Organized as a Library of Information for Dissemination of news and general background information on the Polish people, the Polish Government, and the Polish fighting forces.

 

The Polish Government, Ministry of Information & Documentation, Stratton House, Stratton, London, W.1.

Polish Information Center, referred to hereafter as PIC, is active in the following fields:

a. Publication

b. Press information

c. Mat service

d. Radio broadcast

e. Exhibitions

f. General Information on Poland to individuals

g. Cooperation with Inter-Allied Information Center

h. Lectures

i. Distribution of films

j. Scientific research on reconstruction problems

k. Polish Labor Group

 

Publications

 

[1] New Europe

 

A monthly magazine on reconstruction problems, published with the financial assistance of PIC and several other allied government represented on the Board of this magazine.

New Europe is incorporated and serves as a mouthpiece for European experts dealing with the subjects of post-war reconstruction. A section of New Europe deals with research of the Central Eastern European Planning Board, an institution formed by the governments of Greece, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, cooperating with the International Labor Office.

New Europe is printed in 2400 copies and sent to libraries, reconstruction groups, universities, outstanding experts and government agencies. The Congress has requested an increased number of copies sent to Foreign Affairs Committees, both of the Senate and the House of Representatives, where a mounting interest for the publication is being shown.

 

[2] Polish Review

 

A weekly popular magazine dealing with cultural, historic and background story topics; illustrated. Printed in 3000 to 5000 copies, according to whether the issue contains an item of special interest for a given date, as for example the '' Paderewski number'' on the first anniversary of his death.

Polish Review is sent to libraries, schools,  a large list of individuals, clergy, Americans of Polish descent etc.

 

[3] Polish Feature & News Service

 

A weekly sheet of news, based on cables received from the Polish Ministry of Information in London, containing news item, political pronouncements by Polish Cabinet members and Polish National Council, news dealing with Polish resistance to German oppression etc.

It is printed in 4500 copies and sent to newspapers throughout the United States and as supplement to the Polish Review.

 

[4] Biulletyn Polski [ in Polish ]

 

Daily news service from London dealing more in detail than the Polish Feature & News Service with items of information on Polish matters outside of the USA; sent to Polish Press only.

 

[5] Le Bulletin Polonaise [ in French ]

 

Bi-monthly French news bulletin, sent to the French press in Canada and to the Free French press in this country. It contains items of Polish news outside USA. 180 copies.

 

[6] News Bulletin on Eastern European Affairs [ in Yiddish ]

 

Contains Polish news outside the USA, of interest to Jews. Sent to the Yiddish press in America, including South America, and to Jewish radio commentators [ 80 copies].

 

[7] Noticias De Polania [ in Spanish and in Portuguese]

 

Spanish and Portuguese bulletins sent out by air mail to Central and South American press [ 77 copies]

 

[8] Tygodniowy Przeglad Literacki [ in Polish]

A literary weekly bulletin, containing original works by men of letters in exile.

 

[9] Documents

 

From time to time pamphlets are published relating to the administration of Poland by Germans; administration of justice, of religion, of trade, of education, etc., were dealt with in the series already published. Nine pamphlets appeared . 3000-10000 copies sent to individual lists compiled for each topic.

 

[10] Books

 

Books are published of documentary or background character, or assistance is given to the publication of books dealing generally with Polish topics.

The Black Book of Poland, now in print, is a slightly changed edition which appeared before in England under the name of '' German New Order in Poland'', published recently. Assistance was given to a series published by Craystone Press, dealing with the Siege of Warsaw, conditions in Poland, and other to ics of interest of the same kind. Six books are now in galley proof stage. Translations from Polish into English of outstanding historical novels, are in preparation.

 

Press Information

 

The Press Department of PIC maintains contacts the daily press and magazines, preparing press material for individual releases or furnishing material upon request by editors and writers. For this purpose PIC maintains an archive in which all the material received is classified under topics of interest to the American press and most commonly asked for by the O.W.1 or previously by O.F.F., Coordinator's Office, Library of Congress, organizations and the press generally.

 

Mat Service

 

Mats are sent through the Inter-Allied information Center, to 2000 newspaper in USA.  Apart from this, two mats are being sent each week to the Polish press in both Americas.  The mats are made from photographs sent to PIC by the Ministry of  Information and the Ministry of War, London.

Radio broadcasts

Daily radio broadcasts over station WRUL are made in Polish, beamed to Europe and heard in Poland, in Russia, the Near East, as well as in Scotland and other parts of the world in which there are Poles i exile. The broadcast is censored in US. The information given appears after several days in the clandestine press of occupied Poland.

Cooperation with special broadcasts over different net works is sporadic. Special items of interest of a news character, received by cable from London are given sometimes over the telephone to radio comentatores and Transradio News. Within the Inter-Allied Information Center special radio programs are prepared for the Office of Facts and Figures, the Coordinators Office , Council of Democracy, Freedom House, and others institutions of similar character. Recently such radio programs were prepared for the Treasury Department in connection with the War Bond Drive.

Polish Radio Hours receive, for the most part, the Polish Bulletin ''' Biuletyn Polski'' which contains the news service. Some months ago, news were prepared and sent to 11 Polish radio hours; but this practice has been discontinued.

A listening post supplying PIC with the contents of the Polish Government broadcasts from London and other news is being maintained; this news is supplied to the American monitoring service of the Federal Communications Commission i Washington.

 

Exhibitions

 

Material for exhibitions is being prepared in connection with Inter-Allied Exhibition Committee, of which the Director of PIC is chairman. The Inter-Allied Exhibition in Pittsburgh and St. Louis, the War Exhibition in Chicago in the course of preparation, Women's Exhibition in New York, and the exhibitions being prepared for the Falls, exhibition material for Mexico, etc. are composed mostly of photographic blow-ups, of war activities of the Polish Army, texts dealing with German oppression and photographs of documents, of destruction, of Poland before the war, war cartoons by Polish artists, and some war trophies of the Polish Flying Forces, etc.

General Information on Poland to Individuals.

 

Acting as a Library of Information, PIC answers letters requesting specific information on Polish history, literature, science, arts, music, sociology, economy, etc. trying at the same time to supply sources of information if these are available in this country.

 

Cooperation with Inter-Allied Information Center.

 

Polish Information Center helped to organize the Inter-Allied Information Center at its conception and for two consecutive periods the Director of PIC was Chairman of Inter-Allied. At present PIC cooperates most actively with the Inter-Allied Radio Section, Exhibition Section, Reconstruction Section, and Documentary Section. The activities of Inter-Allied Information Center are covered by a special registration with the Department of Justice.

 

Lectures.

 

Lectures applying for special information on Poland are being given the benefit of the use of PIC archives or material is specially prepared for them. Requests for such assistance are received from universities, clergy, organizations, and schools. Apart from the above activities, films, photographs, and publications referred to under ''a'' are placed at the disposal of professional lecturers, although no money is is paid to any of them. In the case of experts delegated to Round Tables or to special manifestations like the Flag Day or inaugurations of War Expositions, etc., PIC pays traveling expenses of those delegates who speak in the name of Polish authorities and are introduced as such. At Round Tables such delegates are invited individually because of their special knowledge of the topic which is discussed by the American organizations. Such topics were: economic post-war reconstruction, educational reconstruction, social research, transport problems, transitional period relief problems, etc.

 

Distribution of films.

 

Films are received from time to time from the Polish Ministry of Information, London, and their non-commercial distribution is in the hands of PIC. The films deal either with pre-war Poland as documentary shorts or war material such as the part played by Polish Air Force in the battle if Britain, the Polish marines in the battle of Atlantic, the Polish Middle East force etc. These films are shown also at exhibitions.

 

Scientific Research on reconstruction problems.

 

PIC maintains a research section which is preparing special studies on specific subjects. These are either published in '' New Europe'' or presented to such bodies as Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Policy Association, National Planning Association, etc. Sometimes these studies are not for outside use, but from the subject of discussion in Polish economic, educational, or social groups.

 

Polish Labor Group.

 

PIC finances the activities of the Polish Labor Group which publishes the bi-monthly bulletin POLAND FIGHTS in English and in Polish. The Group is sponsored by American Friends of Polish Democracy an the International Coordination Council. It received recently a donation from Mr. Dlmer Davis in recognition of the excellent work done for the cause of the United Nations. The bulletin is sent to individuals interested in Polish democracy, to trade union papers, and to editorial desks. It is printed in 8000 copies. Apart from this, the Labor Group participates in meetings, helps writers on European topics and is generally active in sponsoring the United Nations cause. Most of the information published by the Group is obtained from the analysis of photostat copies of underground Polish press and from contacts with Polish refugees in all lands whose eye-witness testimony is cross-examined with other similar evidence. Every effort is made to give most trustworthy information.

 

Chicago Branch Office - Hotel Seneca, Chicago, III.

 

Contact with American press, universities, organizations of American Friends of Poland, experts. Participation in Round Tables, delivering of lectures, supplying of information on Poland and of sources of detailed information of available in the USA.

 

Full and part-time personnel connected with the work of the Polish Information Center:

 

* Director - Prof. Stefan de Ropp

* Office of the Director: - Nina L. Matecki , and W. Pawlowska

* Polish Press Department,- Stanislaw Strzetelski, and Anna Mateuszczyk

* American Press Department, - Henry Noble Hall , Roman Moczulski, and Christina Swiniarska.

* Polish Review, - Stanislaw Centkiewicz and Halina Chybowska

* New Europe, - Ludwik Krzyzanowski, Arthur Lazell and Maria Swierzbinska.

* Archives, - Jan Dembinski, and Jan Witanowski.

* Radio, - Tadeusz Strzetelski, and Boguslawa Charaszkiewicz

* Research Section, - Jozef Sulkowski, Jan Kucharzewski, Albert Morawski and Henryk Zielinski

* Literary Bulletin, - Jan Lechon, Zenon Kosidowski, Antoni Cwojdzinski, J. Tuwim, Kazimierz Wierzynski, and Jozef Witlin.

* French Bulletin,- Zygmunt Klingsland

* Spanish and Portugese Bulletin, - Franciszek Puslowski

* Jewish Bulletin, - S. Szwerdszarf

* Labor Group, - Alexander Hertz, and Wladyslaw Ehrenpreiss

* Exhibitions, - No permanent personnel

* Chicago Agency, - Joseph Junosza

* Subsidies are paid to : Inter-Allied Information Center Free World Association.

 

All other payments are to persons or American firms for services or goods delivered in the ordinary commercial intercourse for such things as office equipment, printing, translations, photostatic work, cuts and mats, repairs of office equipment, etc.

 

* PIC maintains one account only: Chase National Bank, 60 Street & Park Avenue Branch, New York, NY under the signature of the Director of PIC - June 1942

Material powyzszy znajduje sie w Instytucie J. Pilsudskiego w New York w dziale Akta agendy Ministerstwa Informacji i Dokumentacji, T.7-8 PIC