Working Notes of V.M. Molotov on the 'Zones of Action' of the Soviet and the Anglo-American Troops

Working Notes of V. M. Molotov on the "Zones of Action"

of the Soviet and the Anglo-American Troops.

Moscow

No later than January 4, 1945¹

Poland is a big issue!

But we do not know how they organ[ized] gov[ernment]s in Belgium, France, Greece and so on. They did not ask us, although we are not saying that we like either of those governments.

We did not interfere, because it is the zone of action of the Anglo-Am[erican] troops.²

1 The document is dated by its content: the Soviet Union recognized the Polish Interim Government on January 4, 1945

2 The document is related to the period of principal changes in the Polish territories liberated by the Red Army. On December 31, 1944, the Polish National Liberation Committee was transformed into the Interim Government recognized by the Soviet Government by the decision of the KRN. The western Allies continued diplomatic relations with the Polish émigré government. Being extremely interested in continuation of military cooperation with the USSR, the USA and Britain reacted to the fact of Soviet Union's recognition of the Interim Government by a formal warning to the Soviet side. This Molotov's note, apparently, reflected the reaction of the Soviet leadership to the Western position.