Monday, 7 August

Fine

The leaders of the Polish Committee of National Liberation arrived in Moscow yesterday. Therefore Prime Minister Mikolajczyk need not go Kohm to negotiate. This is enough to prove that the talks between Mikolajczyk and Osubka-Morawski have had substantial results.

In the evening I invited Ambassador Harriman, the British Ambassador, the Belgian Ambassador Edouard Le Ghait, the Egyptian Minister M.K. Abdul Rahim and Mrs. Rahim, the Swedish Minister S. Soderblom, the Italian Representative Pietro Quaroni and Mrs. Quaroni, Kennan and Clubb to a banquet at the Embassy. Kennan told Counsellor Liu that he felt gloomy regarding the prospect of Soviet-Polish negotiation, because the terms are difficult for the exile government.

Today was the first time I was able to listen to the central broadcast from Chongqing, saying that Hengyang is still in the hands of our army. Several days ago a small band of enemy entered the city, but they were deliberately enticed by our army and they have been eliminated. From 23 of last month until yesterday, our men have killed more than 18,000 enemy in Hengyang. When everyone in Chongqing heard about our recent victory there, they were very happy.

It meant the several broadcasts by Germany and Japan saying that the enemy has occupied our Hengyang were inaccurate. Ambassador Harriman and others asked me news of China, and I told them about it. They all felt pleased.