860C.00/6–1546: Telegram
The Ambassador in Poland (Lane) to the Secretary of State
priority
[Received June 17—1:35 p.m.]
898. In addition to question of credits I mentioned to Osubka Morawski July 14 [June 13?] our inability to interview claimants to American citizenship who had been arrested despite many requests to do so. I referred to our rights under treaty of 1931. After conferring with Modzelewski, Osubka said that we would be given permission to interview claimants provided we made request in each specific case. He said that this procedure had now been agreed upon with Ministry of Security. He said he had been very much concerned with general downward trend of relations with US and expressed hope that we would not transmit to Washington only information obtained from enemies of Polish Govt who desired to make trouble between two countries. I said we transmitted information from as many sources as possible but that in my opinion most serious situation was regarding arrests of Americans and threatening by Security Police of members of Embassy staff in order to obtain information. Osubka said that he would be glad personally to look into all complaints and asked me to maintain frequent touch with him and not necessarily through FonOff.
Osubka’s willing initiative may, I think, be interpreted in two ways (1) it is an attempt to emphasize importance of himself and Polish Socialist Party which appears to have been elated by Moscow conversations.61 (2) Polish Govt may have become so alarmed over increasing [Page 461] antipathy in US as result of terroristic measures that Government decided to bypass [garble] in FonOff who have shown studied hostility towards US.
In any event, conciliatory attitude and apparent desire to placate US are a satisfactory development and indicate wisdom of our adopting strong stand whenever Polish Govt does not live up to commitments. I sincerely trust that Polish Govt will now carry out its promise to publish texts of economic treaties. I am not sanguine, however, in light of activities of Security Police throughout Poland that we may see any improvement in treatment of American citizens at hand of police as I seriously doubt whether Osubka has any power in this direction.
Sent Dept 898, repeated Paris for Secretary as 175.
- A Polish Government delegation headed by President Bierut, Prime Minister Osóbka-Morawski, and Minister of Defense Rola-Zymierski visited. Moscow between May 23 and 25, 1946, for conferences with Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, and with Foreign Minister Molotov. The conferences apparently dealt with financial and trade relations between Poland and the U.S.S.R., as well as a wide range of other topics.↩