Turning the pages back... June 23, 1985 (06/23/02)

Turning the pages back...

June 23, 1985

The Ukrainian Weekly reported on June 23, 1985, that the Ukrainian National Association ad hoc committee formed in order to counter the defamation of Ukrainians met for the first time and decided to officially name itself the Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee. The meeting was held on June 15, 1985, at the UNA headquarters building in Jersey City, N.J. The goals of the committee were: "to promote the Ukrainian story, to counter inaccuracies about Ukrainians and to protect the civil rights of Ukrainians."

The committee was formed by the UNA Supreme Assembly and was allotted $100,000 by the UNA for its work. The committee also hoped to obtain funds from UNA members, who were asked by the UNA to donate their dividend checks to the cause.

The Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee was formed largely to combat the inaccurate portrayal of Ukrainians during World War II, who were often characterized as Nazi collaborators. American newspapers and television had recently implied that Ukrainians were major contributors to the war crimes of World War II. A Ukrainian Weekly editorial on the same subject reported that not only were such books and articles full of historical inaccuracies and irresponsible accusations, but also that some even borrowed language from Soviet anti-Ukrainian propaganda.

The committee also sought to change the way in which the United States conducted denaturalization and deportation proceedings against Ukrainians accused of war crimes. The United States was allowing the use of evidence provided by the Soviet authorities in such proceedings, but the Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee contended that such evidence was unreliable. Also, the committee was concerned that the methods of the Office of Special Investigations were not in line with accepted standards of due process. As a result, the committee wanted to push for congressional hearings regarding the conduct of the OSI. The committee also planned to work to educate the American people about Ukraine and Ukrainians, since many of the defamation problems ultimately stemmed from the American public's lack of knowledge about Ukraine, especially its history.

Present at the meeting of the Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee were: Supreme President John O. Flis, Supreme Vice-Presidents Myron Kuropas and Gloria Paschen, Supreme Secretary Walter Sochan, Supreme Treasurer Ulana Diachuk, Supreme Organizer Stefan Hawrysz, Supreme Auditor Nestor Olesnycky, and Supreme Advisors Taras Szmagala and Eugene Iwanciw.

Source: "UNA's Ukrainian Heritage Defense Committee delineates principal tasks, discusses actions," The Ukrainian Weekly, June 23, 1985; "Defense of our heritage" (Editorial), The Ukrainian Weekly, June 23, 1985.

| Home Page |