§ 13. Professor Savoryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the fact that in Poland six more local district branches of the Polish Peasant Party have been closed down by the police; that at Wischowa, in the Poznan area, the chairman and entire executive committee have been arrested and the offices closed; that altogether 24 branch offices of Mr. Mikolajczyk's party have now been closed by the police; and what steps he proposes to take in order that the guarantees of free 1933 and unfettered elections given by both the Yalta and Potsdam agreements may be carried out.
Mr. McNeilMy right hon. Friend deplores such incidents and His Majesty's Government have already informed the Polish Provisional Government that they would not be able to regard the undertaking given by that Government to hold free and unfettered elections as having been fulfilled if all democratic parties did not enjoy equal facilities to conduct electoral campaigns freely without arrest or threat of arrest and without discriminatory restriction of election activities.
§ 14. Professor Savoryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the fact that the Praesidium of the Polish Peasant Party has lodged a protest before the State Electoral Commission complaining of the exclusion of representatives of that party and of independent citizens from the District Electoral Commissions, the members of which have been chosen from among the representatives of the parties supporting the governmental electoral bloc; and what steps he proposes to take to ensure that the elections are fairly conducted, in accordance with the assurances given at Yalta and Potsdam.
Mr. McNeilThis particular incident had not been brought to my attention before, but I was aware that the Polish Peasant Party was not being represented on the District Electoral Commissions. As regards the last part of the Question, His Majesty's Ambassador at Warsaw has already made plain to the Polish Provisional Government the conditions which His Majesty's Government regard as essential to ensure that the Polish elections are held in accordance with the Crimea and Potsdam Agreements. One of these conditions was that all permitted parties should be represented on all electoral commissions and other bodies connected with the elections at all levels.
§ Professor SavoryMay we not ask that, before it is too late, His Majesty's Government, in conjunction with the other signatories of the Yalta Agreement, should finally impress upon the Polish Provisional Government that unless elections are held in accordance with that agreement, the very conditions under which that Government came into existence have not 1934 been fulfilled, and that recognition will no longer be accorded?
Mr. McNeilOf course, I cannot answer for the other Governments, but His Majesty's Government have already made their position clear and explicit. I do not think that it could be improved upon, even by the hon. Gentleman opposite.
Vice-Admiral TaylorIf the Polish Provisional Government pay no more attention to these protests than they have given to those made in the past, what other action are His Majesty's Government going to take in this matter to fulfil their obligations?
§ Mr. GallacherIn view of what the Polish workers suffered under the feudal landowners, are they not likely to combat every measure to get them back now that they have got them out?