704.60C61/5: Telegram
The Ambassador to the Polish Government in Exile (Biddle) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 10—8:44 p.m.]
Polish Series [No.] 35. After frankly telling me that the British Government hesitated to accede to his request that the British Ambassador in Kuibyshev be allowed to protect Polish interests in Russia, Sikorski asked me to express his earnest hope that we might see our way clear to permit our Ambassador to assume at least the nominal protection of Polish interests. The reason, he said, for the use of the word “nominal” was because he felt that our Embassy might not be sufficiently staffed to undertake all aspects of the task involved.
He wondered whether in event of our favorable consideration of his request our Ambassador might appoint someone to assume control of the Polish stores already established; 35 percent of the supplies and 90 percent of the clothing apparel had originated in the United States.
The problems he expected to arise in the near future were “the evacuation of two categories of Poles”: (a) The Poles about whose nationality there was no dispute particularly those from western Poland who found themselves in eastern Poland at the time of the Russian 1939 plebiscite; and (b) the families of officers and soldiers. He said that the Polish forces in the Middle East and those here whose families are in Russia were already clamoring for information as to who is to take over the protection of Polish interests.
In the circumstances he urged me to express his sincere hope that we would give favorable consideration to his most earnest request.