Polish Legation in Havana Poselstwo Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej w Hawanie (A. 62)
Extent and Medium
942 digital images (4 files), PDF (Multi)
1 DVD-ROM, 4 3/4 in.
Creator(s)
- Rzad Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchod?stwie
Biographical History
Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie (Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile) was established after Germany and the Soviet Union occupied Poland in September 1939. The Polish government-in-exile was first based in Paris, but moved to London after the French army surrendered to the Germans in the mid-1940s. The Allied powers accepted the government-in-exile as the legitimate representative of the Polish people soon after it was created. The Polish government allied itself with the Allied powers, as its members believed that only a total military victory over Germany would restore Poland's independence and freedom. The government-in-exile led the Polish war effort throughout World War II, and amassed its own land, air, and naval forces. In addition, it commanded the largest underground army of the war, the Armia Krajowa (the Polish Home Army). In 1942, reports about the mass murder of Jews in Poland reached London. At that point, the Polish government-in-exile made several public declarations on the subject, and officially demanded that the Allied powers stop the Germans from continuing their campaign to murder Jews, and other individuals they deemed undesirable. From December 1942 onward, the government-in-exile backed the rescue work of Zegota, which offered aid to Jews throughout occupied Poland.
Archival History
Instytut Polski i Muzeum im. Gen. Sikorskiego w Londynie
Acquisition
Forms part of the Claims Conference International Holocaust Documentation Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This archive consists of documentation whose reproduction and/or acquisition was made possible with funding from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Source of acquisition is the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, London, England. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Archives received selected records in September 2011.
Scope and Content
Contains selected records from the Havana consulate of the Polish Government-in-Exile, including a list of Polish citizens (mostly of Jewish origin), 1935-1946; as well as other records relating to applications for entry visas to Cuba, primarily from Polish Jews, 1946-1947.
System of Arrangement
Name list is in alphabetical order, remaining documents grouped in series by year, and then alphabetic within each series [?]
Conditions Governing Reproduction
Copyright Holder: Instytut Polski i Muzeum im. Gen. Sikorskiego w Londynie
Corporate Bodies
- Poland. Poselstwo (Cuba)
- Rzeczpospolita Polska (Government-in-exile)
Subjects
- World War, 1939-1945--Goverments in exile--History.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--History--Poland.
- Havana (Cuba)--Foreign relations--Poland--History.
- Diplomatic and consular service, Polish--Cuba--Havana--Registers.
- Poland--History--Occupation, 1939-1945.
- Jews, Polish--Cuba--Havana--History--Registers.
Genre
- Photographs.
- Passports.
- Questionnaires.
- Document
Copies
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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from Instytut Polski i Muzeum im. Gen. Sikorskiego