Polskie Dokumenty Dyplomatyczne 1958

This 17th volume in the series Polish Diplomatic Documents  presents materials created at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (kept at the MFA Archives) and the Polish United Workers’ Party’s Politburo and Central Committee (its Secretariat and Foreign Commission), kept at the Central Archives of Modern Records.

The bulk of the 291 documents in the volume, as classified, have never been published before.

The main topic of Polish foreign policy in 1958 was promotion of the initiative to establish an atom-free zone (the so-called Rapacki Plan). The announcement of the initiative, its subsequent modification and the unquestionable interest it attracted combined to make it the dominant theme in Polish diplomatic effort, whether on the multilateral or the bilateral level.

Key events in relations with socialist countries were visits paid by Władysław Gomułka (to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and the U.S.S.R.). On the other hand, the situation within the socialist camp was affected by a worsening of relations with Yugoslavia and the execution of Imre Nagy.

In contacts with the West, the pride of place went to the Polish endeavors to get recognition of the Odra-Nysa Łużycka (Oder-Neisse) border and to sound out the possibility of normalization in relations with the Federal Republic of Germany.

The volume comes with a name index and an extended subject index. Among annexes is a list of major bilateral agreements signed in 1958 and a block diagram representing the organizational structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Download 1958 początek