Poland. Ambasada (Great Britain) records, 1918-1945

Summary

Title:

Poland. Ambasada (Great Britain) records

Dates:

1918-1945

Creators:

Poland. Ambasada (Great Britain)

Abstract:

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, financial records, studies, conference proceedings, printed matter, and photographs, relating to Anglo-Polish relations, especially relations between Great Britain and the Polish government-in-exile in London during World War II; Anglo-Polish trade; Polish foreign policy and participation in the League of Nations during the interwar period; conditions in Poland during World War II; and wartime activities of the Polish government-in-exile. A digital copy of this entire collection is available at https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol/-/zespol/22832.

Extent:

134 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize folder (55.9 Linear Feet)

Language:

Mainly in Polish

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Poland. Ambasada (Great Britain) records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, financial records, studies, conference proceedings, printed matter, and photographs, relating to Anglo-Polish relations, especially relations between Great Britain and the Polish government-in-exile in London during World War II; Anglo-Polish trade; Polish foreign policy and participation in the League of Nations during the interwar period; conditions in Poland during World War II; and wartime activities of the Polish government-in-exile. Includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, notes, financial studies, and other material from the office of the Commercial Counsellor at the Polish Embassy in London, and from the League of Nations.

Acquisition information:

Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1984.

Physical location:

Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Alternative form available:

Also available on microfilm (163 reels).

Digital copy in Poland's National Digital Archive at https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol/-/zespol/22832. It was digitized from microfilm by the Polish State Archives.

Other descriptive data:

Poland and Great Britain established formal diplomatic relations in February 1919. During the decade that followed Poland was represented in London by an envoy in the rank of minister and, since November 1929, by an ambassador. The following diplomats were the Second Polish Republic's chief representatives in Great Britain:

• Eustachy Sapieha: 1919-1920
• Jan Ciechanowski: 1920-1921
• Wladyslaw Wroblewski: 1921-1922
• Konstanty Skirmunt: 1922-1929
• Edward Raczynski: 1934-1945

The archives of the Polish embassy in Great Britain shared the turbulent history of Poland. A large portion of the embassy's archives was tranferred to Warsaw during the 1930's. Part of this documentation was destroyed during the war. The surviving 22 linear meters are now held in the Contemporary Records Archives (Archiwum Akt Nowych) in Warsaw, and are described in a detailed published inventory. Most of the embassy archives remaining in London were evacuated to Canada and the United States during the early years of the war on orders of Count Edward Raczynski who, during 1941-1943, was both Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador in London. In July 1945 the United States and Great Britain abandoned their Polish ally, withdrawing recognition from the London-based Polish government in exile. To protect the archives from falling into the hands of the representatives of the Soviet-dominated government in Warsaw, Poland's Ambassador in Washington, Jan Ciechanowski, transferred all of the archival collections held in Washington to the Hoover Institution. The Ciechanowski deposit included the archives of the Polish embassies in Washington, Moscow-Kuibyshev, and London. The Hoover part of the archives of the Polish embassy in Great Britain occupies 133 manuscript boxes or about 17 linear meters. What remained in London, about 6 linear meters, has been preserved in the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum. The Polish Institute's holdings also include the papers of Edward Raczynski and Jan Ciechanowski.

by Maciej Siekierski
June 1998

Indexed terms

Subjects:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Diplomatic history
World War, 1939-1945 -- Poland
World War, 1939-1945 -- Governments in exile

Names:

League of Nations

Places:

Poland -- History -- Occupation, 1939-1945
Poland -- Foreign relations -- 1918-1945
Great Britain -- Foreign relations -- Poland
Poland -- Foreign relations -- Great Britain
Great Britain -- Commerce -- Poland
Poland -- Commerce -- Great Britain

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:

Finding aid prepared by Helena Sworakowski And Ronald Bulatoff

Date Encoded:

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-02-28 16:31:42.613538

Restrictions:

A digital copy of this entire collection is available at https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/zespol/-/zespol/22832. 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.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Poland. Ambasada (Great Britain) records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:

Hoover Institution

Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University

Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US

Contact:

(650) 723-3563

hooverarchives@stanford.edu

Website