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

501/5–550: Telegram

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

confidential

Warsaw, May 5, 1950—8 p. m.

645. Embtel 406, March 17, 5 p. m.¹ Zebrowski² invited Lyon³ to call at FonOff at noon today. Zebrowski told him he had been instructed to discuss the USIS Bulletin.⁴ The Polish Government he said looked with disfavor on the “editorial policy” pursued by the USIS Bulletin. This matter had been brought to our attention on several occasions. Jankowsski had talked with Schwinn.⁵ ForMin Modzelewski had talked with the Ambassador and Minister Grosz⁶ had talked with Schwinn and various others. In spite of these talks, there has been no change in the policy of the USIS Bulletin. “You maintain that the Bulletin is under auspices of the American Embassy. We consider that the functions of the diplomatic missions are to maintain friendly relations between governments. Their very name implies this. We do not consider that the USIS Bulletin is contributing to this function but that it is abusing the hospitality of Poland.”

At this point, Lyon said that he wished to have clarified what Zebrowski meant by “editorial policy” since Lyon continued he felt certain that Zebrowski realized that Bulletin consisted only of press stories from US, US Government statements speeches by US officials and like; that none of Bulletin was written in Poland, that no editorials of course were written here.

Zebrowski said he appreciated this and by “editorial policy” he meant the selection of the items, that it seemed that the items which we selected were unfriendly to Poland, criticizing the Polish Government and Government of Poland’s good ally Russia.

Lyon inquired as to whether Zebrowski could give him some specific: examples. Zebrowski then mentioned the treatment in the USIS Bulletin of the plane incident.⁷ He said that in this connection, we not only published our notes about plane incident but also statements of American press and officials which were “quite unrestrained.” They were he said “extremely critical of our ally Russia.” Also Zebrowski continued “Our treatment of the question of the ruble devaluation is a case in point. You referred to the resources which would be drained from the Eastern Bloc countries. That of course we know includes Poland. Then too, recently you published the statements of the Chilean President Gonzalez Videla, his views on the eastern countries and how they should be treated. We do not feel that the USIS Bulletin should serve as a mouthpiece for Gonzalez Videla. We feel that instead of being the source of information on US life it is usurping the prerogatives of a press service. It would be quite different thing if the Bulletin devoted itself to telling us of life in America.”

Zebrowski then referred to an article which according to him had appeared in the Bulletin about a debate in the Social Council of ECOSOC which “dealt largely with the statements of a British Delegate and his remarks about Trotsky and the Soviet Union.” “We feel that the Bulletin publishes too many articles about the UN.” After all, Zebrowski said there is a UN office in Poland.

At this point, Lyon said he supposed Zebrowski was referring primarily to the political editorials of the USIS Bulletin. “I am referring to both the Polish and English editorials” Zebrowski replied.

Lyon then said that of course Zebrowski’s remarks would be reported fully to me and to Department. Lyon also said referring to a remark of Zebrowski’s that the Polish Government did not consider the Bulletin “representative of America” that the Bulletin represented one very important phase of America namely our belief incomplete freedom of expression. We thought people were entitled to know every side of the picture. Lyon continued that he felt he would be lacking in his duty inasmuch as Zebrowski had talked so frankly about the USIS Bulletin, if he did not point out that every day Polish newspapers were “tearing the US to shreds”; “moreover he added only a few days ago in the May Day parade the US and President Truman in particular were maliciously attacked, vilified and ridiculed.” Zebrowski said “if we wish to enter a discussion of freedom of the press in one country or the other and the war mongering in the American press we too would have something to say about the press including the Polish and German press in the US but would be getting beyond the scope of this discussion.”

Lyon then asked “you are not asking us to stop the publication of the Bulletin.” To this, Zebrowski replied in the negative and said “no, we are requesting that its editorial policy be changed in such a way as not to attack the government to which you are accredited or its policies or the policies of its Allies, to refrain from usurping the prerogatives of a press agency and not to interfere with Polish internal policy or her foreign policy as an ally of Russia.”

Lyon then referring to a previous statement of Zebrowski said “you envisage then that there would be a use for the Bulletin if it limited itself to being a source of information on US life.” Zebrowski nodded his head then apparently thought better of it (“I not instructed to discuss at this point the future possibilities of a USIS Bulletin. I am instructed to say that it is our wish that the present unfriendly editorial policy of the Bulletin be changed and I can assure you that the next edition of the Bulletin will be studied most carefully.”)

After assuring Zebrowski that his request would be given careful-consideration, Lyon left.

Zebrowski was calm and pleasant throughout the interview and gave Lyon the impression of a man who having been given an unpleasant assignment to perform was doing it in the nicest way he knew how.

After forced reduction of our previously conspicuous service staffs, it was to be expected that next move would be against USIS the other “highly vulnerable section of Embassy. Today’s warning is no doubt only the first move of the campaign to emasculate if not finally to eliminate entirely the USIS work.

The warning it should be noted came from a Foreign Office Department head to the counselor. It need not therefore and should not in my opinion be treated by us with the importance of a warning from the Acting ForMin to me would. We should take advantage of that. I should prefer not to give it added significance by following it up with a call at the FonOff with further comments or with any written reply. Above all, we should, I feel avoid at this stage giving FonOff an opening to review work in general of USIS and opportunity to issue warnings on other phases of USIS activities and thus hem us in still more. I think we should proceed in this matter as in all phases of Embassy’s work in a way best possible just as long as possible.

With these considerations in mind, we are taking special care in editing both the English and Polish language issues of the Bulletin; and unless instructed otherwise we shall limit contents to such items as statements of Government policy explanations of government policy and news items on developments in the states. Editorial comment if used at all will be most carefully selected.

I should appreciate receiving Department’s reaction comments and guidance as soon as possible.⁸

Sent Department 645, repeated London 32, pouched Praha, Bucharest, Budapest, Moscow.

Gallman

1. For text, see Foreign Relations, 1949, vol. v, p. 500.
2. Tadeusz Zebrowski, Director of the Third Department (American-British) of the Polish Foreign Ministry.
3. Cecil B. Lyon, Counselor of the Embassy in Poland.
4. The Wireless Bulletin was the official news service of the Department of State. It was prepared by the Division of International Press and Publications and was transmitted daily by radio (wireless) to various foreign service posts around the world. The Wireless Bulletin contained full, official texts of pronouncements of the President, the Secretary of State, and the Department of State; reports on proceedings in the United Nations; editorial opinion from leading American newspapers; and other important information. English and foreign language editions were distributed in various cities, including Warsaw, by the United States Information Service.
5. Walter K. Schwinn, First Secretary of the Embassy in Poland, December 1946–February 1949.
6. Gen. Wiktor Grosz, Chief of the Press and Information Department, Polish Foreign Ministry until April 1950 when he became Polish Ambassador to Czechoslovakia.
7. Presumably the reference here is to the disappearance of an unarmed U.S. naval aircraft over the Baltic following an attack by Soviet military aircraft; for documentation regarding the incident, see pp. 1140 ff.
8. In telegram 222, May 16, to Warsaw, not printed, the Department of State concurred in the action proposed here by Ambassador Gallman. The Department suggested that in view of the prevailing situation in Poland, particular care be taken to exclude press comment critical of Soviet policy. The Department did feel, however, that important official United States Government statements and releases, even though critical of Soviet and Polish policies, should continue to be carried by the Bulletin (501/5–1650).