Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, Europe, Volume V

860C.014/4–945: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State

Moscow, April 9, 1945—9 p.m.
[Received April 9—9:40 a.m.]

1091. ReDeptel 791, April 4, 6 p.m. I have written Molotov⁸⁸ simply requesting information as to the facts underlying the press reports concerning the present status of Danzig and pre-1937 German territory now in the Soviet military zone.

There can be little doubt, however, regarding the accuracy of the reports which have reached the Department. The Polpress⁸⁹ material reported in my 983 and 984, March 30,⁹⁰ has been confirmed by numerous Polish newspapers subsequently received at Embassy. A special edition of Dziennik Zachodni published in Katowice on March 25 is dedicated to the “Opole⁹¹ Lands”. It describes the incorporation ceremony and publishes photographs of Bierut, Osobka-Morawski, Rola-Zymierski and Zawadzcki,⁹² all of whom participated, and of the ceremony itself. Glos Ludu (organ of Polish Workers Party⁹³) for March 20 published on front page Polpress item from Katowice entitled “Piast⁹⁴ Silesia returns to Poland” which describes ceremony and summarizes speeches of government leaders. Edition for following day contains leading article entitled “Piast Silesia returns to Poland” which describes ceremony and summarizes speeches of government leaders. Edition for following day contains leading article entitled “Silesia returns to Poland” justifying this step and pointing out that Opole Silesia is returning to the motherland after seven centuries of German slavery.

With regard to Danzig, Stalin’s order of the day of March 30 announcing capture of Danzig stated that national flag of Polish state had been raised over city. Article in Pravda⁹⁵ on March 31 entitled “Danzig” stated that Danzig has again become Polish and that “the Danzig problem has been finally liquidated”. Pravda for April 2 published long Tass⁹⁶ item from Warsaw dated March 31 reporting radio speech of Osobka-Morawski on occasion of liberation of Danzig. Osobka-Morawski is reported as stating that Danzig has again been returned to the Polish republic. The Council of Ministers has issued a decree creating province of Danzig as an inalienable part of the Polish republic. A Woyewode and Mayor of Danzig have been appointed who will exercise authority in the province and city in the name of the Polish republic. Osobka-Morawski is reported as stating that by this historic act the aspirations of the Polish people and the promises of its Allies, in particular the promise of Marshal Stalin, have been fulfilled. In addition to Danzig the Mazovian⁹⁷ lands, lower and upper Silesia, have been returned to Poland, and the time is not distant when the Polish frontiers will be established on the Neisse, Oder and Baltic.

In my letter to Molotov I referred to the Pravda version of Osobka-Morawski’s speech as providing apparent confirmation for the reports which have reached the Department.

The British Ambassador, under instructions from his Government (reEmbs 936 March 27, 6 p.m.⁹⁸) has addressed to Molotov a letter to which he has had no reply referring to these reports and expressing confidence that they must be inaccurate because of our agreements reached in EAC⁹⁹ and at Yalta.¹ In view of all of the above and since it is unlikely that Molotov will reply to my letter in the near future, I recommend that I receive detailed instructions to send a further communication to Molotov on the assumption that these reports are substantially accurate. I further recommend that we face now and determine what steps we should take on this question since it is probable that the Soviet Government will stand firm on the actions already taken and in addition turn over to Polish administration unilaterally German territory up to the Oder-Neisse Line.

Harriman

88. For text of Ambassador Harriman’s letter of April 8, 1945, to Molotov, see Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. i, p. 743, footnote 4.
89. Official Polish Press Agency.
90. Neither printed. Telegram 983 reported that news releases by the official press agency of the Warsaw Provisional Government described in detail the formal transfer to Poland of Upper Silesia and indicated that large parts of Lower Silesia, Western Pomerania, and East Prussia had also been transferred to Poland and placed under Polish administration; telegram 984 transmitted excerpts from these news releases. (860C.014/3–3045)
91. In Upper Silesia; in German, Oppeln.
92. Aleksander Zawadzki, Woewode (Governor) of Silesia and a leader in the Polish Workers Party.
93. The party of the Polish Communists.
94. Polish royal dynasty which established the Polish state in the middle of the 10th century and ruled Poland, which at times included Silesia, until the middle of the 14th century.
95. Newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
96. Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union.
97. Mazovia was an ancient Polish principality east of the Vistula River which became the province of Warsaw. Reference there, however, may be to Mazuria (Masuria), the southern portion of East Prussia.
98. Not printed; it reported that the British Ambassador, in a letter to Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov, had requested comments regarding reports that the Soviet Government had agreed to hand over to the Polish Provisional Government territory in Silesia which had been German before 1939 (860C.01/3–2745).
99. For text of the Protocol between the Governments of the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom on the zones of occupation in Germany and the administration of “Greater Berlin”, signed at London, September 12, 1944, and the Amending Agreement, signed at London, November 14, 1944, both prepared and adopted by the European Advisory Commission, see Department of State, Treaties and Other International Acts Series No. 3071, or United States Treaties and Other International Agreements, vol. 5 (pt. 2), pp. 2078–2092. For documentation regarding United States participation in the work of the European Advisory Commission, including the negotiation of the agreement on zones of occupation in Germany, see Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. i, pp. 1 ff., and ibid., 1945, vol. iii, pp. 1 ff.
1. See bracketed note, p. 121.