Authors
Nataliya Borys1; 1 University of Geneva, Switzerland Discussion
The article explores the archival negotiation and the restitution of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth archives to the Second Polish Republic by the Soviet Union as stipulated in the Riga Treaty of 1921. The Soviet authorities in the twenties were in a weak position to negotiate the advantageous conditions, agreed on the restitution of all archives, libraries, and art collections, which were looted from 1772, the year of the first Poland partition. It was a huge number of archives to deliver. Poles were perfectly organized, they fought for every archival document sending the most renowned experts and soliciting their network in the Soviet Union. Less qualified and bound by the Riga Treaty, Soviets nevertheless kept the most important archives namely the Lithuanian and the Polish Crown Metrica, as well as the Kyiv Central Archive. Moreover, Soviet authorities proceed to the “sterilization” of the archives removing all archival pieces that can be used to further financial claims. Poles, on the contrary, abandoned the financial claims, valued their archives, and looted libraries as the treasure of the Polish nation. They proved to be skilful negotiators showing their extraordinary diplomatic skills. They managed to get half of all claimed archives from the Soviet Union. 
