Although a relatively small collection, the records of the Wisconsin-Nicaragua Partners of the Americas (WNPA) provide an illuminating perspective on the transformation of U.S. relations with Latin America from the Kennedy idealism of the 1960s to the conservatism of the 1980s. Particularly for the early 1980s, Wisconsin's connection with Nicaragua forms an interesting footnote to the deteriorating national relations. The collection documents the activities of teachers, doctors, farmers, businessmen, civil servants, homemakers, students, and others who contributed their time and skills to enrich and improve the lives of participants in both countries. However, the primary emphasis on the collection is on the administrative functioning of the organization rather than on the assistance projects themselves.
The collection, a small portion of which is only in Spanish, spans the period 1964 to 1985. It is arranged into functional categories consisting of CORPORATE DOCUMENTS, MINUTES, CORRESPONDENCE, TRAVEL RECORDS, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PARTNERS OF THE AMERICAS (NAPA) materials, PUBLICITY AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, COMMITTEE FILES, and SUBJECT FILES. Within each category, files are primarily arranged in chronological order, with the exception of the subject files, which are arranged alphabetically.
The CORPORATE DOCUMENTS series include the original articles of incorporation; by-laws; an organization chart; information on the WNPA's registration with a variety of authorities as a private/duty-free/income tax-exempt organization; periodical reports on activities (1975-1983) and aid to Nicaragua (1964-1977); Board of Directors, WNPA, and NAPA membership lists; and financial reports (1967-1984).
The MINUTES series consist of proceedings of quarterly and annual meetings of the thirty-member Board of Directors (incomplete from 1965 through 1983) and the biweekly meetings of the fifteen-member Executive Committee (intermittent from 1966 to 1974 and virtually complete from 1975 to 1985).
The CORRESPONDENCE series encompasses communications between the Wisconsin Partners and their Nicaraguan counterparts, the State Department, U.S. AID, the Wisconsin congressional delegation, and various state and federal officials. Letters of note include a 1982 telex inviting the Sandinista junta to the NAPA's annual meeting and an August 1, 1984 plea to congressman Toby Roth urging him to endorse a House resolution that would urge the President to restore U.S. funding for private and voluntary organizations involved in development assistance in Nicaragua.
The TRAVEL RECORDS series contain travel requests and report forms authorized by NAPA to document the purposes and extent of partner-sponsored travel between Wisconsin and Nicaragua. The report forms, which frequently include extended narratives, primarily document such contacts through 1981, though a handful of less standardized reports are available from 1982-1985. These reports cover the activity of each trip (cities/projects visited, etc.), an evaluation of the current economic and political situation, and suggestions for future action. The folders on visitors to Wisconsin generally include information of a more logistical nature, such as daily schedules.
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PARTNERS OF THE AMERICAS series (formerly the Partners of the Alliance) includes by-laws, financial reports, directories of officers, guidelines, announcements, and other communications sent to the Wisconsin organization from the national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The PUBLICITY AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS series reflect mainly U.S. and some Nicaraguan media coverage of the social and political conditions under the Somoza/Sandinista regimes, bilateral relations and the Partners' activities. News releases from the Nicaraguan Government Information Service give the Somoza government's interpretation of events between 1975 and 1979. Publicity materials include public relations/communications guidelines pertaining to fund-raising and recruiting volunteers; press releases (1965-1982); a few WNPA and NAPA brochures; and issues of the biweekly Noticias bulletin (1983-1984) written by Coordinator/Executive Director Peter Thornquist, which summarized current activity in the office for the Executive Committee members. Bound copies of the more widely circulated Partners of the Americas (NAPA) and Wisconsin-Nicaragua Partners newsletters are available at UW-Madison's Memorial Library.
The COMMITTEE RECORDS series document activities and projects in the areas of partner cities, education, agriculture and rural development, health and nutrition, CENDER, sports, cultural exchange, as well as miscellaneous projects and task forces. Most extensively documented are the CENDER projects, although none of these files contain the records of the projects themselves. The miscellaneous category includes a list (and some photographs) of equipment and supplies sent to Nicaragua, information on the earthquake relief efforts (and photographs of earthquake damage), Peace Corps collaborations, and other proposals.
The SUBJECT FILES series cover a range of topics, principally pertaining to specific projects, such as CENDER, Regional Educational Radio or the Rural Health Grant. Other files reveal that the WNPA monitored political issues such as the position of Nicaraguan conservative groups after the revolution; the Sandinistas' 1980 Literacy Campaign; and the emergence in 1979-1980 of U.S./Wisconsin-based solidarity groups advocating reform in Central America.
