Research Guides: Blacklist Materials in UCLA Library Special Collections: Collections That Contain Information about the Blacklist

Collection That Contain Information about the Blacklist

American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California records, ca. 1935- : The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), established in 1920, originally began as the American Union Against Militarism in 1915, later becoming the National Civil Liberties Bureau in 1917. The ACLU of Southern California was established in Los Angeles in 1924. Collection consists of legal, educational, and organizational files of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Includes minutes, correspondence, memoranda, clippings, case files, and briefs. Topics covered in case files include the right to counsel, women's rights, Japanese-American relocation during WWII, blacklisting in the film industry, and Crawford vs. LA Unified School District. Also contains materials related to the local and national organizations of the ACLU.

Knox Mellon collection of material about the John Birch Society and other radical conservative organizations and causes : William Knox Mellon, Jr. (b.1925) was a professor of history at Immaculate Heart College, the Democratic nominee for the California 24th District for Congress (1962), and the treasurer for the Oral History Association. The collection consists of periodicals and various publications of the John Birch Society, clippings and documents of the Pasadena-based Network of Patriotic Letter Writers, and papers and clippings of several political campaigns in Southern California.

Mellie Miller Calvert Papers, 1938-1960: Calvert was a historian and taught science at Canoga Park High School. The collection consists of Calvert's records as Historian of Canoga Park High School and includes school histories, student speeches, lists and biographical material about alumni, yearbooks, and transcripts of proceedings against 2 teachers by the Tenney Committee, a state Joint Fact-finding Committee on Un-American Activities in California

Collection of Television Stills, 1950s-: The collection contains stills from the title "Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist."

Norman Cousins papers, 1924-1991, bulk 1944-1990: Included correspondence about "unamerican activities"

Anne Edwards papers, 1965- : The collection contains research information on the Blacklist and Shirley Temple.

Frances R. Eisenberg Los Angeles City Schools Loyalty Oath Collection, ca. 1946-1958: Frances R. Eisenberg was an English and journalism teacher at Canoga Park High School in Los Angeles, California. She was charged with teaching communism in her classes in 1940s, and during the early 1950s, as an English teacher at Fairfax High School, she was charged with disloyalty, and fired for failure to answer questions before the state senate fact-finding committee on un-American activities in California. She was also an active member and executive officer of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Federation of Teachers during the 1940s-50s, and chairman of the Teachers Defense Committee in 1954. The collection consists of correspondence, clippings, ephemera, and mimeographed and printed materials relating to Eisenberg and the Los Angeles city schools loyalty oath controversy during the early 1950s, materials relating to accusations against Eisenberg in the 1940s, as well as tapes of the December 1953 school board hearings involving subpoenaed teachers. The collection also includes material on the Teachers Defense Committee and the Los Angeles chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.

Marian Elizabeth Engelke Printing Ephemera, 1964- : Marian Elizabeth Engelke served as a staff artist at UCLA (1964-84). The collection consists of signs, brochures, and pamphlets designed and printed by Engelke during her career as a staff artist at UCLA. The collection also contains material designed and printed by Steve Kunishima and other successors in what was later called Graphic Arts Service. Included in the collection are the pamphets, "Blacklist in the Golden State."

Extremist Book Collection: This collection contains a variety of extremist literature predominantly from the 1930s to the 1960s. The collection consists of books espousing political viewpoints of the extreme left and right, extremist periodicals, and bookdealer catalogs

Federal Theatre Project, 1936-1990: The Federal Theatre Project was funded by the U.S. government as part of the Works Projects Administration (WPA) to create jobs for unemployed theatre workers during the Great Depression (1935-39). The collection includes copies of scripts from a collection on the Federal Theatre Project's scripts at George Mason University, videotaped interviews with Gene Stone and Jeff Corey, and statements made before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and Subcommittee on Appropriations.Also included are statements by witnesses called before the Committee.

Frances R. Eisenberg Los Angeles City Schools Loyalty Oath Collection, ca. 1946-1958: Frances R. Eisenberg was an English and journalism teacher at Canoga Park High School in Los Angeles, California. She was charged with teaching communism in her classes in 1940s, and during the early 1950s, as an English teacher at Fairfax High School, she was charged with disloyalty, and fired for failure to answer questions before the state senate fact-finding committee on un-American activities in California. She was also an active member and executive officer of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Federation of Teachers during the 1940s-50s, and chairman of the Teachers Defense Committee in 1954. The collection consists of correspondence, clippings, ephemera, and mimeographed and printed materials relating to Eisenberg and the Los Angeles city schools loyalty oath controversy during the early 1950s, materials relating to accusations against Eisenberg in the 1940s, as well as tapes of the December 1953 school board hearings involving subpoenaed teachers. The collection also includes material on the Teachers Defense Committee and the Los Angeles chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.

Dorothy Healey Papers, 1930-1978: Dorothy Healey (b.1914) was a member of the Young Communist League (1928-), and the Communist Party (1932-1973). She was appointed a deputy labor commissioner by Governor Culbert Olson (1940), and served as the Chairman of the Los Angeles Communist Party (1945). In 1952, she was arrested under the Smith Act. She appeared on college campuses in support of the antiwar movement in the 1960s, and in 1969, and openly opposed the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (1969), effectively removing herself from the Party. Following her formal resignation in 1973, she became active in the New American Movement and the Democratic Socialists of America. The collection consists of photocopies of U.S. government documents obtained by Dorothy Healey under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts, and correspondence with Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and government agencies regarding release of her files. Also contains materials released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Department of Defense, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Independent Progressive Party and Californians for Liberal Representation records, 1938-1986: The records of the Independent Progressive Party and Californians for Liberal Representation as collected by Jack Berman capture the trajectory of liberal and progressive politics as it unfolded in Los Angeles from 1938-1986. The bulk of the collection is comprised of the Independent Progressive Party (IPP) and Californians for Liberal Representation's (CLR) organizational records. The collection also contains a small sampling of Jack Berman's personal papers from his involvement in California politics after the organizational lives of the IPP and CLR.

Debbie Louis Collection on Civil Rights, 1949-1971: The collection contains materials regarding the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and press materials about propaganda and HUAC.

Carey McWilliams Papers, 1894-1982 (bulk 1921-1980): Carey McWilliams (1905-1980) was a writer, lawyer, journalist, lecturer, activist, as well as Chief of the California Division of Immigration and Housing (1938-1942) and editor of The Nation (1955-1975). The collection contains personal diaries, scrapbooks, manuscripts, publicity materials, and assorted correspondence and research files related to McWilliams's life and career.

Morrie Gelman papers, ca. 1970s-ca. 1996 : Morrie Gelman worked as a reporter and editor for over 40 years for companies including the Brooklyn Eagle, New York Post, Newsday, Broadcasting (now Broadcasting & Cable) magazine, Madison Avenue, Advertising Age, Electronic Media (now TV Week), and Daily Variety. The collection consists of writings, research files, and promotional and publicity material related to Gelman's career.

Roy Huggins Papers, 1948-2002 : The collection contains materials belonging to the film and television writer, producer and production manager.

Nat Segaloff papers, 1958-2008 : The collection consists of materials pertaining to Nat Segaloff's career as a freelance writer, producer, teacher and journalist. A highlight of this collection is the large amount of material pertaining to the Hollywood blacklist.

Florence M. Sloat Collection of Material about the House Committee on Un-American Activities, 1959-1960: Florence M. Sloat was chairman of the Teacher Defense Committee during the period of the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings in California and was one of the subpoenaed teachers. The collection consists of printed materials and correspondence relating to the hearings and Sloat's subpoena

Socialist and Labor Movement Pamphlets and Books, 1886-1962: The collection consists of 2816 pamphlets and books on twentieth century socialist and labor movements around the world, with particular emphasis on communist, socialist, and collectivist political parties and organizations in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom, and United States of America

Ray Spencer papers, 1937-1984; bulk 1930s-1960s: Ray Spencer was a screenwriter and produced the West Coast production of the controversial play of, Deep are the Roots, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA (ca. 1947-1948). The bulk of the collection consists of materials related to the play. Additionally, there is a small amount of script material, correspondence, contractual agreements, and a small number of story synopses and newsletters associated with Paramount Pictures. There is also information about the group, Plaintiffs Against the Blacklist. In addition, there are a small number of letters and reader reports related to his wife, Helen Spencer.

Collection of Underground, Alternative and Extremist Literature, 1900-1990 : The collection consists of newspapers and other materials representing American and some British and French underground, alternative and extremist literature. Includes materials from both sides of the political spectrum, such as Black Panther Party, Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, Communist Party, Industrial Workers of the World, and United Farm Workers Organizing Committee.

United States Ephemera Collection, ca. 1800- The collection consists of broadsides, clippings, brochures and other ephemeral material relating to the U.S.

Western States Jewish History Archive, 1800-2004: The Western States Jewish History Archive contains the compiled research and activities of the Society's two founders, Dr. Norton Stern and Rabbi William Kramer. The bulk of the collection includes research files on individuals, institutions and organizations, and synagogues throughout California. These vary in their breadth and specificity, some offering original primary source materials, while others largely comprised of newspaper clippings and research notes. Files from institutions and organizations, as well as synagogues, often contain internal documents -meeting minutes, memos, and legal and financial records- in addition to newsletters, pamphlets and other public materials. Kramer's personal papers are also in the collection as well, including drafts of his oral and written work, personnel records from his various employments, and photos and ephemera of his family.

William Wyler Papers, 1925-1975: The collection consists of materials related to the career of motion picture director, William Wyler. Includes correspondence, photographs, clippings, various annotated drafts and versions of film scripts, legal documents, notes, and budget and production information.