COLLECTION FINDING AID



MYRON B. KUROPAS FILES, 1976-77

Special Assistant for Ethnic Affairs
Office of Public Liason



CONTENTS

Summary Description | Biographical Information | Introduction | Series Descriptions | Container List

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

QUANTITY
 5.2 linear feet (ca. 10,400 pages)

DONOR
 Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-46)

ACCESS
 Open. Some items may be temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).

COPYRIGHT
 Gerald R. Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

Prepared by Barbara White, December 1984
[s:\bin\findaid\kuropas, myron - files.doc]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION


Myron B. Kuropas


Nov. 15, 1932 - Born in Chicago, IL

1949-53 - Student, B.S., Loyola University, Chicago, IL

1953-55 - Student, M.A., Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL

1956-71 - Teacher, principal, Chicago Board of Education, Chicago, IL

1963-64 - Student, Ph.D. in education, University of Chicago

1971-75 - Deputy Director, Regional Director, ACTION, Chicago, IL

January 1976 - Special Assistant to the President for Ethnic Affairs, White House Office of Public Liaison

1977 - Staff, Senator Robert Dole, Washington, DC

INTRODUCTION

Myron B. Kuropas joined the White House staff in January 1976 as Special Assistant for Ethnic Affairs. This newly created position was assigned to the Office of Public Liaison (OPL) and reported directly to William J. Baroody, Jr. Kuropas was responsible for White House liaison with leaders of major ethnic organizations, including fraternal, civic, religious and academic associations. He met with representatives of ethnic groups, represented the White House at ethnic functions, advised the President on ethnic concerns and worked with federal agencies on programs regarding ethnic affairs.

Kuropas used OPL's Tuesday and Wednesday Meetings to help accomplish these goals. The most important was the White House Ethnic Community Conference held on March 9, 1976. American ethnic leaders and newspaper editors attended and both domestic and foreign affairs (State Department) briefings were given. The evening concluded with a reception honoring Dr. Kuropas.

The majority of Kuropas' files contain material on specific ethnic groups and on the activities in which he participated. This material is largely routine. It includes requests for presidential meetings, appearances and messages; Kuropas' correspondence with the groups, and occasionally with the National Security Council and State Department asking their evaluation of the requests; drafts of presidential messages and speeches prepared by Kuropas; and agendas, press releases and articles concerning the events. The files also reflect the many bicentennial celebrations held by ethnic communities in 1976.

The general subject file contains primarily routine material, except for information on the presidential repeal of Executive Order 9066 (Japanese American detention camps) and on the pardon of Iva Toguri ("Tokyo Rose"). This file also includes correspondence requesting aid for problems with emigration and citizenship and the resulting memoranda with the National Security Council and the State Department regarding these matters. Drafts of the pamphlet, "The Ford Presidency from an Ethnic Perspective," prepared before the election, are also in the subject file. In addition, the interviews and questionnaires of VISTA's Project Senior Ethnic Find, 1972-75, from Kuropas' previous position as regional director of ACTION, are assembled here.

Related Materials
Related materials in the files of Theodore Marrs, Special Assistant for Human Resources, Office of Public Liaison, are not open. White House Central File category, Immigration-Naturalization (IM), includes material regarding emigration.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Ethnic Groups File, 1976-77.  (Boxes 1-6, 2.2 linear feet)
Correspondence between Kuropas and ethnic groups and their leaders, and memoranda, telegrams, clippings, newsletters and printed material. Materials concern specific groups; requests for presidential meetings and messages; meetings with Kuropas and announcements of his appointment.

Arranged alphabetically by name of group.

View container list for this series

Activities File, 1976-77.  (Boxes 6-8, 1.0 linear feet)
Correspondence between Kuropas and ethnic groups regarding activities, and memoranda, clippings, press releases, drafts of speeches and presidential messages, agendas, lists of attendees, photographs and printed material. Activities include meetings, conferences, banquets, festivals and Bicentennial celebrations.

Arranged chronologically by date of event.

View container list for this series

Subject File, 1976-77.  (Boxes 9-11, 1.0 linear feet)
Correspondence, memoranda, clippings, newsletters, printed materials and applications for government positions. Subjects include the administration's position on ethnicity, illegal aliens, the ethnic heritage studies program, repeal of Executive Order 9066, and the pardon of Iva Toguri. Requests for help with emigration and citizenship include memoranda between Kuropas and the National Security Council and State Department.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

VISTA Project Senior Ethnic Find, 1972-75. (Boxes 11-13, 1.0 linear feet)
Questionnaires, interviews, correspondence, reports and clippings concerning a program using VISTA volunteers to locate ethnic senior citizens who had difficulty with English and enlist them in federal programs.

Arranged alphabetically by city in which program operated.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Ethnic Groups File

Box 2 - Ethnic Groups File

Box 3 - Ethnic Groups File

Box 4 - Ethnic Groups File

Box 5 - Ethnic Groups File

Box 6 - Ethnic Groups File

Box 6 (Continued) - Activities File

Box 7 - Activities File

Box 8 - Activities File

Box 9 - Subject File

Box 10 - Subject File

Box 11 - Subject File

Box 11 (Continued) - VISTA Project Senior Ethnic Find Files

Box 12 - VISTA Project Senior Ethnic Find Files

Box 13 - VISTA Project Senior Ethnic Find Files