| ID | 109102 |
| Title Proper | British-Polish agreement of August 1940 |
| Other Title Information | its antecedents, significance, and consequences |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Peszke, Michael Alfred |
| Publication | 2011. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The article discusses the August, 1940 financial and legal arrangement negotiated by the Polish and British Governments regarding the Polish Armed Forces based in the United Kingdom and its possessions. The agreement stipulated that the British Government credits for the Polish military, as well as for the support of the Polish diplomatic and civilian personnel, would be based on the escrow of the Polish Gold evacuated from Poland and to be repaid after the war. The legal and financial agreements that were signed in August 1940, and modified throughout the war, document that the Polish Armed Forces were a sovereign military under the constitutional control of the Polish Government in exile. This historical fact has been eroded by time and the consequences to the Polish cause of the outcome of the war. This article attempts to address the mythologies that have spawned, about the Polish Forces, often well meaning but erroneous nonetheless. The article concludes with a summary of the final auditing of expenses in 1946 when the Polish Gold was returned to a communist dominated Poland. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol. 24, No. 4; Oct-Dec 2011: p.648-658 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol. 24, No. 4; Oct-Dec 2011: p.648-658 |
| Key Words | British - Polish Agreement ; 1940 ; Polish Armed Forces ; Poland ; United Kingdom ; Sovereign Military |