Application of non-invasive forensic methods of document research in establishing historical truth

The past century was not only the age of totalitarianisms and genocide, whose victims were whole nations or their overwhelmingly great proportions, but also the time of mass displacements, deportations, escape or relocations of populations, which especially affected Europe. World War II and the time of new, post-war geopolitical reality abounded in enormous human tragedies. The consequence of these unfortunate events is also the issue of compensations for the property lost by the people who were forcibly resettled from the areas where they lived. The documents confirming the ownership of a particular property lost as a result of relocation are the most important evidence constituting the basis for claiming compensation paid from the State Treasury in Poland. Unfortunately, there are cases when the documents in question are forged with the aim of obtaining excessive monetary benefits under false pretences. During a hearing of evidence concerning the payment of compensation the body conducting the proceedings concluded that there were striking discrepancies between the documents describing the property left behind. The documents deposited with the Polish Central Archives of Modern Records differed from the document presented as genuine by the party in the proceedings claiming compensation. Forensic examination proved that the examined document was not genuine and had been counterfeited. The case study of document forgery discussed in this article proves that the use of non-invasive forensic examination methods is an important element in establishing historical truth indispensable in making a correct legal decision.