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Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The Ambassador of Poland came in at his own request, his previous call having been interrupted.28 He had nothing specially in mind except to express very deep concern about the Jewish problem in his country and a desire to talk in some detail with Mr. Messersmith29 in regard to it and kindred phases. He spoke generally about the European situation, saying that his country came out of the recent crisis with more prestige than some of the others. This was a repetition of what he had said in the beginning. He was desirous that his country and Hungary might have a common boundary, as indicated by the press reports and for the reasons therein set forth. I remarked that it appeared his Government would not get that, at least for the present. He stated that he considered Russia as increasingly less dangerous, and, in fact, he minimized Russia’s military importance more than at any time heretofore. He thought that while Germany would seek to dominate most of the other smaller countries in that area, she would not undertake seriously to impose upon Poland because she knew that Poland would be more disposed to fight than any other country, even Czechoslovakia, and would be more capable of fighting than Czechoslovakia. He made some inquiry about my appraisal of the Munich situation. I promptly replied that this Government has kept entirely aloof from every phase of the questions involved in the recent crisis, including their final consideration at Munich; that this Government has, therefore, not undertaken to commend [Page 98] or criticize any other government in connection with the manner in which it was dealing with such questions; that it was my individual view that the big fact brought out relating to the crisis was the lack of adequate military preparations by some of the countries immediately concerned; that in the event of such adequate preparations there would have been less liability of a crisis of an acute or dangerous nature. I finally added that much or most of the matters of difference in that crisis were of a political nature with which this Government does not involve itself. The Ambassador said he agreed entirely with the attitude of the Government as I had expressed it.