701.60C11/382

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Adviser on Political Relations (Dunn)

The Polish Ambassador came in this afternoon …

The Ambassador then said that he would, in great confidence, be glad to have any information I might be able to give him with regard to his status and that of the Embassy here in Washington, in view of the departure of his Government from Polish soil and the imminent completion of the occupation of Poland by the German and Soviet troops.

I told the Ambassador that we had given no thought whatever to any question regarding the status of himself or his Embassy. I said that we had received word from Mr. Biddle that the Polish Government officials were proceeding to France with the consent of the French Government, and that Colonel Beck had requested the diplomats to accompany him to France and to stay with him there at least for a short time. I told him that we had given Mr. Biddle authorization to proceed to France and rejoin the Polish Government officials wherever they might elect to reside, and that after he had done so, Mr. Biddle would no doubt wish to come on home for the purpose of making a full report of the developments and situation to the Government here and also for the purpose of obtaining some little rest for himself [Page 680] and his family. I told the Ambassador that there was certainly no occasion for him to give any consideration whatever to any question regarding the status of his Embassy here at least for some weeks, or until Mr. Biddle had returned and an opportunity had been given to examine the situation. I said that of course he knew our attitude toward situations of this kind, and that we would wish so to adjust any action we took in a manner which would express the most sympathetic feeling of this Government and this country toward the Polish state, I said that I would inform the Secretary of his inquiry and of my reply, and if anything arose in the future in connection with this matter, I would take the liberty of speaking to him again on the subject.

James Clement Dunn