Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1943, The British Commonwealth, Eastern Europe, the Far East, Volume III

760C.61/1009

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)

[Washington,] January 30, 1943.

The Polish Ambassador called to see me this morning urgently at his request. The Ambassador handed me the memorandum attached herewith the contents of which he said had already been communicated to Ambassador Biddle in London.

The Ambassador read the memorandum to me. I said that of course the issue raised was one of the utmost importance and could the Ambassador throw any light upon it.

The Ambassador then read to me a portion of a telegram he had just received before coming to see me and which had not been completely deciphered. This telegram stated that a further communication had been received by the Polish Government from the Soviet Government stating that in as much as the Polish Government was unwilling to recognize the sovereignty of “White Ruthenia and the western Ukraine” as Russian, the Soviet Government would no longer agree to recognize Polish nationals in the Soviet Union as other than of Soviet nationality in as much as all Polish citizens in the Soviet Union came from western [eastern?] Poland.

The Ambassador stated that this was tantamount to a declaration by the Soviet Union that it was returning to the terms of the Molotov–Ribbentrop agreement of 1939 and was completely disregarding the Soviet-Polish agreement of 1941. The Ambassador went on to say that he was afraid that it was an indication that in view of the great Russian victories of the past two months, the Soviet Government believed that it would be able to continue into Poland on its way to Germany and that for that reason it desired to have no Polish Government nor any Soviet-Polish commitments to bother about when it got that far.

I stated that I would like to have any further information from the Ambassador which might be contained in the telegram which had not yet been deciphered.²⁹ I also said that in view of the gravity of this question, I would wish to lay it before the President in order to ascertain what his wishes might be. I said I would see the Ambassador again about the matter not later than the middle of next week.

S[umner] W[elles]

[Annex]

Memorandum on Polish-Soviet Relations

Count Raczyńiski informed the Polish Ambassador that through Ambassador Biddle he has transmitted to the Secretary of State texts of a Soviet note of January 16th, 1943, and of the reply of the Polish Government of January 26th, concerning the sudden decision of the USSR, henceforth to treat all the Polish deportees remaining in Russia as Soviet citizens, pretexting that these Poles originate from the Polish Eastern confines which are part of the USSR. This decision is entirely contrary to the Polish-Soviet agreement of July 30, 1941, and, if maintained, would show that the Soviet Government intends to revert to the Molotoff–Ribbentrop agreement of September 28, 1939.

According to the latest information received by the Polish Government from Kuybishev, the Soviet Government intends to draw all the practical consequences from this situation which it has thus created, to prevent the continuation of the evacuation of the families of Polish soldiers evacuated from Russia, solemnly promised by the USSR. Government, likewise to prevent the Polish Government from continuing to carry on its relief program among the Polish deportees in Russia. Count Raczyńiski regards this new move on the part of the Soviet Government as an attempt at pressure on the Polish Government and a proof of the general stiffening of the attitude of the Soviet Government as a result of the recent Russian military successes.

Mr. Romer, Polish Ambassador to Kuybishev, who is at present on a short stay in London, is immediately returning to his post in order to try to ascertain the real motives which have prompted the Soviet Government thus to endanger the friendly Polish-Soviet relations so laboriously built up by General Sikorski and the Polish Government.

The Polish Government certainly cannot accept any such illegal decision of the Soviet Government. There being no possibility of compromise on this issue, the Polish Government will refuse to yield to pressure on the part of the Soviet Government. The Polish Government is of the opinion that this attempt on the part of the Soviets creates a most dangerous precedent in regard to the fate of all nations at present under German occupation, and is moreover contrary to the principles in defense of which the United Nations are fighting.

General Sikorski, on behalf of the Polish Government, has instructed the Ambassador to present this case to the Secretary of State, to draw his attention to its seriousness and urgency, and to ask that the support of the U.S. Government should be given to the endeavors of the Polish Government in Moscow, at first possibly in the form of a strongly expressed interest and anxiety regarding the threat of stopping the distribution of American relief for the Poles in the USSR., a measure, which could not fail to arouse public indignation in the camp of the United Nations.

January 30, 1943.

29. On January 31, the Palish Ambassador addressed a letter (760C.61/1–3143) to the Under Secretary of State enclosing a memorandum regarding the telegram from Raczyriski, which described the Soviet-Polish exchange of notes of January 16 and 26, 1943, and added that late information from Kuibyshev indicated that the Soviet Government was beginning to take the first steps toward carrying out “its new attitude defined in its note of January 16th, 1943.” On February 3, 1943, the Polish Ambassador sent another memorandum to Mr. Welles reporting additional information from Kuibyshev regarding Soviet treatment of Polish citizens in the Soviet Union.