Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Eastern Europe, The Soviet Union, Volume VI

860C.00/4–646: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Poland (Lane)

secret
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Washington, April 16, 1946—3 p.m.

322. You are authorized to inform Pol FonOff informally (see immediately preceding telegram¹⁷) that recent developments such as referendum proposal and postponement of elections until fall (urtel 485 Apr 6¹⁸) give rise to doubt as to Pol Govt’s intention to fulfill Yalta election commitments affirmed at Potsdam. US Govt as party to these agreements is obliged to call attention to this fact and to point out that any departure from letter and spirit of Yalta and Potsdam decisions re elections will have most unfortunate effect in this country and will only serve to create further obstacles to building harmonious working relationship between US and Poland. To dispel all doubt as to Pol Govt’s actual intentions therefore it would be highly desirable for that Govt to issue in immediate future public definitive declaration reaffirming its intention to hold free and unfettered elections this year. To be effective declaration should contain exact wording of Polish reaffirmation at Potsdam of Yalta agreement re elections and particularly the commitment at Potsdam as to participation of all democratic parties and should be published in press throughout Poland. You should point out that at Potsdam Pol Prov Govt “agreed to the holding of free and unfettered elections as soon as possible on the basis of universal suffrage and secret ballot in which all democratic and anti-Nazi parties shall have the right to take part and to put forward candidates”. You may make it plain that in view of its own commitments at Yalta and Potsdam US Govt attaches greatest importance to holding of elections in accordance with those agreements and that publication of declaration of nature suggested could not fail to have salutary effect upon Pol-Am relations in general.

Please telegraph Pol Govt’s reaction urgently.

Byrnes

17. Telegram 321, April 16, to Warsaw, not printed; it instructed Ambassador Lane that in making representations to the Polish Government he should carefully avoid any mention of current credit negotiations and base his representations entirely on the Yalta and Potsdam agreements and the general desire for good relations between the United States and Poland (860C.00/4–1446).
18. Not printed, but see footnote 4, p. 420.