860C.00/12–1946: Telegram
The Ambassador in Poland (Lane) to the Secretary of State
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[Received December 19—5:10 p.m.]
1954. In accordance with authorization contained Deptel 1190, December 16.91 I received from Mikolajczyk December 19 letter addressed to me as Ambassador of US near the Provisional Govt of National Unity and signed by him as President of Polish Peasant Party and F. M. Wovowk, Secretary General of party dated December 18. Communication is accompanied by 24 enclosures some of which voluminous and will require considerable time for translation.
Am informed by British Ambassador that Mikolajczyk presented note and enclosures to him last evening when Mikolajczyk dined privately with Bentinck. Mikolajczyk said that he had endeavored present note to Soviet Ambassador today but was unable to obtain appointment and will present communication to Lebediev tomorrow.92
Information contained in note and enclosures is up to December 12 only. Mikolajczyk handed me unofficially information bulletins some of which he said had been given to American press correspondents covering period from December 13 to December 19 oppressive action taken against members his party.
Summary of information will be telegraphed as soon as translated.93
Mikolajczyk stressed following incidents which have taken place since December 12: refusal of electoral authorities at Azarnow [Chrzanów?] and Radom to receive lists of candidates which have to be submitted by December 20; arrests of five PSL members of National Council of Homeland when they attempted to present petition to electoral committee (three members subsequently released). [Page 546] Mikolajczyk said that he has an understanding with Zulawski94 independent branch of Socialist Party to include his candidates with those of PSL on common lists in Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow and Szarnow [Chrzanów]. Zulawski is to head the list in Krakow.
Mikolajczyk said that in his opinion majority of PSL candidates will be stricken from lists prior to elections on various grounds: candidates may be charged with having had connection with underground; signature of voters may be indecipherable; voters petitioning candidacy may be declared ineligible for various reasons or as in case of western territory PSL candidates may be considered illegal. Mikolajczyk said that it is quite possible that the actual electoral procedure and counting of votes may be entirely correct as it may well be that majority of PSL candidates will have been eliminated prior to the election.
- Not printed, but see footnote 77, p. 538.↩
- Telegram 1784, December 27, from Warsaw, reported that on December 20 Mikolajczyk delivered the note to Soviet Ambassador Viktor Zakharovich Lebedev who was far more cordial than usual (860C.00/12–2746).↩
- For a summary of Mikolajczyk’s letter of December 18, see telegram 1996, December 29, from Warsaw, p. 552.↩
- Zygmunt Zulawski, a leader of the Polish Socialist Party until its reorganization in the summer of 1945 under a leadership which favored close collaboration with the Polish Workers’ Party. Zulawski left the Polish Socialist Party in November 1946 and became affiliated with Mikolajczyk’s Polish Peasant Party.↩