Józef Piłsudski

Interview with correspondent from Le Petit Parisien

(28 February 1920)

The Bolsheviks submitted peace proposals to Poland; at the same time, their military forces, released after so-called white armies had been defeated on internal fronts, were moved to the Polish front. This obviously created the impression that they were putting pressure on Poland, and the peaceful atmosphere ostensibly created by their proposals led to suspicions that the Bolsheviks wanted to undermine Poland’s combat readiness and gain the time needed to shift their forces to our front.

Piłsudski wanted to draw attention to these facts in the following interview, which was published in Le Petit Parisien on 6 March 1920, dated “Warsaw, 5 March” and signed by Robert Vaucher who states at the beginning of the article that he visited Piłsudski on 28 February 1920.

– A personal statement about peace is a very delicate issue to me. The matter is too urgent and huge efforts are now being made to resolve it. Any statements that I could make to you at this time could endanger the success of our government’s endeavours or adversely affect them. Until these decisions are announced, I must maintain my silence owing to the serious character of the matters at issue. Nevertheless, I can tell you that Poland wants peace because it has always had peaceful intentions. The proof is that we do not refuse to discuss the peace proposed to us. In principle, Poland does not want to reject negotiations. Still, and I will repeat this once more, we will never be able to, or want to, negotiate under any threat. Initially, I thought that the Bolsheviks could be negotiating with us peacefully and without ulterior motives. I also wanted Poland to start peace negotiations without any such motives, playing open cards. I did not want to exploit our advantageous situation and base our arguments on our military strength. I did not want a peace that would be imposed by our cannons and bayonets. Unfortunately, the Bolshevik behaviour does not give the impression that we are discussing peace for the sake of peace; quite the opposite, this is a peace that the Bolsheviks want to achieve with violent threats, like they did with the Estonians.1 When I have a knife put to my throat, I feel bad. I am not a man who can be talked to in this way. I can be firm and get angry too if someone wants to impose his will on me by threatening me. I am sure that all Poland will agree with me. We are ready to negotiate, but we strongly reject all threats. We will never make peace when threatened in this way. The choice is between a meaningful peace that is voluntarily accepted and a war.

I know that the Bolsheviks are concentrating considerable forces on our front. They are mistaken if they think that they can intimidate us and put an ultimatum to us. Our troops are ready and I have complete confidence in them. I know that if our army is threatened, it can pose a threat itself.

And I am not afraid of the famous Bolshevik propaganda, which is used as a bogeyman by some. It does not affect Poland. At most, it may stir up local unrest here or there, but it is unable to provoke a general revolutionary movement for one simple reason – we are too close to Russia. It is precisely us – as neighbours of the Soviet Republic – that are fully aware of the results of the communist experiment. In Poland even those that are – let us call them the most radical so as not to give offence – are terrified of the abyss that Bolshevism has thrown Russia into. They are aware of this and therefore do not want to follow Russia’s example. Bolshevik propaganda may in some cases exploit dissatisfaction with internal problems, which are difficult to avoid in the present economic circumstances, but is unable to impose the communist system on us. European nations more remote from the hearth of Bolshevism might still believe in the loveliness of the system introduced by Lenin. But we, who judge this system at close quarters, already have a formed opinion about it. We are terrified by the horrible situation created in Russia by Bolshevism.

We know well that Russia will never be able to supply Europe with the grain which is reportedly expected from it. When you have grain, you do not die of hunger. Meanwhile, people are literally starving in most Soviet provinces. The population is shrinking at an unbelievable rate. Official statistical figures that I have just received show that in the past year alone, the population of certain provinces has decreased by 13%. The Soviets state that in the entire Republic, there are 4,000,000 workers and 10,000,000 families that consist of female workers and children, i.e. childless families or those with just one or two children. Mortality among children is such that an entire generation is disappearing, having falling victim to the socialist experiments of Lenin and Trotsky. If Russia wants to continue these disastrous experiments, let her, but Poland will never agree to voluntarily go to its death by attempting to taste communism as well. Now, when we are free, we are too attached to life to risk its loss in exchange for empty delusions.

• General, I would like to ask you what you think of the Coalition’s policy towards Russia, if there is such a policy at all, because as seen from Warsaw, this appears very doubtful.

The General frowned and declined to speak. As he told me, he did not want to say something bitter.

– The worst thing in politics is zigzagging.

Poland cannot adapt to this way of doing things – it is impossible. Given its geographic position, it must anticipate events and cannot constantly change the course of its policy.

The arrival of plenipotentiaries of the Baltic states in Warsaw2 was too important an event not to ask General Piłsudski of his opinion.

– We do not want to start negotiations with Russia without knowing the opinions or views of all those interested in the Russian question. Lithuania does not participate in the conference, since it has no border with Russia and issues of peace or war have no major significance for it. The conference in Warsaw is the first step towards a rapprochement between the eastern states. Poland is regaining its historical role.

When I got up to say goodbye, the Chief of State told me the following, emphasising every word:

– I stress once again that we will never agree to opening peace negotiations while threatened by the Red Army. I have confidence in my troops and I am not afraid of any assault.