Polish Embassy in London Seeks to Discredit Anti-semitism Charges

The Polish Embassy here launched a major propaganda offensive today intended to discredit charges of anti-Semitism levelled against the Warsaw regime as a result of the ongoing purge of Jews from Government and Communist Party positions and from jobs in the country’s communications media and cultural institutions. The Embassy brought over two prominent Polish journalists, Jerzy Lobman, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Polish Review, and Marek Arczynski, editor-in-chief of the weekly, Swiatowid. Mr. Arczynski was once honored by the Israeli Government for aiding Jews during World War II.

At a press conference attended by representatives of major Western newspapers and wire services today, the Polish emissaries made the rescue of Jews by the Polish underground during the war the main point of their defense of the present Polish regime against charges of anti-Semitism. Mr. Arczynski produced documents to support his claim that many Polish underground fighters lost their lives in attempts to aid Jews. Mr. Lobman insisted that “press accusations of anti-Semitism in Poland were absolutely unfounded” and originated with the Zionist movement.

When newsmen pointed out that what happened in World War II was irrelevant to what is going on in Poland now the large scale dismissals of Jews and restrictive measures against Jewish citizens Mr. Lobman claimed that the dismissals were no more than “a change of cadres.” “If Mr. Smith or Mr. Brown are dismissed, no one reacts, but if Jews are dismissed, then an outcry is raised,” he said. Mr.Lobman said that an official with pro-Zionist tendencies could not be allowed to remain in his post because Polish Government policy was “pro-Arab and against aggression.” He implied that dismissed Jews might have been replaced by other Jews but were not because the small Polish Jewish community was unable to replace the unusually large percentage of Jews in high positions since World War II. Mr. Lobman and Mr. Arczynski denounced charges of Polish collaboration with the Nazis against the Jews and maintained that there was a difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.