POLAND: Perpetual Peace

The Cabinet approved a most interesting diplomatic document—a “perpetual treaty of peace” with Turkey. It was explained by the Polish authorities that “perpetual treaty” is not regarded as a meaningless phrase in Poland. The reason for this statement is that Turkey, of all the nations of Europe, refused to acknowledge the annihilation of Poland at the time of the Third Partition (1795) and until the deposition of Sultan Abdul Aziz (1876) the Polish Ambassador was always invited to the various ceremonies of the Turkish Court. During the 123 years in which the Polish State was nonexistent, Turkey was a warm friend of the Poles, many of whom settled in European Turkey and fought at different times for the Star and Crescent. All these manifestations of friendship to the contrary, perpetual treaties of peace are unadulterated diplomatic chicanery; on Sept. 12, 1683, Vienna was saved from the Turk by John Sobieski, King of Poland (1674-1696); the future may hold an analogous situation.