In the beginning of 1917, Wilson wished to make public his opinions of a peace
settlement. Mention of an independent Poland would be included. Did this mean
Wilson caved in to Paderewski’s and Horodyski’s demands? Colonel House and
Woodrow Wilson discussed the matter. House recorded in his diary that both men
thought that since Germany and Russia had appeared to free Poland that it should be put
in.
House referred to Russia’s and Germany’s vague promises of self-government in
exchange for Polish support. Count Bernstoff, the German Ambassador to the U.S., told House a week before Wilson’s speech that the Germans wanted to have Wilson submit a program for a peace conference. House reported to Wilson that Bernstorff felt the Germans could be counted on to support, not only an independent Poland, but also an independent Lithuania.
So, on 22 January 1917, Wilson promoted self-determination and sovereignty in
his Peace without Victory
speech. The President singled out Poland, claiming that
statesmen everywhere are agreed that there should be a united, independent, and
autonomous Poland.
The first public statement that mentioned Polish independence as
an issue in a peace settlement caused quite some excitement among Poles in Warsaw.
They wanted to display their gratitude by presenting to the President a million signatures.
The Germans put an end to that plan by removing any notices promoting the signature
drive.
The Peace without Victory
speech also excited Polish-Americans and Poles living in
America. Ignatius Valerius Stanley, a chemist of Philadelphia, requested a meeting
with Wilson. Stanley and representatives of the Polish National Defense Committee
wanted to present the President with a memorandum that endorsed what they viewed as
Wilson’s position on Poland. Wilson feared that if he allowed Polish-Americans to
congratulate him publicly, then it would create the impression that I believe the whole
thing is likely to be settled by our dictum or influence.
Wilson expressed confusion towards the gratitude received from The Provisional
Council of State in the Kingdom of Poland, the government created by the Central
Powers to manage Poland until the future state
of Poland was to be formed. The
Council praised Wilson for being the first leader to state officially that according to his
conviction[,] an independent State of Poland is the only right way to solve the Polish
question,
and for Wilson’s statements to be a preliminary condition for a lasting and
just peace.
Feeling pinned down, Wilson had to ask his Secretary of State for his opinion
for a proper response to this letter. Why did the President exercise such caution?
Being a neutral in the war at this time, the United States had some, but not great
influence with the belligerents. Wilson did not want to get peoples hopes up too high.
The President may also have felt that his comments have been misinterpreted. Although
his speech promoted self-determination, Wilson only used Poland as an example. In a
memorandum on the bases of peace Wilson drafted in February of 1917, the first two of
four terms involved a mutual guarantee of political independence
and territorial
integrity.
Neither Poland, nor other nationalities were mentioned.
Belgium, Serbia, Bohemia, and other regions craving their own nation, had surely been on Wilson’s mind at this time. The President displayed his shrewdness by being cautious in setting high expectations for an independent Poland. He also wisely followed his philosophy of uniting his country’s diverse ethnic interests, not dividing them. Wilson stated he supported independence of all who desired their own sovereignty, not just Poland.
©2006 Tim Sheehan