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The Giesche Company: Anaconda Copper's Subsidiary in Interwar Poland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2017

Daniel Stone
Daniel Stone*
Affiliation:
Department of History, University of Winnipeg
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Extract

The headline in the 15 August 1937 issue of the Great Falls Tribune proclaimed, “Montana Families Have Their Own Colony in Poland.” This colony of eight American families constituted the upper management of the Giesche Mining Company of Katowice, Silesia. Owned by Americans since 1926, the Giesche Company was Poland's largest zinc mining company and one of Poland's largest coal producers. The newspaper article described the beautiful wooded site where the Americans lived, the nearby golf course, the good winter skiing, the numerous Hollywood films available at the local movie house, and the Americans' Polish language lessons.

Type
Articles
Information
Slavic Review , Volume 56 , Issue 4 , Winter 1997 , pp. 679 - 697
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. 1997

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References

The author wishes to express his appreciation to the International Research and Exchanges Board, the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, and the University of Winnipeg Research Fund for supporting the research for this article.

1. Montana Historical Society, Box 317, Folder 1498, Purchase of Von Giesche properly in Poland [Giesche Spolka Akcyjna], 1925–1947.

2. Landau, Zbigniew and Tomaszewski, Jerzy, Anonimoiui wladcy: Z dziejów kapitalu obcego w Polsce (1918–1939) (Warsaw, 1968), 175.Google Scholar Recent works in English include Zbigniew Landau and Tomaszewski, Jerzy, “Foreign Policy and International Business in Poland, 1918–1939,” in Teichova, Alice et al., eds., Multinational Enterprise in Historical Perspective (Cambridge, Eng., 1986), 270–85Google Scholar, and Tomaszewski, Jerzy, “German Capital in Silesian Industry in Poland between the Two World Wars,” in Teichova, Alice and Cottrell, P. L., eds., International Business and Central Europe, 1918–1939 (New York, 1983), 227–47Google Scholar. The Polish-born American historian, Piotr Wandycz, cited these findings in an article primarily devoted to Averell Harriman's later diplomatic career. Piotr Wandycz, Zeszyty historyczne 79 (1987): 88–115. See also Popkiewicz, Józef and Ryszka, Franciszek, Przemysl ciezki Gornego Slaska w gospodarce Polski miedzywojennej (1922–1939) (Opole, 1959), 188–205 Google Scholar; Landau, Zbigniew and Tomaszewski, Jerzy, eds., Kapitaty obce w Polsce 1918–1939 (Warsaw, 1964)Google Scholar; Malecka, Teresa, “Udziat kapitalu amerykariskiego w kapitalach akcyjnych przemyslu polskiego w latach 1918–1939,” in Kaliriski, Janusz and Zbigniew, Landau, eds., Maleriaty do seminariow z najnowszej historii gospodarczej Polski (Warsaw, 1974)Google Scholar; Jerzyjaros, , Tajemnice gornoslqskich koncernow (Katowice, 1988).Google Scholar

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12. Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 49 (Giesche Spólka Akcyjna), Folder 1 (1925–26), “Report on Property of Giesche Spólka Akcyjna by Frederick Laist and Reno H. Sales, September 25th 1925.”

13. Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 49, Folder 1, “Report on Property of Giesche Spólka Akcyjna by Frederick Laist and Reno H. Sales, September 25th 1925.”

14. Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 49, Folder 1, Von Giesche Syndicate, Revised [Agreement to Purchase] 23 January 1926; Southard, American Industry in Europe, 83.

15. Moody's Manual of Investments (1928), 1529.

16. Landau and Tomaszewski, Anonimowi wladcy, 153; Tomaszewski, “German Capital in Silesian Industry,” 236–37.

17. Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 49, 2 January 1926, Sowerwine to Kelley.

18. Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 49, 9 February 1926, Harriman Secretary to Kelley, Cable.

19. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Copper Mining Company Papers (hereafter Anaconda Papers), Folder 78–10, 21 November 1925, Laist to Ryan; Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 49, Folder 1, Protocol of meeting between representatives of Prussian Trade Ministry and Kelley, Sauerwein (sic!) and Wolff, December 1925.

20. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–10, 18 March 1926, Sowerwine to Kelley, Telegram.

21. Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 49, Folder 1, “Report on Property of Giesche Spólka Akcyjna by Frederick Laist and Reno H. Sales, September 25th 1925 “; Marcusson, Anaconda, 146–56.

22. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–10, 9 November 1925, Laist to Ryan.

23. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–12 (September-December 1926), 6 October 1925, Kelley to Laist.

24. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia, Giesche 5325, “Brooks.”

25. Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 99, 10 January 1934, Harriman to SACO; 28 December 1934, Harriman to Giesche.

26. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia, Giesche 5325, Brooks, “Professional Record,” pp. 5–7.

27. Southard, American Industry in Europe, 169.

28. Jaros, Jerzy, Dzieje polskiej kadry technicznej w górnictwie (1936–1976) (Warsaw, 1978), 145–55Google Scholar; Rose, William John, The Drama of Upper Silesia (London, 1936), 229–33.Google Scholar

29. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–10, 2 April 1926, J. O. Elton to Laist, and 8 April 1926, Ernest Junghanns to Laist.

30. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–10, 28 September 1925, Laist (unsigned) to Kelley.

31. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–10, 28 September 1925, Laist (unsigned) to Kelley.

32. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–13, 4January 1927, Laist to Blake.

33. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–11, 28 September 1926, Brooks to Kelley.

34. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–11, 4 January 1927, Laist to Blake.

35. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–11, 26 August 1926, Kelley to Harriman.

36. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–13, 31 January 1927, Brooks to Kelley; 16 August 1927, Brooks to Kelley; Stone, Daniel, “The Big Business Lobby in Poland in the 1920s,” Canadian Slavonic Papers 32, no. 1 (March 1990): 42, 51–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

37. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 79–7, 5 December 1927, Brooks to Kelley.

38. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 79–7, 7 December 1927, Brooks to Baron von Kottwitz.

39. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 79–2, 22 October 1927, Brooks to Kelley; Folder 80–2, 8 August 1928, Brooks to Kelley.

40. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–11, 4 November 1926, Brooks to Laist; 17 December 1926, Harold Blake to Frederick Laist (handwritten); 18January 1927, Laist to Kelley; Folder 78–13, 5 April 1927, Brooks to Laist.

41. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 79–2, 17 January 1927, Laist to Kelley.

42. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–13, 16 March 1927, Kelley to Brooks; Folder 79–7, 15 June 1928, Brooks to Rossi.

43. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Urząd Wojewódzki Sląsku/Przemysl i Handel 1550, purchases 4/1927 to 3/1929 (domestic and foreign sources).

44. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Urząd Wojewódzki Sląsku/Przemyst i Handel 1550, 13July 1929, Giesche to UWS1 PH.

45. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 79–7, 18January 1928, Brooks to Sowerwine.

46. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Urząd Wojewódzki Sląsku/Przemysl i Handel 1550, 16 January 1929; 27 January 1930; 17 March 1930, Letter to Ministry of Industry and Trade (Warsaw).

47. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–11, 18 April 1926, Ernest Junghanns to Laist; 7 July 1926, Laist to Kelley.

48. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 78–11, 18 April 1926, Ernest Junghanns to Laist; 7 July 1926, Laist to Kelley; 13 August 1926, Tryon to Laist.

49. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 79–4, 16 October and 20 October 1927, Jurden to Laist.

50. Montana Historical Society, Anaconda Papers, Folder 79–7, 15 June 1928, Brooks to Rossi.

51. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5539; Giesche 5537; Giesche 5346 [Gaethke], 2 February 1931, Daly to Gaethke; 6 February 1931, Gaethke to Berrier; 20 March 1931, Berrier to Gaethke; 24 April 1931, Gaethke to Adami.

52. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5419, 4 June 1929, Brooks and Sowerwine to minister of finance; 3 July 1926, Agreement between Averell Harriman and the Polish Government; 9 November 1929 zaświadczenie.

53. Moody's Manual of Investments (1927–1937); Giesche and SACO consistently reported earnings at the exchange rate prevailing at time of purchase (5: $1) instead of the 1926–1939 exchange rate of 8.9: $1.

54. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5739/e, Sprawozdanie to 31 March 1936.

55. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5739/e, Sprawozdanie to 31 March 1936; Giesche 5731, Sprawozdanie to 31 March 1937.

56. Moody's Standard Bond Investments (1927–1938).

57. Moody's Manual of Investments (1927–1940).

58. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5419, 19 January 1937, Brooks and Gaethke to Kwiatkowski.

59. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5419, 19 January 1937, Brooks and Gaethke to Kwiatkowski; 19 January 1937; 28 June 1932, Treasurer SACO to Brooks.

60. Moody's Investment Survey (1935), 643, 1219.

61. Popkiewicz and Ryszka, Przemysl cięzki Górnego Sląska, 188–205, 350; Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5329, Listy i przemianie polskich stowarzyszeri przemyslowych, G. S. Brooks. See also Landau, Zbigniew and Tomaszewski, Jerzy, Cospodarka Polski międzywojennej 1918–1939 (Warsaw, 1982), 3: 94.Google Scholar

62. Moody's Manual of Investments (1937).

63. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5332, Sprawozdanie for 31 March 1938; Moody's Manual of Investments (1937).

64. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5332, Sprawozdanie for 31 March 1938; Giesche 5419, 16 November 1936, Kelley SACO to Giesche; Moody's Manual of Investments (1937).

65. Jerzy Jaros, Historia górnictwa weglowego w Zagtębiu gornosląskiego w lalach 1914–1945 (Kraków, 1969), 185–87.

66. Library of Congress, Harriman Papers, Container 99, file 2, 13 April 1936, Conversation with C. F. Kelley and Sowerwine.

67. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5419, 16 November 1936, Kelley to Giesche.

68. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5419, 19 January 1937, Brooks and Gaethke to Kwiatkowski; “Memorandum about the conference with Mr. Grossman, head of Department II (income taxes), held in the Finance Dept., Katowice, on January 26, 1937 “; “Memorandum regarding proposal made by Mr. Grossman on January 26, 1937 “; agreement [March 1937]; 20 April 1937, Bank Polski (Katowice) to Giesche.

69. Polish Stale Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5419, n.d., Giesche Manager of Accounts to Sowerwine; 30 June [1937], Giesche to Ministry of Finance (attention: Kowaiik); 29 September 1937, Memo; 23 December 1937, Memo to Ministry of Finance, Department of Currency Exchange; 28 February and 1 March 1938, Handwritten (English) summary, Meeting of Gonjczko and Wanamaker with Ruciriski, Ministry of Finance; 25 April 1938, Giesche to Currency Committee; 12 July 1938, “Application to Foreign Exchange Committee “; 23 December 1938, Wanamaker to Sowerwine; 17 January 1939, Wanamaker to Sowerwine; 23 January 1939, “Memorandum on Trip to Czechoslovakia with Mr. Schauer, January 18–21, 1939 “; 25 April 1939, Wanamaker to Sowerwine.

70. Polish State Archives—Province of Silesia (Katowice), Giesche 5327, 30 September 1939, Schulte to Brooks; 17january 1940, J. T. Asser to Wilhelm Frick; 22 May 1940, Brooks to Schulte.

71. Laqueur, Walter and Breitman, Richard, Breaking the Silence (New York, 1986).Google Scholar

72. Moody's Industrial Manual (1967), 2258.