Office of the Historian

860C.24/109: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, September 20, 1941—midnight.
[Received September 20—11:20 p.m.]

4419. For the President and Hopkins from Harriman. General Sikorski, Polish Prime Minister, called on me yesterday to request assistance in arming up to 100,000 Poles for forces now being organized in Russia. We will also be approached by Polish commanding officer [Page 254] in Moscow. The British are supplying uniforms but as yet no rifles or other military equipment.

Would appreciate instructions whether we should attempt to deal with Polish needs direct or should insist that assistance come through the Russians.

For your information Sikorsky advised me that these Poles in Russia were over 90% Roman Catholics and were being allowed priests and opportunity for religious worship.14 I suggested to him that these facts be publicized in America including through Polish-American channels. [Harriman.]

Winant
  1. For correspondence concerning interest of the United States in freedom of religious worship in the Soviet Union, see pp. 995 ff.↩