91. Editorial Note
On October 17, Ambassador Beam gave to Remryk Kotlicki, Director General of the Polish Finance Ministry, the U.S. reply to the Polish claims offer of September 28. Following his instructions as received in telegram 474, October 13, Beam made the following points: 1) the $32 million figure was unacceptable; 2) most-favored-nation status would follow the claims settlement and all remaining controls would be lifted on blocked property in the United States owned by Polish nationals; and 3) the United States would consider a lump-sum of $57 million. Telegram 474 and telegram 685 from Warsaw, October 18, in which Beam reported on his discussion with Kotlicki, are in Department of State, Central Files, 248.1141/10–1359 and 248.1141/10–1759, respectively. Copies of these telegrams and of the statement that Beam read and handed to Kotlicki on October 17 are in the Washington National Records Center, Warsaw Embassy Files: FRC 65 A 160, 500.8 Nationalization 1959: U.S.-Polish Claims Talks.
On October 17, Charles W. Adair, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, informed Lychowski that the U.S. Government would not agree to a P.L. 480 program for the amount requested by the Polish representatives, but would proceed with a smaller program, 200,000 tons of fodder grains valued at approximately $10 million on an emergency basis. This offer did not preclude a further program in 1959 if other problems were resolved. On October 23 Lychowski accepted the offer. Copies of the memoranda of conversation, dated October 17 and 23, outlining these discussions with Lychowski are Ibid., 411.4841/10–1759 and 411.4841/10–2350, respectively.
The United States and Poland signed a Public Law 480 Supplemental Agreement on November 10 in Washington for the sale to Poland of 200,000 tons of surplus feed grains. Under this agreement, which was an amendment to the June 10, 1959, economic agreement, the United States agreed to sell for local currency $11.8 million of feed grains, a sum which included ocean transportation costs for commodities shipped on U.S. vessels. For text of this agreement, see 10 UST 1410. Documentation on the negotiations leading up to this agreement are in Department of State, Central Files 411.4841, 748.5–MSP, and 611.4841, and in the Washington National Records Center, Warsaw Embassy Files: FRC 65 A 160, 500 Economic Matters 1959: US Aid to Poland—Talk and Position Papers.