760C.61/5–443
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The Polish Ambassador called to see me this morning. The Ambassador inquired with regard to recent developments in the Polish-Russian controversy insofar as the activities of the American and British Governments were concerned. I replied that General Sikorski was fully informed of all developments and I gave the Ambassador a brief summary of the highlights of the past few days.
The Ambassador had brought with him three copies of the Information Bulletin published by the Soviet Embassy during the past week which contained vituperative attacks upon the Polish Government and particularly upon the person of General Sikorski. The Ambassador said he did not feel that he could permit these attacks to go on any longer without a reply from the Polish Embassy in Washington. I stated that if the Ambassador undertook to enter into polemics of this character and to add fuel to an already too brightly burning controversy, he would literally be doing everything that he could to jeopardize the efforts of the American and British Governments to bring about a satisfactory solution of this dispute. I urged him, at least for the time being, to refrain from entering into the field [Page 409] of published refutations which could only exacerbate the bitter feeling already existing. I told the Ambassador that the British Government had urged the Soviet Ambassador in London, as well as the Polish Government in exile, to avoid publications of this character and that it was my understanding that both sides had agreed to adopt this suggestion. I said I hoped the Soviet Ambassador in Washington would follow the same course. The Ambassador agreed to adopt my suggestion and to refrain from any published rejoinders to the Soviet publications.
The Ambassador handed me the memorandum attached herewith62 regarding the present members of the Polish Government in London as a means of proving that the members of the Government were neither fascist nor reactionary.
- Not printed; the memorandum, headed “The Polish Government is neither fascist nor reactionary”, contains descriptive notes regarding the political views of President Wladislaw Raczkiewicz and the members of the Polish Cabinet.↩