressive in agriculture and cattle breeding. It is the center of the Polish fishing industry. The lumber, sugar-beet, and distillery industries of Pomorze constitute an important part in the total in­ dustrial production of Poland. Even aside from historical and ethnographic considera­ tions the present political status of Pomorze is justified on the grounds of its indispensability to the economic ex­ istence of Poland as an independent state.

V. East Prussia and Its Economic Situation The present area of East Prussia, including that part of Pomorze which has not been returned to Poland, is 14,303 square miles. The population of this territory numbered

16 COMPARISON OF POLISH EXPORT AND IMPORT TRAFFIC WITH THE TRANSIT TRAFFIC FROM GERMANY TO EAST PRUSSIA AND VICE VERSA, THROUGH POLISH POMERANI,1.

/ GERMANY / ~ '" -...... '\.. . _•.("'0.'-. ?-..~ Ko'ei." n < .-< '\ POLAND ..... f (.. "i \ EAST PRUSSDl

.,de lc'i"...... r". /POLAND s,.l·'·""\..J //.,.-( /('(,

EXPORTS FROM POLAND AND IMPORTS INTO POLAND THROUGH DANZIG AND GDYNIA

TRANSIT TRAFFIC FROM GERMANY TO EAST PRUSSIA - AND VICE YERSA THROUOH POLISH POMERANIA Note: 67%-of the Polish foreign trade goes by sea through Pomorze 17 2,256,359 in the year 1925. Ethnographically East Prussia is not a purely German territory. There are large numbers of Poles and in the western, southern and eastern counties, and a considerable percentage of in the cities. . The national minorities in East Prussia constitute 25% of the total population. Even in the heyday of German pre-war prosperity the economic ties between Germany and East Prussia were lax. Its distance from the commercial and industrial centres of Germany always stood in the way of development of tr,ade between the colony and its . In consequence, there grew up an economic autonomy of this region which formed an entirely negligible quantity in the German eco­ nomic system. The present economic crisis in East Prussia cannot be attributed in any way to the return of Pomorze to Poland. Critical economic conditions developed in East Prussia a long time before the World War. Within the period of 1871 to 1913, 730,000 East Prussians emigrated to Ger­ many. The liabilities of East Prussian landowners in 1913 were estimated at 800,000,000 marks. East Prussia's economic hinterland was never Germany but Russia or rather those provinces of the former which have subsequently been restored to Poland. A look at the map makes this statement self-apparent­ the distance between Koenigsberg and Berlin is 400 miles, but between Koenigsberg and -only 260 miles. The only stimulus which the trade of this impoverished province received before the war came from the territory which today is Polish. East Prussia absorbed a large amount of Russian transit trade ,and Russian timber sup­ plied the needs of the factories in and around Koenigsberg. The loss of the former Russian and now Polish markets aggravated the chronic depression of East Prussian eco­ nomic life, caused the decadence of the port of Koenigsberg and a general decline in the industrial and agricultural

18 activities throughout the province. From 1924 to 1931 the subsidies extended by the Berlin Government to East Prus­ sia amounted to 900 million marks. It may be convenient for the Germans to state that the separation of East Prussia from the Reich by Polish Pom­ erania has caused the downfall of the province. Yet, noth­ ing is further from the truth. It is plain to any unbiased observer that irrespective of political status, only improvement in German-Polish com­ mercial relations can relieve the situation of East Prussia. It must be remembered that what before the war was Rus­ sian timber, flax and grain, after the war became Polish timber, flax and grain. There is no economic reason why these products should not, in normal conditions, continue to help the trade of East Prussia. With this object in view, wheat and timber price fixing agreements were concluded by Poland and Germany and continued in oper·ation for several years with mutual bene­ fit to both countries. In September 1930, for none but po­ litical reasons, these agreements were renounced by Ger­ many. Moreover, in 1929 a commercial treaty was signed by representatives of Poland and Germany. In spite of strong opposition in Parliament, Poland ratified the Treaty in March 1931. In order to avoid at all costs an improvement in the relation with Poland, Germany has to this day re­ fused to ratify the agreement irrespective of the fact that such refusal costs her people millions of marks in wasted subsidies which continue to be given to East Prussia. A genuine desire on the part of Germany to improve the economic situation of East Prussia may be expressed much more efficiently by the ratification of the Polish-German Commercial Treaty than by wanton waste of money which, for the most part, is spent in inflaming the feelings of the border population by constantly holding before their eyes the bogey of a Polish aggression.

19 VI. The Security of East Prussia It has been stated in a previous chapter that throughout the three centuries preceding the Partition the possession of Pomerania by Poland did not in any way affect the security of German territories and in particular that of East Prussia. The same is true today. While Poland is determined to maintain the integrity of all her territories, she has never made claims to any provinces lying outside her pres­ ent boundaries. On the contrary, she has consistently ex­ pressed her willingness to give to Germany new guarantees of her territorial status in exchange for similar German undertakings in regard to her own frontiers. Poland's position in this respect was made plain and emphatic in several authoritative statements. On January 30, 1929, the then Polish Foreign Minister August Zaleski, asked by a British editor to state his views on German fears as to a possible Polish invasion, replied: "In order to allay all doubts on the subject I can assure you that the Polish Government is ready to conclude with Germany a treaty mutually guaranteeing the territorial integrity of both states." Almost three years later, on November 19, 1932, the same proposal was repeated in an editorial article of the semi-official "Gazeta P·olska." German public opinion, as reflected in newspaper articles and statements, condemned and ridiculed these Polish pro­ posals. Not one German newspaper had the courage to admit that such proposals authoritatively made by Poland constituted at least strong evidence that Poland had no aggressive intentions whatever in regard to Germany. On the other hand, German officials, including Cabinet Ministers, have stated publicly, like Treviranus, or confi­ dentially, like Stresemann, that the annexation of Polish territories was the implicit object of their policy. Added to this is the fact that in consequence of the de-

20 clslOn of the Inter-Allied Control Commissions of 1924 East Prussia remains the only territory in the Reich to which the restrictions on fortifications and armaments, es­ tablished by the Treaty of Vers,ailles, do not apply. More than sufficient defenses coupled with Poland's will­ ingness to give additional guarantees of integrity safe­ guard the security of East Prussia. If the German govern­ ment and people have any real doubts on that score and at the same time have the desire and courage to disavow ag­ gressive intentions on their own part-there should be no difficulty in accepting the Polish proposals and thereby allaying their supposed apprehensions.

VII. Communication Facilities The traffic between East Prussia and Germany, across Pomorze, is regulated, in conformity with Articles 89 and 98 of the Versailles Treaty, by the Polish-German conven­ tion signed in Paris on March 21, 1921. .In order to eliminate any undue delay in the settlement of questions arising out of this transit traffic, a special German-Polish Tribunal was set up in Danzig. In the course of the first eleven years of its existence this tri­ bunal was called upon to give a decision in only two cases. Germany has ample means of communication with East Prussia through Pomorze, as well as through other parts of Poland. Six direct railway lines are open to her transit traffic, as follows: (1) -Gross Boschpol-Strzebielino-Danzig-­ Koenigsberg. 4 trains daily. (2) Berlin - Firchau - - Tczew - Koenigsberg. 8 trains daily. (3) Berlin- Schneidemiihl-- Torun-Jamielnik­ Deutsch Eylau-Insterburg. 4 trains daily. (4) Berlin-Zbaszyn-Poznan-Insterburg. 4 trains daily. (5) Breslau-Trachenberg-Rawicz-Poznan- Torun-Inster­ burg. 2 trains daily.

21 'c. ~ \z. \... '0 ,~ \-,;} \e- "K7 \0 '( Warsaw~ ,"Z. \lJ'> \-\ \"JJIe::. :(') ."'1 1­ 10 \<:. I .I I I I I I

•I . ,I ,. , ." "\ '-.. : PRIVILEGED TRANSIT LINES - ): PRIVILEGED TRANSIT LINES DISCONTINUED '''J\ AT REQUEST OF GERMANY --- .r" 'oKatowice

Map of Railroad Lines Across Pomorze 22 (6) Breslau-Poznan-Bydgoszcz-Tczew-Koenigsberg. 2 trains daily. The use of two additional lines, namely, Gl'Ogau-Torun­ Deutsch Eylau and Oels-Gniezno-Deutsch Eylau was dis­ continued at the request of the German authorities. In all, therefore, 24 trains run daily in both directions, with seats for 4,246 passengers, using the so-called "privi­ leged" or direct transit, free from all passport and customs formalities. These trains provide for the transit of 1,549,­ 796 passengers yearly. All these trains are listed in the German railway timetables, with the note: "No passport or customs control for transit traffic:' The figures for actual passenger traffic in both directions making use of the "privileged" trains are ·as follows:1 Express Slow Year Trains Trains Total From Germany 1928 142,453 304,045 446,498 to 1929 170,835 303,178 478,018 East Prussia 1930 161,690 298,484 460,174 From East 1928 126,608 273,867 400,475 Prussia to 1929 144,048 261,015 405,068 Germany 1930 137,927 209,857 847,784 Totals 1928 269,061 577,912 846,973 1929 314,883 564,193 897,076 1930 299,617 508,341 807,958 In addition to this so-called "privileged" traffic, there are a number of ordinary trains on which passengers have to conform to normal passport and customs regulations. In 1980 a total of 349,100 German passengers traveled by these trains. Similar facilities of transit through Polish Pomerania are accorded German goods traffic, which, of course, is free from Polish customs duties. In 1924, an average of 581 'Official figures compiled by rhe Sratistical Office of rhe Polish Ministry of Transport.

28 German freight cars passed over Polish territory daily; in 1929 the average had risen to 948. In 1924 German goods traffic over Polish territory amounted to 2,000,000 tons; in 1929, to 4.6 millions. In 1913 the traffic over these same lines amounted to only 2.3 millions.! That railroad communication across the functions smoothly is proved by the following authoritative opinion of Dr. Holz, a high official of the German State Railways in Koenigsberg: "One can state with satisfaction that, thanks to the negotiations conducted between the management of the railways of the Reich and the manage­ ment of the , difficulties relating to transit have been settled. East Prussia, as far as her tran­ sit traffic is concerned, is no longer an enclave. The Reich Railways have thrown a bridge across Polish territory. Transit goes on without hindrance, as if the management of the railways of the Reich were still active on Polish territory. Prices of transport fixed in accordance with German internal tariffs are applied as if the territory be­ tween East Prussia and the rest of Germany were still German. One has to admit that the management of the Polish Railways has kept its engagements."2 Poland likewise undertakes to carry German troops and war material in transit between Germany and East Prussia. In the Reichstagsdrucksache (No. 2191, p. 106) there ap­ peared the following comment: "We must state that the stipulations correspond fully to the needs of the military transports which in normal times take place between the Reich and East Prussia. Do not let us forget that Germany has the right to transport in both directions up to 1,400 soldiers and 800 tons of war material weekly." Actually, when army manoeuvres are going on in E,ast Prussia these limits are greatly increased and special trains are placed at the disposal of the German General Staff. No difficulty 'A1ben von Miihienfels: "Ose Peeussen, Danzig und der Poinische Korridor ais VerkehrsprobIem." Berlin: 1930, p. 18. . • "Ose Preussens Winschafe und Veekehr vor uod oach dem Kriege." Koenigs­ berg: 1923, p. 9.

24 has ever yet been raised by the Polish Railway Manage­ ment in such cases. German river traffic in transit is admitted without hindr­ ance over Polish territorial waters on the lower Vistula, the canalized part of , the Bydgoszcz , and the canalized part of the N otec. German postal traffic takes place over Polish territory either in German post8l1 cars attached to transit trains or is carried by the Polish postal authorities. Certain tele­ graph and telephone lines through Polish Pomerania are set aside exclusively f.or German communications. Similar facilities are granted by Poland to German motor car traffic in transit at the frontier towns of the five main roads: Jeziorki (Bydgoszcz-BerLin); Czarnk6w (Poznan­ Stettin) ; Gorzycko (Poznan-Berlin); Debno Polskie (Poz­ nan-Breslau); Slupia (Lodz-Breslau). Poland's repeated suggestion to Germany that an ad­ ditional motor transit route between Koenigsberg and Ber­ lin might be opened by way of Tczew and Chojnice has so far elicited no reply. This sketch of the facilities for communication between the Reich and East Prussia clearly demonstrates that the Polish authorities have gone far beyond their legal duty in order to make the frontier "invisible" for all practical purposes. Not only nave the German authorities expressed their satisfaction at the transit arrangements made by Poland, but they have renounced or refused still further facilities extended or proposed by the Polish Government. VIII. Conclusions It can be seen from the previous chapters that Pomorze is not an artificial creation established merely for the purpose of giving modern Poland an outlet to the sea. It has existed, on a much larger scale, for many centuries and always formed ·an indispensable factor in the political and economic life of Poland.

25 Pomorze is not an alien territorial unit incorporated into the Polish state. The overwhe~ming majority of its popu­ lation is and always was Polish. The bonds uniting this province with Poland are those ofa common historical past, of common culture and of vital economic interests. Pomorze was not given to Poland in order to sever the territorial unity of Germany. In modern days the resti­ tution to Poland of her own territory could only be accom­ plished by the separation of East Prussia from the Reich. But it must be remembered that the separation existed throughout history and was discontinued only for 150 years after Frederick the Great succeeded in wresting Polish Pomerania from Poland. During the three centuries of Pomerania's status as a part of Poland no "Corridor" problem existed in Germany. There is no reason why it should exist now. The return of Pomorze to Poland cannot be regarded as an insult to German pride. The situation of Pomorze is not unique. Thus, for instance, an American who wishes to travel from the proper to Alaska, must cross a foreign territory, namely, British Columbia. Yet no American would ever think of proposing the annexation of British Columbia in order to provide an uninterrupted passage between the two parts of the United States. What then in reality is the German grievance against the present status of Pomorze? Shorn of its emotional ap­ pea~ the de facto justification of the German claim lies in the optical unpleasantness of the map. Realizing this, Poland during the last twelve years has done her utmost to make the frontier "invisible" for all practical purposes. Communication facilities have been maintained far in ex­ cess of the actual need. Suggestions which have been made for further improvement have been rejected by Germany. Further, it has been seen that, though fears for the secur­ ity of East Prussia have been expressed by Germany, all Polish proposals for pacts further guaranteeing its integ­ rity have been ignored. Though the return of Pomerania

26 to Poland has been held responsible for the economic down­ fall of East Prussia the only sound economic solution of the problem, i. e., the establishment of normal commercial relations between Poland and Germany has been consist­ ently thwarted by the latter. To be sure, "the present Polish-German frontier consti­ tutes an optical unpleasantness to Germany. But-follow­ ing the Great War, Germany lost, in Europe 27,000 square miles and, outside Europe, 1,160,000 square miles of ter­ ritory, which before 1919, was hers. Each of these square miles constitutes an unpleasantness to German eyes, but none of them has worked less practical hardships on Ger­ many than the 6,327 which constitute the area of Pomorze. Yet, since the date of the Peace Treaty, Germany has de­ voted all her energy, all her resources, to fostering her claim to the revision of that particular frontier. The reason for this is-and we quote here that astute American observer, Mr. Frank H. Simonds-that "German policy, in the matter of the Corridor, as distinct from the national will and desire of the mass of the German people for immediate revision, is directed toward preventing the Polish question from becoming stabilised:* It was Frederick the Great who said that "he who holds the bed of the Vistula rules Poland more securely than the king who reigns in Warsaw." Germany realizes the wisdom of this saying and knows that any successful attempt on her part against Pomorze must in turn bring the disintegra­ tion of Poland. So long as such a state of mind exists in Germany it is idle to look for solutions of the "Polish Corridor" problem. No amount of changing of the present Polish-German fron­ tier, no new systems of communications, however ingeni­ ously devised, can safeguard the peace in that part of Europe. On the contrary, any discussions on these subjects -no matter where they originate-eontribute only to foster­ ing the German policy of preventing Polish-German rela- ·Frank F. Simonds. "Can Euiope Keep the Peace?" p. 186.

27 tions from being stabilized and p'laced on a normal footing of mutual rights and mutual obligations. Poland's position in this matter is clear. Every known principle of international law and abstract justice is on her side. The possession of Pomerania forms for her a symbol of her economic and political independence. She has proved that she was willing to do her utmost to improve her relations with Germany. She is prepared to continue her good will. But she cannot be expected to sacrifice her ter­ ritory, her nationals and her most vital interests for the sake of satisfying a claim which at best is baseless and un­ justified. On this principle the entire Polish nation stands united.

THE END.

. 28 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Augur A Bulwark of Appleton & Co. New York-1931 Augur Eagles Black and White Appleton & Co. New York-1929 Augur Germany in Europe Selwyn&Blount,Ltd. London-1927 Diplomat Poland, Germany and the Eyre & Spottiswoode Sea London-1925 Machray, Poland 1914-1931 Allen & Unwin Robert London-1932 Paderewski, I. J. Poland and Peace Polish-American ChamberofCommerce New York-1932 Skrzynski, Poland and Peace G. Allen & Unwin Alexander London Smogorzewski, La Pomeranie Polonaise Gebethner & Wolff Casimir Paris 1932 Smogorzewski, Poland, Germany and the Williams & Norgate Casimir Corridor London 1930 Super, The Background of Pol- Ellner Co. Donald ish-German Relations New York-1932 (Maps) Tomas, The Polish Corridor and Institute of Interna- Adam Peace tional Studies Warsaw-1930 Concise Statistical Year- Chief Bureau of Book of Poland Statistics Warsaw-1932

29 Previous issues of the Library of Facts Series:

No. I-POLISH-GERMAN RELATIONS

No. II-THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEASTERN POLAND

No. III-POLISH AND GERMAN MINORITIES IN THEIR RELATION TO THE

81