Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume V

Editorial Note

In its 10–page despatch 478, July 14, from Warsaw (together with a 5–page enclosure), not printed, the Embassy in Poland presented its consensus on the views expressed in airgram A–113, June 8, from Geneva (not printed, but see editorial note, page 124). The Embassy found no outstanding substantive differences of opinion between the considerations advanced in the airgram and views previously expressed by the Embassy. The Embassy in Warsaw was, however, less sanguine about the possibility of dislodging the Soviet power from Eastern Europe within the foreseeable future by means of diplomatic and economic techniques. Because of Poland’s geographic position, economic assistance was not likely to stimulate nationalism to the point of success comparable to that in Yugoslavia. Financial assistance to Poland would, under current circumstances, work to the benefit of the Soviet Union. The Embassy in Warsaw felt that for the moment the West should do nothing—beyond encouraging sufficient East-West trade with Poland to meet the requirements of a successful European Recovery Program—which might relieve the internal pressures in Poland. The Embassy recommended that the criteria of exchange of any goods which might contribute to Poland’s industrialization ought to be the relative advantage to the Western trading partner (611.60C31/7–1449).