Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conference of Berlin (The Potsdam Conference), 1945, Volume II

Moscow Embassy Files—500 Berlin Conference

No. 1147
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kennan) to the Polish Chargé in the Soviet Union (Matwin)

Moscow, July 23, 1945.

Dear Mr. Matwin: I have just been asked by my Government to effect delivery through you of the following urgent and secret message from the President of the United States to the President of the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity:

“I have the honor, on behalf of the three heads of Government now in conference at Potsdam,¹ to invite the Polish Government to send two or three representatives, if possible by July 24, to state to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, the Commissar of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union and the Secretary of State of the United States of America their views on the question of the western frontier of Poland.

(Signed) Harry S. Truman.”

I would be grateful if you would be good enough to arrange for the immediate transmission of this message to President Bierut and would advise me as soon as he is known to have received it.²

Very sincerely yours,

[George F. Kennan]

1. As agreed at the Sixth Plenary Meeting, July 22. See ante, p. 252.
2. Kennan informed Truman later on July 23 that the Polish Embassy at Moscow had confirmed the delivery of this message to Bierut.