Roosevelt Papers: Telegram
President Roosevelt to Prime Minister Churchill 1
priority
Number 674, Personal and Top Secret, from the President for the former Naval Person.
I have seen the newspaper reports of your statement in the House on the Polish question. In order that we may cooperate fully in this matter I would appreciate receiving the benefit of your ideas as to what steps we can now take in regard to this question. Particularly I would like to have your evaluation of the possibility of Mikolajczyk’s coming back into power with sufficient authority to carry out his plans and what action you feel we should take in the event the Lublin Committee should declare itself to be the provisional government of Poland and Stalin should recognize it as such.2 In view of this possibility I wonder if it would be helpful if I should send a message to Stalin suggesting that he postpone any positive action on the Polish question until the three of us can get together.
You will recall the contents of the letter I sent to Mikolajczyk by Mr. Harriman which he showed to you and which outlines our policy in regard to Poland. I anticipate strong pressure here for the position of this Government to be made clear, and I may therefore have to make public in some form the four points outlining our position contained in my letter to Mikolajczyk referred to above.
Knowing that we have in mind the same basic objectives in regard to Poland I want to be sure to coordinate with you any steps which I may contemplate in this matter.
- Sent to the United States Naval Attaché, London, via Navy channels.↩
- Churchill replied in his telegram No. 854, dated December 16, 1944 (not printed), that the Arciszewski government had established itself and that the British Government saw no immediate prospect of Mikolajczyk’s return to power. This telegram further stated that the British Government did not intend to recognize the Lublin Committee, but would continue to regard the London Government as the legal Government of Poland. (Roosevelt Papers.)↩