Telegram from President Harry S. Truman to Prime Minister Winston Churchill

NLT-339 TOD S. DECLASSIFIED by authority of N AND SERVICET TOP SECRET 7 JUNE 1945 JUN PRIORITY FROM: OPNAV Initials. 4c. Bataf.7.73 411 TO : ALUSNA, LONDON 0720522 NCR NUMBER 63, TOP SECRET AND PERSONAL, FROM THE PRESIDENT FOROTHE PRIME MINISTER: I have just received another message from Harry Hopkins on the Polish matter. He reports that Stalin was adamant in refusing to substitute Popiel for Kolodzei. He insisted that the London list be limited to three and the only concession he will make is to substitute Julian Zakowski for Kolodzei or Popiel for Stanczyk. Since Mikolajczyk insists on Stanczyk, Hopkins believes we should leave him on the list instead of substituting Popiel. According to Stalin, Zakowski is a teacher of engineering at Liverpool University and is non-party. We have no precise information regarding him but perhaps Mikolajczyk can give us some guidance as to whether it would be better to accept Zakowski for Kolodzei. The tentative list agreed to at Moscow is now composed of Mikolajczyk, Stanczyk, Kolodzei or Zakowski from London; Witos, Zulawski, Kutrzeva, Kolodzierski and Drayzanowski, non-Lublin Poles from Poland, plus three or four Lublin representatives. Hopkins pointed out to Stalin that although the tentative agreement on the list was a great step forward it is not a final solution which depends upon the Commission in consultation with the Poles, and he made it clear that no decision would be taken during the con- sultations which did not. have the unanimous approval of all three Commission- ers. He pointed out that, while by unanimous decision it might be possible - 1 -