Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Mitkiewicz, Leon
- Abstract:
- Diary, correspondence, writings, and printed matter, relating to Polish foreign relations with Russia, Czechoslovakia, the Baltic States, and other countries, 1914-1944; the Warsaw uprising of August 1944; and World War II Allied diplomacy.
- Extent:
- 10 manuscript boxes (4.0 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- Polish
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Leon Mitkiewicz Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Leon Mitkiewicz's papers are a unique source of documentation for scholars studying World War II, as they bear testimony to his knowledge of and expertise in the history of 20th century Poland. They relate mainly to his twenty-five yearlong military service as a high rank officer in Poland's General Staff and as a military attaché to both Lithuania and the United States. Of particular significance are his duties in the Polish Military Mission in Washington until its liquidation in 1945, which are documented in the biographical file.
In the post-war years, Mitkiewicz devoted himself to writing. Having witnessed some of the most important events of the century, he left excellent descriptions of their unfolding; they constitute the core of this collection.
These papers are supplemented by many other collections from the same period housed at the Hoover Institution, such as the papers of Wladyslaw Anders and Izydor Modelski, and the records of Poland. Ambasada (United States) and Poland. Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych, to mention but a few.
The Mitkiewicz collection was acquired by the Hoover Institution in 1974. A large portion of his papers is also housed at the Sikorski Institute in London.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Date Event 1896 Born, Zambrow, Poland1914-1917 Cavalry officer, Russian Army1918-1921 2nd Legion Infantry Division1921 General Staff, 2nd Lancers Regiment1925 General Staff Academy graduate1925-1935 War Academy lecturer, Field service1935-1938 Chief of Staff Army Inspectorate1938-1939 Military attaché, Kaunas, Lithuania1940-1941 Chief of Second Intelligence BureauGeneral Staff member1943 Deputy Commander, 1st Army Division1943-1945 Polish Military Mission, Combined Chiefs of Staff, Washington1972 Died, New York - Acquisition information:
- Acquired.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Diplomatic history
World War, 1939-1945 -- Poland - Places:
- Poland -- Foreign relations -- Soviet Union
Soviet Union -- Foreign relations -- Poland
Warsaw (Poland) -- History -- Uprising, 1944
Poland -- History -- 20th century
Czechoslovakia -- Foreign relations -- Poland
Poland -- Foreign relations -- Czechoslovakia
Baltic States -- Foreign relations -- Poland
Poland -- Foreign relations -- Baltic States
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
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], Leon Mitkiewicz Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563