860C.01/10–744: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11 p.m.]
3843. ReEmbs 3842, October 7, 7 p.m.10 In my talk with Molotov October 4, regarding Morawski’s call on me, he asked me for my impression of Morawski. I dodged this question but explained that Morawski had indicated satisfaction over the support that the committee was obtaining from the democratic groups in liberated Poland but that I personally was much concerned over the bitterness which was increasing not only between the Committee and the London Government but within Poland itself. I explained to Molotov that I had told Morawski that we placed the highest importance on the bringing of all Polish factions together and an agreement being worked out between Mikolajczyk and the Committee.
Molotov answered rather curiously, “But what about the Curzon Line.”
I replied that I had understood that last winter the Government in London had indicated through Prime Minister Churchill that it was ready to accept the Curzon Line as a basis for settlement.
I cannot understand why Molotov brought this subject up as it was not pressed in Mikolajczyk’s conversations in Moscow11 and I had assumed that the formula which had been worked out by the Polish Committee of using the Curzon Line as a basis for administrative purposes and leaving the settlement of the definite boundary till after Poland was liberated had been agreed upon.
There is no doubt that the Committee itself expects some adjustment including a fond hope for the retention by Poland of Lwow. Whether Molotov reintroduced the boundary question at this time as a [Page 1436] possible new basis for coming to a settlement with Mikolajczyk providing he reaffirms the position taken last winter or what his reason was in mentioning it is not at all clear to me.
Molotov took no exception to my statements and certainly left me with the impression that he agreed to the importance of there being a settlement between the Polish factions.
- Not printed; Ambassador Harriman reported that Osubka-Morawski had called on British Ambassador Sir Archibald Clark Kerr on October 1, and that they had discussed the political situation in Poland. Morawski had indicated his belief that the value of cooperation with Mikolajczyk was now much diminished. He also had made a bitter attack on Lt. Gen. Tadeusz Komorowski (Bor) as the successor to General Kazimierz Sosnkowski on September 29 as Commander in Chief of the Polish Army (860C.01/10–944).↩
- For correspondence relating to the visit of Polish Prime Minister Mikolajczyk to Moscow in August 1944, to discuss Polish problems, see pp. 1304–1315, passim. ↩