Metadata: Records of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Research Institute, Polish Unit
Collection
- Country:
- Hungary
- Holding institution:
- Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Vera és Donald Blinken Nyílt Társadalom Archívum
- Postal address:
- Arany János u. 32, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
- Phone number:
- 36-1-327-3250
- Web address:
- https://osaarchivum.org/
- Email:
- info@osaarchivum.org
- Reference number:
- Sub-fond HU OSA 300-50
- Title:
- Records of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Research Institute, Polish Unit
- Creator/accumulator:
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Research Institute
- Date(s):
- 1951/1994
- Language:
- English
- French
- German
- Polish
- Russian
- Extent:
- 3116 Archival boxes; 389.5 linear meters; 28 Archival card boxes; 8.82 linear meters; 1 Roll of 35 mm microfilm in microfilm cabinet; 0.05 linear meters
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Microfilm reels
- Physical condition:
- Good
- Scope and content:
-
The sub-fond contains material (press clippings, news agency releases, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty research papers and background analyses, Information Items, index cards, posters, leaflets, telexes and letters) collected by research specialists and analysts at the Polish Unit of the RFE/RL Research Institute. The records of the Polish Unit give a broad picture of postwar Polish political life, economics, culture and arts, religions, media, social, trade union, military issues, and the Solidarity movement.
Materials concerning Jewish history and culture can be found in 20 folders dispersed throughout 3 archival series out of 10 that the sub-fond contains. This material informs about lives of Jewish communities in socialist Poland and beyond from 1951 to 1992. 1) Archival series HU OSA 300-50-1 Old Code Subject Files contains 17 folders with information about Jews as a national minority seen through the lens of official newspapers and magazines, publications and commentaries on it in socialist Poland and beyond, 1951-1992. Separate folders inform about aid to Jews during WWII and post-war compensation to Jews . 2) Archival series HU 300-50-3 Subject Card Files contains 1 folder that informs about Jewish associations in socialist Poland in 1952-1986. 3) Archival series HU OSA 300-50-6 Program Transcripts and Background Material related to Józef Światło contains 2 folders with material from 1954 to 1955 that informs about acts of the Polish People's Army (Armia Ludowa) against Jewish partisan units during WWII and about collaboration in mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust in Poland.
- Archival history:
- The sub-fonds was transferred to the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives in May 1995 under the initial mandate to preserve over 2.5 linear kilometres of documents accumulated in the archives of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Research Institute.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Polish Unit was established as part of the RFE/RL Research Unit in order to collect and prepare for publication information and analytics about ongoing affairs and developments in socialist Poland. Establishment of the RFE/RL was related to informational confrontation in the Cold War. The material was processed and revised at the Blinken OSA in 2002.
- Access points: locations:
- Poland
- Subject terms:
- Holocaust
- Jewish community
- Newspaper clippings
- Restitution and compensation
- System of arrangement:
- The sub-fond includes 18 series systematized according to legacy structure of the sub-fond.
- Access, restrictions:
- Reproduction is allowed for non-commercial purposes.
- Finding aids:
- The catalog (folders/items level) is available online.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://catalog.osaarchivum.org/catalog/jDeneXzQ
- Yerusha Network member:
- Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives
- Author of the description:
- Anastasia Felcher; Blinken OSA; 2022 based on Pavol Salamon; Blinken OSA; 2003.
