Józef Piłsudski Institute of America

The Józef Piłsudski Institute of America houses one of the most significant collections of modern Polish history outside of Poland. This institution exists because of a daring, secret operation during the early years of the Second World War. When Poland was invaded in 1939, a group of officials managed to spirit away confidential military archives, including personal papers of the Polish leadership, in wooden crates that were eventually transported to the United States. These rescued documents, which included the original 1920 order for the Battle of Warsaw, formed the core of the institute when it was formally established in New York City in 1943.