Director General Ogrodziński, 'Record of Conversation'

95

March 14, director general’s record of conversation

with the US ambassador on the Rapacki Plan

Warsaw, March 14, 1958

Top Secret

Record of conversation

A) On the 13^th of this month, at a supper with the Swiss, the American ambassador Beam initiated conversation with me, away from the others, in order to inform me:

“The State Department instructed all the interested American missions abroad to submit their assessment of the Rapacki Plan within a few 3 weeks. The assessment ought to specify to what extent implementation of the Rapacki Plan would be, from the point of view of the entirely of American interests in the world:

1) advantageous politically,

2) disadvantageous politically,

3) advantageous militarily,

4) disadvantageous militarily,

The instruction specifies that the assessment should be carried out completely sine ira et studio, i.e., as Beam interpreted it, in their replies the ambassadors should not yield the suggestion of the current, negative stance of the State Department.

Beam added at the same time that his statement should not be treated as on attempt to justify opinion of the Rapacki Plan. He merely wished to stress that “US reply to our statement of February 14 will be v. substantive.”

B) When I asked about his assessment of the chances of an East-West meeting, Beam made one interesting statement: In his opinion, secret American-Soviet talks have not actually begun yet, but will soon.

C) In a larger company, in the presence of a Swede, a Swiss, and a Finn, Beam replied to their questions with a strong conviction in his voice that the Battle Act would be lifted by Congress this year. He believes that this would take place after the people’s debate and before the election campaign begins.^3[1]1

/–/ Ogrodziński

AMSZ, ZD 6/77. w. 59, t. 829

³¹ Document sent by courier to Polish diplomatic missions in Washington, New York, London, Ottawa, Oslo, Copenhagen, Paris, Rome, Bern, Geneva, Prague, Moscow, Belgrade, and Berlin (embassy and military mission).