Sikorski-Mayski agreement (7-30-41)

U.S. Department of State (July 30, 1941)

860C.01/578: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom to the Secretary of State

London, July 30, 1941 — 4 p.m.
[Received July 30 — 12:10 p.m.]

3292.

Personal for the Acting Secretary.

I. Following is text of agreement tentatively planned to be signed this afternoon between the Governments of the USSR and Poland:

  1. The Government of the USSR recognizes the Soviet-German treaties of 1939 as to territorial changes in Poland as having lost their validity. The Polish Government declares that Poland is not bound by any agreement with any third power which is directed against the USSR.

  2. Diplomatic relations will be restored between the two Governments upon the signing of this agreement and an immediate change of Ambassadors will be arranged.

  3. The two Governments mutually agree to render one another aid and support of all kinds in the present war against Hitlerite Germany.

  4. The Government of the USSR expresses its consent to the formation on the territory of the USSR of a Polish army under a commander appointed by the Polish Government in agreement with the Polish Government [Government of the USSR]. The Polish army on the territory of the USSR being [will be] subordinated in an operational sense to the Supreme Command of the USSR upon which the Polish army will be represented. All details as to command, organization and employment of this force will be settled in a subsequent agreement.

  5. This agreement will come into force immediately upon signature and without ratification. The present agreement is drawn up in two copies, each one in the Russian and Polish languages. Both texts have equal force.

Public Protocol.

The Soviet Government grants an amnesty to all Polish citizens now detained on Soviet territory either as prisoners of war or on other sufficient grounds, as from the resumption of diplomatic relations.

II. If the agreement is signed, the following communiqué will be issued by the Foreign Office, to which will be added public statements by General Sikorski for the Poles and Ambassador Mayski for the Russians:

  1. An agreement between the Soviet Union and Poland was signed in the Secretary of State’s room at the Foreign Office on July 30, 1941. General Sikorski, the Polish Prime Minister, signed for Poland and M. Mayski, the Soviet Ambassador, signed for the Soviet Union. Mr. Churchill and Mr. Eden were present.

  2. The agreement is being published.

  3. After the signature of the agreement Mr. Eden handed to General Sikorski an official note in the following terms:

United Kingdom have entered into no undertakings toward the USSR which affect the relations between that country and Poland. I also desire to assure you that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom do not recognize any territorial changes which have been affected in Poland since August 1939.

General Sikorski handed Mr. Eden the following reply:

The Polish Government takes note of your Excellency’s letter dated 30th July, 1941, and desires to express its sincere satisfaction at the statement that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom do not recognize any territorial changes which have been affected in Poland since August 1939. This corresponds with the view of the Polish Government which, as it has previously informed His Majesty’s Government, has never recognized any territorial changes effected in Poland since the outbreak of the present war.

  1. Mr. Eden said that he wished to congratulate the two parties on the signature of the agreement. It was, he believed, fair and advantageous to both sides. It would lay a firm foundation for fruitful collaboration between the two countries in the war against the common enemy. It was therefore a valuable contribution to the Allied cause and would be warmly welcomed in all friendly countries, and not least by public opinion in the United Kingdom.

III. Assuming that the agreement has been signed the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs tomorrow will be asked in Parliament if the British Government has guaranteed the Polish pre-war frontiers. Mr. Eden will reply by stating that Great Britain has not guaranteed the restoration of any European frontiers.

WINANT

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U.S. Department of State (August 2, 1941)

860C.00/882.: Telegram

The Ambassador to the Polish Government in Exile to the Secretary of State

London, August 2, 1941 — 3 p.m.
[Received August 2 — 10:50 a.m.]

  1. Polish Minister of Interior Seyda and General Sosnkowski tendered their resignations from Polish Cabinet July 26, in protest to the signing of the Polish-Soviet agreement. Foreign Minister Zaleski resigned on the same day. While he said resignation was due to lack of national unity caused by resignation of aforementioned Cabinet Ministers, I am aware he was definitely opposed to signing the agreement in its final form. These resignations have thus far not been accepted.

  2. While efforts are afoot to persuade Seyda and Sosnkowski to withdraw their resignations, I understand Zaleski’s will be accepted due largely to long standing differences of opinion on general policy between him and General Sikorski and to his vigorous opposition to the views of General Sikorski who took the lead throughout the recent negotiations.

  3. General Sikorski imparts he ascertained that the attitude of the opposition was stiffened measurably by cables from Ciechanowski, wherein he indicated in effect that official circles in Washington looked with disfavor upon the Polish Government’s signing the agreement as drafted. Having subsequently been led to understand from British sources that Ciechanowski’s impressions were incorrect, Sikorski has requested an immediate explanation from him.

BIDDLE

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U.S. Department of State (August 5, 1941)

860C.01/582: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union to the Secretary of State

Moscow, August 4, 1941 — 3 p.m.
[Received August 5 — 12:40 a.m.]

1439.

Pravda and Izvestia published on August 3 a full translation of late speech on the Soviet-Polish agreement made by General Sikorski in London on July 22. Izvestiya on the same date and Pravda on August 4 publish almost identical editorials, taking exception to certain of his remarks. Latter is said to have declared that the 1939 Polish front[ier] could not be questioned and that no one could presume that Poland would renounce anything. The editorials state that it is impossible to agree with this point of view and declare that this is not the time to discuss frontier questions. “We do not consider the Soviet-Polish frontiers established by the treaty of Riga of 1921 to be unchangeable.” The editorials also state that the majority of the population of the Soviet-occupied area of Poland was Ukrainian and White Russian and that the possession of this area had been of great defensive value to the Soviet Union in the present war.

Repeated to London.

STEINHARDT

860C.01/578

Draft Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Ambassador to the Polish Government-in-Exile, at London

Washington, August 5, 1941.

  1. The Polish Ambassador called informally at the Department on the morning of July 30. He said that he had received a telegram from Zaleski informing him in confidence that under British pressure the Polish Government was being compelled to sign an agreement with the Soviet Union which did not, in Zaleski’s opinion, provide the proper safeguards for Poland. Zaleski and two other ministers, therefore, were submitting their resignations.

The Ambassador added that Zaleski had requested him to endeavor to prevail upon the American Government to intercede with the British on behalf of Poland. The Polish Ambassador specifically requested that the American Government suggest informally to the British Government that the latter permit the Polish Government to issue at the time of the announcement of the agreement a statement substantially as follows:

The Government of Poland in entering into the agreement with the Government of the Soviet Union has not in any way admitted any change in its pre-war territorial boundaries or the existence of any basis for the discussion of such changes.

On July 31, the Department received telegram no. 3292 of July 30, 4 p.m. from the American Embassy in London in which was set forth the text of Eden’s note to Sikorski stating that the British Government does not recognize any territorial changes affected in Poland since August 1939. In view of this clear statement on the part of the British Government there appeared to be no reason for the American Government to follow the suggestion of the Polish Ambassador. Official circles in Washington did not look with disfavor upon the agreement as drafted since they had no exact information as to what was contemplated until the receipt of London’s telegram referred to above.

  1. This Government feels that if the war is to be kept upon moral plane it must continue to follow the policy of taking no action which might with any justification be interpreted as an abandonment of its policy of refusing to recognize territorial changes brought about as the result of armed aggression. It was, therefore, pleased that the British Government by handing to the Polish Government the note referred to made it clear that the signing of the treaty was not to be regarded as a recognition of the acquisition by the Soviet Union of Polish territory seized through the Soviet aggression of 1939. This Government is also adhering to its policy of taking upon itself no obligations with regard to what the boundaries of continental Europe are to be following the conclusion of the present war and sincerely hopes that the British Government will follow a like policy.

  2. Please bring the contents of this telegram to the attention of Ambassador Winant. It is suggested that you and he continue to remind the officials of the Governments to which you are accredited of our policies as outlined in paragraph numbered 2 above and to impress upon them how advantageous it would be if the American and British policies in this respect could be kept uniform.

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