Telegram from President Harry S. Truman to Harry Hopkins

TOP SEGWEI NLT-331 s. DECLASSIFIED by authority uf - US SERVICE" TOP SECRET 5 JUNE 1945 PRIORITY Initialso -33 997. FHOM: OPNAV TO : ALUSNA, MOSCOW 051617Z NCR CFKRT NUMBER 283, PERSONAL AND TOP SECRET, FROM THE PRESIDENT FOR MR. HARRY HOPKINS. Replying to your 031100 and 031900. I am very pleased with your continued and strenuous efforts reported in your messages of June 3 to induce Stalin to release at least some of the detained Polish political leaders before consultations begin. I feel that you should continue in the same vein in the hope that Stalin will agree to the release of the majority of these men. I fear that if Stalin does not make some concession to us on this point the otherwise favorable reaction, which will come when it is known that consultations are to begin, will be jeopardized in the eyes of a large part of American public opinion. I also fear that if the majority of these men are not released this question is liable to be one of the principal points of discussion during at least the initial stages of the consultations rather than the real point at issue-- APPRA the creation of a new Polish Government of National Unity. If you feel it is advisable, I suggest that you also endeavor to meet Mikolajezyk's suggestion that Stalin release some of the held Polish political leaders rather than grant them amnesty 'as he first suggested. As you know the Prime Minister has also suggested that an effort be made to meet Mikolajczyk's suggestion on this point. If, however, you feel that the possibility of initiating consultations may be jeopardized by insisting on the release of some of the political leaders, you may separate the question of the release of the prisoners from the question of the list of names of persons to be invited for the consultations. If your