European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 28, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday. September 28. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 3 West East scholars dig at roots of Wii editor s note the american University or Paris this week it bringing together for the first time scholars from inc soviet Union the West and Japan Foran open scientific Dehate on the origins and sequence of events that led in world War ii. Scholars from 1.1 countries Are present ing papers on the subject. The stars and stripes will be reporting on the four Day conference by  staff writer Paris the professor from har Vard University made his Point about the Start of world War ii. Nonsense said the professor from Chestnut Hill College. Fifty years later the debate about the Start of this Century s most cataclysmic event still rages. This week it has a forum billed by the american univer sity of Paris As an International Confer ence on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the second world  the opening session wednesday Cen tired on the inability of France and eng land to forge a pact in the summer of world warm the beginning 1939 with inc soviet Union and the consequences of the agreement signed later on aug. 23, 1939, Between Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin. A secret protocol to the pact gave the soviets influence Over the Baltic slates including Eastern Poland. If the soviet Union had not signed the pact said soviet born Aleksandr Nek Rich of Harvard then Germany  have been Able to attack the  soon after the pact was signed the germans invaded Eastern Poland on sept. I. " Hitler wanted to be sure he did not have to expect unpleasant developments from the soviets Eckrich said. Soon after Germany blitzed Western Poland the soviets came in to occupy the cast. This established for the first time Nekrich said Borders Between the two countries. In i my Germany launched an attack across that Border against the soviets. The soviets had won territory with the Hitler Stalin handshake but had lost Security he said. But John Lukacs. Born in Budapest and a member of the faculty at Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania said Nek Rich s theory was  even had there not been an agreement Between them. Stalin would have reacted to Hitler s invasion of Western Poland with a wave of his hand in agreement and an invasion of the Eastern half of the country he said. Alexander Oganovich oui Barian director of the Institute of world history in Moscow sided with Lukacs. Pact or not. Poland would have been attacked by Hitler he said. Nekrich chibarian and one other scholar presented papers wednesday morning. Lukacs was the respondent toll three. He also disagreed with the paper by Klaus-j8rg  the Gilill a Stalin handshake weakened the communist anti Hitler movement inside Germany. Met Lucr of the univer Sill Der bundles Wehr in Hamburg West Germany said the Deal Between the communist soviet Union and fascist Germany confused and weakened the communists opposing Hitler. Stalin had said at a 1935 conference i Moscow that communists would oppose fascism anywhere with All strength. That had become the principle of the German communist movement. Stalin had seemed to Back away from that in his Deal with Hitler. Politically the communist resistance was isolated and Felt  said. The whole ideological strategy with which they Vic Rcd the world was turned upside Down Lukacs disputed the importance. He said the German communist movement was Small and weak before the pact. The German communist movement Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Liller smile As they shake hands at a 193s meeting. Had As much Impact As the prohibitionists and the vegetarians had on american politics in 1932," he said Muller later defended his position by saying that the German communist were the earliest and Best opponents of Hitler and therefore deserved credit. Chibarian opened the conference by saying that England s Lack of determination to align with Stalin in the summer of 1939 led to the soviet German Union. The policy of appeasement by  land was at work  he said. Eng land also did not consider the soviet Union a worthwhile ally in Case of fight ing. France on the other hand wanted cosign up with the soviet Union and eng land he said but England s Altitude killed that Chance. The result he said was to turn Stalin toward Hitler and the eventual Deal be tween them. My feeling is that the participants in these talks did not fully perceive the threat of  he said. Also discussed at the conference was the Lack of documents from the period available in the soviet Union. American historian Norman Davis said any Dis Cussion of the period is slanted because of the vast number of German documents available compared with the few from the soviet Union. The great part of the soviet archives Are not yet available for Public study he said looking at Chuba Riison. Chibarian responded i agree that we do not have enough soviet archives. Weare working along these  Warsaw dwellings go up in names in a 1939 photo taken shortly after  planes bombed the polish capital. At right is a column of in adding German tanks