860C.51/5–1746: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting Secretary of State
2409. For Acting Secretary from Secretary. I have instructed Lane shortly after his return to Warsaw to inform President Bierut as well as other appropriate Polish officials that our decision regarding the furnishing or withholding of materials under the credits arranged in April in Washington through exchange of notes will be based on reports to the Dept from the Embassy in Warsaw. I wish Lane to say to Bierut that in accordance with the Yalta decision the American Ambassador has an obligation to report to his Govt on conditions in Poland in connection with forthcoming elections and that this Govt is much disturbed by Lane’s reports which indicate lack of freedom of the press and acts of repression, including arrests coming after the formal assurances given by the Polish Govt.
I have asked Lane also to inform President Bierut with the utmost frankness that I deeply regret the attitude which Polish Govt officials [Page 452] have assumed in their conversation with him and with Keith, indicating that our action in withholding materials which were to have been delivered under credits is not understood. This Govt’s action was due to the Polish Govt not having fulfilled its part of the transaction, i.e. publication of the notes exchanged in Washington, furnishing us with texts of trade treaties to which Poland is a party, and permitting foreign correspondents to report freely on conditions in Poland. Since our action was announced to the press, first named condition has been met by Polish Govt in publishing texts of notes. Treaty texts have not been furnished us despite assurance by Modzelewski to Lane on May 4 that we would receive them following week (beginning May 5). As to third condition, our information indicates that censorship of outgoing press despatches is still in effect.56
- According to his account in I Saw Poland Betrayed, p. 239, Ambassador Lane made three attempts to see President Bierut in pursuance of the Secretary’s instructions, but the Polish President declined to receive the American Ambassador.↩