95. Editorial Note
Kotlicki and Beam continued to meet in Warsaw from January through March to discuss the claims question. On January 28, Secretary Herter authorized Beam to accept the Polish offer of a lump-sum settlement of $40 million and asked that the negotiations be shifted to Washington. When Beam told Kotlicki on February 4 that the United States accepted the Polish offer, the Polish side suggested the claims experts return to Warsaw. The Department of State agreed, and after leaving for Poland on February 26, Spengler and Czyzak began meeting with Polish officials on March 2. By March 24, they had settled on all but minor items in the text of a claims agreement and Kotlicki was prepared to have the negotiations completed in Washington. These negotiations resumed in Washington on April 26. Copies of telegram 809 to Warsaw, January 28, and telegrams 1235, 1342, and 1482 from Warsaw, February 4, March 2 and 24, which describe the U.S. position and these meetings, are in Department [Page 267] of State, Central File 248.1141. Copies of these telegrams and documentation on the claims negotiations during 1960 are in the Washington National Records Center, Warsaw Embassy Files: FRC 65 A 160, 500.8 Nationalization 1960: US-Polish Claims Talks.
Since Poland and the United States came to terms on a lump-sum settlement on February 4, the two countries signed a Public Law 480 Supplement Agreement on February 11 in Washington for the sale to Poland of 600,000 tons of wheat. Under this agreement, which was an amendment to that of June 10, 1959, the United States consented to sell for local currency $41.5 million of wheat, a sum that included ocean transportation costs for shipment on U.S. vessels. For text, see 11 UST 99. Documentation on the negotiations is in Department of State, Central File 411.4841.
On February 26, the Board Assistants of the Operations Coordinating Board, on behalf of their principals, concurred in the Operations Plan for Poland. Paragraph 52 of this plan reads: “Grant most-favored-nation tariff treatment to Poland as soon as a nationalization claims settlement is signed.” A copy is Ibid., S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5808 Series.
The United States resumed economic negotiations with the Polish Government on April 27.