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Behind the Iron Curtain: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Visit to Poland in 1960

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Eleanor Roosevelt's Views on Diplomacy and Democracy

Part of the book series: The World of the Roosevelts ((WOOROO))

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt’s visits to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1957 and 1958 and Poland in 1960 and aims to show how officials in both countries welcomed and treated her and how local media perceived her activities. These trips are much less known than her other foreign journeys. Mrs Roosevelt’s biographers have usually mentioned and briefly commented on her visit to the USSR in 1957 (based mostly on her own writings, for instance, chapters in On My Own and column of “My Day”) and the interview with Nikita Khrushchev. But the knowledge on the Russian response to her visit remains limited and there is scant information on her second journey to USSR in 1958. What’s more, in her biographies we don’t find any, even basic, information on Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to Poland, when she took part in the 15th Plenary Assembly of World Federation of the United Nations Associations (WFUNA), in the Polish Parliament (Sejm) in Warsaw, on September 5–10, 1960. On September 4, 1960, Eleanor Roosevelt was cordially greeted at the airport in Warsaw by Polish dignitaries and US Ambassador Jacob Beam. In the following days she participated in the Plenary Assembly and in several meetings with state officials, journalists, schoolchildren and so on. She was treated with respect and courtesy by Poles and presented everywhere, and particularly in the Polish media, as the most important personality of the WFUNA meeting and the most outspoken champion of the United Nations’ peace and disarmament. In Poland, and particularly in Warsaw, Eleanor Roosevelt witnessed still visible effects of the horrendous destruction of World War II and learnt more about it, which gave her more arguments for an anti-war and anti-nuclear stand. She publicly talked about the necessity of disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, which was presented in the Polish media with great appreciation for her generous contribution, as an American delegate, to the timely campaign for the disarmament and peace in Central Europe. This chapter elucidates unknown aspects of Mrs Roosevelt’s activities during her visit to Poland, mostly based on Polish archival sources and media responses.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Gurewitsch, Edna P. 2002. Kindred Souls. The Devoted Friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. David Gurewitsch. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc., 226–228.

  2. 2.

    Her biographers mentioned she had been investigated by the FBI since the 1930s, when she was accused of sympathy towards the youth leftist leaders and radicals. See, for example, Black, Allida M. 1996. Casting Her Own Shadow. Eleanor Roosevelt and the Shaping of Postwar Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 150–151; Rowley, Hazel. 2010. Franklin and Eleanor. An Extraordinary Marriage. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 255–256.

  3. 3.

    Roosevelt Study Center (microfilm collection). Federal Bureau of Investigation. Eleanor Roosevelt. Part 2 of 14. BUFILE: 62–62,735. A.H. Belmont to L.V. Boardman, September 12, 1957.

  4. 4.

    Black, Casting Her Own Shadow, 150–169, 172.

  5. 5.

    After Black, Allida M. ed. 1999. Courage in a Dangerous World. The Political Writings of Eleanor Roosevelt, New York: Columbia University Press, 266.

  6. 6.

    Roosevelt, Eleanor. 1958. On My Own. The Years Since the White House. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 95.

  7. 7.

    For more on that see: Fazzi, Dario. 2016. A Voice of Conscience: How Eleanor Roosevelt Helped to Popularize the Debate on Nuclear Fallout, 1950–1954. Journal of American Studies. Cambridge University Press, Vol. 50, 3: 699–730; Fazzi, Dario. 2016. Eleanor Roosevelt and the Anti-Nuclear Movement: The Voice of Conscience. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

  8. 8.

    Roosevelt, Eleanor. The Autobiography. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1992, 389.

  9. 9.

    Roosevelt, On My Own. Two chapters cover her visit: Yugoslavia Is Not Russia, and A Day with Tito in Brioni, 140–156.

  10. 10.

    Oskar Lange (1904–1965) was a Polish economist and diplomat. In 1934, as a fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation, he went for research to Great Britain and then to the US. As an academic teacher, he was a professor at the University of Michigan and Chicago University (1938–1945). From 1945 to 1947, he was the Polish Ambassador to the US and a delegate to the UN and Security Council in 1947. After 1948, he became an influential Communist dignitary as a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party and then the State Council, since 1955, and its vice-chairman (1957–1961). He was a professor at the University of Warsaw and associated with the Polish Academy of Sciences where he was recognized for his contributions to the economics of socialism. He also served as a chairman of the Polish State Economic Council (http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Lange.html).

  11. 11.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Warszawa, Zespół 24, D.M.O, w. 4, t. 41, WFUNA. Discussions on the Polish section of the association, notes and comments on Eleanor Roosevelt’s activities in the WFUNA.

  12. 12.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce.

  13. 13.

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library (FDRL), Hyde Park, Eleanor Roosevelt Papers (ERP), Box 4670, f. Eleanor Roosevelt Trip File: Russia, August 30–September 29, 1957. On August 7, 1957, she informed Soviet Ambassador Georgi N. Zarubin in Washington about her trip and prepared plan of the journey. The same day she wrote to US Ambassador Llewellyn E. Thompson in Moscow informing him about her visit. In a letter on August 20 she also informed Secretary of State John Foster Dulles about her plan and cordially asked if he would have any suggestions.

  14. 14.

    Pravda, September 10, 1957; Izviestija, September 10, 1957.

  15. 15.

    Pravda, September 25, 1957; Izviestija, September 25, 1957.

  16. 16.

    Pravda, September 28, 1957; Izviestija, September 28, 1957.

  17. 17.

    Roosevelt, On My Own. There are three chapters in which she described her visit: In the Land of the Soviets, The Most Important Things I Learned About the Soviet Union, Interview with Khrushchev, 193–230; Parafianowicz, Halina. 2000. Eleanor Anna Roosevelt (1884–1962), W cieniu wielkiego męz˙a. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, 207–210.

  18. 18.

    More on the Plan in Ozinga, James R. 1989. The Rapacki Plan: The 1957 Proposal to Denuclearize Central Europe, and an Analysis of Its Rejection. Jefferson: McFarland.

  19. 19.

    Arski, Stefan. 1948. Cień nad ojczyzną Roosevelta. Ameryka, 1945–1948. Warszawa: Wiedza.

  20. 20.

    Pastusiak, Longin. 2004. Stosunki polsko-amerykańskie (1945–1955). Toruń, 484, 535–6, 562; Tomorowicz, Bohdan. 1955. Narody wzmagają walkę o pokój. Nowe Drogi, 1955, Nr 4, 70: 60–61.

  21. 21.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce. Wyciąg korespondencyjny Nr 4045 z Nowego Jorku z dnia 3 kwietnia 1958.

  22. 22.

    Ibid.

  23. 23.

    Roosevelt, The Autobiography, 389–398.

  24. 24.

    Michałek, Krzysztof. 2004. Amerykańskie stulecie.Historia Stanów Zjednoczonych Ameryki 1900–2001. Warszawa: Mada, 248.

  25. 25.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce. Wyciąg korespondencyjny Nr 2515 z Nowego Jorku z dnia 25 lutego 1960.

  26. 26.

    Roosevelt, The Autobiography, 435. The following year Khrushchev came to visit Mrs Roosevelt in New York and most of his time, as she recalled, he deliberated about the success of the Soviet economy. Mrs Roosevelt shared her knowledge, thoughts and hospitality inviting her friends and foreign diplomats to the cottage at Val-Kill and Hyde Park. Many of them paid homage and placed a wreath on President Roosevelt’s grave as well as paid respect to the widow, an outstanding woman keeping her husband’s legacy alive.

  27. 27.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce. Wyciąg korespondencyjny Nr 5406 z Nowego Jorku z dnia 27 kwietnia 1960.

  28. 28.

    Ibid.

  29. 29.

    Henry, Richard. 2010. Eleanor Roosevelt and Adlai Stevenson. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

  30. 30.

    Roosevelt, The Autobiography, 428.

  31. 31.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce. Wyciąg korespondencyjny Nr 5406 z Nowego Jorku z dnia 27 sierpnia 1960.

  32. 32.

    Ibid.

  33. 33.

    Tomala, Mieczysław. 1960. O obradach WFUNA, Sprawy Międzynarodowe, R. 13, z. 11.

  34. 34.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce. Notatka z 31 sierpnia 1961 w sprawie planowanej wizyty p. Roosevelt w Krakowie w dniu 6 września b.r.

  35. 35.

    Trybuna Ludu, September 4, p. 3, “Rozbrojenie – głównym tematem obrad Towarzystw Przyjaciół ONZ”; September 5, 1960, p. 1 “Federacja Towarzystw Przyjaciół ONZ rozpoczyna obrady w Warszawie.”

  36. 36.

    XV Zgromadzenie Plenarne Światowej Federacji Towarzystw Przyjaciół Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych (WFUNA), Warszawa 1960, p. 23–33 (“Rozbrojenie a rozwój gospodarczy świata”).

  37. 37.

    Trybuna Ludu, September 5, p. 2, “Przyjaciele ONZ.”

  38. 38.

    Trybuna Ludu, September 5, p. 1; September 6, p. 1; September 8, p. 4, September 9, p. 3.

  39. 39.

    Prawo i Życie, September 18, p. 7.

  40. 40.

    Gurewitsch Kindred Souls. The Devoted, 227.

  41. 41.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce. Notatka z 31 sierpnia 1961 r. w sprawie planowanej wizyty p. Roosevelt w Krakowie w dn. 6 września b.r.; Trybuna Ludu, September 7, p. 2; Życie Warszawy, September 7, p. 1.

  42. 42.

    Trybuna Ludu, September 7, p. 2; Życie Warszawy, September 7, p. 1.

  43. 43.

    Roosevelt, Eleanor. 1960. My Day, September 16, 1960. The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Digital Edition (2017), accessed 5/01/2019 https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1960&_f=md004851; Eleanor Roosevelt (The Autobiography), 429–430.

  44. 44.

    Gurewitsch, Kindred Souls. The Devoted, 227.

  45. 45.

    Życie Warszawy, September 8, 1960, p. 2, “Pragniemy świata bez orę̌ża”; “Spotkanie z Eleonor Roosevelt.” She also mentioned about Polish fears and concerns in The Autobiography, 430–431.

  46. 46.

    Trybuna Ludu, September 9, p. 3; Życie Warszawy, September 10, p. 4; Sztandar Młodych, September 10, p. 2.

  47. 47.

    Życie Warszawy, September 8, 1960, p. 2, “Pragniemy świata bez orę̌ża”; “Spotkanie z Eleonor Roosevelt.”

  48. 48.

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Box 4670, f. Eleanor Roosevelt Trip File: England, France, Switzerland, Poland, August 22–September 14, 1960.

  49. 49.

    Roosevelt, Eleanor. 1960. My Day, September 13, 1960. The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Digital Edition (2017). https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1960&_f=md004849. Accessed 5 January 2019.

  50. 50.

    Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce. Notatka z rozmowy p. Eleonory Roosevelt z tow. Ministrem A. Rapackim w dniu 9 września 1960 r.

  51. 51.

    Roosevelt, Eleanor. 1960. My Day, September 16, 1960. The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Digital Edition (2017). https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1960&_f=md004851. Accessed 5 January 2019.

  52. 52.

    Sztandar Młodych, September 10, p. 2; Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, Warszawa, Zespół 9, Departament III, 1948–1960, Wydział Ameryki Północnej, w. 72, t. 883, Eleanor Roosevelt w Polsce. Notatka z pobytu Eleonory Roosevelt w Polsce w dniach 4–11 września.

  53. 53.

    Trybuna Ludu, September 10, p. 3, “Konferencja prasowa z Eleonorą Roosevelt” (“The press conference with Eleanor Roosevelt”).

  54. 54.

    Ibid.

  55. 55.

    Ibid.

  56. 56.

    Trybuna Ludu, September 10, p. 2.

  57. 57.

    Życie Warszawy, September 11, 1960, p. 5, Dominik Morawski, “Dwa spotkania z Eleonorą Roosevelt” (“Two meetings with Eleanor Roosevelt”), including her photograph with the best greetings and wishes for the readers.

  58. 58.

    Ibid.

  59. 59.

    Walka Młodych, No 39, September 25, 1960, pp. 1–2, Hanna Golde, “Gościmy na łamach Eleonorę Roosevelt” (“We host Eleanor Roosevelt in our newspaper”). There was also a published picture of Eleanor Roosevelt with her best wishes for the Polish youth.

  60. 60.

    Gurewitsch, Kindred Souls. The Devoted, 226–227.

  61. 61.

    Stolica, 1960. No 39, September 25, p. 6. This also included her photograph.

  62. 62.

    Roosevelt, Eleanor. 1960. My Day, September 13, 1960. The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Digital Edition (2017). https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1960&_f=md004849. Accessed January 5, 2019.

  63. 63.

    Ibid.

  64. 64.

    Ibid; Eleanor Roosevelt, The Autobiography, 431.

  65. 65.

    Ibid.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of History and International Relations, University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland

    Halina Parafianowicz

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  1. Halina Parafianowicz
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Correspondence to Halina Parafianowicz .

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  1. Roosevelt Institute for American Studies, Middelburg, The Netherlands

    Dario Fazzi

  2. Utrecht University, Middelburg, The Netherlands

    Anya Luscombe

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Parafianowicz, H. (2020). Behind the Iron Curtain: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Visit to Poland in 1960. In: Fazzi, D., Luscombe, A. (eds) Eleanor Roosevelt's Views on Diplomacy and Democracy. The World of the Roosevelts. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42315-5_5

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