On December 18, a statement by Secretary of State Stettinius, recalling the terms of Roosevelt’s letter to Mikolajczyk, was brought to Stalin’s notice. On December 27, Stalin in his reply to Roosevelt maintained that this statement had been overtaken by events; then after a long diatribe against Arciszewski and his colleagues, he added in so many words: "I must say frankly that in the event of the Polish Committee of National Liberation becoming a Provisional Polish Government, the Soviet Government will, in view of the foregoing, have no serious reasons for postponing its recognition.” Then, in spite of a letter from Roosevelt, who said he was "disturbed and deeply disappointed” by this declaration and by the hasty Moscow decision, he proceeded to recognise the Lublin Committee on January 5, 1945; he gave Roosevelt the following explanation:
"Of course I quite understand your proposal for postponing recognition of the Provisional Government of Poland by the Soviet Union for a month. But one circumstance makes me powerless to comply with your wish. The point is that on December 27 the Presidium ofthe Supreme Soviet of the U. S.S. R., replying to the corresponding question by the Poles, declared that it would recognise the Provisional Government of Poland the moment it was set up. This circumstance makes me powerless to comply with your wish.”
Merely as a practical working arrangement; "This also showed a remarkable appreciation of Roosevelt’s psychology, by strengthening him in the awareness of his superiority. He was also dissociating himself from British imperialism. It in fact separated the British and the Americans by conferring the chairmanship on the American; Roosevelt thus had power to arbitrate, a conciliatory role which would naturally lead him to show increased understanding of the Russian position. Stalin immediately gave himself a big advantage while appearing to give it to Roosevelt.”
World History
