TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Academia Historica announced on Thursday (Sept. 14) that the original diaries of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) and numerous historic documents from their rule have been returned to Taiwan after being stored in Stanford University for nearly 18 years.

Totaling 59 boxes, the documents were handed over to the National Palace Museum. This marks the end of a decade-long cross-border legal dispute and finally allows these artifacts to return to Taiwan, Academia Historica said in a statement.

These Chiang family artifacts include Chiang Kai-shek's diaries from 1917 to 1972 and Chiang Ching-kuo's diaries from 1937 to 1979, as well as personal letters, manuscripts, correspondence, diary entries from attendants, presidential endorsements, diplomatic telegrams, and microfilm rolls. These documents will provide crucial information for researching the history of the Republic of China and Taiwan, Academia Historica said.

The documents were originally loaned to the Hoover Institution in 2005 by Chiang Fang Chi-yi (蔣方智怡), the daughter-in-law of Chiang Ching-kuo. She and six other Chiang family members later agreed to transfer ownership of the artifacts to Academia Historica.

However, Chiang Yo-mei (蔣友梅), the granddaughter of Chiang Ching-kuo, fought to keep the papers within the family. This led to a series of legal cases from 2013 until July, when a San Jose court ruled that all Chiang family artifacts held at Stanford University belonged to the National Palace Museum (NPM).

The NPM said it plans to publish the first batch of Chiang Kai-shek's diaries (1948-1954) in late October. Meanwhile, Chiang Ching-kuo's diaries (1970-1979) will be published by the end of this year.