Saturday, 15 January

Light snow, cold, dull

The British broadcast says the Polish Government made a declaration today. The main content is as follows: Since the Polish Government made the declaration on the fifth of this month, the Soviet Government immediately made a declaration with regard to the Soviet-Polish issue. The Polish Government had to answer some of the points raised. It could not recognise a unilateral decision to dissolve the border problem. The Polish Government was sincere in solving the problem, and was looking for fair and acceptable terms, as well as wanting to maintain Allied unity. It was willing to accept help from the British and American Governments to solve the Soviet-Polish border issue as well as all other issues concerning the Soviet Union and Poland. The reason for doing this was to maintain the unity of the Allies. The British side agreed with this move, and the American Secretary of State said he would keep an eye on the matter. In the afternoon, I went to the American Embassy to watch movies. The Greek Ambassador, Politis, thought that the Soviet Union might not be willing, because it had repeatedly shown it did not want other countries to interfere with the Soviet-Polish border issue. Furthermore, what the Polish Government did illustrated that it does not trust the Soviet Union and it needed the assurance of Britain and the United States. It also showed that the Polish Government wanted to use British and American power to counter the Soviet Union. The Canadian Minister, Wilgress, thought that the Polish Government had its own difficulty, because it is not difficult to get Polish understanding about losing lands (to the Soviet Union), so it had to ask for help from Britain and the United States. It seems also that Poland has already made some concessions. Wilgress supposed that this was made possible by substantial British initiatives. The Reuters’ representative, Harold King, said he thought that the Soviet Union would not feel comfortable about this, but if the Polish Government could be reorganised, it might be possible that the Soviet Union would accept. I thought that the Soviet Union would be unwilling to accept the intervention of Britain and the United States.

The Soviet army captured Mozyri. Now the German army at the banks of the Deieper will be under serious threat.

The Allied army has made great progress in Burma. Probably they may take action soon.

Germany announced they had shot down over one hundred American planes using a newly-invented device. 1) A Mobile Balloon Barrage. It is one type of movable camouflage net made of balloon material [a balloon kite]. The method is to use lines of balloons hanging four thousand metres up in the sky and to attach torpedoes to them. The balloons are carried into the sky by specially-made planes at a speed of 200 Km per hour. When the enemy planes are entwined in the lines, they are kept still and the torpedoes then explode. 2) German planes used rocket shells, but as for the power of this new invention I am still suspicious.

I received a letter from nephew Wu Qingpei (伍慶培)[1]. He said he had received a bachelor degree in Engineering from Harvard University. When I was in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year I dispatched him to be a grade A trainee in the Consulate General in Chicago. But recently our country operated a Vice Consulate at Boston, and he wants to be transferred there so as to continue his research at Harvard University. I immediately cabled Vice Minister Wu Guozhen on his behalf, and also replied to his telegram.

[1]Wu Chaoshu’s son.