Katyń Archive to go to Poland

Wacław Godziemba-Maliszewski is an American expert in photointerpretation as well as conservation and authentication of works of art. He carries out research into the Katyń Massacre. His archive collection includes correspondence and documents relating to war crimes, a journal from research trips to Poland, books and back issues of newspapers related to the topic of the Katyń Massacre, and German aerial photographs from the 1940s. A preliminary assessment suggests that the materials gathered by Wacław Godziemba-Maliszewski are a valuable source of information on historical facts and ways of interpreting history. The preliminary assessment of the collection was carried out by Professor Anna Izabella Zalewska from the University of Łódź, who has been examining the materials handed over by the donor for over a decade.

The archive collection of Wacław Godziemba-Maliszewski is the result of about 40 years of work. Some records come from auctions, such as back issues of the Goniec Krakowski daily dating back to the occupation period, in which the occupation authorities reported the discovery of the Katyń graves.

Some are US documents, which the owner of the collection managed to have declassified with the support of Professor Zbigniew Brzeziński.

During the ceremony of handing over of the Katyń Archive, Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski presented Wacław Godziemba-Maliszewski with the Bene Merito honorary distinction, which is awarded for contributions to strengthening Poland's position on the international stage.

Thanks to the cooperation between Professor Anna Izabella Zalewska, Wacław Godziemba-Maliszewski, and the staff of the Polish Consulate General in New York, the collection will be transferred to the Central Archives of Modern Records in Warsaw.