800.00 Summaries/9w: Telegram

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

364. For your information only the following is a summary of two resolutions adopted by the Polish Cabinet on February 15 which were communicated to Prime Minister Churchill on February 18:

Resolution Number 1: The Government of Poland in its declaration of January 14 stated that it was ready to take up conversations with the Soviet Government together with the British and American Governments participating in discussing all outstanding questions in order to reach a settlement which would lead to permanent and friendly cooperation between the Soviet Union and Poland.

In this statement the Government of Poland did not exclude territorial matters from such conversations with it being understood that these would extend to the northern, western and eastern frontiers of Poland.

The dictated demand of the Soviet Government to the effect that the Polish Government should agree to the so-called Curzon Line as the future Soviet-Polish frontier is not acceptable to the Government [Page 1259] of Poland. Only after the war can the final results of conversations regarding frontiers be effected. However, immediately, during the course of the war—a line of demarcation passing to the east of the cities of Lwow and Vilno should be agreed to with the Polish Government who would consult in this matter with the Polish Underground authorities. The Polish authorities would take over the administration of the territories liberated from German occupation to the west of this line of demarcation; in regard to areas to the east of this line, they would be administered, for the time being, by the Red Army authorities working with the participation of other United Nations representatives. It is the duty of the Government of Poland to state that it considers it contrary to the interests of the Polish State to grant to the Soviet Union a part of East Prussia including the port of Koenigsberg since this would limit to a great extent the free access to the sea by Poland.

Resolution Number 2: Changes in personnel in the composition of the Polish Government and of the Polish High Command cannot be made dependent upon demands of a foreign state.

Stettinius