860c.01/198: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Commission to Negotiate Peace

297. Your 174, January 6, 8 p.m., and 303, January 16, noon.19 Copy French Embassy’s note mailed to Ambassador Sharp for information Colonel House December 10.20 Department delayed reply to French Ambassador’s note on account of great uncertainty as to relations existing between Polish National Committee in Paris and other Polish factions.

On December 20th [21st] Department cabled American Ambassador Paris, “Investigate carefully and report promptly exact relations existing between Polish National Committee in Paris and Polish officers in charge of affairs in Poland.” Answer to this telegram received last week21 that while negotiations for united government are pending between Paderewski and Pilsudski factions no final arrangement has yet been reached. A reply to French Ambassador would involve a decision on points of difference between different Polish factions and Department has not felt it has been in possession of facts sufficiently complete and reliable to justify it in so doing. It has been hoped and still is hoped that the Polish factions may come to some agreement themselves. Department has further felt that any premature and ill-considered action on its part might embarrass the American Mission in Paris.

Press reports just received would seem to indicate that the Paderewski and Pilsudski factions are now in substantial accord.

Polk

[For papers already published on the recognition by the United States of the Polish Provisional Government, January 22, 1919, see Foreign Relations, 1919, volume II, pages 741745.]

  1. No. 303 read: “Reply to our No. 174 of January 6th is requested.” (860c.01/198)
  2. See footnote 4, p. 412.
  3. See telegram No. 6655, Jan. 8, 1919, 3 p.m., from the Chargé in France, p. 426.