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60 Commonwealth Government to Cranborne

Cablegram 69 CANBERRA, 19 March 1945

SECRET

D.O. Telegram D.348 of 26th February. [1]

We see no objection to proposal in paragraph 2 provided that
Polish forces are carefully disposed to avoid risk of difficulties
with Soviet Union.

2. The adoption of proposal in paragraph 3 would apparently confer
on the Poles concerned very wide rights including, in effect,
automatic admission to Australia and possibly equal rights with
British ex-servicemen in employment, etc. As the numbers may be
large we cannot support the proposal without further information.

3. We therefore suggest that if necessary the Poles be reassured
by an undertaking on the lines of that given by Mr. Churchill in
the House of Commons on 27th February when he offered 'the freedom
and citizenship of the British Empire to all who fought if they
desire it'. We might be prepared to allow a substantial number of
Polish ex-servicemen to migrate to Australia after the war but as
at present informed we think this could be arranged without a
prior grant of British nationality. [2]

1 Document 50.

2 Churchill had in fact expressed a hope that such an offer might
be possible, while acknowledging that all matters affecting
citizenship must first be discussed with the Dominions (House of
Commons, Parliamentary Debates, fifth series, vol. 408, col.

1284). In the event the U.K. Govt decided that Polish servicemen
who had served under British command in Western Europe, could, if
they so desired, become British subjects in accordance with
Churchill's statement. See Cranborne's cablegram D583, dispatched
10 April, on file AA:A1066, E45/24/7.


[AA:A1066, E45/7]
Last Updated: 11 September 2013
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