Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The British Commonwealth and Europe, Volume III

760C.61/2182a: Telegram

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

Washington , January 15, 1944—7 p.m.

88. I have talked over with the President the request of the Polish Government for this Government to act with the British Government “with a view to securing through their intermediary the discussion by Polish and Soviet Governments with the participation of British and American Governments of all outstanding questions,”³⁶ and we desire that you take up the matter with the Soviet Government along the following lines:

As the Soviet Government well knows, we are committed to the principle of the settlement of disputes by peaceful accord, and the most important recent official declarations on the part of the leading peace-loving nations of the world have been along these lines.

Without regard to the merits of the case, it is the hope of this Government that the Soviet Government will give the most favorable consideration to the Polish offer to discuss outstanding questions, presumably on the basis of a renewal of official relations between the two Governments. The effect of any hesitancy or refusal by the Soviet Government at this time would adversely affect the cause of general international cooperation. Conversely, an amicable solution of the Polish-Soviet differences, in conformity with the principles of international cooperation, would have far-reaching effects on world opinion.

We must not overlook the very considerable advantages to our common war effort of the restoration of unity in the ranks of the United Nations. Our interest in the resumption of relations between the Polish and Soviet Governments and the amicable settlement by mutual agreement between them of outstanding questions is directly related to the furtherance and the acceptance by all peace-loving peoples of the reality of the basis for international cooperation established at Moscow³⁷ and Tehran.

If the Soviet Government finds it agreeable and desirable, this Government would be glad to extend its good offices in the matter of arranging for the initiation of discussions between the two Governments with a view to resumption of official relations between them.³⁸

For your own individual information, this is intended primarily as an earnest, friendly effort to be of aid to Russia in reaching a settlement of this difficult problem. The effect on opinion in this country of the Pravda reply to Mr. Willkie’s article³⁹ and the interpretation by the public and press here of this reply as an indication that the Soviet Government proposed to follow a course of unilateral action, has been far-reaching. Very considerable and important elements in this country are viewing the attitude and actions of the Soviet Government with regard to the Polish boundary question as a test of the reality of international cooperation in its broad future aspects on a basis of friendly accord and respect for the rights of nations. We have had encouraging results in this country from the declaration of Moscow and the meeting at Tehran but we would not be frank if we did not point out the danger to the cause of cooperation in an international security system which would result from an arbitrary dealing with the Polish-Soviet differences.

These observations are not intended to reflect or deal with the merits of the case in question.

Hull

36. See text of the Polish statement quoted in Polish Series telegram 9, January 14, from London, p. 1226. For statement by the Secretary of State regarding this request, see press release of January 17, Department of State Bulletin, January 22, 1944, p. 96.
37. The Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers held October 18–November 1, 1943. For papers relating to the Conference, see Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. i, pp. 513 ff.
38. In telegram 417, January 17, 1944, the Chargé near the Polish Government in Exile was instructed to inform Foreign Minister Romer confidentially of this offer of good offices (760C.61/2157).
39. Reports on the visit of Wendell L. Willkie, personal representative of President Roosevelt, in the Soviet Union during September 1942 are printed in Foreign Relations, 1942, vol. iii, pp. 637–650. Mr. Willkie had written an article which appeared in Life magazine for October 5, 1942, describing his conversations with Stalin.