FOREIGN RELATIONS, 1946, VOLUME VI



the part of the Polish Government continued, he was perfectly aware
that it would not conform to the basic economic policies desired by
the United States Government. Mr. Zoltowski stated that it was
possible that because of the stipulations we had made to the granting
of credit the Polish Government may find it impossible to accept a
credit under these conditions. He was informed again that while we
desired in every way to assist the Polish people, it was not essential
to the United States Government to grant a credit, nor were we under
any obligations to do so.
  Mr. Zoltowski stated that he was sorry that the Export-Import
Bank had announced that Poland had asked for a credit of approxi-
mately $500,000,000 since while this figure had been mentioned at
Potsdam, the situation has since changed and he stated that he per-
sonally had been urging Warsaw to drop any requests for a large
sweeping credit and substitute therefor requests for specific projects
such as railway equipment, port facilities, vehicles, etc. He empha-
sized that Poland needed goods rather than cash and therefore, ac-
cording to Mr. Zoltowski, the Polish Government's proposals will be
for specific projects rather than for a specific global sum. Mr.
Zoltowski was informed that this procedure conformed to the plans
being formulated by the United States Government for a limited
Polish credit.
  Mr. Zoltowski discussed at some length the new Polish nationaliza-
tion decree and it developed in the course of the conversation that he,
and apparently the Ambassador, had the impression that the news-
paper stories to the effect that Ambassador Lane had protested against
the nationalization decree were correct. We assured Mr. Zoltowski
that Mr. Lane, on the contrary, had specifically stated that the United
States Government had no objection to the adoption of nationalization
laws since this was the sovereign right of any country. It was ex-
plained that Mr. Lane had protested against the attitude taken by the
Polish Government in refusing to permit representatives of American
firms to visit Poland in order to inspect American-owned property,
which privilege we claimed on the basis of the 1931 treaty of Com-
merce, Navigation, Treaty [sic] and Consular Rights. It was ex-
plained to Mr. Zoltowski that for several months Mr. Lane has been
endeavoring to obtain permission for American representatives to
enter Poland for this purpose but that he had been unsuccessful in
his efforts. Mr. Zoltowski stated he was glad to have this explanation
of the nationalization question and he gave categoric assurances that
the Polish Government would see that American firms received ade-
quate compensation for any properties nationalized and he stated that
Ambassador Lange 14 would in all probability make a public statement.
14 Oskar Lange, Polish Ambassador in Washington.



378