840.50/2294
The Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs (Romer) to the American Ambassador to the Polish Government in Exile (Biddle), at London82
Excellency: I have the honour to refer to your note No. 145 of June 10th and to the attached draft agreement for the establishment of a United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration which Your Excellency transmitted to me together with an explanatory memorandum for the consideration of my Government.
The Polish Government warmly welcome the initiative taken by the Government of the United States in the establishment of a United Nations organization to give post-war relief to those countries which have suffered most heavily through aggression and occupation in the first instance and later also to all other countries in need of such assistance. In the opinion of the Polish Government this initiative is all the more valuable since the rehabilitation of the invaded and for many years occupied countries, provided for in the draft simultaneously with work of a purely relief nature will enable these countries to regain their economic equilibrium and to develop fully their own productive potentialities.
In these circumstances the Polish Government venture to make the following observations with the object of contributing, as far as lies in their power, to the ultimate success of this first international organization of this kind, planned on such a vast scale. The diversity and at times also complexity of the tasks to be undertaken demands that the administration should be made adaptable to varying conditions often widely differing from each other. It should, at the same time, be flexible so as to enable the appropriate help to be given at the right moment and through the proper channels to those who need it most.
1. Mindful of the above considerations, the Polish Government are of the opinion that the application of a general plan of relief and rehabilitation by the U.N.R.R.A. should be based on national plans, best placed to determine the character and extent of help required by each individual member of the United Nations. This observation would call for an appropriate change in Art. 1. par. 2a of the draft agreement. Such national plans would be coordinated by the proposed Regional Committees which in their turn should have a voice in determining the ultimate extent of aid for the various regions and countries, and the time at which such help should be administered. This would necessitate extending the authority of the Regional Committees [Page 955] considerably beyond what is stipulated regarding them by Art. III. par. 5 of the draft agreement. The Regional Committees, being composed of representatives of all the United Nations concerned should be in a position to influence the actual carrying out of the relief and rehabilitation by the Administration. Hence their relations to the respective Deputy Directors General should be of a different character from that defined under Art. IV. par. 4 of the draft agreement. The Polish Government are convinced that such changes would render the draft agreement more democratic without hampering the efficient functioning of the Administration.
II. It would also appear necessary to accentuate the democratic character of the scheme in the provisions dealing with the composition and powers of the Central Committee/Art. III. par. 3 of the draft agreement/. The Polish Government are of the opinion that no compelling reason appears to exist preventing the extension of the Committee by adding to its number at least two representatives of the 9 United Nations of Continental Europe. It should be noted that the population of these countries is of about 135 million in Europe alone and of about 260 million if their overseas possessions are included. They are profoundly interested in the progress of relief and rehabilitation. Their representatives could take their seats in the Central Committee in rotation. Each of them would be representative of territories as different from the point of view of relief and rehabilitation as those of Western and Central-Eastern Europe.
On the other hand, the Polish Government consider that the position of the Council as a policy-making body /Art. III. par. 1/ should not be overshadowed by the parallel position of the Central Committee. This latter body seems to have been devised as a kind of steering committee, advising the Director General in his activities. It should therefore be made clear /under Art. Ill par. 3/ that the Central Committee is fulfilling its task within the framework of a general policy laid down by the Council, but is not itself a policy-making body.
The following matters should moreover be reserved exclusively for the Council:
- 1.
- Formulation and recommendation of measures in matters connected with relief and rehabilitation /Art. 1. par. 2c/.
- 2.
- Admission of new members to the organization /Art. II. par. 1/.
- 3.
- Appointment of members of standing committees /Art. III. par. 6./.
- 4.
- Revoking of the Director General of the Administration /Art. IV. par. 1. in fine/.
- 5.
- Exclusive power to determine the relief policy /Art. TV. par. 2 first sentence/.
- 6.
- Amendment of provisions of the Agreement /Art. VIII/.
Finally, Art. III. par. 3 provides that representatives of members of the organization not belonging to the Central Committee should be invited to participate in meetings at which questions of special interest to such members are discussed. In the opinion of the Polish Government this equitable and democratic principle should be applied in a way leaving no doubt that the invited representatives shall sit in the Central Committee, take part in its deliberations and vote on equal footing along with its permanent members.
III. The studies already undertaken by the Inter-Allied Committee for Post-War Requirements revealed that a full development of relief and rehabilitation in the European region can only be achieved with the concurrence of the European countries which in their turn are receiving relief and assistance in their rehabilitation. This conviction is expressed under Art. V. par. 1 of the draft agreement itself, which imposes serious responsibilities on the United Nations of Continental Europe. These responsibilities in themselves give support to the argument brought forward regarding the composition of the Central Committee. They further lend support to the claim that the Committee on Supplies should also comprise representatives of those European countries which are likely to take an active part in affording relief to other countries, as soon as the work of their rehabilitation has been sufficiently advanced. This would also necessitate a more precise wording of Art. III, par. 4.
IV. For the same reason the production of every individual country will play an important and at times predominant part towards its own relief and rehabilitation. On the other hand both relief and rehabilitation are intended to create conditions in the liberated countries which would favour a return to a normal economic life and development. On account of these two factors the form of cooperation to be undertaken between the U.N.R.R.A. and the governmental or other authorities of a given country should be determined exclusively by agreement between the government concerned and the Administration.
In the opinion of the Polish Government the principle to be adopted is that, as far as the United Nations are concerned, the international relief organization should assist national relief organizations already existing and functioning in the different interested countries. None the less should any of the United Governments apply to the U.N.R.R.A. requesting it to undertake direct activity in a certain sphere other solutions could also be foreseen.
In any case since relief and rehabilitation on the whole are to be paid for by the receiving countries and in view of the responsibilities laid upon the countries receiving such relief /viz. Art. V. par. 1/ the [Page 957] stipulations under Art. I. par. 2a in fine would need adjustment to bring them in accord with the principles outlined above.
Furthermore it appears to the Polish Government that Art. VII, dealing with the powers of military authorities, might in its present form, render difficult or delay the taking over of relief distribution by civil authorities. The Polish Government therefore suggest that the words “and other military necessities” and the last sentence be deleted.
The Polish Government limit themselves at the present moment to offer their observations on the afore-mentioned four main categories of questions which appear to them to be of special importance for the efficient and smooth functioning of relief and rehabilitation in the territories of the Allied Nations as they are freed from enemy occupation.
It may be mentioned that the observations outlined above do not cover all the adjustments and amendments which the Polish Government desire to submit at an opportune moment, either in bilateral discussions with representatives of the United States or in the course of the conference, whose purpose it will be finally to adopt the plan for the organization of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.
Accept [etc.]
- Transmitted to the Department by the Ambassador in his despatch No. 358, July 24; received July 30.↩