Miłosz: A Biography by Franaszek Andrzej

Author:Franaszek, Andrzej [Franaszek, Andrzej]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780674495043
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: 2017-04-24T00:00:00+00:00

Open-Source Intelligence

Miłosz translated a vehement declaration made by a participant at the writer’s conference he attended at Bread Loaf: ‘We do not want tyranny … If industry becomes nationalised and everything is concentrated in the hands of the government, where would we find any trace of freedom? The government will be the master of the life and death of its citizens’ (Kontynenty 143). What was very surprising was that the Polish censor allowed this fragment to be included in his report, which was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Very often the documents Miłosz forwarded contained a great deal more than accounts of exhibitions organised by the embassy. Sometimes the poet sent analyses of the political situation in the States, or descriptions of the atmosphere in immigrant groups, with the result that his work was becoming closer to what is termed ‘open-source intelligence reporting’.

In one of his first letters to Warsaw, Miłosz described the circles in which he moved, dividing them into (1) Americans he knew; (2) older Polish emigrants in America (whom he described as not very intelligent, with no prospects for political or financial enhancement); (3) a much more interesting group, the second-generation Poles living in America; and lastly, (4) the new emigrants, who ‘were hostile to the Polish government’, noting, however, that ‘there are signs of disagreement within that camp’. In the course of private meetings with friends, he gathered their opinions on and their attitude to the ‘new’ Poland:

Julian Tuwim: is enthusiastic about social changes in Poland and is returning to the country. He was a perfect host. The impression I had of him was that he suffered from a serious nervous disposition bordering on persecution mania. He has hardly any contacts with Americans, he hasn’t written to American journals and is intimidated by Polish émigré groups. He lives in New York as if on a desert island, and is engrossed in Pushkin.

Józef Wittlin: like all intelligent people in emigrant circles, he is very impressed by Polish literary journals, and their high quality and is very interested in writers working in Poland. He expressed an interest in sending some of his literary work to the country. He is, however, full of doubts and inhibitions. Politically, he is undecided—on the one hand, he was connected until now with the group around Jan Lechoń, on the other, he rates highly the positive achievements at home. He is a person with truly democratic convictions.

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Manfred Kridl: He defines his position and that of his colleagues from the émigré Polish Democratic Party as being ‘wait and see’, and his return will depend on the development of the political situation in Poland. He is well disposed to the idea of cultural co-operation with Poland. (Embassy Report, February–March 1946)

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