Foreign Relations of the United States, Conferences at Washington and Quebec, 1943

Hopkins Papers

Prime Minister Churchill’s Assistant Private Secretary (Rowan) to the Presidents Special Assistant (Hopkins)

Washington, [May 22, 1943.]

Mr. Hopkins.

The Prime Minister has received a letter from Dr. Evatt about the representation of Polish interests in the U.S.S.R., and would be glad if you would bring it to the attention of the President.

I accordingly enclose a copy.

T L Rowan

22.5.43

[Enclosure]

The Australian Minister for External Affairs (Evatt) to Prime Minister Churchill ¹

Washington, May 21, 1943.

Dear Prime Minister, Our Chargé d’Affaires at Moscow visited M. Molotov with the British Ambassador² and presented formal notification of Australia’s willingness to take over the representation of Polish interests in the U.S.S.R. M. Molotov expressed his agreement. It was understood that no publication of the new arrangement would be made until a later stage when a formal reply will be received.

The message handed to M. Molotov stated that “the proposal of Australia is made solely with the desire to promote the common interests of the United Nations and is animated by a warm admiration for the peoples of Soviet Russia and Poland alike”.

Would you be kind enough to inform the President of the informal acceptance of Australia’s offer which> as you know, was made with the cordial approval of the President.³

Yours sincerely,

H. V. Evatt

1. During April, May, and June, 1943, Evatt was in Washington on a special wartime mission.
2. Sir Archibald Clark Kerr.
3. Evatt sent a letter similar to this one to the Secretary of State on May 21, 1943. For text, see Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. iii, p. 422. For additional documentation regarding the assumption by the Australian Government of the representation of Polish interests in the Soviet Union, see ibid., pp. 418–422, passim.