German Tank's
Rolled in 1939
Polish pride, defiance, and heroism blamed for German World War II invasion of Poland.
Warsaw, Poland - 3 June, 2008 Poland's failure to negotiate over the transfer of Danzig (modern-day Gdansk) to Hitler's Germany was, according to American commentator Patrick Buchanan, the reason that German tanks rolled into Poland on September 1, 1939. He lays upon Poland, among other things, the responsibility for the millions of its own dead and the annihilation of the home Army in the Warsaw uprising of 1944. And this all happened because the Polish people were "a proud, defiant, heroic people and because Neville Chamberlain had insanely given an unsolicited war guarantee to Poland."
In what has been described as a breathtaking piece, Buchanan expresses an opinion that is definitely contrary to the prevailing opinion of the Polish people. According to Buchanan,
From March to August 1939, Hitler tried to negotiate Danzig. But the Polish people, confident in their British war guarantee, refused. So, Hitler cut his deal with Stalin, and the two invaded and divided Poland.Why did the tanks roll? Because Poland refused to negotiate over Danzig, a Baltic port of 350,000 that was 95% German and had been taken from Germany at the Paris peace conference of 1919, in violation of Wilson's 14 points and his principle of self-determination. Bush Plays The Hitler Card http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26606
Describing Poland as being ruled by a "neo-fascist regime of Polish colonels who had joined Hitler in the rape of Czechoslovakia", Buchanan faults Britain's Neville Chamberlain for giving them a reason to not negotiate. How Churchill and the West lost the world http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=86b5368c-75ae-4828-9ece-b95e44dac8ca&headline=Pat+Buchanan%3A+How+Churchill+and+the+West+lost+the+world
And he says the costs were high.
"... the war that came of a refusal to negotiate Danzig was millions of Polish dead, the Katyn massacre, Treblinka, Sobibor,Auschwitz, and the annihilation of the Home Army in the Warsaw uprising of 1944, and 50 years of Nazi and Stalinist occupation, barbarism and terror." Bush Plays The Hitler Card http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26606
But they had reason to not negotiate.
"Why? Because they were a proud, defiant, heroic people and because Neville Chamberlain had insanely given an unsolicited war guarantee to Poland. If Hitler invaded, Chamberlain told the Poles, Britain would declare war on Germany. Bush Plays The Hitler Card http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26606
As it was, however, there was a larger network of security guarantees throughout Europe which guarantees were intended to prevent future wars.
In the years following the end of World War I and the Polish-Soviet War, Poland had signed alliances with many European powers. The most important were the military alliance with France signed on February 19, 1921 and the defensive alliance with Romania of March 3, 1921. The alliance with France was a major factor in Polish inter-war foreign relations, and was seen as the main warrant of peace in Central Europe; Poland's military doctrine was heavily influenced by this alliance as well....
The British "guarantee" of Poland was only of Polish independence, and pointedly excluded Polish territorial integrity. "The reasons for the guarantee policy are nowhere more clearly stated than in a memorandum by the Foreign Office, composed in the summer of 1939, which submitted that it was essential to prevent Hitler from "expanding easterwards, and obtaining control of the resources of Central and Eastern Europe," which would enable him "to turn upon the Western countries with overwhelming force. "" The basic goal of British foreign policy between 1919-1939 was to prevent another world war by a mixture of "carrot and stick". The "stick" in this case was the "guarantee" of March 1939, which was intended to prevent Germany from attacking either Poland or Romania. At the same time, the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and his Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax hoped to offer a "carrot" to Adolf Hitler in the form of another Munich type deal that would see the Free City of Danzig (modern Gdansk, Poland) and the Polish Corridor returned to Germany in exchange for a promise by Hitler to leave the rest of Poland alone.
The criticism of Buchanan's position has been equally harsh from the American left and right.
From the right he is slammed for buffoonery.
"After all Pat's breathless Townhall buffoonery is a response to President Bush's speech at the Knesset. This is what set Buchanan, a "right wing populist" who is known to be "soft on Hitler" and to criticize Israel's military and being "un-Christian," into a frenzy of historical revisionism. Buchanan's main point is that Israel, while being picked apart by rocket fire and terror blasts, is ultimately setting themselves for another holocaust that they themselves will be responsible for." Hitler Was Right To Invade http://www.red-alerts.com/un-american-activities/pat-buchanan-hitler-was-right-to-invade-poland-and-the-jews-have-it-coming/
And from the left, even the hard left Daily Kos has tough words for him.
"Buchanan follows up this mind bogglingly revisionist history (ookay, Hitler just wanted to defend his Volks against evil Communists, but Polish and British intransigence just forced him to sign a pact with Stalin to divide Poland?) by defending negotiating with Ahmadinejad and Hamas.You know, I always suspected that paleocon isolationist Buchanan thought the wrong guys won World War II. But I never thought he'd be so blatant about it.
If Buchanan was trying to defend Obama --- well, with friends like this Obama doesn't need enemies.
On the other hand, Buchanan has very ably demonstrated the incredible intellectual contortions that result when one tries to argue for "unconditional" negotiations with demonstrably untrustworthy adversaries. It is also a reminder that 'negotiating' may have some serious negative consequences, such as dismembering Czechoslovakia or Poland. And, at least some of the time, the alternative to war, the 'diplomatic option' often bandied about by statesmen of all parties, is simply a euphemism for 'surrender'.
Buchanan's unconditional defense of appeasement has led him to recast Hitler as a misunderstood 'partner for peace'. I hope the jarring crash of his rhetoric will serve as a caution to all travellers on the diplomatic highway. " Daily Kos http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/22/7123/27285/583/520123
But Buchanan is un phased. He has since said,
"Today, the United States is handing out war guarantees all over Eastern Europe, guarantees a future generation of Americans may refuse to honor, guarantees that are driving a defeated, demoralized, divided and democratic Russia, with 20,000 nuclear weapons, straight into the arms of a Chinese Communist regime whose rulers bristle with hatred and resentment at hubristic American attempts to create some arrogant 'global hegemony.' BUCHANAN RESPONDS TO REPUBLICAN RIVALS http://www.buchanan.org/pma-99-0924-rivals.html
Poland may have learned by bitter experience to not depend on the West. In their negotiations on the missile defense system, they want equipment under their control so they can defend themselves. Poland Gambles Missile Defense System On US Elections
And they are looking for more assurances than those provided by NATO. France sees Poland as partner on EU defence http://www.masterpage.com.pl/polishnewsroundup/poland/france-sees-poland-as-partner-on-eu-defence/
They may not agree that they were responsible for the German invasion by relying on the Britain and the West. But they have learned from history and are doing what they have to do to be responsible for their future defense.
Patrick J. Buchanan [send him mail] http://www.lewrockwell.com/buchanan/buchanan-contact.html is co-founder and editor of The American Conservative.
