The Polish National Treasure in California at the Service of the Government in Exile and Poland after World War Two

Abstract

Due to the resolutions of the Yalta Conference, Poland went under Soviet domination after the Second World War. The government in exile did not accept the status quo in its homeland and decided to continue its action for independence also after the war. In order to continue this action, it was necessary to establish the National Treasure which would raise funds from voluntary donations of Polish emigration. The donations were meant to support the government and its activity. The treasure was established under the official name of Danina Polska [Polish Donation] in 1948. The Polish Donation was registered on the private name of Gen. Władysław Anders, therefore it aroused much suspicion as regards the legitimacy of its action. This had led to the fall and dissolution of the Donation and its local branches in 1955.

In the beginning of 1956 the Polish Government in Exile officially established the National Treasure in London and re-organized all the hitherto local committees. A new Committee of the Treasure for South California was established in Los Angeles on 19th February 1956. Each time its term of office lasted one year. As regards North California, such a committee was set up as late as 1982 in San Francisco. Soon afterwards three sub-committees (branches) of the National Treasure were established in South California, first in 1983 in Santa Barbara, and then in Long Beach and San Diego. At their climax, in the free world there were as many as 50 branches of the National Treasure, and their number dwindled to 22 in the 1980s. In that time an annual maximum payment from the Committee in Los Angeles on behalf of the centre in London equalled ca. 2.000 dollars. This ranked California third or fourth in the United Stated. Most often the payments were much smaller.

When it came to democratic and social transformations in Poland (1989), the president in exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski, issued an order from London to dissolve the committees of the National Treasure with the deadline of 1st June 1991. Thereafter he passed on the emblems of the Polish Government and the National Treasure in London to the Polish authorities in Poland. Field committees did the same, giving the Polish emblems to Polish general consulates. In Los Angeles it took place on 28th May 1991.