Government Delegation for Poland

Initially, there were two Delegations formed, one for the Polish areas annexed by Germany, and one for the General Government. A delegate for the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union was never appointed. From 1942, power was consolidated and there was only one delegate chosen, in the rank of deputy prime minister. He, in turn, had 6 deputies for each of the regions, whose responsibilities were further delegated to county-level officers. In July 1944, the delegate's three deputies were promoted to ministers, and a Home Council of Ministers (Krajowa Rada Ministrów) was created. The Home Council became the local counterpart of the Polish Government in Exile. Meanwhile, in Poland, the Delegation was reconstructed and continued in its duties until finally disbanded on 1 July 1945. == Departments ==

The Delegation's activities encompassed all areas of organized society. It comprised 12 branches, roughly corresponding to the ministries of the Polish government-in-exile in London. • Internal Affairs: • Security of the Delegation • Provisional Administration - shadow administration to take over the administrative duties after liberation or during an all-national uprising • Państwowy Korpus Bezpieczeństwa -underground police • Council to Aid the Jews • preparing reports on the situation in occupied Poland • Information and Press: • providing the society with news from abroad • propaganda • printing Rzeczpospolita, the official organ of the Office • Labour and Social Affairs: • cooperation with Polish Red Cross and Central Welfare Council • Education and Culture: • Organisation of the Underground schools and universities • Industry and Trade • Agriculture • Justice • Liquidation of the Effects of the War • Public Works and Reconstruction • Treasury • Post Offices and Telegraphs • Communications. Near the end of the war, the Departments of Foreign Affairs and of War Matters were created, but they have not played any significant role. Other notable units and bureaus included: • Bureau of the Newly Acquired Lands (Polish Biuro Ziem Nowych): • Established 1942. The Bureau's main task was to document the Polish claims on German lands east of the Oder river and the area of Prussia, as well as planning of their post-war development. Despite the Allies agreement to grant Poland with the lands east of the Oder–Neisse line, the plans of the bureau were never fulfilled since most of its workers were arrested by the NKVD and sent to Gulags across Russia (see, however, Recovered Territories). • Kierownictwo Walki Cywilnej (Directorate of Civil Resistance) (since 1941). With regard to territorial structure, there were: • in General Government: • Regional Delegation for Kielce • Regional Delegation for Kraków • Regional Delegation for Lublin • Regional Delegation for Warsaw-City • Regional Delegation for Warsaw-voivodeship • in the Polish territories annexed by Nazi Germany: • Regional Delegation for Ciechanów • Regional Delegation for Łódź • Regional Delegation for Pomorze (Pomerania) in Toruń • Regional Delegation for Poznań • Regional Delegation for Śląsk (Silesia) in Katowice • in the Polish territories annexed by the Soviet Union: • Regional Delegation for Białystok • Regional Delegation for Lwów (Lviv) • Regional Delegation for Nowogródek (Navahrudak) • Regional Delegation for Polesie • Regional Delegation for Wilno (Vilnius) • Regional Delegation for Wołyń (Volhynia) == See also ==