Malcolm and Lillian Caldwell Papers
Finding aid prepared by Labor Archives and Research Center staff.
Labor Archives and Research Center
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA, 94132-1722
(415) 405-5571
larc@sfsu.edu
2014
Title: Malcolm and Lillian Caldwell papers
Date (inclusive): 1927-1971
Creator:
Caldwell, Lillian
Creator:
Caldwell, Malcolm
Collection number: larc.ms.0384
Accession number: 2010/031
Extent:
2.75 cubic ft.
(2 cartons, 1 box)
Repository:
Labor Archives and Research Center
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA 94132-1722
(415) 405-5571
larc@sfsu.edu
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English.
Abstract: The Malcolm and Lillian Caldwell papers consist primarily of correspondence, campaign materials, clippings, and notes related
to Malcolm Caldwell's work with union and political organizations, including the AFL, the CIO, the Independent Progressive
Party, and the CIO Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee. Also included are his personal papers and a typescript draft of his
book
Plan for a New America. Lillian Caldwell's papers consist of materials related to the Los Angeles Federal Theatre Project, and the Waitresses, Cashiers,
Checkers, Cafeteria, Fountain, and Dairy Lunch Girls' Union, Local No. 48 (Los Angeles, Calif.), as well as various notes
taken during her time spent at the Federal Theater Project and in acting and radio classes.
Location: Collection is available onsite.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Malcolm and Lillian Caldwell Papers, larc.ms.0384, Labor Archives and Research Center, San Francisco
State University.
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Labor Archives and Research Center 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 by the reader.
Availability
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
Processed by Jaclyn Gonzalez in 2011.
Acquisition
The Malcolm and Lillian Caldwell Papers were purchased from Bolerium Books in September 2010, accession number 2010/031.
Arrangement
Arranged into two series: Series 1: Malcolm Caldwell Papers, and Series 2: Lillian (Sidery) Caldwell Papers.
Biography of Lillian (Sidery) Caldwell
Lillian (Sidery) Caldwell was involved in the Los Angeles Federal Theatre Project, a theater funded by the Works Progress
Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1939. She took classes in drama and radio, and in 1963 was the host of a radio broadcast
show entitled "Coffee Break". She was a member of the Waitresses, Cashiers, Checkers, Cafeteria, Fountain, and Dairy Girls'
Union, Local No. 48 (Los Angeles, Calif.), as well as a member of the Social Committee of the AFL & IAM Committee for Wallace.
Biography of Malcolm Caldwell
Malcolm Caldwell was affiliated with a number of union organizations during his lifetime. In World War II he served as Principal
Engineering Aide with the United States Engineer office of the War Department (USED), and became a member of the Federation
of Architects, Electricians, Chemists and Technicians (FAECT). He also maintained memberships in the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee
Committee (JAFRC), and the Oil Workers International Union. Later, he became a member of the American Federation of Labor
(AFL), Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), and the Utility Workers Organizing Committee (UWOC). Caldwell’s political
memberships included the American Peace Crusade and the Independent Progressive Party. In addition to these activities, Caldwell
also wrote frequently about politics.
Scope and Contents
The Malcolm and Lillian Caldwell papers consist primarily of correspondence, campaign materials, clippings, and notes related
to Malcolm Caldwell's work with union and political organizations, including the AFL, the CIO, the Independent Progressive
Party, and the CIO Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee. Also included are his personal papers and a typescript draft of his
book
Plan for a New America. Lillian Caldwell's papers consist of materials related to the Los Angeles Federal Theatre Project, and the Waitresses, Cashiers,
Checkers, Cafeteria, Fountain, and Dairy Lunch Girls' Union, Local No. 48 (Los Angeles, Calif.), as well as various notes
taken during her time spent at the Federal Theater Project and in acting and radio classes.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
AFL-CIO.
American Federation of Labor.
American Peace Crusade.
Congress of Industrial Organizations (U.S.).
Federal Theatre Project (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists, and Technicians.
Independent Progressive Party.
Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee.
Oil Workers International Union.
United States. Army. Corps of Engineers.
Utility Workers Organizing Committee.
Waitresses, Cashiers, Checkers, Cafeteria, Fountain, and Dairy Girls' Union, Local No. 48 (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Labor movement--California--History.
Labor unions--California--History.
Series 1:
Malcolm Caldwell Papers
1927-1971
Extent:
2.0 cartons
Arrangement
Arranged predominantly in chronological order.
Scope and Contents
Series 1 consists of notes, correspondence, affidavits, and legal records produced during Caldwell’s time in the War Department
where he served in the United States Engineer Office, Division of Airport Design and where, as a member of the Civil Service
Unit of Local Chapter 205 of the Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists and Technicians (FAECT), he alleged discrimination
due to his involvement with the union. In 1943 Caldwell was interviewed by the U.S. Army on his political activities and views
on Russia and communism (Carton 1, Folder 8).
Caldwell’s involvement in union and political organizations, including the AFL and IAM Committee for Wallace, the Joint Anti-Fascist
Committee Refugee Committee (JAFRC), the Oil Workers International Union, and the Independent Progressive Party is documented
in the numerous campaign notes and press materials, correspondence, and writings he produced on their behalf. Also included
are Caldwell’s notes for a textbook for the University of Illinois (Carton 2, Folder 15) and a novel, The Plan for A New America
(Carton 2, Folders 16-23), as well as a collection of union newsletters and news clippings on topics such as the Cold War,
Civil Rights, housing and education.
World War II Military Service
Carton 1, Folder 2
Organized Reserve
1936-1943
United States Engineer Department (U.S.E.D.)
Carton 1, Folder 7
F.A.E.C.T. Civil Service Unit minutes and resolutions
1942
Carton 1, Folder 8
U.S. Army interview regarding political activities
1943
Carton 1, Folder 9
World War II - General
1940-1945
Carton 1, Folder 10
World War II - Labor
1938-1943
Carton 1, Folder 11
World War II - Prices
1941-1943
Carton 1, Folder 15
National War Labor Board
1944-1945
Carton 1, Folder 16
Japan Letter (newsletter), Vol. 1 No. 7 (July 1954)-Vol. 1, No. 8 (August 1954)
1954
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Carton 1, Folder 18
Brotherhood of Carpenters - General
1948-1950
International Association of Machinists (IAM) Committee for Wallace
Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)
Carton 1, Folder 24
General - National
1942-1948
Carton 1, Folder 25
General - California
1942-1950
Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists and Technicians (FAECT)
Carton 1, Folder 30
Food, Tobacco and Allied Workers
1946-1947
Carton 1, Folder 32
Organizing campaign
1942-1943
Carton 1, Folder 33
Top Organizing Committee (TOC) notes
circa 1943
Carton 1, Folder 36
United Electrical Workers
1942-1943
Utility Workers Organizing Committee (UWOC)
Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee, CIO Members Division (JAFRC)
Carton 1, Folder 43
Unions Contributing to JAFRC
1945
Carton 1, Folder 44-45
Spanish Refugee Appeal
1945
Carton 1, Folder 46
Free Spain Fiesta - Correspondence
1945
Carton 1, Folder 47
Free Spain Fiesta - General
1945
Carton 1, Folder 48
World Federation of Trade Unions
circa 1949
Carton 1, Folder 49
Miscellaneous leaflets
1953, undated
Carton 2, Folder 4
Miscellaneous elections
1940-1944
Carton 2, Folder 5
American Peace Crusade
1940
Carton 2, Folder 6
Los Angeles County Committee, Communist Political Association
1940-1944
Carton 2, Folder 7
Communist Party of the United States
1944-1955
Independent Progressive Party
Carton 2, Folder 12
Committees for Peace
1949-1952
Carton 2, Folder 13
Wesley Robert Wells' case
1951
Carton 2, Folder 14
Los Angeles Committee for Protection of Foreign Born
1952
Writings, Teaching and Notes
Carton 2, Folder 15
Outline for textbook, University of Illinois
1927
The Plan for a New America
Carton 2, Folder 18
Proposed Constitution
circa 1930s
Carton 2, Folder 19
Judicial System
circa 1930s
Carton 2, Folder 20
Concentration of Power and Control
circa 1930s
Carton 2, Folder 23
Miscellaneous
circa 1930s
Carton 2, Folder 24
Mexico, notes
1938-1940, undated
Carton 2, Folder 25
Untitled novel
circa 1940s
Carton 2, Folder 26
California Labor School syllabus
1950-1952
Carton 2, Folder 28
Geneva Big 4 meeting, notes
1955
Carton 2, Folders 29-30
Miscellaneous notes
1930s-1960s
Research Files and Newspaper Clippings
Carton 2, Folder 38
University of California Loyalty Oath
1950
Carton 2, Folders 39-42
Miscellaneous clippings
1938-1967
Series 2:
Lillian Caldwell Papers
1936-1971, undated
Extent:
1.0 box
Arrangement
Arranged predominantly in chronological order.
Scope and Contents
Consists of various scripts and class notes taken during her studies with the WPA-funded Los Angeles Federal Theatre Project,
as well as news clippings about the Federal Theater's productions (Box 1, Folder 4) and its workers. Also includes transcripts
with notes of her radio show, "Coffee Break", (Box 1, Folders 5-6) broadcast in 1963 on KMPX-FM, San Francisco, California.
Lillian Caldwell was a member of the Waitresses, Cashiers, Checkers, Cafeteria, Fountain, and Diary Lunch Girls' Union, Local
48 (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Federal Theatre Project, Los Angeles
Box 1, Folder 1
Class notes and plays
1936, undated
Box 1, Folder 2
Weekly reports, notes, and minutes
1937-1938
Box 1, Folders 5-6
Radio broadcast notes: Coffee Break
1963
Box 1, Folder 7
Notebook of messages
1970-1971
Box 1, Folder 8
Waitresses, Cashiers, Checkers, Cafeteria, Fountain, and Dairy Lunch Girls' Union, Local No. 48 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
undated
Box 1, Folder 9
Miscellaneous notes and writings
1949, undated
