Roosevelt Papers
Memorandum by the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman)
Conversation
| Present: | The American Ambassador, Mr. Harriman |
| I. M. Maiski, Assistant Peopled Commissar for Foreign Affairs |
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In connection with Poland we got on the political question. He said he thought the London Government had “missed the bus”. Many opportunities had been given to them including last October. Mikolajczyk in his view was not a strong leader. If he had been one he would have returned to London and announced to his associates that he was returning to Poland and asked who would go with him. Instead he attempted to argue and got nowhere. He saw nothing ahead now except the present Provisional Government in Lublin, which incidentally has now moved to Warsaw.
Maiski said there had been a number of calculations of the Germans that would have to be taken out of territory that was to be given to Poland. The calculations came to between six and eight million Germans but Maiski thought six million was nearer right. I did not discuss the Polish question with him because of the coming meeting except to emphasize its importance as an issue that must be settled, and its effect on our relations.
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