The Exile Mission. Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann

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      Preface and Acknowledgments

      WHEN I CAME TO THE United States for the first time in 1986 and enrolled in the doctoral program in history at the University of Minnesota, I had an M.A. in history from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland. My grasp of Polish history was strong and stemmed from countless classes, individual reading, family stories, the collective memory so characteristic of the Polish nation, as well as, for the more recent periods, any un-censored underground publications I could lay my hands on. I knew very little about the history of Polonia—Poles and those of Polish background living outside Poland’s borders. But, then, I did not feel there was much to know about it. Polish history, after all, was happening in Poland, and in the eventful 1980s there was enough of it to fully capture anyone’s attention. This assertion was soon challenged, as I started to discover new and exciting areas of both Polish and American history.

      In 1986, I began work as a research assistant at the Immigration History Research Center (IHRC) at the University of Minnesota. Using my archival training and experience from Poland, I processed, described, and made accessible the Polish-American manuscript collections housed at the IHRC. The very first collection I worked on was that of the American Committee for the Resettlement of Polish DP’s (ACRPDP). On the desk in front of me I had piles of yellowing letters from postwar Polish refugees stranded in displaced persons (DP) camps in Germany and their photographs, showing faces marked by wartime experiences of unimaginable magnitude but still full of hope for the future. And I had piles of ACRPDP correspondence revealing the tremendous organizational effort of Polish-American activists who scrambled to resettle the refugees in the United States and to find sponsors, jobs, housing, and funds. All of a sudden, I was hooked. I wanted to know more. I wanted to understand what had motivated all those Poles and Polish Americans whose letters, written several decades earlier, were now in my hands. My fascination and intellectual adventure with immigration history had begun.

      I have been very fortunate to have a number of outstanding mentors and friends who guided me through the complexities of my research, the final product of which is The Exile Mission. I owe them gratitude for their support, friendship, and expert advice. My special thanks go to three distinguished scholars. Professor Józef Szymański was my adviser and mentor in Poland, and I thank him for instilling in me a healthy respect for primary sources and for being my friend throughout the years. Professor Rudolph J. Vecoli, director of the IHRC and professor of history at the University of Minnesota, introduced me to the richness of immigration history, guided me through the dissertation writing process, gave me a job when I needed it the most, and always encouraged and supported me in all my scholarly pursuits; I will always treasure his friendship. The late Professor Stanislaus A. Blejwas, Chair of Polish and Polish American Studies at Central Connecticut State University, whose article on the “Old and New Polonias” inspired me, became my role model as a scholar and Polonia activist.

      Many others also deserve my heartfelt appreciation, and particularly Professor Roger Daniels for his encouraging words and Professor John J. Bukowczyk for giving me a chance and invaluable advice. Numerous individuals helped me in many ways at different stages of research and writing and have earned my gratitude: the IHRC staff, and especially Joel Wurl, Halyna Myroniuk, Judy Rosenblatt, and the late Timo Riippa; the wonderfully helpful archivists at the Truman Library, the Polish Museum of America, and the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences, as well as those at the Józef Piłsudski Institute, including Iwona Drąg-Korga and Krzysztof Langowski, and at the Polish Archives at CCSU, including Ewa Wołyńska. At Eastern Connecticut State University my special thanks must go to all the helpful colleagues in my department, particularly Emil Pocock and Katie Lynch, and to the patient librarians, Anka Stanley and Greg Robinson. The Ohio University Press Polish and Polish-American series, and especially John Bukowczyk, Gillian Berchowitz, and Ricky Huard, deserve my gratitude for making the publication process professional, but open-minded and friendly. And there were many other dear friends who assisted and cheered me on along the way; I will always appreciate their support.

      I would also like to thank my parents, Teresa and Józef Jaroszyński, and my brother, Dr. Andrzej J. Jaroszyński, for all their love. The one person without whom this book would not have been possible is my dearest husband Tim Kirchmann, who supported my passion with rare magnanimousness, patience, and good humor throughout the years.

      I dedicate this book to all the Polish exiles and Polish Americans who carried an exile mission in their hearts always.