THE POLISH QUESTION IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00024517
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: September 12, 2023
• Document Release Date: June 26, 2023
• Case Number: F-2021-01777
• Publication Date: December 4, 1944

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Forti-GN NATiONAL1T GROUPS K.a UN1
IVEMORARD IF THE 1:1714E'CiliTR---. OF STRATEGIC SERVICES
SRANCA4
FPu
Number i-26
IFONE16N OATINIAtITSES
4 December
�77i
�**1.1 SH VEST toN" -
HE PRES:OW.4AL ELECTiON
s viewed by th sh- I a naaa_g_e press
Testifying to the vitality of the foreign-langusge
press and to its ability to contemplate European
problems through American ayes, ROlish-American
fiewspspors, with thi deception of organs of the
extreme Right and'iSft, treated the explosive
Soviet issue with c;mlerat(ve modcation. Mc paper
made tta issue the ad44 craerion in deciding which
Of the rival! Prosidtntiet welt:AE.3 to support
ita
MAT the foreign-language press in theynited States provides for an
important sector of the American corrunity & lively and useful forum
1 on foreign policy was strikirgly illustrated by debote in the Polish-
! lanlunge press wt.i�ch oretedel the recent PresidEntial election. Al-
thoug the press summary which follows is limited to views touching the
Poflsi uestion. it should be borne in mind that the views of the
Poliv)-lan.4uae press. like. those of its English-language counterpart,
are strongly affected by the positions of the various papers on domestic
issues. Discussion of the Polish issue in the
ditioned by the facts that the Polish-American
in great majority fanuand factory workingmen
traditionally Democratic: that
C)OP1ES rinT114Vrt
,o.
the majority of
itssygit1;10
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election was strongly con-
readers of the press are
during the past decade
tre Polish-American pa
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SUM$CJ 11.1119.-
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8 BECENDEI 894s
are the dfficial organs of Catholic and lay fraternal organizations with masa
otembershr,,and4hair-The4Polish-Mericanpublisners of non-organizational
papers are business wen.
Four groups of papers msy be distinguished:
11 The ultra-conservative and.bitterly 001U:7-5oviet PoPors &Peeking for
thlkABAPPAliational Comuitfee of Amerloaps of polish ossosoti.
These papers are independently ovII,A.
21 The Polish-language organ of theenternational workers Cirder,t\ad
other traditionally pro-Soviet papers.
31 The Catholic press, largely made up of Catholic fraternal orlon*.
The KNAPPist papers were staunchly ahti-Roosevelt in discussion of the
Polish question, while the IwO and ovietr-friendly oapers were equally firmly
pro-Roosevelt on the same iss.m. The bun of the Catholic piess, following
adoption of a resolution of confidence by t9rcal7sh Roman Catholic Union,
second largest Polish-American fraternal organization, swung from a neutral
stand to more or less strong suPP0 rt of President Roosevelt on the Polish
issue, with a minority officially neutral but in feet supporting his oPPonent
The lay fraternal press, represented by the organ of the Polish National
Alliance, the largest of the Polish-American fraternal Societies, was officially
neutral, but tended to support Roosevelt On the Polish question.
Press comrvnt following the election varied widely ih its
Awt-StactIon
interpretation of the significance of the Polish issue in
COwwint
the campaign. The XNAPPist dailies, the New Yorif.ravy SAtitt
and the Oetroitkxtenntk Poled, whicn had supported Dewey, made no attempt at
Interpretation and merely promised the President continued loyalty. Two
41 The la; fraternal press
OFFICE Or STRel1SIC eavIcta
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ettilER toes,* -
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import Chicago dailies with fraternal connecticies;eeeienele eefeeepey
ezieweek Woitiftmaftreeither of which had taken an Official stand, ex-
pressed satisfaetion that the Wish question had not been An is-sue in the
campaign at all. Theleftewing orgagiktioe &glary of Detroit and the
-liberal Detroit weekly hove spfat counted the result of the Polish vote a.
great defeat for the KNAPP. The ire-election delegation of the _Polish
American Congress had. eaid the Wice /Wove 18 November, carried to the
White House a threat of 6.000.000 votes. However, although millices of
votes had been cast. in Detroit 90 per cent of the workers had voted for
President Roosevelt and the stee_had been true in other Drees with hooey
Polish populations, such as CooCColunty. Illinois; Erie County. eeeeeyi-
vania; Wayne County. Michigan; and even,in !Iew jersey.
The resular 1044PPist doilies, the New York ;owe 8rint
fhe DIPPtAt
and the Detroit Wenn-P. hased their ergenerits
peexs
for support of Devey an three of his statements on Poland -....
two made at the Pulaski pay celebration in_New York 8 October and one at
the New York Herald Tribune Forum 18 October, The towp Swint of 2S October.
called him "a champion of the same ideals for which Woodrow Wilson had
foueht so nobly a quarter of a century ago '- Dewey s "outspoken friereishie
for Peland" was contrasted with the President's silence on the same issue to
his aelress before the Foreign Policy Association in New York 21 October.
"For a long time...said the'Drtenotk 1101,44 25 October, "we sincerely believed
that Poland had a true friend in President Roosevelt. it is difficult to re.
tn:n this faith ween not even a word of sympathy, let alone he:r, s fem.
coming s. The eNAePist oress also criticized the President's statement to the
*MHO America': Congress delegation, referring to his edmissien of lack of
OFFICE or tTRATEerC ittlfiCte
.11.
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informatioe on the present situation in Po/and, and countering bis reference
to theefeetanclette-fertureets A "releasentetive and peace-loving notion"
with a query; 'Did the Presldent neen to infer that he supports baseless
Russian charges thatftland bas ageressive desigrs on territory to eeich
She is not rightfully entitled?"'
While professing neutrality. the Cleveland dait4itn.dopc6et Codirtenno,
wt.icn stands close to the INAPP;st group, left no doubt in its treatment of
news and in occasional comment that its sympathies were with Dewey. Dewy's
statements on the Polish question were featured prominently. and the toper
noted (19 October) that "Governor Dewey yes just as favorably disposed to
the Polish problem at a time whie 'neither he nor anyone close to him knew that
he would be a candidate for the-Presidency ' it questioned (1 Rceemper) the
value of Roosevelt s statement to...the Polish American Congress deleotion
*mi6404.-
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The Suffelopeteneke eln YOrystiotqt. laroest Polish American daily, alsn
profeesee neutrality but praise e OeweY's statements on Polanc and commented
critically on Rooseve)t's 'silence in h*s Polish American Congress interview�
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The MO organ Glow Leviclog and the papers traditionally
00 nnd Other
Arttst aliened with it questioned the value of Dewey's statements
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on Poland and comoared them with me position of wee
they celled Fie isolationist backers. oho, they said.'hed eliowed Germany to
carry out her designs of aggression Attention was called to Herbert Hoover
Ferticioet!oe with Dewey in the Pulaski Dey Parade in eew Yerk, end the
action of the Polish American Congress Committee in eendin g e delegation to
the Write 14ouse was criticized as a move intended to eebaeress tne President-
The deleeatioe, said the week , tlotozdn folnrno of Steverie Point, Hiscoeeire
.2$ October, had shown no interest in the President's steed on deeeetie
efft4 OF STRATECIC SpflUCtil
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problems, but had concentrated its attention ent!rely on the Polish-Soviet f;.
controvamy, jhe..perorased the Prpsident for not making any et- tign ..4ft4W
promises funworthy of a state*Tftn arida real American oatticit."'
A sharp swingto'supoort for President Roosevelt appeared
The Oritholtc
in a strong sector of the Catholic press 17 October when
prrmg SP711 .
the Chicago weeklorpe post, organ of thitZolisL_
Roman Catholic Union of America published a resolution of the Union s
board of directors expressing 'faith in the judgment of 1.0., Roosevelt
relative to the future of Poland,*iand 6clared that in conformity with
this decision the paper was supporting the President. The-Chicago Catholic
4 .
chtt-fignatt, which hal previously ind+cated some support for
Dewey. then cane oo-, cleiley for RdOsevolt, and thereafter conducted a
vigorous campaign for his re-elevvion. ',The value of Dewey's remarKs on
Poland ws,s questioned in view of the fact that.he *as not burdened by official
responsibility for his statements. Sis declaration to. the Herald Tribune Forum
that *adnittedly Poland has differences with Pi:ssia"that go deto in history ono
for which there is AO iinole solution" was cited as showing that '11.fr. Dewey is
not yet sure of the justir# of tne Polish cause �-
A declaration of the clergy of the Polish Catholic Diocese of Sorinofie:d.
Massachusetts, deferijno Dewey against the arsertion of HOuSe Majority Leader
McCormack that the 1...publican candidate had raised the Polish issue in ordcr
to win polish votes. and Published in place of the usual editorial in the
A0101; Sw.vt 3 ;:ovember as a every sidnif-rant declaration.� was geerall) posse
over by tne Catholic press.
Other Catholic papers were aimost conpletely impartisi The organ oi the
/YriFranciscan order, the Vilwaukee, deilv ()piny PntaPtp, whose comment on Wish-
OFF-6M cif STRATEGiCERVICES
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FORtiCi MArIONALITOES PROACO
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auesto
4 atctmeta Dos
Sov;et retations has been sharply anti-Soviet, showed no preference whatever,
though it the only daily to print (26 October)
dispatch from Washington 'reportIng Cvereen propaganda tal!,s against Poosevelt
and for Dewey heard over the kazi-sponsored Polish-language radio station
'White Eagle.", The Pittsburgh Catholic independent weeklifflifsburesneirt
endor.ied no caldidate, but its comments on the campaion appeared to favor
Devat,. Comnaritv (27 October) Dewey's speech et the Herald Tribune Forum
with loosemlt's address to the Foreign Policy Association, the PIttabLrertuffn
saw in Dewey's attitude "good will" and 'justice, white Rooseelt's address
W34 'disanonirting" in its failure to mention the Polish question. -
The Catholic weektereseipenti intoltetot. in an editorial 20 October.
deciared that both parties were "gene?ousth words, but promise the POles
�
nothino conciete in the event of vioiory.e.
Vost important of thf papers which took no perly stand on
Pn7101 Nottohnl
the election was the Chicago daili47teneik tetnehowV.
Atlinnee OrOnn
organ of the powerful tattrblish rational Alliance. The
Wennik Zwinmkiwy 11 October Pr serf Dewey's stetenents on Poland, and called
*a omm and otpKtive oropoter of the Poiish causr * on ILF critber it
knaprended RoosPvtit for his statement tA, the Pol.0 Amerman Congrees delega-
tion as an 'important political doeuvent.*. And On,r30 October the paper published
without comment, a statement mode by Charltrozrarek, president of the Polish
eational Alliance and of the Polish American Congress1, that he would vote for
President Roesevelt.
The gew York Socialist wee4eN6Trit P0;abl. *Ma= has bc.:i
atAcelleneolix
consistently anti-Soviet, supported the Liberal Party ticket
headed by President Rolsevlet and carried no paid advertising favoring Dewey.
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acting 11101104-.-sora-O.o.s... � - 7
-4 fICEfttr, 2,44 admit-
it did.towever. comment favorably on Dewey's ckiDey statements-on
polvd.mmoi Ktlikhzed 45 *an ;mow-tent oolitical event' the viSit of the
Polish Congress Committee's ditegation to the White House.
. In its first iSsue since itiAemporary diseont.inuance in August. the
tteew York weekitalt 29 October. a:ndorsed the re-election of President. .
Roosevelt in an editorial by ViCheL aiewicz- Pankiew;c2-prei.Sed the
President as 'the strongest and best exponent of America's idterest in inter-
.
national affairs.' but the paper carried in the saee issue a paid advertise-
ment for Dewey euotine the Moscenude as opposed to Dewey 's election
because of hia friendly attitude toward Poland
Cp.
orset OF STRAYES)C kliVOCEi fOREIGO OATIORRLITiES WRAMCN
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