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Working draft, not suitable for public

	HU OSA 300-55-1
Fonds 300:	Records of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Research Institute
Subfonds 55:	Polish Underground Publications Unit
Series 1:	Administrative Files

Date(s) 1953-1994 (Predominantly 1983-1994)

Extent and medium 2 Archival boxes, 0.25 linear meters

Archival history

The series was not originally a 300-55 legacy data. It consists of a compilation of documents retrieved from hitherto unprocessed bundle of random files of the Polish Underground Publications Unit. The series was created and arranged by OSA archivists, including assigning names and categories to folders where necessary.

Scope and content

The series is a compilation of documents related to the internal operations of the Polish Underground Publications Unit, from its establishment around 1983, through attempts at reinvention after 1989 until its closure in 1994. The documents were collected and arranged by OSA archivists in alphabetical order. The highlights of the collection include:

- Contact lists, internal communication within the unit, progress reports, as well as memos concerning the archival task force operations, revisions of holdings and their catalogues, archival and publishing projects and activities.
- Correspondence with the Polish desk, predominantly regarding research visits by journalists and scholars
- Holdings Lists of the Polish underground publications containing also description of the founds and their aquisition, references to broadcasts and publications based on Polish samizdat sources, subject lists used by the archivists, and other random reference materials.
- Documentation of the “Farewell to RFE” event organized in 1994 including the press coverage, as well as an article on RFE archives transfer to Budapest.

Accruals Not expected

System of arrangement

• Arranged in alphabetical order, in some cases broader categories created.

Language/scripts of material

English, Polish (Mostly in English, some in Polish.)

Finding aids

• 2 containers

Related units of description

• HU OSA 300-55-4 Polish Underground Periodicals, 1976-1990
• HU OSA 300-55-5 Polish Underground Monographs
• HU OSA 300-55-9 RFE Publications Based on Polish Underground Press
• HU OSA 300-55-10 Subject Files, 1972-1990

Archivist's Note

There is some personal data, but I would check with someone knowledgable for their legal sensitvity, privacy restrictions etc. Ivan?

There is a subject list from 1953 in a not to good condition.

Date(s) of descriptions

Processed and described by Piotr Wciślik, August 2011.
Online version updated 6 January 2012