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February 27, 1947

Letter from I.V. Stalin and V. M. Molotov to Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia Klement Gottwald on the Czechoslovak-Polish Mutual Assistance Treaty

This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation

I.V. Stalin and V. M. Molotov's Letter to K. Gottwald with a Request to Present his Position on the Issue of Signing a Czechoslovak-Polish Mutual Assistance Treaty[l]

 

Moscow

 

27 February 1947

TOP SECRET

 

TO COMRADE GOTVALD

 

Ambassador Zorin informed us about the conversation with you and Klementis, from which we could see that you did not give any response to our message. We do not consider Klementis' response as a response to our message, without even mentioning the fact that it was absolutely unsatisfactory. We need your response, for we addressed you, and not Klementis. Are you planning to respond or not?[2]

 

STALIN, MOLOTOV

 

 

[1] The document bears a handwritten note: "Handed to Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia Gottvald by Ambassador Zorin on 27 February 1947."

 

[2] On 28 February 1947, K. Gottvald sent a response addressed to I. V. Stalin and V. M. Molotov, in which he informed them that "he intended at the next session of the government to propose signing an alliance treaty with Poland together with the protocol, and additions to it, as it was proposed by Molotov ... I will propose to the government to reject the second protocol, against which the Poles had objected. I want the Treaty to be signed around March 10, and I would like to know whether the Poles accept the text of the treaty presented above, and one protocol without further supplements" (SUA. F. 100/24. Sv. 99. A.j. 43. L. 16).

 

On 10 March 1947, the Czechoslovak-Polish Treaty on Friendship and Mutual Assistance was signed in Warsaw, which was seen by the Soviet diplomatic services as an "undoubtedly big step in the direction of rapprochement with democratic Poland and strengthening the unity of the Slavic people in anticipation of a new threat from the common enemy- aggressive Germany and its sponsors" (Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Federation, Fond 06, Finding Aid 9. II. 77, File 1204, p. 7).

 

Stalin and Molotov write demanding that Gottwald respond to their message regarding the signing of a Czechoslovak-Polish Mutal Assistance Treaty.


Document Information

Source

AVPRF, f. 06, op. 9, p. 77, d. 1203,1. 2. Published in Vostochnaia Evropa, edited by G.P. Murashko, et al, vol. 1, p. 586. Translated for CWIHP by Svetlana Savranskaya.

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Original Uploaded Date

2013-10-29

Type

Letter

Language

Record ID

118463

Original Classification

Top Secret

Donors

Leon Levy Foundation