Title: American-Polish Information Service Records
Inclusive Dates: 1939-1947

Creator:

• American-Polish Information Service

Call Number: Milwaukee Micro 22; Micro 858

Quantity: 2 reels of microfilm (35mm)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries’ Archives Department / Milwaukee Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Collected records of an organization founded in September 1939, and dedicated to the dissemination of accurate information concerning Poland, Polish culture and history, and the Polish people in Europe and in the United States. The group's stated purposes were to refute deliberate untruths, and in particular, to combat Nazism and pro-Nazi sentiments in the United States.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr0858

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The American-Polish Information Service was organized in September 1939 as the Press Committee of the Polish Book Club of Milwaukee. Among the founders were Szymon St. Deptula, Rev. Dr. Francis Wegier, Rev. Joseph Betlinski, Martin Kedziora, Wallace Maciejewski, and Yolanda Majkowska. In January 1941, the Committee enlarged its membership to about thirty members, changed its name, and expanded its range of activities. The work of the Information Service was directed toward the dissemination of information concerning Poland, Polish culture and history, and the Polish people in Europe and in the United States. The group also honored the memory of Father Waclaw Kruszka. The purposes of the American-Polish Information Service were to refute deliberate untruths regarding Poland and its people, and in particular, to combat Nazism in Europe and pro-Nazi sentiments in the United States. The organization maintained close ties with other groups and individuals in the Polish community in Milwaukee, and actively worked with the Pulaski Council, the Polish Book Club, the Polish Fine Arts Club, and the Polish Teachers' Club, among others. APIS distributed informational literature to local organizations, public libraries, and individuals; helped sponsor community and civic events, aided in the war effort, and maintained scrapbooks to illustrate the activities of the Polish American community.

The collection consists of five microfilmed scrapbooks of correspondence sent and received by APIS, letters and articles written by members concerning various topics, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia, compiled by Yolanda Majkowska and collated and edited by Szymon St. Deptula. Together, the scrapbooks record the community's reactions to world events, such as the rise of Nazism, the invasion of Poland, and the subsequent Soviet takeover of Polish territory, as well as significant local events and news. Documents in the collection are in both Polish and English.

At the beginning of every volume is an informal general summary documenting APIS's activities of the past year; lists of officers, committees, and other Polish American clubs and groups; and similar material. Volume 1 contains a history of the organization, dated 1941. Volume 2 (1941) includes clippings of numerous published letters to the editor by Bernard Adamkiewicz, then president of APIS. The volume from the following year (1942) also contains a section of correspondence, 1942-1944, between Janusz L. Stamirowski and Yolanda Majkowska, regarding the Chicago-based Polish Review and an upcoming Milwaukee exhibit of Polish art. Also located in this volume is correspondence of APIS with the Internal Revenue Service, 1942-1943, with a statement of APIS receipts and expenses, September 1, 1941 to September 1, 1942. In 1943 the Polish community helped celebrate the quadricentennial of the death of Nicolaus Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy. Included in Volume 4 are several newspaper clippings, programs, and memorabilia from events held in honor of this Polish hero. Volume 5 contains lists of several Polish American groups and organizations which attended the 15 October 1944 convention of the Pulaski Council, and also documents community reaction to the seizure of Polish territory by the Soviets.

Acquisition Information

Loaned for microfilming by Szymon St. Deptula, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1980. Accession Number: M80-600

Processing Information

Processed by Menzi Behrnd-Klodt, December 1980.

	Scrapbook Volume 1, 1939-1940
Reel   1 Frame   1-25	History of APIS, 1941; Papers, , 1939 Sept.-Oct.
Reel   1 Frame   26-150	1939 Nov. - 1940 Nov.
	Scrapbook Volume 2, 1941
Reel   1 Frame   151-175	Yearly Summary of Activities, 1941; Papers, , 1941 Jan.-Feb.
Reel   1 Frame   176-325	1941 Feb.-Dec.
	Scrapbook Volume 3, 1942-1943
Reel   1 Frame   326-425	1942 Jan.-Oct.
Reel   1 Frame   426-circa 515	Stamirowski-Majkowska Correspondence, 1942-1944
Reel   1 Frame   circa 516-541	IRS Correspondence, 1942-1943
Reel   2 Frame   1-200	Scrapbook Volume 4, 1943 Jan.-Dec.
Reel   2 Frame   201-443	Scrapbook Volume 5, 1944-1947