page_title: Macedonian Patriotic Organization
section_title: Early Activism
hierarchical_section_title: Macedonian Patriotic Organization / History / Early Activism
caption_attribution_description: English: Macedonian patriotic organisation MPO 6th Convention in USA and Canada
context_page_description: Macedonian Patriotic Organization is the oldest organization of Americans and Canadians of Macedonian descent in North America. It was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA in 1922, by immigrants originating mainly from Greek Macedonia. It was originally called the Macedonian Political Organization but changed its name to the current in 1952.
  The initial objective of the MPO was to advocate for a solution to the Macedonian Question in the form of an independent Macedonian state, in which all ethnic groups would enjoy equal human rights and freedoms. Over the decades, the MPO has evolved significantly, and today it is a not-for-profit corporation that promotes and preserves the customs, history, and traditions of Macedonian-Americans and Macedonian-Canadians. In the past, the organization has generally promoted the view that Macedonian Slavs are Bulgarians, but today it unites both Macedonian Bulgarians and ethnic Macedonians. The MPO supports the independent Republic of North Macedonia and is involved in pro-Macedonian advocacy within the US and Canada.
  Since 1926 MPO has published The Macedonian Tribune, which is the oldest continuously published Macedonian newspaper in the world.
context_section_description: Since its inception, the MPO has advocated to organize and educate the emigrants in civil values, and to prepare them for fighting in favor of Macedonian liberation. Over the next seven decades the MPO directed its activities toward the establishment of an independent and united Macedonian state that would "guarantee constitutional, ethnic, religious, cultural and political rights and freedoms of all of its citizens."
  The different phases that the Macedonian Question went through have put a pressure upon MPO to develop new modern means to achieve its aims. To fulfill the stipulations of the MPO bylaws, the delegates to the 4th annual MPO Convention in 1925 in Indianapolis, decided to establish a newspaper that was to become an official organ of the organization. The newspaper was founded under the name Macedonian Tribune, and its publication began under the guidance and leadership of the MPO Central Committee's Secretary Jordan Tchkatroff on February 10, 1927. Tchkatroff's activities have raised attention of Yugoslav Diplomatic and Consular services in the US, which already have watchful eye over the MPO.
  During the 1930s and 1940s, the MPO openly supported the agenda of the right-wing faction of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), led by Ivan Mihailov. This was acknowledged by a CIA analyst report from 1953, which dubbed the MPO as "the US branch of the IMRO", and asserted that through its then secretary Luben Dimitroff, it acted as a money raising organ to support Mihailov's activities. Ivan Mihailov's influence in the MPO was eventually diminished in the 1970s, when a younger generation of leaders, led by Ivan Lebamoff and Christo Nizamoff, confronted Mihailov's authoritarianism, and removed his supporters from leadership positions.
  When Bulgaria annexed parts of Vardar Macedonia and Greek Macedonia in April 1941, the MPO initially congratulated Bulgaria's actions and supported the policy of re-introducing the Bulgarian language and clergy. However, MPO changed its stance on this matter when Bulgaria declared war on the United States in December 1941, and henceforth fully supported the US war effort.
  After the end of World War II, the MPO was openly opposed to the communist regimes in Belgrade and Sofia, as well as the oppressive government in Greece. In the case of Socialist Yugoslavia, the MPO initially sent a letter to President Josip Broz Tito congratulating him on the establishment of an autonomous Macedonia within the federation, however, the organization soon raised its voice against the historiographic revisionism that was taking place in Yugoslavia, which aimed at diminishing the Bulgarian cultural and historic heritage in Macedonia. In the 70s, the Macedonian Tribune regularly printed articles and appeals by the last leader of the IMRO, Ivan Mihailov. His memoirs (written in Bulgarian) were advertised by the paper and were avidly read.
  Throughout the period of the Cold War, the MPO continuously advocated with the United States and Canadian governments, the United Nations, and other relevant international factors for a solution to the Macedonian Question that would involve self-government for Macedonians under a United Nations protectorate. The organization also worked on raising international awareness regarding violations of human rights in all three parts of Macedonia
  Over the years a number of the Americans born of Macedonian Bulgarian descent began having less and less knowledge of Bulgaria and often identify themselves simply as Macedonians. Also, in 1990s MPO began openly accepting and embracing the ethnic Macedonian identity, alongside the Macedono-Bulgarian identity of the organization's founders. On February 22, 1990, the Macedonian Tribune published an article by then President Ivan Lebamoff, where he stated that MPO is responding to change in Macedonia, throughout the world, and in the organization itself by recognizing the reality of ethnic Macedonians, and by inviting them to join the ranks of the MPO as equals.
  MPO approached the third millennium with great enthusiasm con
caption: The 6th annual convention of the MPO in Akron, Ohio, 1927
exif: {}