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    "localId": "750434",
    "label": "Foreign Affairs File, 1940-1953: \"Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945\" (galley proofs, Part II)",
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    "title": "Foreign Affairs File, 1940-1953: \"Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945\" (galley proofs, Part II)",
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{
    "seq": 166,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "J. 333305-M N -State\nGalley\n594\nUNCORRECTED GALLEY PROOF\nthe Poles to have a home in Europe and to be free to live their own\nlife there. That is an objective which I have always heard Marshal\nStalin proclaim with the utmost firmness. It is because I put my\ntrust in his declaration about the sovereign independence and freedom\nof Poland that the frontier question I consider not of supreme im-\nportance. This is what is dear to the hearts of the nation of Britain.\nThis is what we went to war against Germany for-that Poland\nshould be free and sovereign. Everyone here knows the result it\nwas to us unprepared as we were and that it nearly cost us our life\nas a nation. Great Britain had no material interest in Poland. Her\ninterest is only one of honor because we drew the sword for Poland\nagainst Hitler's brutal attack. Never could I be content with any\nsolution that would not leave Poland as a free and independent state.\nHowever, I have one qualification: I do not think that the free-\ndom of Poland could be made to cover hostile designs by any Polish\ngovernment, perhaps by intrigue with Germany, against the Soviet.\nI cannot conceive that the world organization would ever tolerate\nsuch action or leave it only to Soviet Russia to take proper measures.\nOur most earnest desire which we care about as much as our lives\nis that Poland be mistress in her own house and in her own soul. I\nearnestly hope that we shall not separate without taking a practical\nstep with this objective. At the present time there are two govern-\nments about which we differ. I have never seen any of the present\nLondon government. We recognize them but have not sought their\ncompany. But Mikolajczyk, Romer and Grabski are men of good-\nsense and we have confidence in them. We remain in informal but\nfriendly contact with them. There will be great criticism against\nus all if we let them divide us when we have such great tasks and\ncommon hopes. Can we not make a government here in Poland.\nA provisional or interim government, as the President said, pending\nfree elections so that all three of us can extend recognition as well as\nthe other United Nations. Can we not pave the way for a free\nfuture on the future constitution and administration of Poland?\nIf we could do that we should leave the table with one great step\naccomplished toward future peace and the prosperity of Central\nEurope. I am sure that effective guarantees can be laid down to\nsecure the line of communications of the victorious Red Army in its\nbattle to defeat Germany. His Majesty's Government cordially\nsupport the President's suggestion and present the question to our\nRussian allies.\n(Stalin suggests a ten-minute intermission.)\nSTALIN: The Prime Minister has said that for Great Britian the\nquestion of Poland is a question of honor. For Russia it is not only a\nquestion of honor but also of security. It is a question of honor for\nRussia for we shall have to eliminate many things from the books.\nBut it is also a question of security of the state not only because we\nare on Poland's frontier but also because throughout history Poland\nhas always been a corridor for attack on Russia. It is sufficient\nthat during the last thirty years our German enemy has passed through\nthis corridor twice. This is because Poland was weak. It is in the\nRussian interest as well as that of Poland that Poland be strong\nand powerful and in a position in her own and in our interests to shut\nthe corridor by her own forces. The corridor cannot be mechanically\nshut from outside by Russia. It could be shut from inside only by"
}