Memorandum from Acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew to President Harry S. Truman

TOP SECRET DECLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (ID) Dept. of State letter, Aug. 10, 1872 BYNE HU, NARS Date J22-73 DEPARTMENT OF STATE WASHINGTON June 28, 1945 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT Subject: Current Foreign Developments Poles Skittish About Specifically Proclaiming Free Elections. When Harriman had his final talk with Bierut on June 27 before the latter left for Warsaw he asked the form in which the new Polish Government intended to accept the Yalta decision on election procedures. Beirut had previously told the British Ambassador that the Poles wished to do so only by general reference to their acceptance of Yalta. Bierut told Harriman that all Poles concerned were determined to hold free elections in accordance with Yalta but he thought that "it is not necessary to have any emphasis placed on it by the Allied Powers." Harriman emphasized that it was most important this be clearly stated to avoid any adverse public discussion of the question in the US. While Bierut did not commit himself as to the exact language which would be used, he did appear to appreciate the importance of a statement broad enough to make clear the new ,Government's intention to carry out all the Yalta decisions. Harriman could not pin him down more definitely. Harriman saw Mikolajczyk at the airfield and also emphasized the point to him. Harriman feels that before giving final consideration to the text of the Secretary's proposed message recognizing the new Government we should wait to see the actual announcement of the new Government on its formation. Since