| Sikorski-mayski Agreement |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT SIKORSKI-MAYSKI AGREEMENT | |
| 1941 in law | |
| history of poland 1939–1945 | |
| treaties of poland | |
| treaties of the soviet union | |
| world war ii treaties | |
| polish-soviet relations | |
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DETAILS After signing the Nazi-Soviet Alliance in 1939 , the Soviet Union took part in the War Against Poland and its subsequent dismemberment. The Soviet authorities declared Poland non-existent and all of former Polish citizens from the areas annexed by USSR were treated as if they were Soviet citizens. This resulted in approximately 2 million Poles being arrested and imprisoned by the NKVD and other Soviet authorities. However, with the outbreak of the Soviet-German War in 1941 the international situation of Soviet Russia changed and Joseph Stalin started to seek help from other countries opposing Hitler . Strongly encouraged by British Foreign Office diplomat Anthony Eden , Sikorski on July 30 , 1941, opened negotiations with the Soviet ambassador to London, Ivan Mayski, to re-establish diplomatic relations between Poland and the Soviet Union. Later that year, Sikorski went to Moscow with a diplomatic mission (including the future Polish ambassador to Moscow, Stanisław Kot , and chief of the Polish Military Mission in the Soviet Union, General Zygmunt Szyszko-Bohusz ). Sikorski was the architect of the agreement reached by both governments, that was finally signed on August 17 , 1941. Joseph Stalin agreed to declare all previous pacts he had with Nazi Germany Null And Void , invalidate the September 1939 Soviet-German partition of Poland and release tens of thousands of Polish prisoners-of-war held in Soviet camps. Pursuant to an agreement between the Polish Government-in-exile and Stalin, the Soviets granted " Amnesty " to many Polish citizens, from whom a 75,000-strong army (the Polish II Corps ) was formed under General Władysław Anders . The Whereabouts Of Thousands More Polish Officers , however, would remain unknown for two more years, and this would weigh heavily on both Polish-Soviet relations and on Sikorski's fate. SEE ALSO |
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