Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, Central and Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

120.32148/3–1550: Telegram

The Ambassador in Poland (Gallman) to the Secretary of State

secret
priority

Warsaw, March 15, 1950—5 p. m.

399. Embtel 391, March 14.¹ Pass Department of Defense. When I called on Acting Foreign Minister Wierblowski² today, he told me Polish Government wanted us to reduce staffs of our Service Attaches between now and April 15. He opened conversation in light vein observing that Poland neither had military alliance with US nor was expecting war between the two countries. The details of his remarks were set forth in a Polish aide-mémoire which he handed me along with an “unofficial” English translation. The English version he handed me reads as follows:

“At the present moment at the offices of the Military, Naval and Air Attaches with the Embassy of the United States in Warsaw there are ten diplomatic representatives and 23 auxiliary personnel, i.e. together 33 persons.

“In 1939, that is on the eve of the Hitlerite attack on Poland, only one officer represented the Armed Forces of the United States in Poland.

“The Polish Government states that it does not see any justification for the maintenance at present of such numerous personnel of the United States Military, Naval and Air Attaches in Warsaw. According to established and recognized international usages in that respect undoubtedly known to the Government of the United States the receiving state may on the basis of its sovereign rights establish principles pertinent to the number of personnel with foreign diplomatic missions on its territory.

“The Polish Government, taking use of these rights, wishes to apply to this question the principle of reciprocity.

“In consideration of the above since the personnel of the Polish Military Attaches Office in Washington has never been more numerous than a few persons and since the Government of Poland does not intend to increase the number of that personnel (diplomatic and non-diplomatic) above the figure of 12 persons, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs requests the reduction of the personnel of the Military, Naval and Air Attaches Offices with the Embassy of the United States so that on the date of April 15, 1950 they should not exceed the number of 4 diplomatic representatives and 8 auxiliary personnel, i.e., together 12 persons. Warszawa March 15, 1950.”³

I told Wierblowski that I would at once telegraph the substance of his aide-mémoire. Fortunately I said there would be some time to work this matter out in an orderly way. I asked whether my understanding was correct that the 4 diplomatic representatives and 8 auxiliary personnel mentioned in the aide-mémoire meant Americans and he confirmed this.

In outlining orally to me the Polish Government’s request, Wierblowski particularly stressed that the Polish Government reserved to itself the right to fix the size of foreign diplomatic missions on its territory. He asked me to call especial attention to this in my message to the Department. I think this indicates that this same principle might very well be used later by the Polish Government to support request to reduce our civilian staff.

As the Department knows, we have felt for quite some time that the Polish Government would sooner or later ask us to reduce our conspicuously large service staffs. I think we are fortunate that the request has come initially in the form it did and not through declaring a number of our service people personae non gratae with a short time limit set for departure.

The reduction asked for is drastic but the effect should not be as severe at least so far as field work is concerned as it would have been some months ago before the regulations governing movements of our Service Attaches were imposed. I do not think that any discussion with the Polish Government would lead to any change in its decision. The fact that there are at present no Polish Service Attaches at all in Washington places us in a hopeless position. As I see it, we either acquiesce under some form of protest for the record or expose ourselves to even greater reductions through personae non gratae ultimata. I recommend reluctantly the former.⁴

Senior Military Attaché Dingley has been shown this message.

Gallman

1. Not printed.
2. During the illness of Polish Foreign Minister Zygmunt Modzelewski, Stefan Wierblowski, Secretary General of the Polish Foreign Ministry, served as Acting Foreign Minister.
3. Copies of the Polish language original and the translation quoted here were transmitted to the Department of State as enclosures to despatch 463, March 21, from Warsaw, none printed (601.1148/3–2150).
4. In his telegram 404, March 16, from Warsaw, not printed, Ambassador Gallman observed that in the light of prevailing conditions, the Embassy would not suffer too much from the staff reduction demanded by the Polish Government. Intimidation, surveillance, and the control of the movements of Embassy staff members had drastically reduced the scope and volume of work that could be done. Col. Nelson Dingley, 3d, Senior Military Attaché in Warsaw, concurred with the views of the Ambassador (120.32148/3–1650).