Liveblogging World War II: April 26, 1943
Polish ambassador in Moscow, Tadeusz Romer's response to the Soviet Note of April 25, 1943, severing Soviet-Polish relations.
Moscow, April 26, 1943.
Mister People's Commissar,
Today at 0:15 in the morning upon your invitation you kindly received me for the purpose of reading to me a Note addressed to my name and with your signature, dated the 25th of this month, informing me of the Soviet Government's decision to sever relations with the Polish Government. Having heard the text of the Note I declared that I can do nothing, but take with regret cognizance of this decision of the Soviet Government, which shall bear full and sole responsibility for this step. However, at the same time I stipulate most emphatically against the motives and conclusions referred to in the Note read to me, which in an unacceptable manner impute to the Polish Government conduct and intentions utterly contradictory to the facts, therefore I render acceptance of this Note impossible. Furthermore, I have mentioned that contrary to the statement in the Note, the Polish Government for nearly two years have sought to obtain explanations on the matter of the missing Polish officers from the Soviet Government, and recently addressed this matter again in the note to Mr. Bogomolov from the 20th of this month.
Since, despite my refusal to accept the Note, I have received it later in my hotel in a sealed envelope of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs, I have the honour to send it back herewith in accordance with my stated above position.
Please accept, Mister People's Commissar, my highest regards.
/-/ Tadeusz Romer
To: Mr. V.M. Molotov
People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs
in Moscow
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov… on March 5, 1940, as a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the A-UCP(b)… [had] voted for the NKVD's recommendation that those officers be murdered. Mass executions commenced on April 5, 1940.
