Poland, Russia, and Our Honor

32 o! what the Americans and British tell them, gades took part in the battle !or the city of that salvation will· never come to Poland Wilno. Other Polish detachments were en ----------++---------- from the capitalist western countries, that gaged In mopping up operations In the there is no hope for Poland except from the Provinces of Wilno and Nowogrodek. Every Soviet Union. where Polish commanders of these units In spite of all this and in accordance with were praised by the Soviet officers who, as in their determination to subordinate every ef Volhynia, promised them help, arms, and fort to the need of an all-out struggle with even artillery. But again, as ·soon as the the German invaders, the Polish Government battle was over, the Soviet attitude was Poland, Russia, and ordered their home army in Poland on Oc radically changed. On July 19, 1944, the tober 25, 1943, and February 18, 1944, to dis Soviet authorities arrested the staff of the close their identity to the advancing S:iviet Home Army in the districts of Wilno and armies and to cooperate with them in the Nowogrodek and the Polish forces were dis struggle against the Germans. Following armed. These officers and most of their Our Honor these orders Polish units fought Rgainst the soldiers were deported to an unknown des <.; Germans and assisted the Red Army in tination. liberating provinces of Volhynia, Tarnopol, As a rule reprisals followed as soon as the It Wilno, Nowogrodek, Polesie, Lwow, and battle was ended. This action was justified 0 Lublin. by the alleged anti-Soviet attitude of the It is to be regretted that this military Polish soldiers which found its expresston In i;....J...t ______.::.------+ ... ----------- cooperation was not met in the proper spirit their service in the home army or in their by the Red Army. , participation in the activities in the Polish ' As long as the battle against the Germans underground. The S::iviet authorities con In Volhynia went on, the attitude of the sidered every form of cooperation with the Soviet commanders to the Polish forces was Polish Government in London as a crime. Remarks of correct, and the Poles were even promised In Majdanek, near Lublin, where ill-famed help in arms and ammunition. These prom German concentration camp was situated, the ises were not kept. On the contrary, as the Soviet authorities detained in August 1944 Hon. Alvin E. O'Konski action in Volhynia was concluded, the atti about 2,500 officers and soldiers of the home tude of the Soviet authorities underwent a army. Further, 200 Polish officers and non of Wisconsin radical change. The Polish officers were ar coms have been deported to Kiev. Mass ar in the rested, the soldiers disarmed and forced to rests have been made in the districts of Ra join the Red Army. After a few days the dom, Brzesc on Bug, Zamosc, Biala Podlaska, House of Representatives reprisals became more severe. On March 9, Tomaszow Lubelski, Minsk, Mazowiecki, Rzes 1944, the Soviet authorities executed the zow, and Bialystok. -The behavior of the So Thursday, February 1, 1945 •commander of the Polish home army in viet authorities is identical both east and .Luck and several Polish soldiers wer.e hanged west of the so-called Curzon line. there on the same day. Six days later, the In the light of these facts the true meaning Commander of the home forces in the of the Soviet policy toward Poland is revealed. Kiwerce region-Volhynla-was shot. At the Good will exists only on the Polish side. end of that month a number of other officers The Soviets aim at premeditated annihilation and men of the home army, who divu lged of all organizational centers which fight for a their Identity to the Soviet authorities on free and Independent Poland. orders of the Polish Government In London NoTE.-F1acts and figures except intro and who fought side by side with the Soviet ductory remarks were furnished by the· armies, were executed. Not printed Three battalions of the Polish home army Coordinating· Committee of American cooperated with a Soviet division in Its bat Polish Associations in tµe East, 103 Park at Government tles along the river Wilja and In the Rudnicka Avenue, New York 17, N. Y. Telephone expense Forest (south of Wilno). Four Polish bri- Murray Hill 5-8851. 629731-10195 United States Government Printini Office, Wa1hington I 19'1 0 629731-10195 3 The fate of Poland will determine and tl~ e Ukraine on March 18, 1921. In the west the territory In question stretches as REMARKS in the East for a gain of some territory whether this war has been won or lost. far as the so-called, erroneously, Curzon OF in the West. The question simply is, Speak up America. Your conscience and Line. As a matter of fact, this line does not Shall Poland exist? your honor is at stake. Is America go deviate much from the line or Poland's HON. ALVINE. O'KONSKI ing to permit another Munich of ap It is most important that should Po fourth partition, concl•1ded by the Ribben peasement? Is America going to rescue land lose this diplomatic battle witl;l Rus trop-Molotov agreement of September 28, Mr. O'KONSKI. Mr. Speaker, it has millions of Europeans from the beast of sia all Europe, yes all the world, loses 1939. At pres~r_t this partition has been become necessary to remind ourselves just as heavily. Without a free Poland nazi-ism and embrace them in the arms attributed to a more trustworthy authority, that there are those in high places who there can be no free Europe or a free of the beast of communism? that of the British statesman, although Lord are tempted to forsake the principles world. That is why in 1939 England and So that the true facts of the Battle of Curzon never intended to settle Poland's which brought us into this present war. France went to war. That is why in 1941 Poland can be made known, I am reciting frontier along this line. If we in Congress permit those in high we went to war. The threat to Polish a complete story with factual material. What Is this territory that the Soviet places to turn their backs upon· these freedom is a threat to freedom all over I urge ·fellow Members to study these Union demands? honorable principles, our sacrifice of a the world. The world has been set afire facts and urge positive action by our Is it a small patch of land, insignificant million boys will have been in vain. If in size? No. It ls not, for It has an area of as a result of Munich. It wiJl again be leaders now before it becomes too late. we permit these principles to be lost, we 70,000 square miles and constitutes 46 .5 per set afire and freedom will die with Po Are we fighting for freedom? Well, Po might save for a time almost everything cent of the total area of Poland. It ls larger land if she is permitted to die. land Is freedom. If Poland is lost free except our honor and our souls. in size than Illinois or Missouri, and four It is well to note that Poland today is dom is lost. In the Battle of Poland our These principles were first crystal clear honor is at stake. Wake up America European countries put together-Belgium, a testing ground not only of our sincer Holland, Denmark, and Latvia-would com when we entered the Battle of Britain. and act now before it is too late. ity in this war but also a testing ground fortably fit into this mileage. By saving Britain we saved the principles to find out if freedom is secure. The WHAT Is IT ALL ABOUT? for which we were fighting. Now with Is it a depopulated, desolate land? By no threat to Poland's freedom is the first What is the real issue In the Polish-Soviet means. In 1931 It was inhabited by 10, - dramatic suddenness we see before us the step of a projected program to threaten controversy that has become paramount In 734,000 people, and in 1939 its population was Battle of Poland. It is not a military bat freedom in every country all over the Importance for the United Nations? nearly 12,000,000, or 33.l percent of the total tle; it need never be so. It is but a diplo world. If communism has its way in Po The So· let Union makes two principal de Polish population. More people liVL in east matic battle, but a battle that must be land we are giving Russia a green light mands on Poland: 1. That Poland cecie to the ern Poland than in Pennsylvania, second won, because in the Battle of Poland is to proceed elsewhere. The freedom of Soviet -·n1on all her eastern territories up to largest State of the Union, and more than interwoven all the principles for which In Australia and New Zealand put together. all liberty-loving people all over the the so-called Curzon Line. 2. That Pol~nd, we entered this global war. The Battle world is at stake in the B:i,ttle of Poland. once liberated from the German occupation, Is this territory as poor and worthless as of Poland has become a test of the sin establish a government friendly to Soviet Mr. Churchill stated in his speech of De It is now time for America to speak cerity of the United Nations.

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