COLLECTION FINDING AID



MYRON B. KUROPAS FILES, 1976-77

Special Assistant for Ethnic Affairs
Office of Public Liason




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Gerald R. Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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

  • Albanian
  • American Indian
  • Arab (1)-(2)
  • Armenian
  • Asian-American
  • Black (1)-(2)
  • Bulgarian
  • Byelorussian
  • Capeverdian
  • Chinese (1)

Box 2 - Ethnic Groups File

  • Chinese (2)
  • Cossack
  • Croatian
  • Czechoslovakian
  • Dutch
  • Estonian
  • French
  • Filipino
  • Finnish
  • German (1)-(2)
  • Greek (1)

Box 3 - Ethnic Groups File

  • Greek (2)-(9)
  • Hispanic
  • Hungarian
  • Irish

Box 4 - Ethnic Groups File

  • Italian (1)-(4)
  • Japanese
  • Jewish
  • Korean
  • Latvian
  • Lebanese
  • Lithuanian (1)-(2)
  • Mexican
  • Muslim

Box 5 - Ethnic Groups File

  • Polish (1)-(7)
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Samoan
  • Scottish
  • Slovak

Box 6 - Ethnic Groups File

  • Slovenian
  • Swedish
  • Swiss
  • Ukrainian (1)-(5)

Box 6 (Continued) - Activities File

  • undated, Hungrian Ethnic Heritage Studies Group
  • 1/24/76, Ukrainian Congress Committee
  • 2/12/76, Kobelinski, Mitchell: Swearing-in (1)-(2)
  • 2/22/76, Estonian Independence Day (1)

Box 7 - Activities File

  • 2/22/76, Estonian Independence Day (2)
  • 3/5/76, Cincinnati Council on World Affairs
  • 3/9/76, Reception Honoring Dr. Kuropas
  • 3/12/76, Ethnic Welcome
  • 3/14/76, Close-up Government Studies Program
  • 3/17/76, Hibernian Society Banquet
  • 3/19/76, Chopin Singing Society Tour (1)-(2)
  • 3/23-24/76, Rutgers University Bicentennial Symposium
  • 4/2/76, Milwaukee Ethnic Organizations Meeting
  • 4/3/76, Immigration History Research Center
  • 4/5/76, Order of AHEPA Banquet
  • 4/24-25/76 Armenian Bicentennial Commemoration
  • 4/29/76-5/1/76, National Association of Arab Americans
  • 4/30/76, American Latvian Association
  • 5/2/76, Polish Home
  • 5/8/76, Czechoslovak National Council of America
  • 5/12/76, Knox County RSVP
  • 5/20-23/76 National Republican Heritage Groups Council
  • 5/29/76, Slovak Heritage Festival
  • 5/30/76, Polish American Bicentennial Committee of New York
  • 6/5/76, Ukrainian Festival
  • 6/14-16/76 Kin and Communities
  • 6/18/76, Organization of Chinese Americans
  • 6/20-26/76 Japanese American Citizens League

Box 8 - Activities File

  • 6/23-27/76, Slovak Bicentennial Festival
  • 7/9-17/76, Detroit Ethnic Festival
  • 7/20-25/76, Nisei Veterans Reunion
  • 7/23/76, Tesla, Nikola: Monument Dedication
  • 7/23-24/76, Samoan Chiefs Council of California (1)-(2)
  • 7/26/76-8/1/76, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
  • 7/29/76-8/1/76, Finnish American Bicentennial USA
  • 7/30/76-8/1/76, Ukrainian Festival
  • 8/1/76, President of Finland Visit
  • 8/4/76, Coordinating Committee of National American - Italian Organizations
  • 8/10/76, Polish International Eucharistic Congress
  • 8/17/76, 41st International Eucharistic Congress
  • 8/28/76, Croatian Catholic Union
  • 8/29/76, Finnish Bicentennial Commemorative Festival
  • 9/1/76, Croatian Fraternal Union
  • 9/5/76, Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival
  • 9/7/76, Ethnic Events Scheduled (list)
  • 9/17/76, Fraternal Societies of Greater Pittsburgh
  • 9/18/76, Scandinavian American Festival
  • 9/18/76, Josef Cardinac Slipyj Visit
  • 9/19/76, Bevo Day
  • 9/25/76, Steuben Day Celebration
  • 10/19/76, American Council for Nationalities Service

Box 9 - Subject File

  • American Ethnic Foundation
  • Benes, Jan [Citizenship]
  • Biculturalism
  • Bilingual Education
  • Buchbinder, Robert M. [Emigration]
  • Chu, George P. [Foreign Service Determination]
  • Columbus Day Proclamation, 1976
  • Conference on the World's Religions
  • Correspondence - General
  • Darmopray, Walter T. [Common Ground]
  • Defamation
  • Emigrants from the Soviet Union (1)-(3)
  • Ethnic Applicants for Government Positions (1)-(4)
  • Ethnic Heritage Studies Program

Box 10 - Subject File

  • Ethnic Organizations - Mailing Lists
  • Ethnic Perspective of Ford Presidency
  • "Ethnic Purity"
  • Ethnics Recommended & Appointed to Honorary Boards & Commissions
  • Executive Order 9066 (Japanese American Detention Camps) - Repeal, 2/19/76 (1)-(2)
  • Helsinki Accords Violations by Czechoslovakia
  • Housing and Urban Development, Department of
  • Human Rights
  • Illegal Aliens (1)-(2)
  • Illinois Humanities Council
  • Institute on Pluralism and Group Identity
  • International Women's Year, 1975
  • Kuzma, Elga [Citizenship]
  • Loe, Barbara [EEO Case]
  • Moroz, Valentyn - Defense Committee for
  • National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs
  • National Heritage Week
  • National People's Action - Survey of Mortgage Lending Policies
  • National Republican Heritage Groups Council
  • Oskoui, M. [EEO Case]

Box 11 - Subject File

  • Photographic Requests
  • Restore Ellis Island Committee
  • St. Boniface Church, Pittsburgh
  • Special Assistant for Ethnic Affairs
  • State Dinners
  • Thank You Letters
  • Toguri, Iva ("Tokyo Rose") - Pardon (1)-(2)
  • Travel - Kuropas
  • U.S. Information Agency
  • Urban Development and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee
  • White House Memoranda

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

  • Announcement of Project Find, 8/2/72
  • Chicago - Correspondence & Memoranda, 1972-74 (1)-(3)

Box 12 - VISTA Project Senior Ethnic Find Files

  • Chicago - Interviews, 10/16/72 - 10/19/73

Box 13 - VISTA Project Senior Ethnic Find Files

  • Cleveland
  • Detroit (1)-(2)
  • Gary
  • Milwaukee
  • Minneapolis
  • New York
  • Toledo
  • Items Transferred