An aristocratic diplomat who preserved Poland’s diplomatic continuity in exile
On 17 April 1943, Raczyński’s Foreign Ministry requested that the International Red Cross investigate Katyn.
Edward Raczyński was a diplomat of the Second Polish Republic and a leading figure in the Polish government-in-exile in London. During the war he informed the Allies about the mass murder of Jews in German-occupied Poland and took part in the Polish diplomatic action requesting an international investigation into the Katyn massacre in 1943. After 1945 he defended the continuity of the government-in-exile while supporting democratic opposition in communist-ruled Poland, and served as President of Poland-in-exile from 1979 to 1986.
Career Timeline
- 1919–1925Served in Polish diplomatic missions in Bern, Copenhagen and London
- 1925–1932Head of the International Treaties Department, Polish Foreign Ministry
- 1932–1934Polish ambassador to the League of Nations
- 1934–1945Polish ambassador to the United Kingdom and diplomatic representative of the government-in-exile
- 1941–1943Foreign Minister of the Polish government-in-exile in London
- 1954–1972Member of the Council of Three of the government-in-exile
- 1979–1986President of the Republic of Poland-in-exile
- 1986–1993Senior figure in the Polish émigré community in London