860C.00/5–2046
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
Ref:1212/–/46
The Foreign Office have asked His Majesty’s Embassy to speak again to the State Department with a view to concerting United States representations to the Polish Provisional Government regarding the political situation in that country between now and the time when the promised elections are held sometime in the latter part of this year.
- 2.
- His Majesty’s Government believe that as much as 95% of the Poles in Poland are anti-Communist in sentiment. Moreover, in Poland, unlike the Balkan countries, the opposition to the Communist-dominated Government in power is active and well led. It should therefore be the aim of His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government to take any steps open to them to prevent the Opposition being deprived of freedom of association and expression, and to ensure that the elections are not rigged when the time comes or the Opposition prevented from going to the polls.
- 3.
- To this end His Majesty’s Government suggest that the two Governments should now make joint representations in Warsaw on the following lines which were suggested in this Embassy’s memorandum of the 12th April: the two Governments should continue to insist that an actual date be named for the elections and that the draft of an electoral law conforming to the principles of the 1921 Constitution be communicated to them. They should express their concern lest the conditions for free and unfettered elections may be prejudiced in advance by the actions of the Polish authorities and Security Police, and should demand the cessation of all forms of activity (such as arrests, censorship, raids on Party offices, interference with meetings, etc.) calculated to hamper the freedom of any of the recognized democratic political parties in putting forward their own candidates and programmes.
- 4.
- At the same time the two Governments should enquire why M. Witos has not been replaced on the Praesidium and why M. Kapelinski was eliminated from the Government. They should make it clear that, until the elections have taken place, they mean to insist upon the full observance of the Moscow Agreement as the result of which recognition was granted to the present Polish Provisional Government.
- 5.
- There is also the further consideration of the possible ejection of M. Mikolajczyk and the representatives of the Peasant Party from [Page 455] the Provisional Government. His Majesty’s Government propose that it should be made clear to the Polish Government that the expulsion of M. Mikolajczyk and his supporters and the dissolution of the Peasant Party would be regarded as a breach of the international obligations which the Polish Provisional Government have undertaken. It might be added that the continued presence abroad of the bulk of the Polish armed forces and civilian refugees, which is alleged to be the cause of international friction, is in the view of His Majesty’s Government and the United States Government directly attributable to the failure in the past of the Polish Provisional Government to live up to the spirit of its obligations.
- 6.
- As regards the means of bringing pressure to bear in support of the foregoing representations: It is clear that the United States Government are in a stronger position than His Majesty’s Government. His Majesty’s Government hope that the United States Government are prepared to make the full implementation of their credit agreement dependent upon satisfactory behaviour by the Polish Provisional Government and to make it plain to the Polish Provisional Government that they may expect no help or sympathy unless the joint requirements of the United States Government and His Majesty’s Government are satisfied.
Washington, May 20,
1946.