Our History
The Polish American Congress was established in response to the threat to Poland’s freedom caused by German and Soviet aggression in September 1939 and to express in one voice; support for the restoration of a free and sovereign Poland once the war was won. The Congress of Polonia met in Buffalo, New York, from May 28 to June 1, 1944. Composed of roughly 2,600 delegates representing Polish and Polish-American organizations, the Congress created the PAC, defining its goal of a free Poland and underscoring its support for the US war effort against the Axis powers.
The PAC was the first umbrella organization representing a majority of Polish-Americans, who had been represented by a wide range of smaller, mostly local organizations. Creation of PAC was enthusiastically welcomed by most of the Polish-American community. Shortly after its creation, it boasted 6 million members and followers.
The Congress elected Karol Rozmarek as the first president of the PAC. He was succeeded in 1968 by Aloysius Mazewski, who served until his death in 1988. Under Mazewski, Leonard F. Walentynowicz served as executive director of the PAC for a number of years. Edward Moskal was elected president in 1988, and he, too, served as president for the remainder of his life. Its current president is Frank J. Spula.
About Polish American Congress
The Polish American Congress is a National Umbrella Organization, representing at least 10 million Americans of Polish descent and origin. Its membership is comprised of fraternal, educational, veteran, religious, cultural, social, business, political organizations and individual membership.
Recent News
Report on Hearings on US-Poland Tax Treaty before Sejm Committee on Contacts with Polonia
On, February 7, 2013, as Polish American Congress Vice President for Polish Affairs, I addressed Poland’s Sejm Committee on Contacts with Polonia and Polish People Abroad. The Thursday session, chaired by the Committee’s Chairman, Sejm Deputy Adam Lipinski, heard...
Zjazd Polonii Świata, Warsaw – Pułtusk August 24 – 26, 2012
Report by Bozena Kaminski, VP for Polish Affairs The Fourth (IV) Meeting of World Polonia, which was held from 8/24/12 - 8/26/12 in Warsaw and in Pułtusk, Poland proved to be a great success for all of Polonia. A total of 266 delegates from 44 countries attended three...
FIRST National Conference of the Polish American Community Held in Chicago
By: Betsy Cepielik, Editor, News of Polonia (except as noted) with contributions by Dr. Susanne Lotarski, PAC VP for Public Relations (Used by permission. Click here for image of text as published.) On October 15 and 16, 2009, the Polish American Congress was the host...
Reports from the PAC National Conference
Reports from the PAC National Conference The Polish American Community in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities October 15 & 16, 2009 Chicago IL Agenda (Note: This is the Agenda as published prior to the Conference. For the actual sequence of events, see...
Featured Stories
Fifth Annual CEE Energy Security Conference
by PAC Public Policy Intern Patrycja Pajdak On Wednesday, June 26th, 2019, representatives of the Polish American Congress attended the Fifth Annual Central and Eastern European Energy Security Conference at the Atlantic Council Headquarters in Washington, DC. The...
Russia’s Preparation for Large-scale Combat Operations – June 21 talk at CSIS
by Patrycja Pajdak On June 21, 2019, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a talk on Russia's preparations for large-scale combat operations. The event was moderated by Jeff Mankoff, Senior Fellow for the Russia and Eurasia Program at CSIS,...
President Andrzej Duda Visits the US
W czasie swojej ostatniej wizyty w Stanach Zjednoczonych, Prezydent Andrzej Duda podpisał umowę z Prezydentem USA, Donaldem Trumpem, o zakup trzydziestu dwóch samolotów F-35 oraz zwiększeniu obecności wojskowej USA o tysiąc dodatkowych amerykańskich żołnierzy w...
The Three Seas Initiative and Poland’s Impact on Europe
by Montagu James Trójmorze to inicjatywa gospodarczo-polityczna w której uczestniczy 12 krajów Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej. Celem grupy Trójmorza jest współpraca i rozbudowa infrastruktury energetycznej, logistyczno-transportowej oraz informatyczno-...
Latest Press
The Twentieth Anniversary of Poland’s Accession to NATO
The Polish American Congress steadfastly worked for Poland's accession to NATO during almost all of the two terms (January 1993-January 2001) President William Jefferson Clinton served as president of the United States. His Deputy Secretary of State, Strobe Talbott,...
Poland Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Joining NATO
On Thursday, March 7, 2019 the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg met with President Andrzej Duda at the start of official visit to mark the 20th anniversary of Poland's membership in the alliance. The meeting between President Duda and NATO Secretary...
November 11, 1918 – Always a Date to Remember
ZGODA Chicago, IL - USA Text: Richard P. Poremski Photo: WYPR ~ November 11, 1918 ~ “Always a Date to Remember” >>>Richard Poremski, Adam Mazurek, Sheilah Kast <<< PNA Members Interviewed. Richard Poremski – Polish American Journal,...
National Advocates Society Conference Information
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