29 MAY 1941, Page 14

Stit,—In your issue of May 9th, under the heading "

Germany After the War," I find a letter by Mr. W. H. Dawson, author of a much- remarked article in the Contemporary Review, answering a critic. I do not wish to enter into the merits of that discussion, but I cannot help being struck in Mr. Dawson's letter by a statement that the plebiscite of 1921 in Upper Silesia was " sabotaged by Korfanty's insurgents encouraged by the French Governor." It is a strange idea to accuse Korfanty's insurgents of having sabotaged the plebiscite which took place on March loth, 1921, while the Polish insurrection broke out in the beginning of May. If anybody had a chance of perverting the plebiscite by terrorism it was rather the Germans, who by virtue of a strange stipulation in the Versailles Treaty were allowed to pour a special supplementary electorate into Upper Silesia, com- posed of persons born but not resident in the plebiscite area. Of this the Germans took advantage with their customary thoroughness, and completely changed the aspect of the country at the moment of voting. It was not before August 7th of that year that the Supreme Council debated the question of Upper Silesia, and the recommenda- tion for the partition of Upper Silesia was only made by the Council of the League of Nations on October 12th in Geneva. Of course, the insurrectionary movement in Upper Silesia had ended long before that date, and it is not quite clear in what way in Mr. Dawson's under- standing Korfanty's insurgents could bring their terrorism and chicanery to bear on the Council of the League of Nations.—Yours

faithfully, PAUL SKWARCZYNSRI. Stafford Court, 58 High Street, Kensington.