Editorial Note
On June 5 and 6 representatives of the “German Democratic Republic” and Polish Republic met in Warsaw for discussions which resulted in the following six agreements: 1) a declaration confirming the Oder-Neisse line as their mutual boundary, 2) a five-year agreement on technical and scientific cooperation, 3) a one-year protocol on cultural cooperation, 4) a trade agreement covering the period March 1 through December 31, 1950, 5) a payments agreement, and [Page 959] 6) an agreement providing the GDR with Polish credits. One month later the boundary declaration was implemented when Grotewohl and Josef Cyrankiewicz, Prime Minister of Poland, signed at Zgorzelec on July 6, an eight-article agreement confirming the substance of the declaration.
For the texts of the declaration, the scientific and technical cooperation agreement, the cultural cooperation protocol, and the agreement on frontiers, see Dokumente zur Aussenpolitik der Regierung der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (Ruetten & Loening, Berlin, 1954), Band 1, pages 332–336 and 342–343. The texts of the two documents relating to the Oder-Neisse frontier are also published in Beate Ruhm von Oppen (ed.), Documents on Germany Under Occupation, 1945–1954 (London, Oxford University Press, 1955), pages 497–500.
In telegram 897, June 10, from Berlin, not printed, the following appreciation of the agreements was reported:
“Agreements are believed part of general process of integrating Soviet zone into Soviet political, economic, and military system. Their occurrence at this time may reflect interest of USSR in formally defining as treaty-bound mutual obligations those relationships which USSR anxious to establish preparatory to anticipated withdrawal of USSR as occupation power in Germany, declaration of ‘independence’ of GDR, and formalizing agreement between GDR and USSR. On other hand, there may have been immediate economic considerations behind trade agreement.”
(762B.00/6–1050) Further reportage and documentation on the agreements may be found in files 762B.00/6–1250, 648.62B/6–750, 648.62B3/6–850, and 748.022/6–750.
With regard to the boundary agreement McCloy issued on June 7 the following statement which was fully supported by the Department of State:
“My attention has been called to the ADN report on an alleged agreement between Poland and east German administration regarding the Oder-Neisse boundary. The American position on this subject is well-known. Secretary Byrnes in Stuttgart in 1946 and Secretary Marshall at Moscow conference in 1947 both stated that the question of Germany’s eastern boundary is one to be settled in peace treaty with Germany, This was also the position of the three powers at Potsdam. Article 8 of Potsdam agreement specifically provides that the final delimitation of west frontier of Poland should await the peace settlement. This is not a matter that can be settled unilaterally or bilaterally. It cannot be settled for Germany by representatives of a regime that has no real support of the German people. The US Government has not therefore, recognized the Oder-Neisse boundary nor the incorporation into the Polish state of those German territories placed under Polish administration at Potsdam.” (Telegram 4891, June 7, from Frankfort, not printed, 648.62B3/6–750)