860C.01/9–2844: Telegram
The Chargé to the Polish Government in Exile (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:32 p.m.]
Poles 107. I saw Premier Mikolajczyk this noon. He said the controversy over General Sosnkowski’s continuance as Commander in [Page 1319] Chief of the Polish forces (my 105, September 2481) had now been successfully settled. President Raczkiewycz had agreed to dismiss General Sosnkowski. The decision would be announced tomorrow evening.82 General Bor, leader of the Warsaw rising, would be his successor.
A decree had also been drawn up designed to meet the transition period until General Bor could take over his duties. This decree would provide that the President in agreement with the Cabinet could delegate to others the functions of the Commander in Chief when the latter was prevented from exercising them. The military functions of the CinC would be delegated to General Kopanski, Chief of the Polish General Military Staff, and the administrative and policy functions to the Minister of War.
Premier Mikolajczyk indicated that these developments had not been made contingent on a general reshuffle of the Cabinet. Certain changes would however probably take place in the near future. General Kukiel, present Minister of War, would be replaced shortly by General Tabor who was formerly a prominent member of the Polish Underground Army and who accompanied Mikolajczyk to the United States last June. The Socialists might also make a change in their representation in the Cabinet. They might name Ciokolcz83 in replacement of Grosfeld84 now Minister of Finance. This would, however, be merely an internal party move. The Socialists, he said, fully supported the policy of accommodation with the Soviet Union, as embodied in the memorandum submitted to Moscow (my 88, August 30).
Whether any change would take place in the representation of the National Democrats (Endek) in the Cabinet was still uncertain. This depended on whether the party would formally agree to support the policy embodied in the proposals submitted to Moscow. Berezovski85 who was one of the principal leaders of the party and who had come out of Poland a few months ago, had recently signified to Mikolajczyk that the Endek Party would support those proposals but Bielecki,86 leader of the extreme right wing, yesterday indicated in a meeting that his group would not support them. Mikolajczyk told me that unless the party in its entirety agreed to support the proposals, there [Page 1320] would be no changes in its present representation in the Cabinet, consisting of Komarnicki87 and Seyda.88 On the other hand if the party should agree, Berezovski would be included but not Bielecki. Berezovski’s inclusion would be appropriate since he had been a prominent member of the underground organization of the Endek Party in Poland and since the party organization desired his inclusion in the Cabinet.
The removal of Sosnkowski and Kukiel will mean the disappearance of two of the personalities to whom the Soviets have strongly objected and may thus open the way to progress in the Polish Government’s dealings with the Soviet Government. But there are Polish elements who are not without misgivings about the effect of Sosnkowski’s removal on opinion in Poland and in the Polish forces. The majority feel however and I understand this includes General Anders89 who was recently in London that the change is unlikely to cause any untoward results among the Polish military.
- Not printed; this telegram reported the motion by the Polish Cabinet in London to recommend that General Sosnkowski be removed as Commander in Chief of the Polish Armed Forces. It further stated that Polish President Raczkiewicz was reluctant to remove him, but that strong pressure, supported by the British Government, was being applied to accomplish the removal. (860C.01/9–2444)↩
- The announcement was delayed until September 30.↩
- Adam Ciolkosz, a prewar Polish journalist.↩
- Ludwik Grosfeld.↩
- Zygmunt Berezowski, who became Minister of Interior in the Cabinet formed by Tomasz Arciszewski on November 30, 1944.↩
- Tadeusz Bielecki.↩
- Waclaw Komarnicki, Minister of Justice.↩
- Marjan Seyda, Minister of Preparatory Work for Peace Conference.↩
- Gen. Wladyslaw Anders, commander of the Polish forces in Italy.↩