860C.00/10–246: Telegram
The Ambassador in Poland (Lane) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 5—7:35 a.m.]
1520. Although statements criticizing our note as an infringement on Polish sovereignty have been made to the press by the Polish Embassy in Washington and by Ambassador Lange, then in London, the Polish Govt has not seen fit to reply to or even acknowledge our note of August 19 regarding the election law. It has also taken the definite action of introducing before the KRN and forcing the passage of an election law which provides no guarantee to opposition parties that their votes will be accurately counted and published and no satisfactory procedure through which a protest may be registered.20 There are continuing accusations against and arrest of opposition spokesmen and lack of free expression of opinions.
I recommend that we should address a further note to the Polish Provisional Govt in the immediate future containing the following points and such others as Dept may consider appropriate.
- (1)
- Reference should be made, along the lines of the portion quoted from British Ambassador’s telegram to London FonOff (mytel 1517, October 121), to the Yalta Agreement, the Moscow conversations and the Potsdam Agreement, which repeatedly stressed that free and unfettered elections were to be conducted in Poland. Reference should also be made to the note of April 24, 1946 received by the Dept from [Page 498] the Polish Embassy which gave assurances that general elections will take place this year in accordance with the stipulations of article IX of the Agreement of Potsdam of August 2, 1945. On the basis of this and other notes substantial financial assistance was extended to the Polish Provisional Govt.
- (2)
- The Provisional Govt of Poland has not thus far implemented, through the passage of an adequate electoral law, its indicated intention to meet satisfactorily the undertakings to which it subscribed prior to its recognition by the Govt of the US and which were consequently confirmed at Potsdam. The electoral law just passed by the National Council of the Homeland doesn’t in the opinion of the US Govt sufficiently provide for “the holding of free and unfettered elections (omit “as soon as possible”) on the basis of universal suffrage and secret ballot” nor does it make adequate provision that “in these elections all democratic and anti-Nazi parties shall have the right to take part and to put forward candidates.” The Govt of the US wishes it to be clearly understood that it will reserve its right to declare, at such time as it considers appropriate, whether, in its judgment, elections have been carried out in a free and unfettered manner in accordance with the Yalta and Potsdam decisions.
- (3)
- It desires, therefore, at this time again to inform the Provisional Government of Poland that the Govt of the US expects that every facility for equal rights in the election campaign and in the election itself will be given to all Democratic and anti-Nazi parties in accordance with the Agreement at Yalta.
- (4)
- Should the facts justify the decision that free and unfettered elections have not been held the Govt of the US feels that in fairness to the Provisional Govt of Poland it must now state that a review of its relations with the Provisional Govt will later be required, including the question of economic assistance which Polish Provisional Govt has expressed an interest in obtaining from the US in the future.22
- The electoral law was passed by the National Council of the Homeland on September 22.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Telegram 979, October 10, to Warsaw, stated that the Department would await Ambassador Lane’s arrival at Washington before deciding on action to be taken regarding passage of the Polish electoral law (860C.00/10–246).↩