The Stance of the Polish Underground State towards the Polish-Belarusian Talks over the Years 1941–1944

Abstract

This paper gives an account of the talks between the Polish Underground State and members of the Belarusian political communities over the years 1941–1944. Following the attack of the Third Reich on the Soviet Union, the Belarusians found themselves under German occupation, which had an impact both on the Polish Underground State structures and the Belarusian resistance movement. Convinced that the Third Reich was bound to fail, the two organisations should have allied themselves with each other on the premise of common objectives. Were they, however, able to break the deadlock on mutual animosity, distrust, bias, belittling and disparaging? The answer to that question lies in the remaining source material. Upon analysis of archival documents, it is possible to state that the Polish Underground State did not consider the Belarusian resistance movement as a potential partner for cooperation. The Poles maintained a rigid stance on the issue of pre-war borders, which determined the character of the dialogue between the Polish Underground and the Belarusian political environment. They also largely underestimated the resources of the Belarusian resistance, which might have played a key role in reversing the situation in the region. A group of Belarusian activists were persistent in their attempts to contact the Polish Underground State nevertheless. These were Vaclaŭ Ivanoŭski, Jan Stankievič, and Radaslaŭ Astroŭski. However, the talks were low-level and conducted on an irregular basis, and their character was exploratory rather than focusing on particular problems. They were thus futile from the very beginning. Improving Polish-Belarusian relations in the course of the war was an enormous challenge which neither of the parties could cope with, and which ultimately determined the fate of both nations in the post-war period.