About Operation Pedro Pan

OPERATION PEDRO PAN GROUP, INC. is the Official National Charitable organization founded in 1991 by the former unaccompanied Cuban children. It was created to fulfill the Pledge of Thanksgiving given in 1990, in which we  honor the sacrifice of our parents and this noble nation that welcomed us, and the person that made it all possible, Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh.   We felt it was our duty to pay back the kindness by  helping today's needy children. OPPG Inc. is a non-partisan, non-sectarian and non-profit organization, tax exempt under Section 501 C3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh was the Chairperson of the organization until his death on December 20th, 2001. Under his direction, in order to protect & to allow the public to identify the organization and its services we obtained the Registration of our Trademark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office,  Department of Commerce on December 1993.  

All the unaccompanied Cuban minors who were part of the exodus now popularly known as Operation Pedro Pan, call ourselves Pedro Pans.  Please be aware that the Trademark PEDRO PAN may only be used with the consent of the registrant OPPG, Inc.

Our Board of Directors is formed by volunteers who were part of the exodus & are duly elected in a democratic process. The twenty five members of the Board of Trustees are our "Ambassadors of Good Will" and assist in locating Pedro Pans  and connect with over 2000 members throughout the US and the world.  Our headquarter is in Miami, Florida, and our West Coast office is in Los Angeles, California.

Mission Statement

  1. To sponsor, aid, assist and promote programs that benefit children in need. This includes children without parents (unaccompanied minors) and the needy, regardless of race, creed, color or religion.
  2. To document our history for the future generations and to spread the knowledge of our exodus as an important chapter of the history of Cuba and the United States. 
  3. To locate, reunite and bring together those individuals who were part of the unaccompanied Cuban Children's Program and to share our experiences.

We are currently the support group for the Child Welfare Programs of Catholic Charities in Miami which includes Catholic Home for Children in Perrine and the Boystown Unaccompanied Minor’s Program.  We will contribute to and help with the preservation of the Pedro Pan Archives at Barry. We have organized Pedro Pan Conferences and historical presentations in places such as the US National Archives, Annual Reunions in Miami and other States, picnics for the needy children, assisted in Hurricane relief efforts and other humanitarian causes. For the last 17 years we have played the roles of Santa Claus & Los Reyes Magos for the underprivileged children. OPPG spearheaded the effort to preserve "Camp Matecumbe" as a Park, a living memorial to our Exodus for the future generations. In our effort to spread the knowledge of our exodus we have contributed information and materials to numerous writers, scholars and students in their projects. Most importantly, we have been helping Pedro Pans find each other since 1990. 

Pedro Pan Archives

The Pedro Pan Archives are the property of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami.  They are housed in a special collection for safe keeping in the Library of Barry University in Miami Shores.  These are in the process of being catalogued and re-filed for preservation in archival safe folders.

  1. Individual and family case records. These are confidential records. Release of files to former clients or their families must be made in writing and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, Inc. at 9401 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, Florida 33138
  2. Archived and Historical Data.  Request to use Operation Pedro Pan papers for scholarly research must be made to the Director of Archives and Historical Collections at Barry University 11300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami Shores, Florida 33161.

Books Relating To Pedro Pan

  1. "UPS & DOWNS OF AN UNACCOMPANIED MINOR REFUGEE"  by Marie Francoise Portuondo, Ediciones Universal 1984
  2. "KIKI,a Cuban Boy’s Adventures in America” by Hilda Pereira, published in 1992 by Pickering Press.
  3. "OPERACION PEDRO PAN", El Exodo de los Ninos Cubanos” by Josefina Leyva, published in 1993, Editorial Ponce de Leon.
  4. "CHILDREN OF FLIGHT PEDRO PAN”by Maria Armengol Acierno, published in 1994 by Kaleidoscope Press.
  5. "FLEEING CASTRO", Operation Pedro Pan and the Cuban Children’s Program”by Victor Andres Triay, published in 1998 by University Press of Florida.
  6. "PLAYER’S VENDETTA”, novel by John Lantigua, published in 1999 by Signet/Penguin Putnam Inc.
  7. "OPERATION PEDRO PAN, THE UNTOLD EXODUS of the 14,048 Cuban Children" by Yvonne M. Conde, published in 1999 by Routledge Press.
  8. "LIVING CUBA",from Operation Pedro Pan to Elian” by Kathlyn Gay, published in 2000 by Twenty-First Century Books.
  9. "EMBRACING AMERICA", A Cuban Exile Comes of Age” by Margaret Paris, University Press of Florida, 2002.
  10. "THE LOST APPLE" Operation Pedro Pan, Cuban Children in the U.S. and the Promise of a Better Future, by Maria de los Angeles Torres published in 2003 by Beacon Press.
  11. "WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA", Confessions of a Cuban Boy, by Carlos Eire, published by the Free Press 2003. Winner of the National Book Award*
  12. "RELATO DE UNA FAMILIA CUBANA", memorias de un Pedro Pan by Eloy Cepero, 2004

Films & Plays

  1. "THE LOST APPLE/ LA MANZANA PERDIDA" directed by Dave Susskind, USIA 1962
  2. "ADIOS PATRIA, PBS 1996" by Alex Anton & Joe Cardona
  3. "THE FLIGHT OF PEDRO PAN" by Joe Cardona for PBS 1999
  4. "SONIA FLEW", play by Melinda Lopez 2005