Poland in Iraq

5. In a Romanian trap

On 17 September at around 11PM, a column of cars drove through a bridge over the Cheremosh River in Kuty. The President of the Republic of Poland Ignacy Mościcki, Prime Minister Felicjan Sławoj-Składkowski, Minister Józef Beck together with other members of the government, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a group of foreign diplomats accredited in Poland left the territory of Poland and entered Romania. Representatives of the highest Polish authorities expected that the Romanian side would allow them to pass through their country to travel to France. It did not happen. By raising an argument about Romania's neutrality and threat from Nazi Germany, the authorities in Bucharest decided to intern all leading Polish politicians, initially deluding them with preparations for the way ahead. The President, members of the Polish government and the Commander-in-Chief were deprived of the rights to act and to move freely. An experienced diplomat, the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of the Treasury in September 1939 and during the war a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kajetan Morawski recalled the circumstances of internment: "At one o'clock in the morning we stopped in Slanic, a small mountain spa, whether deserted after the end of the season or intentionally emptied for us (...). Before we unpacked our suitcases, we threw ourselves on the map of Romania. The designated stopping place for us was certainly not on the route leading to Constanta or any other seaport. "

Between 18 and 30 September 1939, Roger Raczyński, the Polish Ambassador in Romania, became the key figure in contact with the President of the Republic of Poland and other members of the state leadership. He was the only person who could communicate with interned and  other Polish politicians seeking recreate the most important institutions of the Polish authorities in France. Thanks to Raczyński's personal commitment, he managed to convince Ignacy Mościcki to hand over the office of the President of Poland to Władysław Raczkiewicz, which allowed for the establishment of the government of general Władysław Sikorski and maintaining the continuity of the constitutional authorities of the Polish state in exile.

Illustration caption:

Border bridge on the Cheremosh River in Kuty.

 

6. The New Ministry of Foreign Affairs

August Zaleski took over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the government formed by General Władysław Sikorski  in Paris on 1 October 1939. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs was a well-known person in the world of diplomacy. Before the war, he headed Polish diplomatic missions in Switzerland, Greece and Italy, and in 1926-32 he headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in eleven consecutive Polish governments. He remained Foreign Minister in the Sikorski government until July 1941, handing in his resignation in protest against the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement, its provisions and negotiations, and the minimizing of the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the talks.

Organizing the work of the Ministry was not a simple task. After the formation of General Sikorski's government, the Foreign Ministry was in Paris for nearly two months. Overcrowded rooms of the facility also served other government authorities at that time. The situation improved slightly when on 22 November 1939, the Ministry moved with the whole government to the city of Angers, about 300 km southeast of Paris. The French authorities have indicated this location because of its remoteness from the German border and the historical relationship between Anjou and the history of Poland. The stabilization lasted only seven months. After the Third Reich's invasion of France and the rapid progress of the German offensive, the Polish government, following the reccommendation of the French authorities, moved to Libourne near Bordeaux and the Atlantic coast on 14 June. After a short stay in the city, a group of most important politicians, including President of the Republic of Poland Władysław Raczkiewicz and members of the government with Minister Zaleski were evacuated to London on board of the British cruiser HMS "Arethusa".

Illustration caption:

A government meeting in Angers in December 1939. From left: the Prime Minister Władysław Sikorski, the Minister Józef Haller, the Minister of the Treasury Henryk Strasburger and the Minister of Foreign Affairs August Zaleski.

 

7. The situation of refugees in Romania and Hungary

During the war efforts in September 1939, about 20,000 Polish civilians crossed the Polish-Romanian border. The Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Chernivtsi became the first point of basic assistance for a significant number of refugees. Evacuated government officials also headed here. One of the fundamental tasks of Polish diplomatic posts in Romania – in addition to the above-mentioned consulate also the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Bucharest – was to issue identity documents to refugees and to provide them, if possible, with modest financial assistance. About 30,000 soldiers of the Polish Army also reached Romania, including more than 3,600 officers. They were imprisoned by the authorities in dozens of internment camps. They were looked after by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, ​​to which Mirosław Arciszewski, a delegate of the Polish government for refugees, came.

After September’s defensive war ended, a significant group of civilians and military personnel, numbering about 100,000-140,000 people, also found themselves in Hungary. Local authorities, generally friendly to refugees, organized 105 internment camps for them. Thanks to the Legation of the Republic of Poland in Budapest, most of the detained Poles could leave the place of forced stay. The Hungarian government silently approved mass trips of interned people abroad. In the autumn of 1939 and spring of 1940, the Polish mission managed to organize the evacuation to France of approximately 21,000 military personnel and 6,000 civilians. The aid operation in Romania and Hungary continued until Polish institutions in both countries were forced to liquidate by the Germans in 1940 and 1941.

Caption below the illustration:

A passport issued in October 1939 at the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Chernivtsi.

 

8. The last session of the League of Nations

The collective security system formed as a result of the First World War proved to be ineffective and short-lived. The efforts of the League of Nations, formed in 1920 on the initiative of US President Woodrow Wilson, did not prevent a new conflict in 1939. The last, extraordinary session of the League Assembly, which took place in Geneva in December 1939, was also attended by the Polish delegation. The subject of the meeting was the situation arising in connection with the USSR's attack on Finland. In view of the fact that the League Assembly had not previously discussed the German aggression against Poland, the December session could have been the first opportunity for the government of General Sikorski to present the position on this matter at the League of Nations forum. Unfortunately, the cautious attitude of Western powers and the fearful policy of the Swiss authorities prevented Poland from making a clear accusation regarding the Third Reich. In this situation, the head of the Polish delegation, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Zygmunt Graliński, gave a speech on 14 December in which he omitted the Polish-German issue, focusing on the general condemnation of all aggressive wars and expressing solidarity with the attacked Finns. His intentions were read, however, and the speech was widely understood. The session was listened to by aged Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who came especially to Geneva and who symbolized for the international public opinion the relentless struggle for Poland's independence since the beginning of the 20th century.

During the December meeting, the League Assembly decided to exclude the USSR from the membership of the League, which was a fact that did not affect the course of the Second World War in the least.

Caption below the illustration:

Polish delegation in the League Assembly meeting hall; second from the right is Sylwin Strakacz, Polish delegate to the League of Nations, third Kazimierz Trębicki, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Geneva, fourth Ignacy Jan Paderewski, fifth Zygmunt Graliński, sixth Jan Modzelewski, former Polish envoy in Switzerland and Polish Red Cross delegate in this country.

 

9. To arms!

One of the fundamental tasks of General Sikorski's government in France was the creation of the Polish Army. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Polish diplomatic and consular missions played a key role in these activities. The Polish authorities estimated that human resources that could be taken into account in the process of forming the units should range from 165,000 to 185,000 people. About half a million Polish emigrants in France were counted on in the first place. The recruitment was led by the Consul General in Lille, Aleksander Kawałkowski, who took over the position of the head of the Central Recruitment Office. By June 1940, 124,000 men stood in conscript commissions, 103,000 were found capable of carrying weapons.

Recruitment also continued after the fall of France, after the Polish authorities moved to London. Considering the possibility of new recruitment, the Polish government initiated talks with the United States administration and Canadian authorities. However, the main source of recruitment remained the Polish emigrants in Great Britain and, to a much lesser extent, volunteer recruits in South American countries. Consul General of the Republic of Poland, Karol Poznański, headed the Consular Conscript Commission operating at the headquarters of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London. During the entire war period, it considered the applications of more than 45,000 people, both Polish citizens and foreigners, including 761 women – candidates for the Volunteer Women's Service!

Caption below the illustration:

The Office of the Consular Conscript Commission in London in October 1939; first from the right – Major Stefan Dobrowolski.

 

Edition: Ambassador Marek Pernal