Much has been said about the Yalta Conference. Many stories exist about it. The Yalta Conference is accompanied by various emotions till this day. About the Yalta Conference many myths and half-truths circulate as well.

However, when asked about what happened in Crimea in February 1945, we hear primarily about the “betrayal of Poland by the Western Allies.” And it cannot be denied that Poland was treated by the Allies merely as a bargaining chip. But how much did Yalta itself have to do with this?

First Tehran

The first meeting of the so-called Big Three—the leaders of Great Britain, the United States, and the USSR—took place in Tehran from November 28 to December 1, 1943. A number of decisions were made at that time, crucial to the further course and end of the war against Germany. Among the most important decisions were:

• Fighting against Germany until its unconditional surrender, while ruling out the possibility of signing a separatist peace treaty with Berlin by either side;
• Creation of a second front in Europe (specifically in France) by the United States and Great Britain and the abandonment of the Allied invasion of the Balkans;
• Withdrawal of support for the Chetniks in Yugoslavia and support for Josip Broz Tito’s communist partisans;
• Division of defeated Germany into occupation zones.

Based on these few decisions, nothing alarming can be seen from the Polish perspective. And this would perfectly fit the common perception that everything that was most dire concerning Poland was decided only in February 1945 in Crimea during the second meeting of the Big Three. The truth, however, is that the Yalta decisions concerning Poland were merely a CONFIRMATION of what had been agreed in Iran. So let’s see what other decisions, this time concerning our country, were made at the turn of November and December 1943:

• Europe was divided into operational zones of the Allied forces, with Poland placed in the Red Army’s operational zone;
• Poland’s eastern border was redefined, roughly along the so-called Curzon Line (this meant the loss of the Eastern Territories);
• the Soviet occupation zone of Germany was to border Poland (which simply meant that Poland would be placed in the Soviet operational zone, confirming point one on this list);

It was in Tehran that most of the decisions that are often referred to as the “Yalta betrayal” were made. So why did Yalta become a symbol? Because, with the US presidential elections scheduled for November 1944 in mind, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was running for re-election, appealed for the secrecy of the decisions concerning Poland. He counted on the support of the Polish diaspora in the US. Revealing the decisions made in Tehran could seriously undermine that support.

So, Yalta

On February 4, 1945, a meeting between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin began at the Livadia Palace on the outskirts of Yalta. Crimea, including the meeting venue, was completely destroyed. Because of this, everything necessary, including furniture, had been brought from Moscow.

What is crutial is the starting position of the three parties involved in the debate.

Stalin was at his premises, hosting the entire conference. Furthermore, his position stemming from military operations was truly strong, as by the time the conference began, the Red Army was already west of the Vistula River and heading towards Berlin.

Roosevelt, ailing and in need of constant care, agreed to many of Stalin’s proposals. As it soon turned out, these were the last months of his life.

Although Churchill knew Stalin’s intentions, he could do little. Firstly, he knew that the Soviet Union held the main stakes, and secondly, Roosevelt favored the USSR dictator. In this situation, even if the British Prime Minister wanted to, he couldn’t get his way.

As mentioned above, the Yalta agreement regarding Poland was confirmed in Tehran, but with some expansion and clarification. Here it is:

• Poland’s loss of eastern territories was to be compensated by the annexation of former German territories in the west and north.
• A Provisional Government of National Unity was to be established in Poland, consisting of both communists who formed the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland in Warsaw and politicians in exile and associated with the Polish Government in Exile.
• recognition of the legality of the NKVD’s operations behind the Red Army lines on Polish territory (this meant consent to the establishment of Soviet ruling, introduced by force in Poland).

The next step was the Potsdam Conference in July and August 1945. However, the composition of the conference participants underwent significant changes. The deceased Roosevelt was replaced by a new US President, Harry Truman. During the proceedings, Winston Churchill was replaced by Clement Attlee, who replaced Churchill as British Prime Minister at the time. The only party that did not change was the USSR, represented, of course, by Stalin. However, Potsdam is a completely different story.

Piotr Bosko

Translated from Polish: Katarzyna Remża