Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1945, Europe, Volume V

740.00119 Potsdam/6–645: Telegram

Mr. Harry L. Hopkins, Adviser to President Truman, to the President⁵²

[Extract]

[Moscow,] May 28, 1945.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Then, for the second time, we took up the question of Poland. I told Stalin in unmistakable terms how greatly you were disturbed with the action of the Soviet Government in relation to Poland. I told him that American public opinion could not understand the position the Soviet Union was taking and that it was bound to have a profound effect on future American cooperation with the Soviet Union. While I was careful to avoid any implications of a threat to Russia, I did nevertheless acquaint him fully with the gravity of the situation as you expressed it to me. I told him that we had no selfish economic interest in Poland, that we surely did not support any Cordon Sanitaire, but that we wanted a genuinely free election and had surely no desire to see the new Poland antagonistic to Russia.

I tried both last night and the night before to impress on Stalin that the American people would not support a policy in Poland which was directed entirely by the Soviet Union and that it must be a genuinely cooperative understanding such as we had worked out at Yalta. On both occasions Stalin has listened very attentively to my outline of your position and I gained the feeling that he was impressed with what I said.

I urged Stalin to put his own mind to a solution of the Polish problem which carried out the spirit of the Yalta Agreement. He suggested that the appropriate approach to a solution would be to agree on the composition of the reorganized Polish Government. I shall try to induce him to clarify this further at an early meeting. The implications of his reaction to the Polish matter are complex and I would prefer not to attempt to analyze and interpret his position until I can see you personally. Under any circumstances I am sure that the Polish matter cannot be settled while I am here and I intend to advise Stalin that I am going to report his position fully to you. Harriman and I intend to have one more discussion about Poland with Stalin, and I shall bring back to you our final considered opinion.

52. This is the paraphrase of a message which reported on a conversation between Mr. Hopkins, Ambassador Harriman, Marshal Stalin, and Foreign Commissar Molotov, held at the Kremlin, May 27, at 8 p.m. For the record of this conversation, see memorandum by Charles E. Bohlen, dated May 27, 1945, Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. i, p. 31.