Office of the Historian

861.012/217: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Standley) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, May 23, 1943—3 p.m.
[Received May 26—2 p.m.]

510. The British Ambassador has informed me of the following answers Molotov gave to him to questions raised regarding the Union of Polish Patriots and the new Polish Legion.

1.
With respect to the statement that the Legion would be recruited mainly from Poles formerly living in the eastern provinces Molotov endeavored to explain that there was a distinction between nationality and citizenship and that while recruits would be drawn largely from persons who had been living in the western Ukraine and White Russia these persons, though Polish by nationality, were in fact Soviet citizens. He saw nothing incongruous in this.
2.
In answer to a question whether the Union of Polish Patriots resembled the Czech or French National Committees Molotov replied emphatically in the negative, insisting that there was no similarity whatsoever. He also denied that the Union could be regarded as a competing Polish authority in the Soviet Union and stated that the activities of the Union would be purely a matter of internal policy and in no way connected with Soviet foreign policy. Maisky has confirmed this to Eden.
3.
In reply to a question as to where was the dividing line between the Union’s activities and those of the Government in charge of Polish interests he stated that there was no room for misunderstanding or conflict, that the line was sharply drawn, that the term “Soviet citizen” embraced all those domiciled in western Ukraine and White Russia and that the question of Polish citizenship was quite a different one. He said that it was true that no common ground had been reached with the Polish Government on this question but that the Soviet Union adhered to its position that Polish nationals evacuated from western Poland to Western White Russia remained Poles regardless of their extraction. These nationals were in general from German-occupied Poland. There were, however, some borderline cases which were subject to discussion.
4.
Molotov took pains to emphasize that his Government had published the aims of the Union for the specific purpose of forestalling and dispelling any misgivings that might arise in regard to it.
Standley