A special secret cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow by the British government to consider Sir John Simon’s report on Polish renunciation of minority treaty obligations, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned. Acting Premier Stanley Baldwin will preside.
The Polish ultimatum to the League of Nations, which was delivered by the Polish Foreign Minister, Colonel Jozef Beck, is held by the British government to be a matter of the greatest importance, it was learned. England regards the Polish action as a precedent which will inevitably lead to the breaking of other points in the Versailles Treaty by interested nations.
Sir John joined with representatives of France and Italy at Geneva in denouncing the Polish stand, declaring that Colonel Beck’s declaration that pending generalization of minority treaties, Poland would no longer accept supervision of the League in matters affecting Polish minority groups, was a clear violation of obligations embodied in the Versailles Treaty and the Covenant of the League.
British newspapers were unanimous in condemning the Polish stand, declaring that the Polish action might have unforeseen results. The Manchester Guardian, noted liberal paper, went so far as to declare that the Polish proposal to generalize the minority treaties was a mere trick to enable Poland to rid herself of the irksome minority treaties.
At the time Polish representatives at Geneva made it clear that in withdrawing their proposal to generalize minority treaties, they also made it obvious that they were not withdrawing from the position taken by Colonel Beck and would refuse to accept League supervision on minority affairs.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
