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Poland. Poselstwo (Portugal) records
65010
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Title: Poland. Poselstwo (Portugal) records
Date (inclusive): 1919-1957
Collection Number: 65010
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
Polish
Physical Description:
43 manuscript boxes
(17.2 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, memoranda, and reports, relating to foreign relations between Poland and Portugal between the two world wars,
and to foreign relations between Portugal and the Polish Government-in-Exile in London during and after World War II.
Creator:
Poland. Poselstwo (Portugal)
Creator:
Poland. Konsulat (Lisbon, Portugal)
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1965.
[Identification of item], Poland. Poselstwo (Portugal) records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library
& Archives.
Also available on microfilm (48 reels).
Polish legation in Portugal and consulate in Lisbon.
The Polish legation in Lisbon was established three years after Poland regained its independence in 1918. It played a rather
marginal role in the Polish diplomatic network until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, when it supplied Warsaw with vital
news on political developments on the Iberian Peninsula, which was especially important because of the participation of a
large contingent of Communist Poles.
After September 1939, Portugal no longer recognized General Sikorski's government in London, but the legation was able to
survive thanks to the support of General Salazar, and its operations continued uninterrupted. Throughout the war, the legation
contributed to the humanitarian efforts in favor of refugees under the direction of Stanislaw Schimitzek, Delegate of the
Ministry of Social Welfare.
Like other neutral countries during World War II, Portugal became a center of political maneuvering and exchange of information
between the various parties involved in the conflict. Poles were very active as well, particularly in their efforts to establish
an alternative alliance in Central Europe, which would counterbalance the Western Powers. This is an aspect of Poland's foreign
policy that remains largely unknown, into which this collection gives a good insight.
From Lisbon, Poles also directed their espionage and subversive activities against Germany. The head of the so-called Akcja
Kontynentalna was Colonel Jan Kowalewski, whose political agenda remained in conflict with London's official line. Some interesting
examples of his initiatives can be found among these records.
However, most of the documents relating to intelligence were destroyed after the war, not only to keep them from the communists
but also from former allies, mainly the British. The full story of what they may have contained has to be reconstructed from
other sources. One also gets the impression that sensitive documents on the failed post-war plans were removed from the records
as well.
The most significant figure in the legation's history was Karol Dubicz-Penther (1937-1944). Among his closest associates was
Jozef Potocki, one of the most highly regarded Polish diplomats. Dubicz-Penther was succeeded by Gustaw Potworowski, who remained
in his post until 1951, at which point the legation was handed over to Jan Tomaszewski. It operated until the death of the
last Honorary Consul, Martin Leslie, in 1977.
The collection was received by the Hoover Institution in 1965, so those last years aren't covered here and the fate of those
records is not known.
The records were filed according to the system established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before World War II. For the
full list of that classification system, please see the register to the Poland. Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych collection,
also at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Poland -- History -- Occupation, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Diplomatic history
World War, 1939-1945 -- Poland
Poland -- Foreign relations -- Portugal
Portugal -- Foreign relations -- Poland
Lisbon (Portugal)