The Train From Moscow: The Road to Reopening the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, June–July 1945

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15823/istorija.2024.136.2

Keywords:

Polish Government of National Unity, Tripartite Commission in Moscow 1945, U.S. Intelligence, William J. Tonesk, American-Polish relations

Abstract

This article offers a detailed insight into negotiations regarding coalition government for Poland that took place in Moscow in June 1945, with special attention directed at the work of the U.S. embassy. The key protagonist is the translator, a U.S. intelligence officer of Polish ancestry William J. Tonesk. This text addresses the question on how well were the Americans informed about the conditions in Poland and the internal dynamics within Polish political groups as they sought to implement decisions made at the Yalta Conference. Looking through the microhistorical lenses it becomes obvious that, despite access to information, the conditions for talks orchestrated by the Soviets determined their outcome.

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Author Biography

Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdansk

Anna Mazurkiewicz, Associate Professor (dr habil., prof. UG), is a historian, a graduate of UG (1999, Ph.D. 2006), and chair of the Department of Contemporary History at the Faculty of History. She published four books: on the American responses to elections of 1947 and 1989 in Poland, and the role of the political exiles from East Central Europe in American Cold War politics. Her book: Uchodźcy z Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej w amerykańskiej polityce zimnowojennej, 1948-1954 (Warszawa-Gdańsk, IPN-Uniwersytet Gdański, 2016) won the Willi Paul Adams Award, for the best book on American history published in a language other than English, Organization of American Historians, April 2019. She is also the editor of four volumes resulting from international cooperation/projects, including three in English (published in Germany and the UK).

Currently, she serves as the editor of the book series: “Migrations in History. Past experience, global patterns, memory” DeGruyter (Germany) https://www.degruyter.com/serial/MIH-B/html and the Book Review Editor for Poland „Polish American Studies” (University of Illinois, USA): https://www.press.uillinois.edu/journals/pas.html

Mazurkiewicz the past President of the Polish American Historical Association (2017-2018) and a Board member since 2015. She is also a member of the Inter-faculty Committee of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU) for the Study of the Polish Diaspora as well as Committee on Migration Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN).

Recipient of numerous research grants and awards by Polish and American institutions, Mazurkiewicz was also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Notre Dame, Central European University (Budapest), Kosciuszko Foundation Scholar at the University of Minnesota, State University of New York at Buffalo, Valdosta State University (Georgia, USA) and Fulbright Senior Award, Center for Russian East European and Eurasian Studies, Stanford University, USA.

She teaches contemporary history with a special focus on the Cold War, U.S. history and U.S.-Polish relations, and U.S. foreign policy, as well as offers courses in migration and diaspora studies.

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Published

2025-04-14

How to Cite

[1]
Mazurkiewicz, A. 2025. The Train From Moscow: The Road to Reopening the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, June–July 1945. History / Istorija. 136, 4 (Apr. 2025), 30–62. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15823/istorija.2024.136.2.

Issue

Vol. 136 No. 4 (2024): History

Section

Articles

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