A Guide to the United States and Poland's Relations Since 1776

May 2010

U.S. and Polish Flags

Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and the American Legation in Warsaw, 1919.
Diplomatic relations and the American Legation in Warsaw were established on May 2, 1919, when Hugh S. Gibson, the first U.S. Minister to Poland, presented his credentials.
 
Elevation of American Legation to Embassy Status, 1930.
Alexander P. Moore was appointed as the first U.S. Ambassador to Poland on January 31, 1930, but died before he could be sworn in. John N. Willys was appointed March 8, 1930, presented his credentials on May 24, and served until May 30, 1932.
 
Move of American Embassy from Warsaw to Paris, 1939.
World War II began on September 1, 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Ambassador Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Jr. left Warsaw on September 5, and followed the Government of Poland to France (September 1939-June 1940).
 
Move of American Embassy from Paris to London, 1940.
When France fell to the Axis powers in June 1940, the Government of Poland-in-exile moved from Paris to London, and with it, the American Ambassador to Poland Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Jr. Biddle was also accredited to the governments-in-exile of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Yugoslavia, all of which were resident in London. Biddle left London on December 1, 1943.
 
Termination of U.S. Mission to the Government of Poland in London, 1945.
The U.S. mission to the Government of Poland in London was terminated July 5, 1945.
 
Re-establishment of U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, 1945.
With the end of World War II, the United States re-established its Embassy in Warsaw on July 31, 1945. Ambassador Arthur Bliss Lane, who had been appointed September 21, 1944, presented his credentials August 4, 1945. He served until February 24, 1947.
 

• Read more about U.S. Poland relations from the Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State:  A Guide to the United States and Poland's Relations Since 1776