Reports from the conference of the Heads of Political Departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a source for studying Polish foreign policy in 1921

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the meaning, and content of the reports from the conference of the Heads of Political Departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the context of analyzing topics relevant for the foreign policy of the Second Polish Republic in 1921. The analysis includes a query of archival materials collected in the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America and scientific literature. A thesis was put forward that the reports from the conference of the Heads of Political Departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may constitute an important source supplement for the study of Polish foreign policy in 1921, i.e. the initial period of strengthening independent statehood after World War I. Based on the presented arguments, it has been proven that in the opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Polish foreign policy in 1921 was largely focused on the relations with Germany, and Soviet Rus-sia, especially in the context of recognizing the threat to the security of the Second Polish Republic in connection with the actions of both neighbors. Significant importance should also be attached to political demands formulated due to the relations with Czechoslovakia, and the United States, as well as in regard to the policy toward Turkey, the Middle, and Far East.