Correspondence

Object Details

Topic: Teenage girls; Cuban Americans; Latinas; Latin Americans -- United States; Migration; Children -- Cuba; Family -- Cuba

See more items in: Exiles in America: Cuban Pedro Pans and Balseros Collection

Sponsor: The project was funded by the Consortium for the American Experience. The digitization of the addendum materials (Series 3) was made possible through a grant from the Smithsonian Latino Center's Latino Initiatives Pool (2020).

Collection Citation: Exiles in America: Cuban Pedro Pans and Balseros, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Collection Rights: Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Scope and Contents: This series includes correspondence, photographs, and other ephemeral objects mostly created by young Cuban girls who were relocated to the United States as part of Operation Pedro Pan. Some of the girls went on to participate in the oral histories (as adults) collected by NMAH. The bulk of the materials is from sisters Lola and Margarita Prats. Letters are addressed to their temporary foster family and relatives. Other material (photographs, drawings, and a case file) documents other girls' experiences in Cuba and the United States. Some of the earlier dated content and official records from the Catholic churces is in Spanish.

Collection Restrictions: Collection is open for research. Interviews and supporting documentation available only in the Smithsonian Institution Digital Asset Management System (DAMS). Correspondence is available for access (physically and digitally).