860C.01/6–1545: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 15—2:30 p.m.]
2104. Polco. ReEmbs No. 2092, June 15, 3 p.m. Clark Kerr and I met with Molotov this afternoon.12 We agreed to send another message to Witos urging him to reconsider his decision not to come to Moscow, emphasizing the importance we placed on his presence and offering to make every arrangement for his comfort and medical attention both on the trip and while in Moscow. It was agreed that if Witos finally decided that he could not come Kiernik should be invited as his substitute. Molotov took the position that the question of Mikolajczyk seeing Witos in Poland should be left until after the consultations were in progress.
In connection with Molotov’s agreement to Kiernik, Clark Kerr and I agreed to the issuance of an invitation to Kowrdzei [Kolodzeij] in place of Zakowski. He refused to reconsider Popiel.
The Commission will receive all of the Poles tomorrow, Saturday, at 7 p.m., therefore it is urgently essential for Mik and Stanczyk to leave London early tomorrow morning. It would seem desirable to bring Kolodzeij if possible. The FonOff is to extend the invitation to him. We will meet first with the representatives of the Warsaw Government on Monday and subsequently with the others.
At the Brit Ambs suggestion Molotov agreed to a rotation of the chairmanship between the members of the Commission. Because in conversation with Stalin, Hopkins had referred to Molotov as chairman, I expressed my opposition but accepted the vote of the majority.
Sent to Dept as 2104; London as 286.
- Further details of this meeting are given in Herbert Feis, Between War and Peace: The Potsdam Conference (Princeton University Press, 1960), pp. 206–207.↩