O Qj University o IHI 'sjxfa; IpMMrMNm TRUTH ABOUT POLAND President Roosevelt and the late General Sikorski .1 i A Polish Landscape n ■ ^4 Peasant’s Wooden Silo Polish Women in War and Peace Polish Children Lwow St. Bernardine at Boimov Chapel at Lwow Old House in Warsaw Cathedral of Wilno ;*Wsi of#* St . Anne's Church in Wilno , that Napoleon wanted to remove to Paris GENERAL INFORMATION 1 . Poland’s Place in Europe Poland is the sixth country in Europe both as regards area (150,470 square miles) and population (35,500,000). Among all the nations of the world, Poland ranks eleventh in population and twenty-sixth in area. Poland’s frontier is 2,250 miles long. Of this only forty-five miles is Baltic sea-coast. This 2% gateway to the world is totally inadequate for Po¬ land’s needs, compared to Germany’s 21%, France’s 60%, Spain’s 65%, America’s 71%, Great Britain’s 100%. In the 15 th Century, Poland was the largest state in Europe, as the follow¬ ing table shows: In the 11th Century, Poland’s area was... 130,888 s.m. In the 15 th Century, Poland’s area was. . . 430,502 “ In the 18th Cent., before the 1st partition. 392,664 “ In the 18th Cent., before the 2nd partition. . . . 200,772 “ Contemporary Poland. . 150,470 “ 2. Poland, a Democracy After regaining her independence in 1918, Poland adopted a parliamentary form of Government. The first par¬ liament of reborn Poland, elected by universal suffrage of both sexes, estab¬ lished the Constitution in 1921. This Constitution made the Government and the President of the Republic re¬ sponsible to parliament as the pre¬ dominant power. In 1935, the Con¬ stitution of Poland was amended by a small majority, the power of the executive strengthened, that of parlia¬ ment restricted. Even so the President of Poland had far less power than the President of the United States. Free¬ dom of religion, of press and speech was granted and even in the days of greatest State interference with indi¬ vidual initiative, more than half the Polish press openly criticised the Po¬ lish Government, showing that consti¬ tutional rights were not impaired. Universal suffrage gave men and women over 21 the right to vote in secret ballot irrespective of race and creed. 3. Government of Poland After the invasion of Poland by Germany and Russia, President Mos- cicki, in accordance with the Consti¬ tution, transmitted his powers to Wladyslaw Raczkiewics, then in Paris. In September, 1939, President Rac£- kiewic* took the oath of office at the Polish Embassy there, and appointed W lady slaw Raczkiewicz President of the Polish Republic General Sikorski to be Prime Minister and Commanderdn-Chief. In Decern- ber 1939, the Polish National Council, an advisory body acting in the absence of an elected parliament, was appoint¬ ed and Ignacy Paderewski elected as its chairman. When France collapsed in 1940, the Polish Government was transferred from Angers to London. The following year the Polish Na¬ tional Council was expanded to in¬ clude representatives of all Polish po¬ litical parties. The Government sub¬ mits its budget to the National Coun¬ cil and consults it on all major policies. The National Council has the right to make representations to the Govern¬ ment on all matters affecting the wel¬ fare of the Polish nation. 4. Composition of the Polish Government After General Sikorski’s tragic death on July 4th, 1943, President Racskie- wics called upon Stanislaw Mikolaj- csyk, who had been acting as Prime Minister in General Sikorski’s absence, to form a Government. Prime Minis¬ ter Mikolajcsyk’s cabinet consists of Jan Kwapinski, deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Commerce and Shipping; Tadeush Romer, Minis¬ ter of Foreign Affairs; General Marian Kukiel, Minister of National Defense; Wladyslaw Banacsyk, Minister of the Interior; Stanislaw Kot, Minister of Information; Ludwik Grosfeld, Minister of Finance; Jan Stancsyk, Minister of Labor and Social Welfare; Waclaw Komarnicki, Minister of Jus¬ tice; Marian Seyda, Minister of State (Peace Conference Planning); Karol Popiel, Minister of State (Polish Ad¬ ministrative Planning); the Rev. Zyg- munt Kacsynski, Minister of Educa¬ tion; Henryk Strasburger, Polish Minister in the Middle East. The Peasant and Labor parties each have one more member in this Gov¬ ernment than they had in that of Gen¬ eral Sikorski. The Peasant Party is represented by three members: Miko- lajcsyk, Banacsyk and Kot; the Polish Labor Party by three members: Kwa¬ pinski, Stancsyk and Grosfeld; the National Liberal Party by two mem¬ bers: Kacsynski and Popiel; the Na¬ tional Democratic Party by two mem¬ bers: Komarnicki and Seyda; three members belong to no party: Romer, Kukiel and Strasburger. Of the thirteen members of the Gov¬ ernment, two are peasants, two are labor men, three are professors, three are newspapermen; one is a lawyer, one is a soldier and one is a career diplomat, as follows: Two Peasants: Prime Minister Mikola jcsyk, the son of a small farmer, organiser of rural co-operatives and a prominent leader of agricultural labor; Minister of the Interior Banacsyk, a small farmer. Two Labor Men: Deputy Prime Minister Kwapinski, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Shipping, an agricultural laborer who fought the Csar and was exiled to Siberia; Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Stancsyk, a miner and labor leader. Three Professors: Minister of Information Kot, pro¬ fessor of the history of Polish civilisa- Abore, right: Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, Polish Prime Minister Above , left: General Sosnkowski , Polish Commander in Chief Below: The Polish Government :— Left to right, seated: Prime Minister Mikolajczyk, President Raczkiewicz, Kwapinski; standing: Grosfeld, Strasburger, Kot, Kukiel, Popiel, Romer, Stanczyk, Banaczyk, (Secy Romer), Seyda, Komarnicki, Kaczynski. % * -••• -. , tion; Minister of Justice Komarnicki, son of a farmer, Professor of Law; Minister of Polish Affairs in the Mid¬ dle East Strasburger, Professor of Eco¬ nomics, protagonist of parliamentary union with Chechoslovakia. Three Newspapermen: Minister of State Popiel, son of a working man; Minister of State Seyda, son of a storekeeper, fought German imperialism for forty years and was exiled by Germany before the last war; Minister of Education, Mgr. Kaczyn- ski, head of the Polish Catholic Press Agency, very active in the Polish un¬ derground movement in 1939-1940. One Lawyer: Minister of Finance Grosfeld, coun¬ sel and financial adviser to Polish labor unions. One Soldier: Minister of National Defense Gen¬ eral Kukiel, Professor of Military History. One Diplomat: Minister of Foreign Affairs Romer, career diplomat, former Ambassador to Japan and Russia. 5. Poland’s Vitality From 1920 to 1937, the average increase of Poland’s population was 14.9 per thousand, the total increase 26.9 per cent. During the same period the population of Germany increased by 13.0 per cent. But for the war the population of Poland would have ex¬ ceeded that of France before 1950 and equalled that of Germany by 1975. 6, Language and Religion in Poland Language Polish .69.0% Ukrainian .13.8% Yiddish and Hebrew. 8.2% White Ruthenian . 3.2% German . 2.3% Russian . 0.4% Other and not given. 2.5% Religion Roman Catholic .64.9% Greek-Orthodox .12.0% Greek-Catholic .10.3% Hebrew. 9.5% Protestant . 2.7% Not given. 0.2% After 1918, in independent Poland, political and civil rights were granted to all national minorities. They had their own representatives in parlia¬ ment and in local-government, their own educational system and full free¬ dom of cultural and religious develop¬ ment. In 1939 there were in Poland 3,000 Ukrainian schools maintained by the Government. Ukrainians in Poland differ greatly as regards religion and language from the Ukrainians in So¬ viet Russia. Among the White Ruthe- nians, national development is slow. Polish efforts to raise the national cul¬ ture of White Ruthenians were suc¬ cessful only in part. For instance, a certain number of high schools, organ¬ ized by Poles for White Ruthenians, had to be closed for lack of pupils. 7. Population of Polish Cities Warsaw.1,289,000 Lodz. 672,000 Lwow .. 318,000 Homes of Peasant Farmers and Fisherfolk Poznan . . . . 272,000 In France . 600,000 Krakow . / . . . 259,000 In Brazil (some two-thirds Wilno . . . . 200,000 in the State of Parana) . . 300,000 Bydgoszcz . . . . , .. 141,000 In Lithuania (mostly Czestochowa . . . .. 138,000 around Kovno) ....... 200,000 Katowice . . .. 134,000 In Canada . 150,000 Sosnowiec . . . . . .. 130,000 • Lublin . , . . 122,000 In Rumania . 80,000 Gdynia . , . . 120,000 In Latvia. 75,000 Chorzow . . .. 110,000 In Argentina. 70,000 Bialystok . 107,000 8. Density of Rural Population In Poland the density of gainfully In Paraguay . 10 . How the Poles Voted 18,000 occupied rural population per 100 acres of farmland compared as follows with other countries: Year 1931 1931 1933 1930 1930 1931 1931 Persons per 1,000 acres of farmland Country Poland .. . 154 Yugoslavia.146 Germany .132 Czechoslovakia .... 129 Hungary .120 France . 89 Great Britain . 26 9. Poles Abroad Some nine million Poles and people of Polish descent are living abroad: In the United States (ap¬ proximately) .4,500,000 In Germany (mostly in Si¬ lesia and East Prussia). .1,450,000 In Soviet Russia (approxi¬ mately — not including 1,500,000 Polish citizens deported to Russia in 1939-1941) .1,000,000 In Poland the number of voters had increased from 12,989,000 in 1922 to 14,907,000 in 1925. Then it rose to 15,791,000 out of a population of 35,500,000. This represents an elector¬ ate of 44.5%. In the United States with a population of 131,669,275 the vote cast in the last presidential elec¬ tion was 49,815,312 or 37.8% of the total population. The most striking thing about the Polish electorate was the very small number of extremists The extreme right and communists combined, never amounted to more than 4% of the total votes cast in any election. Nearly half the votes (46.4%) were cast for liberal and progressive candidates. The Center, made up of middle-class democrats, polled 28.6% of the votes and the minorities (Jews, Ukrainians, White Ruthenians, etc.) 21%. In the last election under Marshal Pilsudski’s administration the opposition parties polled 53% of the votes, but were so divided among themselves that they never had a working majority in the parliament. Above, left: City Hall of Cracow Above, right: City Hall of Poznan Below: Building in Gdynia Wwim I POLISH HISTORY 11- First Two Dates in Polish History Recorded Polish history began with two dates: 963, when German hordes, under Margrave Gero, invaded Poland: — Germany’s first attempt to get “Le- bensraum” by aggression; 966, when King Mies^ko I, together with his people, adopted Christianity. 12. Poland — Defender of Christianity At Lignica in 1241, Polish troops under Duke Henry the Pious stopped the invasion of Western Europe by Tartar hordes. Henry the Pious was killed. In this battle the Tartars used choking vapors that had an effect simi¬ lar to that of poison gas. 13. Grunwald In 1410 the united armies of Poland and Lithuania defeated the Teutonic Order of the Knights of the Cross in the Battle of Grunwald. By that vic¬ tory the “Drang nach Osten” was stopped, but that great Polish success was unexploited and it was not before another war of 13 years, which Poland had to fight in the middle of the cen¬ tury, that she could enjoy three hun¬ dred years of almost uninterrupted peace from the German side. The les¬ son should not be forgotten: partial or unexploited victories over the Ger¬ mans, give only short-lived and pre¬ carious peace. 14. Polish-Lithuanian Union and the Polish Commonwealth In 1385 Poland entered into a union with her northeastern neighbor, Lithu¬ ania. This union was strengthened by the Act of Horodlo (1413) which proclaimed: “Let those be united to us by love and made equal, who are bound to us by common faith and identical laws and privileges. We pledge our im¬ mutable and solemn word never to desert them.” In 1569 the complete union of Po¬ land and Lithuania was achieved by the Act of Lublin, and the Common¬ wealth of Poland came into being. On the same occasion the constitutional position of the Ruthenian provinces including Volhynia and Ukraine, as parts of the Commonwealth, was definitely fixed. The principles of this union were virtually those of the United States. Under an elected King and one Parliament, local state govern¬ ment existed. Moreover, Poland and Lithuania kept separate armies under separate Commanders-in-Chief. Other provinces of the Polish Commonwealth were East Prussia, Livonia, Courland. They enjoyed wide autonomy. Ruthe¬ nian and Lithuanian upper classes had the same rights as the Polish gentry. 15. Cracow University Cracow University was founded in 1364 and in the fifteenth century be¬ came the great intellectual center of Central-Eastern Europe. The father of modern astronomy, Mikolaj Kopernik, was its most famous student. Attract¬ ing distinguished scholars and thou¬ sands of students from many European countries, it prepared the Golden Age of Polish literature and culture. Above , right: First balloon flight in Poland (1788) Above y left: Copernicus’s Sphere Below: Statue of Copernicus in Cracow University Library 16. Polish Democracy and the Polish "Habeas Corpus” “The old Polish state”—writes the distinguished American historian, Robert H. Lord, Chief of the Polish Division of the American Delegation at the Paris Peace Conference—“was an experiment of a highly original and interesting character. It was a republic both in name and in fact, although nominally it had a king as its first magistrate. It was the largest and most ambitious experiment with a republic can form of government that the world has seen since the days of the Romans. Moreover, it was the first experiment on a large scale with a federal republic down to the appearance of the United States. In the sixteenth and seven' teenth centuries this republic was the freest state in Europe, the state in which the greatest degree of constitU' tional, civic and intellectual liberty prevailed.” 200 years before the English “Ha' beas Corpus” Act, Poland guaranteed liberty of the person by the “Neminem Captivabimus” Act of 1430, as well as personal property rights. No one could be arrested without a warrant from legal authority. 17. Freedom of Worship In 1573, by the Confederation of Warsaw, Poland established freedom of conscience and worship at a time when religious persecution was rife. Ever since, Poland has been the refuge in Europe of oppressed religious mi' norities. Already in 1264 the Statute of Kalis 2 ; had been granted to the Jews in Poland by Boleslaus the Pious. The only document of its kind in all Europe giving them cultural autonomy and their own coinage. From the 15th Century onward, Jewish religious schools flourished and won world'wide recognition. 18. Poland Saves Europe From Islam In 1683, the Polish King, Jan So' bieski, ran the risk of Russian aggres' sion to go to the assistance of Vienna, besieged by the Turks. By his victory, one of the world’s decisive battles, Poland saved Europe for Christianity. A “Te Deum” was sung in the Cathe' dral of St. Stephen in Vienna, and these words were uttered from the pulpit: “There was a man sent from God whose name was John.” Later, Poland signed a pact of perpetual friendship with Turkey, the only State that never recognised the partitions of Poland, keeping an empty seat at all diplomatic receptions for the “tempo' rarily absent” Polish ambassador. 19. Partitions of Poland In 1772 occurred the first partition of Poland, by her three neighbors, Russia, Prussia and Austria: absolute monarchies unwilling to have on their frontiers a free and democratic Poland. In 1793, Russia and Prussia carried out a second, and in 1795, together with Austria, a third partition of Po' land, which for 123 years disappeared from the map of Europe. Jefferson called the partitions of Poland “a crime”; Wilson, “one of the great crimes of history.” It was also con' demned spontaneously by the “Peoples Commissars” of the communist regime in 1919 in Moscow. They termed it: “contemptible imperialism.” 20. Constitution of the Third of May On the Third of May, 1791, after the first partition, the Polish Parlia' ment passed a Constitution inspired by Above, left: Grunwald where Poles defeated the Teutonic Knights in 1410 Above, right: Homage of the Hohenzollerns to the King of Poland Below, left: King Sobieski at Vienna Below, right: Constitution of the Third of May, 1791 From paintings by Jan Matejko the ideals of the American Declara' tion of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Men. It was the first written democratic Con' stitution in Europe establishing the rights of the middle classes and of the peasants. The absolute rulers of Prussia, Austria and Russia regarded this Constitution as a threat to their Divine Right to rule, and hastened to stifle Poland’s democracy. The parti' tions of 1793 and 1795 resulted. Thaddeus Koscius^ko, on his return from America in 1794, led the first Polish insurrection which preceded the third partition. He was wounded and captured. Thanks to the rights granted by the Third of May Constitution to Polish peasants, they formed a large proportion of the insurgents. 22. 123-Year Struggle for Freedom Poland had 12 million inhabitants at the time of the third partition. The country was devastated, the people ter' rori^ed by armies of occupation, rep' resenting three empires with a total population of 85 million. Despite this enormous disproportion of strength, the Poles time and again rose in arms against their oppressors. Risings took place in 1794, 1830, 1848, 1863, 1905. During all the 123 years of partition, Poles fought on the battlefront of Lib' erty all over the world for the freedom of other peoples. In the United States, in Belgium, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, the Argentine, Bolivia, Peru Poles fought for the cause of human freedom under their war cry “For Our Freedom and For Yours.” When Polish patriots put “your” liberty on a par with “ours,” it was no mere ges' ture, but a forceful expression of their conviction that the only guarantee of freedom for any nation is the freedom of all nations. 22. "Eighteenth Decisive Battle of the World” In 1920, Russian Red armies at' tacked Poland and marched as far as the suburbs of Warsaw. Polish armies, without any assistance from the west' ern powers, defeated the Red armies and single handed saved Western Eu' rope from communism. The impor' tance of that victory was emphasised by Lord D’Abernon, who called the battle of Warsaw “The Eighteenth Decisive Battle of the World.” The Polish'Russian war was ended by the Treaty of Riga, signed on March 17, 1921. This treaty definitely established Poland’s eastern boundaries. The Trea' ty of Riga was a compromise between Poland’s past and her present. Offered even more territory by Lenin, Poland exercised a statesmanlike restraint and Lenin, the dictator of Russia, called the Treaty of Riga “a voluntary and just agreement to stand for all time.” Victorious Poland gave up to Russia nearly twO'thirds of the preparation territories in the east. The frontier in' eluded the cities of Wilno (94% of Poles) and Lwow (87.8% of Poles) but nowhere did it extend to the from tiers of the 18th Century, not to speak of the 14th or 16th Centuries. 1,500,' 000 Poles were left in Russia and 134,000 Russians were left in Poland. Poland’s eastern frontiers are the Above: Kosciuszko Monument on the Wav el at Cracow Below: Death of Pulaski at Savannah , from the painting by S, Batowski boundary of Western civilisation, as witnessed by architectural styles, pea- sant costumes, folklore, music, dances, decorative art and literary taste. 23. What Is the "Curzon Line”? Some of Poland’s opponents claim that ethnographically the so-called “Curzon line” really constitutes Po- land’s eastern frontier. This line was proposed in 1920 by Lord Curzon, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, as an armistice line in the war with the Russians. When, in 1939, the Germans and Russians divided Poland, the frontier established by the two in- vaders, followed the “Curzon line,” going beyond it to the West at several points. The claim that ethnographically this line is Poland’s eastern frontier is absurd. The territories between the so- called “Curzon line” and the eastern frontier of Poland are inhabited by 6,396,000 Poles, 4,530,000 Ukrain- ians, 1,122,000 White Ruthenians, 134,000 Russians, 89,000 Germans and 84,000 Lithuanians. POLAND’S ECONOMIC PROGRESS 24. After the First World War Poland was devastated during the first world war. The total number of buildings destroyed in Poland by all sorts of invaders was 1,785,305, in¬ cluding 6,586 schools, 1,969 churches, 40% of all the railway bridges and stations were destroyed. After the war Poland received very little financial assistance from abroad. (About 15 cts. per inhabitant p.a., Germany received $1.10 per inhabitant p.a.) yet, during the twenty years between the two wars, she achieved significant progress. Take the soil, a basic factor: 11,362,- 000 acres of fallow land were brought under cultivation, and 8,027,500 acres of large estates were parcelled into small farms. In 1918, Poland had I, 750 locomotives, 3,043 passenger cars and 30,000 freight cars. In 1939 she had well over 5,500 locomotives, II, 350 passenger cars and 164,000 freight cars. 1,250 miles of new rail¬ road track had been laid. In the same time the length of Polish highways had been increased by 30%. In 1918 Po¬ land did not possess a single ship, in 1939 she had more than 500 merchant and passenger vessels sailing the seven seas. 25. Education in Poland Between 1918 and 1937 there were opened in Poland 23,604 new primary schools for children from seven to four¬ teen years of age. All these schools had libraries as well as assembly rooms, lecture and recreation halls. In 1938-9. 5,402,300 children—ninety-one out of every hundred—attended school. LJni- versal and compulsory education had brought illiteracy in the lower age brackets down to a fraction of one per cent. Just before the war, Poland had 27 Universities and other academic in¬ stitutions, 74 teachers training colleges, 2,230 High Schools, 103 technical training schools, 28,722 primary schools and 1,651 kindergartens. Above: How Poland Obtains Nitrogen from the Air Center: Steel Mills in Silesia Below: Dam and Hydro-Electric Works at Porabka 1 ffl&m. ■ £§j) mm 26 . Poland, a Land of Small Holdings A) Ownership of land in Poland. According to the census of 1931 the entire area of cultivated land, orchards and gardens, meadows and pastures was 63,232,145 acres, of which 11/ 411,281 acres or 18.04% were larger holdings of 123.6 acres (50 hectares) each and more, and 48,198,207 acres or 76.22% were small holdings of less than 123.6 acres; the remaining 3,585/ 238 acres or 5.74% were owned by State and local governments. Peasant ownership of farm land in 1931 com stituted three-fourths of the whole util¬ ised area. Moreover, between 1931 and 1938, 1,799,095 acres of large holdings were parcelled, thus increasing the peasant holdings to 50,007,303 acres, or 79.07% of all utilised land in Po¬ land, and decreasing large holdings to 15.21%. In other words five-sixths of all agricultural holdings in Poland are in the hands of peasants and only one- sixth in the hands of large landowners. So Poland is predominantly a land of small and not of large holdings. In Great Britain, for instance, large estates of more than 123.6 acres (50 hectares) constitute about 68%, and small estates of less than 123.6 acres only about 31% of the utilised land. By 1948 all large estates would have been parcelled. B) Ownership of livestock by large and small holdings (1937) in thou¬ sands of heads: Large holdings Small holdings Horses % \ 396 10.69 3,309 89.31 Cattle % 736 7.20 9,491 92.80 Pigs % 436 5.96 6,983 94.04 Sheep and Goats % 435 12.49 3,048 87.51 Total. 3,705 100 10,227 100 7,419 100 3,483 100 27. Poland’s Share in World Agricultural Production Grain (Wheat, rye. Horned Cattle barley, oats) Potatoes Sugar and Pigs (millions (millions (thousands (millions of tons) of tons) of tons) of heads) United States . 32.36 8.98 1,174 110.35 Great Britain . 2.90 4.66 550 13.08 Poland. . 12.53 34.28 418 18.27 France . . 12.84 14.99 800 22.87 Germany . . . . 20.84 46.32 1,500 46.07 28. Poland’s Industrial Progress 7th place in world coal output and 4th Despite the world economic crisis Poland’s industrial progress was far from negligible. Between 1925 and 1938 the number of electric plants in¬ creased almost threefold; the installed power was doubled. Poland occupied place in world coal exports. In zinc Poland held the 5th place in the world. For her 2,638,000 spindles and 69,000 looms Poland imported 128,000,000 lbs. of cotton and 68,000,000 lbs. of wool yearly. She exported textiles to Above, left: Old Wooden Country Church Above, right: Polish Peasant Farmer in his Sunday clothes Below: Polish Homestead T wenty-three Prefecture at Torun V. One Family House at Saska-Kempa Post Office at Ciechocinek ■ •• ■ Warsaw Kindergarten 1SS16 One Family House at Warsaw of Foreign airs , Warsaw Railroad Rest Home at Makow-Podhalanski : r ■ 1 ' ? f V I , | V Jt r 1 / 1 more than 30 countries. Among Po¬ land’s main industrial exports were: weaving and spinning machinery, woolen, linen, cotton textiles, ply¬ wood, wood articles, furniture, pianos, glass and china, leather and leather goods, gloves, electric appliances, chemicals, drugs, perfumery, canned meats, seed, medical herbs, liquors, etc. Some of these articles were exported to 42 countries. 29. Labor and Social Security Assuming per capita production in 1928 as 100, the output rose to 129 in 1937. Polish labor was organised in 298 trade unions which in 1937 con¬ cluded 727 collective working agree¬ ments with employers. Polish labor managed to maintain the real value of wages, despite the economic crisis. Al¬ though in 1937 nominal wages dropped 34% from 1933 levels, the same period saw a decrease in industrial wholesale prices of 39%, and in agricultural prices of 46%. The general purchas¬ ing power of wages rose 6%. The Polish system of social security was based upon compulsory insurance of all working people. Health insurance covered 2,171,000 persons; accident insurance 2,183,000 persons; disability and old age pensions 2,523,000 per¬ sons; unemployment insurance 1,690,- 000 persons. Social insurance provided hospitals, child care, rest—maternity— anti-tubercular centers in every city, health control centers, etc. Social leg¬ islation restricted the employment of women and minors, and controlled the prevention of accidents, provided paid holidays for workers, etc. This social security legislation was one of the first steps taken by reborn Poland and labor unions were recognised by act of Par¬ liament in 1919. Some of the social measures adopted by the First Polish Parliament in 1921, were voted by the French Parliament in 1935 during the period of social reconstruction under the Premiership of Leon Blum. Finally the Polish death-rate was steadily decreasing, from 16.7 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1925, it fell to 15.5 in 1930, and to 14.0 in 1937. 30. Poland’s Occupational Structure Manual and skilled wage earners constitute 28.6% and white collar workers 4.3% of the total population. In the various occupation groups the percentage of non-salaried “indepen¬ dents” is as follows: agriculture, 85.2%; industry 32.7%; commerce 72.8%; communications 15%; other occupations 8.3%. This proves that Poland was a land of small and me¬ dium individual enterprise, an essen¬ tial characteristic of liberal economy. 31. Poland*s Cooperative System Poland had 11,720 cooperative soci¬ eties with more than 3,000,000 mem¬ bers, divided into Agricultural, Con¬ sumers and Credit Unions. During the 20 years of Poland’s independent existence the number of cooperatives trebled. In 1928 for instance 24% of cheese exports was handled through cooperatives, in 1938 this percentage had risen to 99.4%. 32. Poland’s Progress on the Sea Poland’s most striking achievement was the construction and development of the port of Gdynia on the Baltic Above: A Polish Destroyer Center: Gdynia — the great cranes Below: Gdynia , view of the town T wenty-six ■ Sea. In 1924, the number of incoming and outgoing vessels was 58 with a total tonnage of 10,167. In 1938, it was 12,990 with a total tonnage of 9,174,000 tons. Together with Danrig, which was smaller, the total tonnage exceeded 17,800,000, constituting the 5th port in Europe and the largest on the Baltic. The shift of exports and imports by land to exports and imports POLISH 33. Poland 9 s Contribution to World Culture and Civilization Some idea of Poland’s contribution to world culture and civilisation may be gathered from this much too brief list of famous Poles: Mikolaj Kopernik (Copernicus) (1473-1543) the discoverer of the solar system, of the earth’s rotation about the sun and father of modern astrono- my; Jan Dlugoss (1413-1480), distin¬ guished historian; Jan Sniadecki (1756-1830), astronomer and famous mathematician who worked with Ox¬ ford University; Josef Hoene-Wronski (1778-1853), philosopher and famous mathematician, discoverer of differen¬ tial equations; August Ciesskowski (1 814-1894), famous philosopher; Zygmunt Wroblewski (1845-1888) and Karol Olszewski (1846-1915), scientists who first liquefied air; Ignacy Lukasiewics (1822-1882), philosopher and mathematician, inventor of the petroleum lamp; Stefan Kopec (mur¬ dered by the Germans), discovered the hormone of insects; Maria Sklodowska- Curie (1867-1934), Nobel prise win¬ ner, discovered radium and polonium; R. Waigiel. discovered anti-typhoid serum; Dr. Kasimiers Funk (b. 1884), first introduced the term “Vitamin” (his book on the subject published in New York is a recognised authority); by sea is most significant. The value of Polish imports by sea increased from 27.4% in 1928 to 65.5% in 1937; similarly the value of Polish exports by sea rose from 25.2% in 1928 to 66.27% in 1937. This was due to the establishment of maritime connections with more than forty countries. Polish merchant vessels called at more than 200 ports. CULTURE Baudouin de Courtenay (1845-), Jan Roswadowski (1867-), and Tadeuss Zielinski (1859-), world-famous phi¬ lologists; Dr. L. Zamenhof (1859- 1917), created Esperanto; Joachim Le- lewel (1786-1861) and Oswald Balcer (1858-), famous historians. Jan Kucha- rzewski (1876) is Poland’s most dis¬ tinguished contemporary historian. 34. Painters Piotr Michalowski (1801-1855) and Aleksander Orlowski (1777-1832), excellent painters and draughtsmen: Jan Matejko (1838-1893), creator of a series of monumental visions of Po¬ land’s glorious past; Artur Grottger (1837-1867), painter of tragic insur¬ rection of 1863 and the Siberian de¬ portees; Juliusz Kossak (1824-1899), famous battle painter; Jozef Chelmon- ski (1850-1914), realist painter; Leon Wyczolkowski (1852-1937). greatest Polish impressionist; Jacek Malczewski (1855-1929), the Polish Rubens; Julian Falat (1855-1929), landscape painter and aquarellist; Stanislaw Wyspianski (1869-1907), leading painter of “Young Poland”; Professor Stanislaw Noakowski (1867-). distin¬ guished architect; J. Mehoffer (b. 1869), famous designer of stained glass windows; Wladyslaw Skoczylas (1883- Above, left: Ignacy Paderewski , patriot and pianist Above y right: Maria Sklodow ska-Curie, discoverer of Radium Below: Chopin 9 s Birthplace Twenty-nine 1934), illustrator of Polish folklore. School of St. Luke, eleven painters under a modernised spell of El Greco, responsible for the seven historical paintings in the Polish Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. Jan Rosen (b. 1891), the painter of frescos in Poland, Italy and U.S.A., Feliks To- polski, the Rembrandtesque draughts^ man. 35. Sculptors Wit Stwosz (1438-1533), great master of the XVth century, who carved the altar in St. Mary’s Church, Cracow, removed by the Germans to Nuremberg; Ksawery Dunikowski (b. 1876) and Edward Witting (b. 1877), whose monuments to aviators stand in Warsaw and Paris; Stanislaw Ostrow- ski (b. 1878), sculptor of the equestri¬ an statue of King Jagiello before his victory over the Prussians at Grun- wald, at the World’s Fair in New York, 1938. 36. Composers and Musicians Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849), one of the greatest composers, whose music is essentially Polish; Stanislaw Moniu- szko (1819-1872), the father of the Polish opera; Ignacy Paderewski (1860-1941), who earned fame as a pianist before he rose to symbolize Polish patriotism and Statesmanship: Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880), and Karol Szymanowski (1883-1937), dis¬ tinguished composers of modern sym¬ phonies. Stanislaw Barcewicz, Broni¬ slaw Huberman, Zygmunt Stojowski, Pawel Kochanski, Wanda Landowska, Artur Rubinstein, Jozef Hoffman, Witold Malcuzynski, J. Michalowski and Jozef Sliwinski are Polish per¬ formers whose names are familiar to music-lovers in Europe and America. Emil Mlynarski and Artur Rodzinski are well-known Polish conductors, while among Polish singers of inter¬ national repute Ada Sari, Sembrich- Kochanska, the de Reszke brothers, Adam Didur and Jan Kiepura de¬ serve mention. 37. Literature Mikolaj Rey (1505-1569), founder of Poland’s national literature; Jan Kochanowski (1530-1584), the great Polish lyrical poet; A. Frycz Modrzew- ski (1503-1572), political thinker and social reformer; L. Gornicki (1527- 1603), distinguished writer; Piotr Skarga (1536-1612), Jesuit writer and greatest Polish orator; Ignacy Krasicki (1735-1801), distingished fabulist; Aleksander Fredro (1793 - 1876), greatest Polish dramatist; Adam Mi- ckiewicz (1799-1855),JuliuszSlowacki (1809-1849) and Zygmunt Krasinski (1812-1859), Polish national bards; Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916), Poland’s great historical novelist, No¬ bel prizewinner; Boleslaw Prus (1847- 1912), distinguished novelist; Zofia N alkowska (18 8 5 -) distinguished writer and dramatist; Stanislaw Wy- spianski (1869-1907), poet, dramatist, painter; Stefan Zeromski (1864- 1925), modern novelist on social prob¬ lems; Wladyslaw Reymont (1868- 1925), author of “The Peasants,” a monumental rural epic, Nobel prize winner; Tadeusz-Boy Zelenski (1874- 1942), murdered by the Germans, famous writer and translator of French literature; Karol Hubert Rostworow- ski (1877-1938), dramatist and poet; Zofia Kossak-Szczucka (b. 1890), famous historical novelist; Joseph Wittlin, novelist and poet. Among contemporary Polish poets mention should be made of Stanislaw Balinski, Jan Lechon, Kazimierz Wierzynski, Julian Tuwim, Antoni Slonimski, I. K. Galczynski. Thirty Above: National Museum of Fine Arts in Warsaw Below: Warsaw’s famous Opera House SlTr H HI Hi HMM ■pm 38. The Theatre Modern Polish dramatic art dates from the XVIth Century and in 1765 the actor-manager Boguslawski found¬ ed the first national theatre in Warsaw. The most popular plays of the Polish stage are those by Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Slowacki, Zygmunt Krasinski, Stanislaw Wyspianski, Aleksander Fredro, Stefan Zeromski. Contempo¬ rary writers are Gabriela Zapolska, Adolf Nowaczynski, Waclaw Grubin- ski, Zygmunt Nowakowski, Antoni Cwojdzinski, Hubert Rostworowski. The plays of Shakespeare, Shaw, Sher¬ iff and Chesterton are also popular in Poland. During the 20 years of Polish independence there were no less than 652 performances of Shakespeare’s tragedies and comedies. G. B. Shaw was acted 569 times and three of his plays were produced in Poland before being acted in Great Britain. “Pygma¬ lion” beat all records, running for 179 performances. 39. Architecture Architecture in old Poland developed under Gothic influences, the Polish style being known as Vistula Gothic. In the 16th century, Renaissance, and later a sedate Baroque style predomin¬ ated. Modern Polish architecture was moulded by national reconstruction and urban and industrial planning. The schools of architecture in Warsaw and Lwow became centres of progres¬ sive architectural thought, based on the national style evolved during the later half of the 19th century. In the plan¬ ning of new and the modernizing of old urban areas, special regard was had for the rest and recreation of children, and an effort was made to preserve natural beauties and buildings of his¬ toric interest. Thus the old Market Place of Warsaw was renovated and repainted in its original pattern of color. The Renaissance town of Za- mosc was rebuilt around its beautiful Town Hall, not unlike Williamsburg, Va., in U. S. A. A score of other old towns were thus restored, includ¬ ing three most beautiful and dear to all the Poles: Cracow, Wilno and Lwow, where Polish culture was born and whence it radiated. HOW THE WAR CAME TO POLAND 40. Why Hitler Attacked Poland From 1934 to 1939 Hitler repeated¬ ly urged Poland to join Germany in an attack on Soviet Russia, promising her large territorial gains in Eastern Europe. Poland rejected all of Hit¬ ler’s proposals. Furthermore, Poland’s vitality and the decline of the German population made it obvious that by 1975 the Poles would have become equal to the Germans and that time was working against German suprem¬ acy. Indeed 1939 was the year in which the strength of the German manpower in relation to the Polish manpower was at its maximum. That year was chosen long before for ag¬ gression against Poland. 41. September 1, 1939 At dawn on September 1, 1939, German land and air armies attacked Poland without any declaration of war, crossing the frontier at 14 points Above: Polish Women’s Auxiliary Corps Insert: One of Poland’s Avenging Eagles Below: Polish Cavalry in Lybian Desert from East Prussia, West Prussia. Sile¬ sia, Moravia and Slovakia. Germany bombed all Polish airfields and 61 towns within the first few hours. 42. Unequal Forces The relative strength of Polish and German forces in September, 1939, was as follows: Poland Germany Infantry. 31 divisions 70 divisions Pander units . 1 division 14 divisions Planes . 443 4320 Fire power ratio. 1 72 43. 35 Days of Polish-German War The German-Polish war lasted 35 days, from September 1 to October 5, 1939. At Kock the last of the major engagements of the war was fought on October 5th. The siege of Warsaw, capital of Poland, lasted 19 days in spite of heavy air and artillery bom¬ bardment. Warsaw surrendered on September 27, when the armies had exhausted all ammunition, the water supply was cut, and 200 large fires were raging in the city. 44. Sept. 17, 1939—the Critical Day September 17, 1939, was the most critical day of the German-Polish war. On September 14, German panzer units had been stopped thanks to the resistance of the Polish armies and to the extension of German supply lines. The Poles began to organize effective resistance along the marshes of Polesie and in Galicia. But at dawn on Sep¬ tember 17, without any declaration of war, Soviet Russia despite her non¬ aggression treaty with Poland attacked the rear of the Polish armies fight¬ ing Germany. On September 28, Ger¬ many and Russia signed an agreement dividing Poland between themselves “for all time,” along the Ribbentrop- Molotov line. POLISH ARMY IN EXILE 45. Polish Army in France Very shortly after the cessation of organized fighting by Polish forces against the German invaders, a Polish army was formed in France by General Sikorski. This army consisted of 4j/2 infantry divisions, an armored brigade and the Carpathian brigade, some 100,000 men in all. The first and sec¬ ond divisions took part in the battle of France; the Carpathian Brigade fought in Norway and was the first to enter Narvik. 46. Polish Army in England After the collapse of France, Gen¬ eral Sikorski succeeded in evacuating a large part of the Polish troops to England, where Poland now has an army corps including an armored divi¬ sion, a rifle brigade, a parachute brig¬ ade and other units. Above: Ace Pilots of the Polish Air Force Below: Polish Tank Corps in Scotland ■ 47. Polish Army in the Middle East When the Polish-Russian Treaty was signed in July, 1941, a number of Polish prisoners of war in Russia were released, and a new army was organ- ized on Russian soil under General Anders. Before being equipped it was transferred to the Middle East at the request of the Soviet Govern¬ ment. With the Carpathian Brigade now expanded to a Division, it forms a separate army corps. Polish ground forces in the Middle East number some 75,000 men, fully trained and equip¬ ped with the most modern American and British armament. 48. Polish Air Force After the fall of Poland, Polish fighter squadrons were set up in France, while bomber crews were training in Britain. When Hitler at¬ tacked in the West, 133 Polish fighter pilots, fighting with the British and French Air Forces faced his air arma¬ da. They won 55 victories, losing 15 men. Yet the most glorious achieve¬ ment of the Polish Air Force was in the Battle of Britain, when it de¬ stroyed 195 enemy machines out of the total of 2,366 brought down by the Royal Air Force. Since then, Polish fighter and bomber squadrons have been continually engaged and up to March, 1943, had destroyed more than 526 enemy aircraft, 7 U-boats and dropped more than 6,000 tons of bombs on 42 targets in Germany and German occupied territories. In Tuni¬ sia, Polish airmen brought down 79 enemy planes as compared with 527 downed by the American air forces. Since 1939 Polish pilots have shot down more than 1,000 German planes. A considerable number of Polish air¬ men also serve as pilots in the Allied armies. The Polish Air Force now numbers more than 12,000 men. 49. The Polish Nary The Polish Navy has been fighting since the outbreak of the war alongside of the British Royal Navy. Polish sailors have taken part in many im¬ portant naval actions, including the evacuation of Dunkirk, the spirited attack on the “Bismarck,” the landing at Dieppe, and the recent operations off the North African coast. They have played their full part in the Battle of the Atlantic and carry on an unceasing vigil with the fleets of the United Nations in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Thus the destroyer “Garland” fought a 6-day battle against Nazi planes and U-boats in convoying American and British muni¬ tions to Russia. The officers and crew of this “Very Gallant Ship” were sa¬ luted by the officers and crew of the flagship of the convoy and received high British and Polish decorations. Poland has to its credit a sizeable bag of U-boats. The “Slazak” (Silesian) of the Polish Navy, has shot down more enemy planes than any other war vessel of its class in all Allied fleets. Poland’s Merchant Navy is also in constant service on all seas and has carried much lend-lease material in convoys to Russia and elsewhere. Above: Polish Airmen Before Raid on Berlin Below, left: Polish Sailor Below, right: Polish Soldier Thirty-seven POLAND FIGHTS ON 50. German Reign of Terror In his message to Poland, broadcast on May 3, 1941, Prime Minister Churchill said: “Every day Hitler’s firing parties are busy in a dozen lands. Monday he shoots Dutchmen, Tuesday Norwe^ gians, Wednesday French and Belgians stand against the wall, Thursday it is the Czechs who must suffer, and now there are the Serbs and the Greeks to fill his repulsive bill of execution. But always, all of the days, there are the Poles. 11 51. 8,000,000 Poles Sacrificed for Freedom The struggle of the Polish Nation for freedom and integrity of Poland cost the Nation 8,000,000 victims. During that time: 3,200,000 Poles were murdered by the Germans. 2,000,000 Poles were sent to forced labor in Germany. 1,600,000 Poles were deported from Western Poland to the Government General. 1,500,000 Poles were deported by Soviets to Russia. In 1942 alone 348 villages were burned to the ground and ploughed under like Lidice; 1,080 villages evacm ated and all the inhabitants either killed or deported. 52. Directorate of Chilian Resistance Underground resistance on the Po' lish Home Front is directed by the Polish Government in London, through its representative in Poland who con' veys its instructions to the Directorate of Civilian Resistance responsible for the organization of sabotage, the trial and execution of German criminals. 53. Religious and Cultural Persecu¬ tion in Poland Seven Polish dioceses have been suppressed: Poznan, Gniezno, Wloc' lawek, Plock, Pelplin, Lodz, Katowice: seven Bishops deported or imprisoned, ninety per cent of the clergy thrown into concentration camps. A large number of priests have been executed by the Gestapo. In Oswiecim alone 1,500 priests have died of maltreat' ment; churches are closed and many millions of Catholics are entirely de^ prived of religious services, in a coum try where more than 70% of the peo' pie are Catholics. Polish Universities, professional and technical institutions, high schools and all private schools are closed. Libraries, museums, scientific collections and laboratory equipments have been looted and taken to Ger^ many. All books dealing with Polish culture were burned. German special' ists, mostly university professors, who had been received in Poland as cher^ ished guests, supervised the looting of Polish universities, academies, research institutes and museums. The Germans consider that Poles do not require learning . . . Governor General Frank said: “The Poles do not need univer' sities or secondary schools, the Polish territories are to be transformed into an intellectual desert. 11 Forster, Gau' leiter of the “Wartheland, 11 the west- m Thirty-eight Above & Below: Six German Criminals to be Hanged Center: "Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain” German Soldiers dress up to mock Catholic rites ?*r. sfctii : 3&H3/4X % Bata t jsik-W uasfcroia S3.V. imp - Kurleruhe *<. Tnui t Isifskga - wykasywisSa I data i*i?w fe«fej» *} »! X.J»»r. ; K»i«tu*lni«si*r,{ “ |) ,x! 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' . ■ •* V • ‘ 4% •'* '•/' , -V^ *» ♦>i v / »^sss * , ,« tn * i *♦ 1 111 _ ' 1 " " i„m r “'{ WIADOMO ^CI POLSKIE nTmT %* t f tt ^ % ^ * /l,Ai 1 u » WMKATIHVA UI941 _*.-{ ~’c u -r^V-l* * *• c * v .. ..Tu.'"cr .»>’ ..•■■ _i r —1» ~,p •. . : ■■:■. :.4 . Itm V*4frl*t»*v 9 »><»«»* Nwp «*««V IW4 4*'•/♦o'**'* s*. io \ r*w iai _ _ POLSKA ZYIE! 37^9 ft? in —-* ,v '* u r ern provinces of Poland illegally in- corporated in the Reich, said: “I prom¬ ise you that in ten years from now not so much as a single sheaf of wheat will grow on Polish soil. 11 Werner Best, in “Zeitschrift fuer Politik 11 of June 2nd, 1942, wrote: “Historical experience has shown that the destruction and elimination of a foreign nationality is not in the least against the laws of life, provided that destruction and elimination are complete. 11 54. Economic Pillage The confiscation of public and pri¬ vate property in Poland has been com¬ plete. The Germans not only took all real estate away from the Poles, they confiscated all stores and workshops, even household furniture and personal effects, furs, jewelry, clothing, etc. The eviction of the small farmers is continuing apace. Poles are replaced by German colonists, imported from Russia and the Baltic States. The Poles, who are only used as slave labor, are exploited by the Germans; they receive less pay and the “Polenabsug, 11 a flat 15% on their gross earning is de¬ ducted in addition to taxes, social in¬ surance, dues and contributions to the Arbeitsfront, from which they derive no benefits. Their pay on the average is half of what Germans get for the same work, but their hours are longer and no holidays are allowed. Food ra¬ tions are less than half the German rations and no fuel is sold to Poles. When slow-downs — an essential fea¬ ture of underground resistance—occur ration cards are withdrawn. Workers, whose output falls to 60% of the nor¬ mal German production, receive no ration cards and must starve with their families. Workers whose output is The Underground Press: More than 110 papers with 3,000,000 readers 68% receive 1/3 of the concentration camp ration; those whose production is 80% receive 50% of the German ration. 55. More Than 110 Underground Newspapers Although the publication, circula¬ tion and possession of a secret news¬ paper is punishable by death, more than 110 underground newspapers are read by at least 3,000,000 people. Some have four editions daily, and news broadcasts from London and New York are printed within an hour. Even photographs are smuggled into Poland and published in the secret press. In spite of the danger most of the distri¬ bution is done by women and children. 56. Resistance and Sabotage Pending the opening of an allied offensive in Europe, the home front in Poland keeps up a continuous warfare. In the course of a single month in 1943, 100 locomotives were damaged, 17 trains derailed, 340 trucks de¬ stroyed, 7 oil wells rendered useless, 18 military transports attacked, more than 500 Germans killed, including Wil¬ helm Krueger, the Polish Heydrich. Poland also maintains two under¬ ground universities and several hun¬ dred schools. 57. Secret Courts in Poland Poland, the only occupied nation that has no Quisling, Hacha or Vlas- sov, administers justice under enemy occupation by secret courts. A recent communication of the Directorate of Civilian Resistance printed in No. 464 of the underground daily Information Bulletin, announces the execution of 59 sentences on German Gestapo of¬ ficers in the single month of May, 1943. Forty-one POLAND’S POST-WAR PLANS 58. General Principles The present war is a struggle for Christian civilization. The people of Poland believe that the postwar or' ganization of the world should be based on Christian morality, interna¬ tional democracy, and political and economic collaboration. This order should be established and enforced throughout the world by international institutions and an international force, and cannot be the prerogative of a few powerful nations. Poland, the first real democracy in Europe, is deeply attached to her parliamentary system, based on broad democratic representa¬ tion of the people. Recognition will be given to private property and free enterprise, but “jungle” economy will not be tolerated. The “average man” will be at home in Poland. Poland will be a land of the middle class, of workers and farmers, an average man’s approximation to the ideal of the Four Freedoms. Racial minorities will be given full liberty of cultural develop¬ ment and will exercise the equality of rights and of obligations. 59. Central and Eastern European Federation Poland expects the Nations of Cen¬ tral and Eastern Europe to form a commonwealth sufficiently strong to withstand German aggression, which has plagued it for centuries. Such a commonwealth would facilitate the economic development of Central and Eastern Europe, promote neighborly trade-exchanges with Russia and act as a stabilizing element on the con¬ tinent. It would be a potent factor of Russia’s security in the west. The Gov¬ ernments of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Jugoslavia and Greece have formed a Central-Eastern European Planning Board, the nucleus of cooperation along these lines. The Board has vari¬ ous committees working on the agricul¬ tural, industrial, financial, educational and social problems envolved. Other committees will be organized as need arises to deal with every aspect of the mutual advantages to be derived from the close collaboration of 110 million people, who will become a first class power in the World Council. This power will be used solely for the pres¬ ervation of peace and raising of the standard of living of its peoples. It will serve European culture and Chris¬ tian civilization for which that culture stands. It is democratic and in the terms of the Polish-Czech declaration of November 11, 1940, the Constitu¬ tion of the individual States included in the Confederation will guarantee to citizens of those States the following rights: a. Religious Freedom. b. Personal Liberty. c. Freedom of Learning. d. Freedom of Speech and of the Press. e. Freedom of Organization and As¬ sociation. f. Equality of all citizens before the Law. g. Free admission of all citizens to all State functions. A Christian Civilization: Above, left: A Priceless Chasuble of Polish Workmanship Above, right: Christ in the Temple, carved in salt in the Wieliczka Mines Below, left: Shrine of Czestochowa Below, right: Tomb of King W lady slaw Wdrnenczyk in Cracow Cathedral :< 1 y Si l %>. i f < 1 * w mi Russia arrive in Iran Polish Refugees from Inspection of the Junacks in the Middle East h. Independence of courts of law, control of government by repre- sentative national bodies elected by means of free elections. There are 15 million Americans who are descendants of the peoples consti¬ tuting the proposed commonwealth. They will link the Eastern European Commonwealth to the United States in a bond of mutual understanding and identical ideology. 60. Polish-Youth Manifesto “Manifesto of Young Poles,” under the heading “Character”: “Every Polish youth must have as the inmost passion of his soul an aspi¬ ration for spiritual growth. He must cultivate his inner life, steadfastly lift¬ ing up his heart to those imperishable values, human and divine, which teach us the way of life: 'He that would save his life must lose it. 1 This inner life, well ruled, but ardent as a living flame, must find expression in our outward life. Let us not forget the words of that great Pole, Stanislaw Szczepanow- ski: 'Our regeneration begins within our heart, not within our mind. It depends, not on the degree of our cul¬ ture and enlightenment, but on our growth in character. Changed lives, not changed opinions are the witnesses of regeneration. 1 11 REQUIESCAT IN PACE : . .■* * ** ' * ' "" W Soldier’s Tomb in a Warsaw Street Butcher Frank in the Ruins of Warsaw Jews Digging Their Own Graves ♦ 'ill Tjyo Poles Hanged on One Rope! Her Little Sister Only Known Photograph of a Man Hunt in the Streets of Warsaw wmm The Royal Palace in Warsaw , before and after the Germans came mm MM Ruins of the Warsaw Treasury Printed in the United States FOR THE Polish Information Center (an Agency or the polish government)