ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Lobbying for the U.S. Displaced Persons Act of 1948 which allowed over 150,000 Polish refugees and war veterans to enter this country and become citizens
• Support for the creation of Radio Free Europe in 1949
• U.S. Congressional investigation in 1952 of the Katyn Massacre of 1940
• Support for $500 million in U.S. economic aid for the Polish people after 1956
• Call for U.S. recognition of Poland’s postwar northern and western borders, something agreed to by the U.S. government in 1975 and again in 1990
• Support for the Solidarity movement from its inception in August 1980
• Support for U.S. government approval of the Support East European Democracy Act (SEED Act) approved in 1992. This law strengthened Polish democracy after Communism’s collapse in 1989 and established the Polish American Enterprise Fund to assist Poland’s successful economic transition from state socialism to the free market
• Efforts on behalf of Poland’s entry into NATO, achieved in 1999
• Continued support for ‘Visa Waiver’ status for Poles wishing to visit the United States for legitimate family reasons – something Poland merits as one of America’s staunchest allies

PAC WISCONSIN ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Celebration of Poland’s Millennium of Christianity and Statehood (1966)
• Celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Birth of Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1973)
• Sponsorship of the annual Janusz Korczak Memorial Lectures in cooperation with the Milwaukee Jewish Community (1979-1990)
• Success in working with Wisconsin legislators and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to establish funded professorships in Polish history and language/literature; in 1979, they and other UWM faculty members formed the UWM Polish Studies Committee, a major force in Polish studies nationally for many years which continues to this day. Over the years its members have given over 150 talks on Polish topics to community audiences.
• Success in raising more than $600,000 in medical supplies and other needed goods for Poland during its economic crisis after 1980
• Organizing events such as the 40th Anniversary Commemoration of the tragic Yalta Agreement in 1985, the fiftieth Anniversary of the death of Rev. Wenceslaus (Wacław) Kruszka, the first historian of Polish America at St. Adalbert’s Church in Milwaukee; and the 50th Anniversary of the outbreak of World War II (in 1989)
• Participation in organizing and hosting meetings held in Milwaukee to support Poland’s admission into NATO – with Vice President Al Gore in 1994 and former U.S. Ambassador Nicolas Rey in 1998; success in winning Wisconsin State Legislative approval for a resolution backing Poland’s entry into NATO (1998)
• Support for a major Milwaukee County training program funded by the SEED ACT to bring Polish local government officials to Milwaukee to become better versed in the workings of local democratic government and administration – 76 local officials came here between 1992 and 1996
• Establishment in 1998 of an annual dinner (later luncheon) to commemorate Poland’s independence and Veterans Day on November 11, 1918; this event continues to the present time. At the gathering, individuals have been honored for their selfless service to Poland, the Polish American community, Wisconsin, and the United States.
• Continuing support of the Polish Heritage Alliance of Wisconsin, its Polish Center, and Milwaukee’s annual Polish Fest

All these accomplishments are due to the dedicated leadership of the Wisconsin PAC, its officers and members, all working in cooperation with the Polish community of Wisconsin.