860C.20/8–2844
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to President Roosevelt 21
Late yesterday afternoon the British Ambassador22 took up with us urgently the request of the Polish Government that the British Government issue a statement to the effect that the Polish Underground Forces, a part of which are now actively fighting in Warsaw, are recognized as members of the Armed Forces of the United Nations and should therefore be treated by the German military authorities in accordance with the laws and customs of war.
[Page 1394]The British are most anxious that this Government should join with them in making this declaration, and we have, through the Polish Ambassador here, received a similar request from the Polish Government. The British Government was most anxious to have our decision in the matter yesterday as Mr. Eden was seeing Mikolajczyk this morning and wished to be able to tell him the attitude of this Government on the suggested declaration. In view of the impossibility of reaching you yesterday, the British Ambassador was told that the matter was being considered, and that we hoped to have a reply for them today.
I am attaching a draft of the declaration23 which the British wish to issue as soon as possible.
The British have come to the conclusion that, despite the obvious difficulties, some such statement should be issued in order to maintain the morale of the Polish Underground Army at Warsaw and the Polish Armed Forces at present fighting with the Allies in Italy, Normandy, and elsewhere, and also to strengthen Mikolajczyk’s position against the increasing opposition to him inside his own Government.
The Poles have based their request in large measure on the declaration of General Eisenhower concerning the French Underground Forces, and although the British have pointed out to them that no real parallel exists, since our troops are not operating in Poland, which is a Soviet operational theater, nevertheless, for the considerations advanced above, they have decided to issue the declaration. The British apparently are prepared to issue the statement alone but are most anxious that we join with them or at least associate ourselves with the statement following its issuance in London.
It will be difficult for us to refuse to accede to this request which, as you will note, is directed entirely against the Germans, since to do so would expose this Government to the charge of drawing a distinction between the Underground Forces in Poland actively engaged in fighting the enemy and those in other countries solely because of the Soviet attitude towards the Polish Underground uprising in Warsaw.
However, in view of the Soviet attitude with which you are familiar, we must anticipate Soviet resentment of the proposed statement which would take direct issue with the Soviet propaganda thesis that the Polish Underground in Warsaw is a gang of adventurist criminals. The proposed statement is of course directed solely to the Germans and the Soviet Government therefore could hardly take public issue with it.
[Page 1395]If you consider it advisable to join with the British in some such announcement I will have prepared for simultaneous issuance by this Government a statement along the lines of the British draft but in our own words.24 We should also agree with the British on the necessity of informing the Soviet Government that we propose to issue such a statement.