John Raisian, the Tad and Dianne Taube Director at the Hoover Institution, and historian Robert Conquest, Hoover research fellow, were honored by the Republic of Poland with that country’s Order of Merit to recognize their contributions to Poland in a ceremony today at the Hoover Institution.
Radosław Sikorski, minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Poland, presented Raisian and Conquest, respectively, with the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit, after which Minister Sikorski spoke on Poland’s position in international politics.
An audio recording of the event is available here (22:42).
The Republic of Poland also honored Richard Sousa, director of the Hoover Institution Library and Archives, by presenting him with the plaque of Amicus Poloniae (Friend of Poland) in recognition of his commitment to Polish concerns in the United States.
“The Hoover Institution is deeply touched to receive such a distinguished honor and we’re proud to have the largest research collection on twentieth-century Poland outside the country,” said Raisian, who is marking his 20th anniversary as director of the Hoover Institution this year.
Raisian has long fostered a strong relationship with Poland. In 1990, and during the next five years, young diplomats from the Polish foreign ministry came to Hoover for instruction in Western-style economics and political science. In 1991, Hoover established an East European acquisitions office in Warsaw to collect documents related to the transition to democracy. Over the years, the Hoover Institution Library and Archives have steadily increased their number of collections on Poland.
Conquest is the author of twenty-one books on Soviet and Central European history, politics, and international affairs, including the classic The Great Terror—which has been translated into twenty languages—and the acclaimed Harvest of Sorrow (1986).
The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland is bestowed on foreigners and Polish citizens permanently living abroad who have made outstanding contributions to international cooperation and to bonds between the Republic of Poland and other countries. The Amicus Poloniae is awarded to American citizens who have made extraordinary contributions to Polish-American relations.
