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Biographical Note
Scope and Content of Collection
Title: Lev E. Dobriansky papers
Date (inclusive): 1959-1988
Collection Number: 78035
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
10 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 video cassette
(5.3 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, messages, pamphlets, programs, proclamations, reports, resolutions, sound recordings, photographs, and clippings
relating to American foreign policy, the National Captive Nations Committee, the Ukrainian Catholic Church, China, and Mao
Zedong.
Creator:
Dobriansky, Lev E.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
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The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
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For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1978.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Lev E. Dobriansky papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical Note
Lev E. Dobriansky was an Ukrainian-American economist, anti-communist advocate, professor, and author, as well as president
and/or chairman for the National Captive Nations Committee, American Council for World Freedom, Ukrainian Congress Committee,
and the United States and China after Mao Conference Committee.
Dobriansky received his PhD from New York University in 1951 and taught economics at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
from 1948 until his retirement in 1987. He founded the Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems in 1970 at
Georgetown and taught courses on topics such as Soviet economics. Dobriansky also served on committees in the U.S. Congress
and the American Security Council and acted as a consultant for the United States Department of State, the United States House
of Representatives, and the Institute for American Strategy.
In 1959, he wrote the first Captive Nations Resolution, Public Law 86-90, which was signed into law by Dwight D. Eisenhower.
This established the National Captive Nations Committee and introduced Captive Nations Week and the Captive Nations List,
with the purpose of raising awareness of, and lobbying for, nations under non-democratic regimes, primarily Soviet-communist
rule. Dobriansky remained president of the Committee for many years, and as a result of his activism, the resolution was proclaimed
every year by each successive president from 1959 until 2008.
Dobriansky remained very active in Central and Eastern European ethnic communities throughout his life, serving as the president
for the Ukrainian Congress Committee and as chairman for the American Council for World Freedom and the United States and
China after Mao Conference Committee. Dobriansky spent the last years of his life fighting for captive nations, founding memorials
for captive nations in Washington D.C., and finally, serving as the Ambassador to the Bahamas. He died in 2008.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Lev E. Dobriansky collection includes correspondence, messages, pamphlets, programs, proclamations, reports, congressional
records, resolutions, photographs, and newspaper clippings relating to American foreign policy, the National Captive Nations
Committee, the American Council for World Freedom, the Ukrainian Congress Committee, and the United States and China after
Mao Conference Committee.
The
Correspondence series includes incoming and outgoing letters from Dobriansky relating to his work with the Captive Nations Committee, the
Ukrainian Congress Committee, and the American Council for World Freedom, as well as personal correspondence with friends
and family members. Notable persons featured in the correspondence include Jimmy Carter, Jacqueline Cochran, Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Gerald Ford, and Harry S. Truman.
The bulk of the papers are related to the National Captive Nations Committee and its efforts to advocate and lobby for nations
controlled by non-democratic regimes. The
National Captive Nations Committee File includes correspondence, memoranda, press releases, proclamations, resolutions, programs, general letters, and newspaper
clippings relating to passing the annual Captive Nations Resolution through Congress, establishing celebrations for Captive
Nations Week, and the struggles the Committee faced to fight for captive nations. The
Speeches and Writings series captures Dobriansky's extensive efforts to advocate for non-democratic nations outside of the Committee. The majority
of the speeches were delivered at congressional hearings and anti-communist conferences.
The collection also includes correspondence, newsletters, press releases, appeals, and memoranda from the years Dobriansky
was involved with the American Council of World Freedom, the Ukrainian Congress Committee, and the United States and China
after Mao Conference Committee.
The
Printed Matter series includes pamphlets, newsletters, reports, press releases, and conference programs related to Dobriansky's support
for other national anti-communist organizations and his close friendships with various members of Congress. Also included
are copies of the
Congressional Record, spanning the years 1959 to 1980, capturing the years Dobriansky spent advocating for captive nations to Congress.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Anti-communist movements -- United States
Communism -- China
Communism -- Soviet Union
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1945-1989
Communism -- Europe, Eastern
Ukraine -- Religion
Communism -- Ukraine
Mao, Zedong, 1893-1976
National Captive Nations Committee