740.00/95½
The Ambassador in Poland (Cudahy) to President Roosevelt39a
My Dear Mr. President: I have thought of you very feelingly these days with the strikes, the floods, and all the rest of your gentle worries. You must not bother to write us over here for I know how every minute of your time is taken up. You have many other things to do besides writing letters.
I anticipate your thought by the suggestion of a Polish-Czechoslovak alliance but the conception of such an understanding at the present time is entirely fantastic and unthinkable. Ever since I have been at this post the bad blood between the Poles and the Czechs has been one of the outstanding features of Polish international relations and a mutuality of interests between the two is as remote today as a working alliance between Russia and Germany.
[Page 41]Poland is the poorest country in Europe and I must tell you very confidentially that I will be surprised if it can survive economically another ten years. The country is without natural resources, is over-populated, has no definite economic or political policy.
With Czechoslovakia the economic situation is entirely different. This is a strong country from the viewpoint of resources and industrial development. In fact Czechoslovakia, in the absence of international complications should have a bright future. But to think of the Czechoslovak army, which has a standing strength of 200,000 and can marshal in time of war nearly 2,000,000 men, marching with a Polish army is fantastic. The feud between the two countries is of long standing and it grows worse instead of better.
Joe Davies39b came through here two odd weeks ago and I have been listening for “au secours” ever since. Perhaps it has been too cold. I think he is snowed in and frozen out.
Respectfully yours,