Telegram of A.A.Ioffe to G.V.Chicherin

Moscow. To Chicherin.

Copies: Lenin, Trotsky, Krestinsky

I have just had another tacit meeting with Dombski. He emphasized again that Poland strongly and sincerely wishes a lasting peace and is ready to sign the preliminarium immediately.He does not find it necessary to be diplomatic, to ask more than is required and, in accordance with his promise, is ready today to inform in general outline the border, which is for them unconditional limit.This border is as follows: the Zbruch River1*, along the former state border with Austria, further on the line of Rovno. Sarny. Luninets, all points behind Poland and so that there would be a normal bridgehead, to the east of the railroad, further Nesvizh. Kaidanovo and leaving Minsk east of this border to the Zapadnaya Dvina, so that Diena withdraws to Poland. As he emphasized, a common border with Latvia between Diena and Druja2* is mandatory. Obviously, there is still an aspiration here, cutting us off from Lithuania, to cut us off from Germany. To my question whether this boundary is final of all Polish parties or whether, in view of the particular meeting, it can be accepted by one part only, Dąbski stated categorically that this boundary is final.

NB ||| He undertakes, if we accept it, to sign a preliminarium in three or four days on the basis of our proposals and on condition that the Eastern Galician question will not be touched upon in the treaty, but that the independence of the Ukraine and Byelorussia will be recognized in one form or another as a concession to us. I pointed out what our final boundary was and stated that this proposal was probably unacceptable, but that I would communicate it to my Government.

NB |||| There will be a meeting of the main commission on Monday, followed on the same day by a commission on legal, financial and economic matters which they deem necessary to include in the treaty. The question of the border will be left open until I receive your answer. In case of acceptance of the border on all other issues, according to him, an agreement will be reached immediately, and Dombski agrees to limit the work of the commissions to one or two days.

NB ||||6-7 October, under these conditions he undertakes to sign the preliminaries. Please respond to this proposal by Monday at the earliest.

October 2, 1920.

Ioffe.

Draft Resolution of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP(b)

Draft

I propose. The Politbureau decided: to accept these conditions, to instruct Joffe to sign the preliminaries1 with this border, if the signing of such preliminaries and armistice is guaranteed in 3-4 days. In other points of the preliminaries, we must bargain for us the maximum 3* acceptable to the Poles. Hurry up. If they do not sign in 3-4 days, try to prepare the possibility of publication.

Try to bargain so that they do not cut us off from Lithuania, but do not disrupt us because of this.

Freedom of transit to Germany and Lithuania.

Lenin4*.

Fond 2, op. 2, d. 430 - autograph.

1* Corrected by V.I.Lenin from: "Hoop".

2* Here and further underlines, strikethroughs and other marks belong to V.I.Lenin

3* Reposted by V.I.Lenin from: "maximum for us".

4* The document has a note by N.N.Krestinsky to A.A.Ioffe: "I am sending you the directive adopted by the Politburo. N.Krestinsky".

1The Peace Treaty between the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR on the one hand and Poland on the other was concluded on October 12, 1920 and signed in Riga on February 24, 1921.

See also doc. 255.