Abstract
The ink had hardly dried on the Polish-Soviet Agreement of July 30, 1941, before the short-lived association showed signs of deterioration. Initial differences as to the interpretation of the agreement were based on several issues including: (1) difficulties connected with the release of Polish prisoners of war in the Soviet Union, (2) the delay in freeing the Polish civilian population deported to the U.S.S.R., (3) the unexplained whereabouts of some 10,000 plus Polish officers, (4) the equipment and organization of the Polish army on Soviet territory, and (5) the possible evacuation of that army into the Middle East.1 However, these disagreements were symptomatic of a more vital issue: the status of Polish eastern provinces and the problem of citizenship of their inhabitants. This issue became the source of endless friction and led eventually to an open split in the spring of 1943.
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References
London, August 28, 1941 (GSHI, A.II.49/Sow./6), DPSR, I, No. 119.
Note from Cripps on his interview with Vyshinsky, Kuibyshev, November 3, 1941 (GSHI, A.II.49/Sow./3), DPSR, I, No. 138.
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The text of the treaty is found in Cmd. 6368 (1942) and in U.S. Department of State, Bulletin, September 26, 1942, p. 781. It was denounced by the Soviet Union in 1956.
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Kacewicz, G.V. (1979). Aftermath of the Polish-Soviet Treaty. In: Great Britain, The Soviet Union and the Polish Government in Exile (1939–1945). Studies in Contemporary History, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9272-6_6
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