800.4016 DP/4–345
Memorandum by the Adviser on Refugees and Displaced Persons (Warren)
The original of the underlying memorandum of the Polish Embassy of April 3, 194558 was submitted to Admiral Leahy.59 The underlying copy was given to Ambassador Lane60 for the information of the Department.
The matters presented in the Polish memorandum were considered by the Combined Civil Affairs Committee after a paraphrase of the memorandum had been sent to SHAEF and a reply from SHAEF received (CCAC 187/130 May 1945). The reply from SHAEF was to the effect that all United Nations displaced persons awaiting repatriation would as far as possible be given opportunity to engage in paid employment, if they so desired, that SHAEF had under consideration the possibility of recruiting Poles for such employment, that SHAEF would give full consideration to any proposal by Allied Governments to Poles volunteering to work, that it is the present interim policy of SHAEF that Polish displaced persons be not forcibly repatriated against their will, and further that whenever possible Polish citizens are maintained in special camps and that it is not considered advisable at this time to have a chief liaison officer from the London Polish Government working at SHAEF.
Drafts of communications to the State Department and the British Foreign Office transmitting the foregoing SHAEF reply to the Polish memorandum were cleared by the State and War Departments but have to date not been cleared by the British Government. In view of the recent political developments, the Civil Affairs Division of the War Department has expressed the opinion that it is unlikely that British concurrence in the communications will be received. In the meantime Mr. Durbrow61 has had many informal conversations with Mr. Ciechanowski62 in which he has discreetly reassured Mr. Ciechanowski on United States policy with respect to the matters presented. Mr. Durbrow agrees that under all the circumstances the memorandum should be filed.