760C.61/2056
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to President Roosevelt
Sir Ronald Campbell, Minister Counselor of the British Embassy, called at the Department today under instructions from his Government to ask that this Government support the efforts of the British Ambassador in Moscow to induce the Soviet Government to consent to the evacuation of certain categories of Polish citizens from the Soviet Union.
The Minister indicated that the British Government had instructed the British Ambassador in Moscow to request the agreement of the [Page 428] Soviet Government to the evacuation of the following categories of Polish civilians in the order named:
- 1.
- Relatives and members of the Polish armed forces already abroad.
- 2.
- Poles whose domicile was west of the Molotov-Ribbentrop line of 1939 (the line dividing Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union).
- 3.
- Polish orphans.
No previous discussion of this proposed approach to the Soviet Government has come to the attention of the Department of State.
Sir Ronald Campbell was informed that this request would be laid before the President for his consideration.
In connection with this request it is felt that if you are in agreement that it would be advisable at this time to send instructions to Admiral Standley regarding the Polish-Soviet dispute, the best course to pursue would be to collaborate with the British in this matter but to approach the problem from a broader base.
It is still felt that while collaborating with the British it would be advisable to present an American solution to the problem, the practical aspects of which are outlined beginning with the last paragraph on page 3 of the telegram to Mr. Churchill which was drafted some time ago but which apparently was not sent. For convenient reference a copy of this telegram is attached.88
- Draft telegram not printed, but see telegram No. 427, June 12, to the Ambassador in the Soviet Union, infra. ↩