Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1919, Volume II

860c.4016/93: Telegram

The Minister in Poland (Gibson) to the Acting Secretary of State²⁷

Warsaw, June 17, 1919, 11 p.m.
[Received June 19, 2.36 p.m.]

70. I have just returned from Vilna with Dr. Boris Bogen director for Poland of the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and [Lieut. Col.] Walter C. Bailey, director for Poland of the American Red Cross. We discussed with the local authorities and representatives of the Jewish colony the events which occurred at the time of the taking of the town and subsequently. Our impressions may be summarized as follows:

Vilna is a town of about 150,000 inhabitants of which 43 per cent are Jews. It was occupied by the Bolsheviki up to April 20th when it was taken by the Polish troops after street fighting. Order was not definitely established for three days when civil authority was taken over by Mr. Pilsudski, the brother of the Chief of State, as District Commissioner.

The entire district in which Vilna is situated has suffered severely during the war, particularly during Bolshevik occupation. Food supplies now desperately short; the people in many villages being reduced to a point where they now have nothing to live on but soup made of nettles; their physical condition is very bad, typhus is generally prevalent. All semblance of governmental organization had disappeared during Bolshevik occupation and there was no recognized authority. The abnormal state of the population must be borne in mind in connection with what happened.

The events which involved the loss of Jewish lives took place during the capture of the town and the two days following during which time civil authority had not been established. In all 64 Jews were shot. The local authorities, military and civil, who were in Vilna at the time and immediately subsequent thereto state that some of these people were killed during house to house fighting incident to the taking of the town. According to the statements of a representative Jewish informant the number thus killed was not more than 10. In the other cases, where executions were carried out by military authorities there was in only a relatively small number of instances a regular court martial; in the others the justice was undoubtedly summary. The authorities justify the executions by the statement that some of these people were caught in active hostilities against the Polish troops, that others were shot for firing from windows, etc. In order to show that the streets during the period in question [omission].

The District Commissioner states that searches made in houses from which shots were believed to have been fired disclosed 24 machine guns and large quantity of rifles and hand grenades as well as much ammunition. This, he states, was sold to the Jews by Germans before they withdrew from Vilna. It is also stated that large numbers of Jews took part in the Bolshevik administration of the town and that many of them did not leave with the Bolsheviki; that there was an actively hostile provocative attitude on the part of the Jews on their arrival, and that the troops were bitter in their feeling against the Jews; and that this feeling was intensified by events in connection with the taking of the town. Members of the Jewish community stated that while it is true that a number of individual Jews did occupy [positions] under the Bolshevist administration this is also [true] of the Poles and White Russians and should not be especially charged up against the Jews. The members of the Jewish community also stated that their people did not engage in hostilities against Polish troops. They say, however, that the Bolsheviki were quartered in houses throughout the city and did undoubtedly shoot and throw hand grenades before escaping. The Jews state that about 2,000 of their number were arrested during the first few days, many of them sent to Lida and Bialystok. [Omission] being tense situation in the town they had no time for prolonged and careful investigation, that they gathered in all known Communists, every one in the houses from which shots had been fired or where concealed weapons had been found; also a large number of others were taken on suspicion, the authorities taking no chances. They state that almost immediately they began releasing those who were vouched for by responsible people and that within a short time a commission of Polish and Jewish members was established to investigate cases and release individuals. Representative Jews state that this commission [was] exceedingly slow and unsatisfactory in its work. Another commission was constituted and is now investigating cases. Nearly a thousand people are still under arrest in Vilna. The authorities state that persons now held are either known Communists or persons against whom there is such a strong presumption of guilt that they must be held for the present. Investigations continue, however, and liberations are being made from day to day.

The Jews also complain that many of their shops were pillaged, losses running into millions of marks. Pilsudski states in a [positive] manner that while there was looting of shops in a few cases, there was nothing general and that he has had no complaints of large losses although such complaints would in natural course come to his knowledge.

Our conclusions may be summarized as follows:

1. In view of the lack of any contemporary record we doubt whether the exact truth of [occurrences] can ever be ascertained.

2. The events described took place during the fighting of the first three days and before the authorities had obtained control.

3. At the time Polish troops entered Vilna there was such a wide spread feeling among the Polish population and among the soldiery against Jews believed to be allies of the Bolsheviki, war profiteers and enemies to Poland that a hostile sentiment prevailed against Jews as such.

4. On entering Vilna the troops were fired on from private houses throughout the town and some of these houses were occupied by Jews. Searches disclosed fuses, machine guns, and other weapons.

5. The troops during these three days made wholesale arrests, ransacked dwellings, and shops, and summarily executed a number of persons.

6. At the end of three days the military and civil authorities issued orders against pillaging and took effective control. Since that date no cases of serious violence are reported.

7. At the present time the laws so far as the protection [of] life is concerned are maintained.

8. The Jews are apprehensive; a general under current of anti-Jewish feeling still exists and gives cause for some concern.

9. The Jewish population expresses confidence in the fairness of the Chief of State, the Commissioner at Vilna and General Szeptycki commanding on the Bolshevik front.

[Gibson]

27. Forwarded by the Commission to Negotiate Peace as No. 2645.