Morgenthau Report

The Morgenthau Report, officially the Report of the Mission of the United States to Poland, was a report compiled by Henry Morgenthau, Sr. as part of a mission sent by the United States to Poland. The mission was appointed by the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, established by President Woodrow Wilson in the aftermath of World War I, to investigate conditions in the newly re-established Polish state, including reports of violence and unrest affecting various segments of the population, particularly allegations concerning the treatment of Jews. The mission consisted of three American members — former U.S. ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Brigadier General Edgar Jadwin of the Engineer Corps, and law professor Homer H. Johnson of Cleveland—as well as the British representative Sir Stuart M. Samuel. They were tasked with examining reports of disturbances and alleged abuses in the Second Polish Republic. The report by Morgenthau was published on October 3, 1919. The final report concluded that the accounts of organized pogroms were unsubstantiated, though it documented a number of violent incidents of an antisemitic character in which approximately 300 Polish Jews were killed, attributing these largely to the instability and disorder of the post-war period. It found no evidence of involvement or endorsement by the Polish government, while noting instances of administrative insensitivity toward Jewish concerns and describing certain responses as reflecting “culpable negligence”. Morgenthau also commented on tensions arising from both Zionism (Jewish nationalism) and Polish nationalism, as well as broader social and political conflicts that contributed to antisemitic attitudes. The report stated that the condition of Jews in Poland was unsatisfactory and in need of improvement, while also observing that the situation had been widely exaggerated by Jewish critics. Morgenthau emphasized the need for improved Polish–Jewish relations, calling for moderation and cooperation in opposition to extremism on all sides....