860C.001 Moscicki, Ignacy/41: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Rumania (Gunther)61
208. Your 338, October 17, midnight. We have given serious consideration to your telegrams regarding ex-President Moscicki and have come to the conclusion that it might now be useful for you to ask for an audience of the King for the purpose of showing that President Roosevelt would welcome the visit of Moscicki to the United States. The Department is well aware of the delicate problems involved and it is thought that a personal conversation with King Carol would be more effective than any other method of approach.
In your conversation with the Bang you may present the following message from the President:
“Your Majesty: It has occurred to me that, despite Your Majesty’s generosity in providing the former President of Poland with a place of refuge, he might wish to remove himself further from the vicinity of the disastrous events that have overtaken him and his country. In as much as with the resignation of the Presidency, M. Moscicki returned to his private status, and because of his age he cannot be considered as eligible for military service, I feel free to approach you in the matter of inviting him to proceed to the United States.
I am asking Mr. Gunther to show you a copy of the invitation and I will be deeply appreciative if Your Majesty will permit Mr. Gunther to present the invitation in person to M. Moscicki.
In concluding this message I wish to convey to Your Majesty my personal wishes for your well-being and for the continued prosperity of the Rumanian people in these troublous days. Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
The invitation to M. Moscicki follows:
“My dear M. Moscicki: Mindful of the fact that you have not as yet selected a residence after the recent overrunning of your country, I venture to suggest that you give consideration to establishing yourself in the United States. This country and its people have on previous occasions given sympathetic hospitality to personages who by force of circumstance have been obliged to seek temporary refuge abroad. In making this suggestion and in extending an invitation to you for a sojourn in the United States I may add that it is my sincere hope that you will accept. Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
If M. Moscicki accepts this suggestion, he, his family, and his immediate suite should be given diplomatic visas under Note 13, Diplomatic Serial No. 2906. In the event that a request should be made for visas for a suite of more than minimum size you should discreetly convey the impression that it is desired to limit the size of the ex-President’s party, among other reasons for fear that the Rumanian Government might be placed in an embarrassing position because of various factors governing the situation.
- The draft of this telegram was submitted by the Secretary of State to President Roosevelt and approved October 23.↩