740.0011 European War 1939/24535
The Ambassador to the Polish Government in Exile (Biddle) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 28.]
Sir: I have the honor to attach hereto copies of a letter of September 4, 1942, written by Polish Foreign Minister Raczynski to Russian Ambassador [Page 189] Bogomolov concerning the Russian aerial bombardment of Warsaw on the night of August 21/22.72
In handing me a copy of this letter for our confidential information, General Sikorski said that when his Government’s attention was drawn to the reports from inside Poland that 800 Poles had been killed and about 1,000 wounded during the aforementioned bombardment, he had suggested to his associates that Minister Raczynski approach Russian Ambassador Bogomolov with a proposal of an understanding between the Russian and Polish military authorities as to air operations over Poland. Having received the immediate and unanimous approval of his suggestion, Sikorski had instructed Raczynski to write Bogomolov the attached letter. Sikorski went on to say that he had subsequently called on Bogomolov personally to emphasise that the Polish military authorities, because of their special knowledge of the territory and of the present distribution of German military objectives therein, were in a position to secure to the Soviet authorities greater effectiveness of air operations against these military objectives. In response, Bogomolov had given the General grounds to hope that the Soviet Government would accept Raczynski’s proposal.
Respectfully yours,
- Letter of September 4 not printed; it further commented upon a similar air raid on the night of September 1–2, 1942, with heavy loss of life of Polish and Jewish inhabitants of Warsaw.↩