White and Red Umbrella

Founded in 1944, the Polish American Congress is an umbrella organization that represents approximately ten million Americans of Polish descent. This volume presents goals and everyday activities of the Polish American Congress under the presidencies of Charles Rozmarek (1944-1968) and Aloysius Mazewski (1968-1988) who shaped its image in the Cold War era. It deals with the issues of both the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the PAC in representing Polish American interests, as a coordinator of various Polish American endeavors, as a lobbying organization, and as an institution providing cultural and social unity for Poles in America. Wojdon discusses internal and external factors that influenced the Congress, portrays the personalities of its activists and examines the PAC's achievements and faults.