Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, General: The United Nations, Volume I

500.CC/3–1145

The Polish Ambassador (Ciechanowski) to the Secretary of State ³²

245/I/SZ–t/57

[Washington,] March 11, 1945.

Sir: Acting on instructions of my Government, I have the honor to bring the following to your attention:

1.— The Polish Government learned through the press and radio on March 5th, 1945, that the United States Government, acting on its own behalf and on behalf of Great Britain, China and the USSR, sent out invitations to thirty-nine States to take part in a Conference of the United Nations, convened on April 25th, 1945, at San Francisco, for the purpose of preparing a general international organization for the maintenance of international peace and security.

The Polish Government notes that it has not received an invitation to take part in this Conference, despite the fact that it is one of the original signatories of the United Nations Declaration of January 1st, 1942.

2.— Considering that the Polish Nation was first to take up arms against German aggression on September 1st, 1939³³ and that from that day up to the present moment it incessantly continues to fight in Poland and abroad on land, on sea and in the air; considering also that, in thus carrying on the fight in defense of ideals, the Polish Nation having fought longest has sustained in proportion to its possibilities greater sacrifices in human lives and property than any other nation; considering further that the war which started for Poland has created among the free nations of the world that feeling of solidarity which gradually led to the concept and the creation of the United Nations; and, finally, considering that at San Francisco the United Nations are to work out a permanent world organization of peace for the purpose of making aggression impossible in the future, and, that such an organization should be based on the respect of laws and of the sovereign equality of peace-loving nations,—the Polish Government, as the only legal and independent Representative of the Polish State, most emphatically and insistently asserts its inalienable right to take part in the world conference on security and most categorically protests against being omitted in the invitations to the said conference.

3.— The Polish Government begs to state that the fact that Poland, whose constitutional President³⁴ and Government are recognized by all the United Nations as well as by all neutral nations with the exception of one Power only, is not invited to the Conference at San Francisco,—is the first disturbing example of the application of the right of veto on the part of the Big Powers exercised by them even before the United Nations have agreed to and carried out the suggestions to be submitted to them relating to the future establishment of a world security organization.

4.— The Polish Government has already presented some preliminary amendments to the proposals prepared at Dumbarton Oaks³⁵ and intends fully to participate in the working out of an international security organization.

Under the circumstances, the Polish Government is deprived of the possibility of presenting at the Conference its final views both in relation to the Dumbarton Oaks proposals and to the proposal respecting the voting procedure in the Security Council formulated at the Crimea Conference.

Accept [etc.]

J. Ciechanowsky

32. Handed to the Under Secretary of State on March 13. In his memorandum of March 13 covering the conversation with the Polish Ambassador, Mr. Grew recorded that he reminded the Ambassador of the agreement reached at Yalta with respect to Poland and that the Department’s reply would point out “that invitations to the United Nations Conference could be issued only by agreement of all the sponsoring nations”. (500.CC/3–1145)
33. See Foreign Relations, 1939, vol. i, p. 402.
34. Władyslaw Raczkiewicz, President of the Government of Poland established in England.
35. See memorandum of February 5, with annex, p. 58.