79. Memorandum of Conversation0
SUBJECT
- US-Polish relations; East-West issues
PARTICIPANTS
- Edward Drozniak, Polish Ambassador
- Dr. Marian Dobrosielski, Counselor of the Polish Embassy
- The Secretary
- EUR/EE—Richard W. Tims
Ambassador Drozniak opened his remarks by saying that during his recent five-week visit to Poland he had conveyed the Secretary’s greetings to Foreign Minister Rapacki, who wished him in return to thank the Secretary. He said that the Foreign Minister was still recuperating from his recent heart attack.1
The Ambassador went on to say that he had had an opportunity to discuss Polish-United States relations with many ranking Polish officials, including Prime Minister Cyrankiewicz and Party First Secretary Gomulka, and that they had listened carefully to what he had to report from Washington, knowing that he had just come from having talks with a number of high United States officials, including the Secretary. In this connection the subjects that had interested the Polish leaders most included the questions of disarmament and Germany, as well as specific matters of US-Polish bilateral relations.
The Secretary interjected apropos of this that we had been particularly interested in recent progress made in Polish-West German relations, of which the long-term trade agreement between the Federal Republic and Poland was the prime evidence. The Ambassador replied that the latter was evidence of the Polish Government’s readiness to try to achieve a normalization of relations with the Federal Republic. He added that his Government was concerned, however, over the general lack of progress in the field of disarmament and settlement of related issues.
Concerning bilateral US-Polish relations, the Ambassador said that he had discussed these in detail with his Government and was glad to say that the latter had confirmed his mission of pursuing a policy of practical coexistence in all fields. This was equally true, he said, with regard [Page 160] to cultural exchanges, scientific exchanges, and economic relations with the United States. He mentioned that the Polish Minister of Health had accepted an invitation to visit the United States and was looking forward to coming soon.
Concerning specific economic relations, Ambassador Drozniak went on to say that Poland would like to develop these relations on the basis of normal trade. He said that there was concern in Poland, however, over the fact that the question as to whether the United States would continue to give Poland most-favored-nation tariff treatment had not yet been decided. He was still in Poland, he added, when President Kennedy sent his message to Congress recommending restoration of most-favored-nation treatment to Polish imports, in connection with the Foreign Aid Bill,2 and this message had been received with satisfaction among the Polish Government, as had the Secretary’s own statements on the subject at Congressional hearings. The Ambassador said he would be grateful if he could hear the Secretary’s comments on this problem. He also said that he had reported to his Government in a quieting manner concerning the current boycott of Polish goods in this country as well as the prospective longshoremen’s boycott of Polish shipping, saying that he saw hopes that these problems would be solved.
Turning to the economic situation in Poland, the Ambassador said that he had been concerned about it before he returned to Poland and that he had found it very bad owing to a severe winter and poor crops. For this reason, he said, Poland would be very glad if it could enter into a new agreement with the United States again this year, regarding purchase of surplus agricultural commodities, and would be happy to have this in the form of a mixed agreement as before, with both credit and cash purchases included, an arrangement that appeals to the Polish Government. He asked the Secretary whom he should first approach on this matter.
The Secretary replied that the Ambassador should take this up with Assistant Secretary Tyler. With regard to the most-favored-nation question, he said that the Administration had been in touch with members of the Congress and that it was his impression that if the general situation remained relatively calm the chances were good that the President’s proposals would succeed. This, he added, was not because there had been an increase of enthusiasm among Congress members for the proposals, but rather because some of the opponents of trade with Poland might remain silent. The Secretary said that he was moderately optimistic on this score.
- Source: Department of State, Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 65 D 330. Confidential. Drafted by Tims on April 22 and approved in S on April 24. The meeting was held in Secretary Rusk’s office.↩
- Rapacki suffered a heart attack on February 20.↩
- For text of President Kennedy’s message on MFN, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963, pp. 294–303.↩