Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945

740.0011 EW/1–2745: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State (Grew) to the Secretary of State

top secret

[Washington,] February 5 [6], 1945.¹

Telegram to the Secretary of State from the Acting Secretary In answer to first request in your cable of the 4th,² summary of Mikolajczyk Memorandum³ follows:

The Polish people in the homeland desire to regulate Polish-Soviet relations; they fear Poland will be forced into Communism; they pin their hopes of independence on Great Britain and the United States and advocate a guarantee by all the three great powers; frontier changes should embrace all frontiers simultaneously; delineation of the eastern frontiers should be effected by compromise, not unilateral dictation; the eastern frontier should be more favorable to Poland than the Curzon Line and should be arrived at only in conjunction with the guaranteeing of restitution to Poland of Danzig, East Prussia and western lands taken from Poland by Germany.

Mikolajczyk states that question of frontiers and independence closely intertwine. If Poland loses territory, it must not lose the Polish population living in it. Plan for the eviction of Germans as well as transfer of Poles in Russia must be prepared in advance and coupled with plan of credits. Mikolajczyk supports plans for modification of Curzon Line in Poland’s favor and states that in the west the new frontier should include East Prussia, Danzig, the region of Oppeln, the region of Gruenberg on the left bank of the Oder and, northward, the whole right bank of the Oder including Stettin. (This is message 17.)

He presents following alternative solutions of problem of government and administration during transition period:

1. Return of Polish President to Poland where he would appoint new government.

2. President to resign in favor of a person in Poland who would appoint new government.

3. Representatives of Council of National Unity and the Lublin Committee to choose a new government in presence of representatives of three great powers.

4. Creation in Poland of Presidential Council composed of widely-known leaders which would summon conference of the political parties only or, alternatively, of the political parties and the Lublin National Council and Provisional Government, the Council of National Unity in Poland and Polish Ministers who lived in Poland throughout the war. (Allstate. Horseshoe.)

Memorandum concludes that the prompt establishment of government based on all democratic political movements is decisive for independence of Poland. Schoenfeld adds list of persons whom Mikolajczyk considers as possible candidates for the Presidential Council.

Grew

1. The text of this message in the Defense Files bears the date February 6, which is the date under which it was transmitted.
2. Ante, p. 952.
3. Not printed as such. The text of this memorandum, without date, was transmitted to the Department of State in telegram Polish Series No. 8 from Schoenfeld in London, signed by Winant and dated January 27, 1945. Mikolajczyk provided the British Government with a similar memorandum (860C.01/-1-2745.)