860C.00/4–146: Telegram

The Ambassador in Poland (Lane) to the Secretary of State

top secret

444. Following small dinner for Mr. Hoover98 March 30 at which [Page 418] Gomulka and Mikolajczyk were only Polish officials present Mikolajczyk remained to talk with me alone. He said he was in most serious position of his life and he showed considerable nervousness, quite contrary to his usual phlegmatic calm, speaking in a whisper and refusing to be seated altho talk lasted over half an hour. The following seven points were discussed by him:

1.
Summary Peoples Courts which are being established thruout country are “putting away” for period of 2 years all persons of political prominence or influence on whom they can lay their hands on alleged ground that they are suspected of having violated economic regulations but really because of affiliations with PSL or AK underground.
2.
Citizens Militia is being greatly increased. As members thereof are furnished with arms candidates are very carefully screened to make certain that political background is satisfactory to Govt.
3.
Proposal for national referendum is ostensibly to obtain popular approvel of Unicameral Congress and support of Govt’s foreign and internal policies but is actually for purpose of replacing elections which were agreed upon at Yalta, Moscow and Potsdam.
4.
A definite attempt is being made to link PSL and Mikolajczyk personally with activities of NSZ underground which in past few weeks have been becoming more violent resulting in murders of unknown but considerable number of Soviet soldiers and Jews.
5.
Instructions have been sent by General Staff to Military Commandants thruout country that classes of 1924 and 1925 are to be called for induction into Army. Instructions state specifically, however, that under no conditions are any men who have served in the west to be taken into the Army. This would automatically deprive of arms all those returning from Italy and UK.
6.
Mikolajczyk expects shortly that he will be dismissed from Govt. Intimations to this effect have already been made to him by controlling group. During our talk Mikolajczyk mentioned no names and for that reason I cannot be more specific.
7.
In the event that Mikolajczyk is dismissed from Govt he earnestly hopes that such action will be protested vigorously but that under no circumstances should US and British Embassies be withdrawn as this would be playing right into the hands of the Communist minority which desires to consolidate its position thruout country without foreign interference.

As both British Ambassador and I are of opinion that Mikolajczyk’s life is in danger I earnestly request that this telegram be given the most limited distribution within the Department.

Lane
  1. Former President Herbert Hoover (1928–1933); Chairman of the Famine Emergency Committee. At the request of President Truman, Mr. Hoover headed a special mission of American relief experts which, during the spring of 1946, surveyed the principal nations affected by food shortages. Mr. Hoover’s visit to Poland at the end of March 1946 is described in Lane, I Saw Poland Betrayed, pp. 221–223. For text of Mr. Hoover’s report to President Truman on the results of his mission, May 13, 1946, see Department of State Bulletin, May 26, 1946, p. 897.