“The gentlemen did not like each other.” Experiencing relationships in the mathematical community that are not disclosed in textbooks

Although the history of Polish mathematics has been documented, even the best synthesis of the history of universities cannot reflect the relationships between professors. This article presents the contribution of the oral history method to the analysis of scientific cooperation among mathematicians from the Polish People’s Republic and Czechoslovakia, focusing on new ways of circulating knowledge at the time of the Cold War. The image of the professorship in the Polish People’s Republic and their influence on students within the transfer of knowledge is discussed.