Amerykański przyjaciel? Problem granic Polski w kontaktach ambasadora Anthony’ego J. Drexela Biddle’a z rządem Władysława Sikorskiego w latach 1941–1943
An American friend? The issue of Poland’s borders in contacts between ambassador Anthony J. Drexel Biddle and the government of Władysław Sikorski in 1941–1943

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with Polish borders and territorial issues as seen from the perspective of the United States Ambassador to Poland Anthony J. Drexel Biddle’s contacts with the government of Wladyslaw Sikorski in 1941–1943. The objective of the text is to present, on the basis of American and Polish archival materials, the American assessment of Polish border issues, as well as the expectations of the Polish government towards the United States and Western allies regarding territorial issues, particularly against the background of the Polish-Soviet relations evolving since 1941. The diplomatic correspondence of the US Ambassador from that period indicates that Biddle, regarded in Polish government circles as a friend of the Polish cause, played an important role in Polish-American discussions on the borders, whose course, ultimately unfavourable for Poland, correlated with the progressing crisis in relations between Poland and the USSR. The research allows us to conclude that the Sikorski’s government, which revealed to Biddle its readiness to compromise with the Soviets, could not count on support, let alone a guarantee from the United States that the pre-war shape of the Polish-Soviet border would be maintained. It can be observed that Polish territorial postulates concerning both its eastern and western borders were perceived by American diplomacy as an obstacle to cooperation with Moscow. Biddle’s contacts with the Polish government in exile in 1941–1943 indicate that the US position on territorial issues, which was unfavourable to the Polish cause, had been developed long before the key decisions of the Tehran and Yalta conferences.

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