Jerzy Potocki

[Washington,] October 19, 1939.

    SIR :  Upon instructions from my Government I have the honor to inform you that the Polish Government, having taken cognizance of the pact of mutual assistance between Lithuania and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed on October 10, 1939, have presented to the Government of Lithuania a formal protest against the acceptance by that Government of any territory ceded by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which does not belong to the said Union.
    Accept [etc.]

JERZY POTOCKI  

 

The Secretary of State to the Polish Ambassador

Washington, October 20, 1939.

    EXCELLENCY :  I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of October 19, 1939, stating that the Polish Government, having taken cognizance of the pact of mutual assistance between Lithuania and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed on October 10, 1939, have presented to the Government of Lithuania a formal protest against the acceptance by that Government of any territory ceded by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which does not belong to the said Union.
    Accept [etc.]

CORDELL HULL  

Foreign Relations of the United States
Diplomatic Papers / The Soviet Union 1933-1939
United States Government Printing Office
Washington : 1952, page 971.

Comment :  Obviously, the note does not imply that the territory under consideration ought not to be part of the state of Lithuania.

There should have been hardly any disagreements between the Poles and the Lithuanians were there no other parties involved.

In this instance, by the way, the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic�s �government� had made absolutely sure that whatever had been �ceded� to Lithuania had first been thoroughly looted by the Red army units, etc (more information in the documents contained in the American publication quoted above ; which publication, incidentally, contains no mention of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact — which circumstance I for one do not understand.)

WPT, 17 Sept 05