George J. Sosnowski to Woodrow Wilson

New York

Dear Mr. President
Not one of the Allied Nations in this war has developed a single statesman sufficiently talented to unite its efforts to one purpose and final victory.

After your memorable address to the Senate on 22 January, the democracy of the whole world accepted your principles and ideals for the reorganization of Europe. All mankind saw in you the true leader, not only of your own people, but the real, true leader of oppressed humanity.
The people of Russia were the first to respond to your high ideals. They have overthrown Czarism, and but lately the National Provisional Government of Russia renounced all conquest, and gave to the Jews and other nationalities equal rights. To the Poles was given the right to choose their own government and frame their own future, and restored the old Constitution to Finland. Russia then began to execute a program for her own future and to shape her constituency in full accord with the principles and terms for future peace as designed by you.
The greatest victory in this war up to the present time belongs to you, Mr. President
The Russian people have their liberty, and having the full confidence in your wisdom their democracy is earnestly following your program. Whether they will have the power and opportunity for its execution and the strength for their self-preservation all depends on your leadership and the help you are willing to extend to them (as well as to other nationalities.)
Today the democracy of the whole world is looking toward you for leadership. Russians, Poles, Bohemians, French, Roumanians, Servians, Italians and South Americans have already pledged themselves to your program. The others will follow, but today they are wavering. The most anxious are the Britaions and the Germans. They earnestly pray for a strong hand to guide them to salvation, and they are anxiously awaiting the developments of the coming conferences between you, Mr. President, and the most illustrious men of England and France. Notwithstanding the fame of the men who will have the honor of being associated with you in framing the destiny of the world, it is the desire and humble pleading of suffering humanity that you guide them and dominate them by enforcing future peace for the benefit of the peoples - not the governments. Although these men represent the governments of great nations, we must not forget that those governments have committed, and are committing even now, the greatest political blunders thus imposing insupportable sufferings on the population of Europe and hardship on America. The Russian National provisional Government, by its proclamation, renounced all secret treaties and agreements. It has fully and clearly stated to the world its policy, and has a right to expect that similar action should be taken by the governments of her Allies. Up to now this expectation has not been realized. Here lies the greatest danger of future developments. Russia has won her war and has secured her liberty. Today she can conclude the most advantageous peace and devote her future energy towards the establishment of a sound republican regime. This logic is rapidly gaining in Russia many adherents. It is fanned by German propaganda, but the strongest argument to it is given by the behavior of England.
Russian democracy is willing and even anxious for a continuation of the war until full victory for the democracy of Europe under your able leadership shall be assured, but she will never continue the struggle for the benefit of imperialistic policy of Great Britain for the extension of commerce and colonies. Of the same disposition are the Roumanians, Poles and the rest of the Slavs, with the exception of the Bohemians.
England has sunk vast sums of money in the old Government of Russia trying to supplant Germany in respect of future commercial and economical undertakings in Russia so as to control her untold natural resources and wealth. England never expected a revolution could dethrone the Czar and never believed in the possibility of a Republic in Russia. The best she expected and still hopes for is a Constitutional Monarchy. England is not liked in Russia and some of Russia's influential men are even hostile towards her.
England realizes this situation and realizes also that with the preservation of a republic in Russia the future sympathy of Russia will go to the United States, and with it all commercial, economical and financial advantages. And here is the great problem.
England wants to continue her selfish policy. She is beaten and knows it, and must accept our help or perish. But notwithstanding this she wants to continue to be the leader, even over us, in order to achieve her own ends. My belief is that she is even ready to guarantee all the loans that we may give to the different nations of the Allies so as not to lose her grip on them. I earnestly hope we will carry this risk ourselves, and with it the good will of the nations profitting by it. “Profit by our mistakes”, is a very good motto applied to us by the English, so that we might commit such blunders as they they wish us to commit, and just here it is not amiss to say that we might accept from the Visiting Statesmen and their experts all technical advice, but never relinquish the principles of your ideals as to the future of mankind. If Great Britain desires that we and all the democracies of Europe believe in her good intentions, then in order to secure such confidence let the Allies, acting with the United States, proclaim the terms for future peace in strict accord with the principles heretofore stated by you. Let this proclamation, which should be issued from Washington, go before mankind in plain language, so that not only professors of crooked diplomacy may understand its meaning, but the most ignorant Russian peasant, Jewish artisan, Polish agricultural laborer, German workmen, English statesmen, French artists as well. Let it thus be known that the German people may secure an honorable peace and an equality among the democracies of the world without any restrictions (except military) by dethroning the Hohenzollerns and establishing a democratic government, by abandoning Prrusia to her well deserved fate, restoring Alsace-Loraine to France, reviving the independent state of Hanover, giving back to Denmark Schlezwig-Holstein, restoring to Saxony her northern Provinces, and restoring to Poland all the lands taken from her in the three successive partitions.
THIS WILL BE A COMPLETE DISMEMBERMENT OF PRUSSIA. The people of Germany will not suffer, on the contrary some of the land which was forcibly taken from some of the German States by Prussia will be restored to them. The Polish question has been almost settled by the attitude taken by the present Russian Government. The Allies should now, in their coming proclamation, commit themselves to the reestablishment of the Republic of Poland in her former boundary - as it existed before her first partition, on the condition that the Republic of Poland will not conclude any military alliances with Germany.
Such proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Poland will eliminate any danger of a separate peace between Russia and the Central Powers. Germany and Austria now wish to establish a basis of peace with Russia on the outcomes of a Polish plebescite to be held shortly in the Kingdom of Poland.
All such machinations will be stopped at once by the Allies stating plainly their attitude toward the future of Poland and other nationalities, namely: Bohemians, Southern Slavs and Balkan peninsula.
Although England and France do not want to acknowledge the great influence which the Polish question will is exerciseing in international politics, they must speak very plainly now, as I am afraid the Poles can not support any longer the two-faced politics of the Allies.
The Poles realize the importance and strength of their present political situation, and they will stand by your principles, Mr. President, having the fullest confidence in the integrity of your policy - provided those principles are not ignored by England. The same attitude is held by the rest of the European democracies.I enclose three maps of English make showing plainly the three partitions of Poland, with a small memorandum indicating which States profitted by such partition and in what manner. Poland should have just reparation from those States for all the misery to which she has been subjected during the last 125 years by crimes committed upon her living body.
There is but one God and one Truth. You have given to the world the Truth, and all mankind is now looking to you to uphold that Truth.
I am, Your Excellency,


(Enclosures)