Description
Scrapbook, share certificates, and other documents relating to the founding of Work Around the World Educational Club for
International Police (WAWEC), by Captain Walter Wanderwell in 1932, to monitor world disarmament and provide educational opportunities
overseas.
Background
Walter Wanderwell, born Valerian Johannes Pieczynski, was born in Poland in either 1893 or 1897. An international traveler
and soldier of fortune, he explored Siberia, the Amazon, and the Sahara, and ended up in the United States, where he changed
his name to something Americans could pronounce. He was jailed during World War I by American authorities who suspected him
of being a German spy. Often referred to as "Captain", he never served in any country's military. In 1918, after being released
from prison in Atlanta, he married Nell Miller, a Broadway chrous girl, and the two founded the Work Around the World Educational
Club for International Police (WAWEC). WAWEC was founded to ostensibly support the new League of Nations through imposition
of law, not war. The FBI branded the organization a private army with potential for subversive activities.
Restrictions
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.