LETTERS To the Editor
LETTERS To the Editor Walter Lippmann and the Question of East Europe From DR. ALEXANDER BAIRD To the Editor; Walter Lippmann, in hi* syndicated column of January 25, state* that thera is no...
...Le Roi etl mart, vive le Roi...
...Thus the validity of the Ribbentrop-Russian foreign policy is perhaps desd, Molotov Pact will be preserved, while the German Committee of Liberation seated in Moscow will take over Ribben...
...The Comintern as an instrument of Russian foreign policy is perhsps dead, but a whole collection of potential governments in exile stands ready in Moscow to take its place...
...But," continues Lippmann, "with a grim war in the Pacific as well as in Europe still ahead of us, we should be cutting off our nose to spite our face if we took any such absurdly romantic doctrinaire line...
...Since the "reactionary" labor and peasant elements participating in the present Polish Government are not recognized by Russis, snd since the execution of Alter and Ehrtich, the two Polish Socialist leaders, has destroyed the gratitude of Socialists towards Russia, it is not difficult to know what Polish political elements would be acceptable by the Kremlin...
...It is the plight of the author whose name hss been put under passages he never wrote...
...It is doubtful, however, whether this territory is really an essential part of the Russian "lebensraum," and, also, whether annexation of one-third of Poland's territory, plus transformation of Polsnd into a puppet state, is s justifiable pound of flesh exacted for "liberation...
...Psnslavism as well as Pangermanism is but s racial justification for policies of territorial aggrandisement IT view of the wide racial diversity of the Soviet population, Russia could theoreticaly claim "brotherhood of blood" In much wider territories than the part of Polsnd to which her claims are for the moment limited...
...Miss Armstrong has been telling me of the perfectly splendid service you hsve been rendering Britain for so long and it is therefore with greet pies-sure that we will be sending you these tokens of our appreciation...
...In her war against Finland in 1939-40 and in her annexation of Latvia, Lithuania snd Estonia, Russia Justified her aggression by her need of a strategic frontier...
...Walter Lippmann, in hi* syndicated column of January 25, state* that thera is no way out of the Russian-Polish impasse except by recognizing frankly that an independent Poland can be restored only if it is allied with Russis...
...Since Lippmann claims to be presenting the case in a realistic way, further "frank admissions" are most desirable...
...Surely, the plain- fact is that it is Stalin, not we, who is tearing up the Moscow Agreements...
...trop's 1939 role...
...Poland," he further states, "ran live without the territory east of the Curzon line...
...We know you will carry on in the same magnificent manner for aa long as the need lasts...
...Now it would be theoretically possible for us," continues Lippmann...
...There is no question that Russia is strong and Polsnd is weak...
...The territory east of the Curzen line is such a strategic frontier...
...For this was precisely his own argument in letting Germany annex Austria and Czechoslovakia...
...A committee such as yours has not only been instrumental in bringing much needed material aid to Britain but its accomplishments also range into the far wider field of Goodwill...
...The "give and take" between our two nations has msde firm bonds of friendship which will stand us in good stead in the difficult post-war days...
...SDF Women Praised From ESTHER FRIEDMAN Chairman, Womtn't Committer, SDF To the Editor: The readers of The New Leader might be interested in the letter which follows dealing with the work of the Women's Committee of the SDF which has been maintaining a sewing workshop to send clothing and other materials to Britain: We were most happy to receive your letter of February 8 and to note that you will be requiring 30 badges for your workers...
...In the meantime, it is of much encouragement for us to know that we may continue to count on you for substantial amounts of clothing...
...Neither is there any guarantee that that all-embracing brotherhood of "the toiling masses" will not be resurrected from the Russian diplomatic arsenal at s later stage...
...versaf Jewith Encyclopedia committed an even worse offense against the most elementary rights of its contributor...
...The promise of the editors to print my corrections was not kept, snd as a result L decline any responsibility for this passage...
...In the latter case, we do not see any necessity for an American apology by Lippmann...
...This implies that, in his view, the Moscow Agreements were based on our acceptance of the Molotov-Ribbentrop 1939 Agreement...
...Sincerely yours, LESLIE T. BUTLER British War Relief Society...
...M. MORG EN STEIN I have been wanting to tell you from the first day I read your issue how much I appreciated it, and how I feel it should be read by more persons...
...Send* Four Subscription* Te (he Editor: From...
...Some time ago I was asked to write an article on "Communism"' for the Universal Jewish, Encyclopedia now in the process of pub-licstion...
...Surely, Lippmann does not really want to argue that Hitler's generosity to Russia in 1939 in the matter of Polish and Baltic territories should be the basis of United Nations policy...
...Now, I wrote thst biography in l&ij that is, prior to the invasion of France] and I do not remember ever having seta the proofs, so thst the responsibility for this "bull" rests squsrely upon the shoulders of the editors of the Eney-, elopedia...
...Nomad Disclaims 'Encyclopedia' Article From MAX NOMAD To the Editor: My attention has recently been calk** to the fact that in a short biography of Leon Blum, published under my nam* in the Universal Jewish Eneyclepeik, the courageous leader of the French Socialists is said to have "escaped te England" after his country had been in...
...but of this there is no evidence...
...Please renew my subscription and aend four subscriptions to the names on attached list...
...A* soon a* Volume III appeared, I wa* compelled to send the following protest to The Nation (published on April &, 19411: "It appears that there is something much worse than a rejection slip and the cutting of vital passages from a manuscript...
...vaded by the Nasis...
...The case of Marshall Tito, slias Bros, alias Kamillo Horvat, and the recent developments in Greece all point in the same direction...
...The main argument was always thst of alleged impotence in view of the armed strength operating on a distant territory...
...As other precursors of Lippmann's non-romantic political theory, we could cite those Frenchmen who were unwilling to "die for Danzig...
...The late Neville Chamberlain would have rejoiced at this argument were he alive...
...There is no need to discuss Russis'* Panslsvic argument Pantlavism, if "frank admissions" are required, is perfectly analogous to Pangermanism, and as such is but s devious definition of imperialistic policies...
...The grandson of Bismarck being its mouthpiece, the words of his competent grsndfather should be remembered: "Whoever is master of Bohemia is master of Europe...
...If we sre going to be frank in our admissions as Lippmann desires, it must be stated that the Russian aversion to any democratic federal solution of European problems, and Stalin's successful breaking down of all attempts at federation in Eastern and Central Europe through his introduction of the Trojan horse of the Stalin Benes Agreement, shows that much more is at stake than a simple disagreement between the Polish and Russian Governments on the validity of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact...
...And more generally, this "suicidal help to distant peoples" can be traced straight back to the American isolationists so much disliked by Lippmann...
...to say to Soviet Russia thst unless it recognizes this Polish Government, as now constituted (a broad coalition government—A...
...The Administrative Board sends an expression of its appreciation to you and to all your co-workers...
...Upon receiving the proofs, I found that changes snd additions had been made in the text without my knowledge—changes affecting the tone of the article...
...I hope the enclosed check will demonstrate my feelings on both these matters...
...But like all good deeds one never gets around to them...
...In plain English this means that Poland must be ruled by Russian puppets...
...Strategic frontiers, however, especially in modern warfare, are expendable and in this specific case might reach far beyond the whole Eastern and Central European territory...
...Lippmann further maintains that no Polish Government's legitimscy can be maintained if Russis is allergic to its existence...
...They must lead to the formation of puppet States in Eastern Europe creating , practically a common frontier between Germany and Russia...
...Thus, to my passage about the 'Jews among the extreme Left Socialists in Western Europe [who] invariably identified themselves with the nation in whose midst they lived and whose language they spoke,' the editors added 'They were also atheistic and irreligious, hence their hostility or indifference to Jewish religious or national survival.' I immediately protested against interpolations or changes of this kind, involving s phraseology snd an attitude which were alien to me...
...B.), and unless it agrees to re-establish the 1939 eastern frontier, we shall tear up the Moscow Agreements, stop lend-lease to Russia and give her no post-war economic assistance...
...In this connection I recsll that on another occasion the editors of the fat...
Vol. 27 • March 1944 • No. 10
