760C.61/1080: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 9—8:30 p.m.]
415. The British Ambassador has informed me of his conversation with Stalin last night stating that the Department would be advised in full by his Foreign Office.73 I am consequently not reporting our conversation in detail. Of especial interest he stated that Stalin did not seem to attribute too great importance to the Polish break and [Page 417] though apparently not holding Sikorski in high regard claiming him to be weak and susceptible to influences of the pro-German elements in the Polish Government was inclined to accept him as the leader of a reconstituted Polish Government provided Churchill and the President so desired. A change in the top position of the Polish Government, however, was a prerequisite of a resumption in relations.
Clark Kerr stated that the British had taken over Polish interests for the time being although they considered it impractical to take any active part in day to day matters while engaged in the broader aspects of the dispute. For this reason it had been proposed that the Canadians or Australians who had little to do here should take over this work. Although the Canadians had refused it was still hoped that the Australians would accept the responsibility.
In my conversation with Molotov on May 6 I stated that speaking entirely personally and without instructions if there were anything I could transmit to my Government with a view to regularizing the present unfortunate state of Soviet-Polish relations I hoped that he would not hesitate to call on me. Speaking without bitterness Molotov replied that the position of the Soviet Government was explained in Stalin’s letter to Parker74 which defined the Soviet basis of Soviet-Polish relations, that the Soviet Government had only good intentions vis-à-vis Poland and desired to do anything that would be in the common interests and further the common effort of the Allies provided, of course, that the interests of the Soviet Union were reserved. However, he added as a personal comment he doubted that it would be possible to come to terms with the present Polish Government.