Last July we noticed a book by Sir Robert Donald
giving the German view of the Polish Corridor. It was answered by M. Smogorzewski, a Pole, of whose book we noticed an English translation in October. That has now been answered in turn by M. Rene Martel, a Frenchman oddly enough instead of a British journalist, in The Eastern Frontiers of Germany (Williams and Norgate, 7s. 6d.). There is much to be said on either side, but we are not favourably impressed by the frankly partisan lines taken, though the Polish writer may be excused. We agree with a great deal that M. Martel writes in Germany's behalf, but here and there the presentation of the story spoils the whole effect. To give one instance connected with the highly unsatisfactory decision of the League of Nations after the Upper Silesian plebiscite :-of the Polish putsch of May, 1921, M. Martel writes that "within twenty-four hours the insurrection had triumphed." He goes on to imply that the result of this triumph was that, " the history of the delimitation of the Upper Silesian frontier is the story of the Powers' capitulation before force." He omits to tell how the putsch ceased to be a triumph so soon as the Poles met the German selbschiltz on the Annaberg in the only engagement that resembled a battle ; he omits to tell how within a few weeks the Polish troops were shepherded back in orderly fashion behind their own frontier by Sir William Heneker's tiny British force. There was not much triumph there for Mr. Korfanty and the Poles, and it was all over a year before the delimitation. The English translation is competent. (There is a misprint, 1918 for 1928, on page 104.) But we are not told how it came about or to whom we owe it. With a book of this kind, it is due to the readers that the publishers should give more infor- mation of its provenance.
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