Bohlen Collection
United States Proposal Regarding the Polish Government1
Suggestions in Regard to the Polish Governmental Question
After further consideration I agree with Mr. Molotov’s statement that the question of the creation of a Presidential Committee should be dropped and am therefore prepared to withdraw our suggestion on that point.
I believe that, with this change, our three positions are not far apart on the substance of the governmental question. Mr. Molotov spoke of the reorganization of the Polish Government. The British formula suggests the establishment of a fully representative “Provisional Polish Government” and we speak of the formation of a “Government of National Unity”. All three agree that only the Poles themselves can definitely decide this. All three agree that this [Page 816] government should be composed of members of the present Polish Provisional Government and in addition representatives of other democratic elements inside Poland and some Polish democratic leaders from abroad.
The following formula might therefore be considered:
That the present Polish Provisional Government be reorganized into a fully representative government based on all democratic forces in Poland and including democratic leaders from Poland abroad, to be termed “The Provisional Government of National Unity”; Mr. Molotov, Mr. Harriman and Sir Archibald Clark Kerr to be authorized to consult in the first instance in Moscow with members of the present Provisional Government and other democratic leaders from within Poland and from abroad with a view to the reorganization of the present government along the above lines. This “Government of National Unity” would be pledged to the holding of free and unfettered elections as soon as practicable on the basis of universal sufferage and secret ballot in which all democratic parties would have the right to participate and to put forward candidates.
When a “Polish Government of National Unity” is satisfactorily formed, the three Governments will then proceed to accord it recognition. The Ambassadors of the three powers in Warsaw following such recognition would be charged with the responsibility of observing and reporting to their respective Governments on the carrying out of the pledge in regard to free and unfettered elections.
- Authorship not indicated. This paper was attached to Bohlen’s minutes of the Plenary Meeting on the afternoon of February 9, at which time the proposal was again discussed: see post, p. 842. A copy of this paper in the UNA Files bears the notation, “According to Mr. Hiss, this was proposed by ‘Doc’ Matthews.” On August 13, 1954, however, Matthews wrote that he thought Bohlen was the author (640.0029/8–1354). Another copy of this paper is in the Hiss Collection.↩