307. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union1
291234. Subject: Demarche—Commentary on U.S. Interference in Poland. Ref: Moscow 17285.2
1. S-entire text.
[Page 908]2. You will be receiving separately FBIS text of October 30 Moscow World Service English commentary by Dimitriyev3 on alleged U.S. interference in Poland. Dimitriyev point of departure is gross distortion of October 29 comments by Department press spokesman, text of which is at para 4 [5]. The commentary’s references to US activities against Allende4 in Chile and its allegations of US disregard for Helsinki Act’s non-interference provisions strike us as sufficiently ominous to warrant raising the issue promptly with Moscow.
3. You should therefore seek early appointment with Korniyenko to convey copy of spokesman’s remarks and make the points below. You should point out that we are raising this particular issue against the background of a number of public statements by Soviet and other Warsaw Pact leaders which contain false allegations about US and Western interference in the Polish situation. These intentional distortions cause us serious concern.
4. Points to be made:
—The Soviet side is well aware of our position that current developments in Poland are an internal matter best resolved by the Poles themselves without outside interference of any kind. We have scrupulously observed this policy ourselves and have displayed the greatest restraint in our actions and our statement.
—For this reason I have been instructed to protest in strong terms an October 30 broadcast by the Moscow World Service citing remarks by a State Department spokesman as evidence of US interference in Poland’s internal affairs.
—We are deeply disturbed by this broadcast, which was a gross distortion of the spokesman’s actual remarks, a copy of which I would like to leave for the record.
—Such biased and tendentious treatment of the facts can only raise questions about the intentions of the Soviet Union itself.
—I wish to reiterate in the strongest terms Secretary Muskie’s statements5 in recent meetings with Foreign Minister Gromyko and Ambassador Dobrynin that Soviet intervention in Poland would have incalculable consequences for East-West relations.
5. Text of relevant comments from October 29 press briefing follows: Begin Text. I don’t have anything in particular to say about Poland. We regret that the process of compromise and negotiation that has been taking place between the Polish Government and the Polish people has not yet reached an acceptable settlement where the union [Page 909] registration question is concerned. We hope that it will be possible to reach a solution satisfactory to all of the parties. We continue to feel and state that the Poles should be allowed to work out their problems without outside interference. End text.
6. Re reftel we agree with your analysis and have been in close touch with the British, French and Germans concerning approaches to the Soviets and other contingencies.
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P910096–1823. Secret; Cherokee; Immediate; Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to Warsaw. Drafted by Mark R. Parris (EUR/SOV); cleared by Barry, Vest, Robert K. German (EUR/SOV), Harry Gilmore (EUR/EE), Anthony Lake (S/P), Rozanne Ridgway (C), Gary L. Matthews (S/MS), Brement, and Bremer; approved by Muskie.↩
- Telegram 17285 from Moscow, October 30 is in the National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P900077–1754.↩
- Not further identified.↩
- Salvador Allende, President of Chile from November 1970 until September 1973.↩
- See Documents 304 and 306.↩