Pilsudski Interviewed

The pressmen sought "gruff and bluff" Marshall Josef Pilsudski, who recently overthrew the Polish Government (TIME, May 24), at his General Staff Headquarters.

Attired in his favorite garment--a faded uniform democratically without rank insignia of any kind--he loomed more than ever the fighter among his impressively and impeccably garmented staff. Peering at the correspondents from beneath his great eyebrows he replied to their request for an interview:

"I am extremely tired. I want nothing but to sleep. For three days I have not slept or seen my wife and children. Had I a free moment I would use it to sleep and sleep again! But I have so many important things to do. ... I am quite surprised that we have succeeded so quickly. Everything went like a stroke of lightning! There were extraordinary scenes in this unprecedented battle. As it was, the battle was often suspended to allow women and children to move out of the way."

Cabinet. At Warsaw it was announced that former Premier Count Skzrynski had refused at the last moment to become Foreign Minister in the new Bartel Cabinet (TIME, May 24), in which Marshall Pilsudski has been content to hold merely the War Ministry though actually the virtual dictator of Poland. The Cabinet, as finally announced last week:

Deputy Bartel................... Premier and Railways Marshal Pilsudski..................War M. August Zaleski (Temporarily)....Foreign Affairs General Mlodzianowski..............Interior M. Czechowicz......................Finance M. Jurkiewicz......................Labor M. Raczynski.......................Agriculture M. Hippolyte Gliwic................Commerce Professor Mikolowski-Pomorski......Education M. Broniewski......................Public Works Professor Wenceslos Mokowski.......Justice

Premier Bartel, a non-Socialist Laborite, rose from the estate of a locomotive engineer in his youth to the chief professorship of physics at the Lwow Polytechnical Institute. He won fame by his efficient superintendence of Poland's railway mobilization against the Soviets' attempted invasion six years ago. Last week he announced: 1) The Cabinet will at once convoke the National Assembly, which will elect a new President who must be acceptable to Marshal Pilsudski. 2) The Cabinet will then resign, and the President will name a new Premier. 3) Thereafter Parliament will be prorogued by executive decree until a new general election can be held.

Presidential Candidates. After much urging Marhsal Pilsudski finally accepted the Socialist candidacy. His personal friend and aide, Colonel Winiawa Delugosewski, discussed with correspondents the possibility that the Marshal might be set up as King or Dictator by his almost fanatically loyal followers. Finally the Colonel said: "He will not take the dictatorship, but personally I wish he would."

Rival Government? At Posen, General Haller, organizer of the Polish Legion in the U. S. during the World War, assembled some 10,000 troops, which started to march on Warsaw early in the week to overthrow Pilsudski. Late despatches reported that this expedition had been abandoned, that General Haller had been feted and decked with flowers by Posenites, who were encouraging him to set up a rival government of Poland with their city as its capital.

Referring to the Haller fiasco, Marshal Pilsudski declared to correspondents: "When they wanted to march on Warsaw I cut the railroad lines with my tank regiment and gave them time to think twice. At any rate, all the soldiers are for me, and my only enemies are the corrupt and factious generals."

Later Pilsudski issued a proclamation: "Polish soldiers! I expect you to give the first example of patriotism; to cease all factional strife and unite in love for your country. If you cannot love me you at least will have to respect me."

Heroic Seizure. Early in the week General R. K. Ladkowski, appointed "Commissioner of Warsaw," entered the Polish National Bank and calmly seized for Marshal Pilsudski 3,500,000 zlotys ($372,000).