Finding Aid to the Lisette and Sam Kutnick Abraham Lincoln Brigade Collection

Series 1: Abraham Lincoln Brigade 1937-1996 Bulk, 1937-1938 1937-1938

Arrangement

This series is arranged hierarchically into three subseries according to authorship.

Subseries 1.1 contains the letters written from members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade who were fighting in Spain and is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically.

Subseries 1.2 contains hierarchically-arranged materials that were created and collected by the San Francisco-based group, the Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

Subseries 1.3 is chronologically arranged and contains the materials created by the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

Scope and Contents

This series contains materials related to San Francisco-based anti-fascists who fought in the Spanish Civil War as part of the International Battalion the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (ALB). It includes the letters that fighters in the ALB wrote from battlefields of Spain to their friends back home in the San Francisco Bay Area, detailing their experiences, political convictions, and reflections on the nature of warfare. This series also contains materials related to the Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, a group which advocated for the fighters of ALB by publishing their letters in newspapers such as People's World and original pamphlets, sending gifts of cigarettes and gum, and garnering political support for the cause of international anti-fascist solidarity. Also present are materials created by the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, demonstrating the efforts of surviving members to commemorate this history and engage in continued international solidarity struggles.

Letters from Spain 61868

box 1, folder 1

Andell, Evelyn 61833 1938 March

box 1, folder 2

Bailey, Bill, to Edna 61834 1937-1938, undated

box 1, folder 3

Bailey, Mike 61835 [1937] September 13

box 1, folder 3

Bell, Hilda 61836 1937 December 9

box 1, folder 3

Bridges, E. W. 61837 1937 September 20

box 1, folder 4

Brown, "Bimbo" to Archie 61838 1937 June-September

box 1, folder 5

Caldarella, Michael to Carlson 1937 August 6

Scope and Contents

Original handwritten letter without typed copy.

box 1, folder 6

Cullinen, George to Bob Dagley 61839 1937 August 4

box 1, folder 7

Eaton, Henry to LaRue 1937 August 6

box 1, folder 8

Flanner, John to Justin Vanderlaan 61840 undated

box 1, folder 9

Gomez, Antonio Lopez to Mother 61841 1938 March 4

box 1, folder 10

Hawkins, Maurice H., to his wife from Paris and from Spain 61842 1937-1938

box 1, folder 11

Larsen, Leonard H. M.D. to Louise 61843 1937-1938

box 1, folder 12

Male, Douglas "Dud" to Sam, Esther, Lee, Sis, Mom 61844 1937 November-1938 February, undated

box 1, folder 13

Marques, A. J. 61845 1938 May 18

box 1, folder 13

Masterson, Louis J. to friends, Applestein, D. 61846 1937 October 1

box 1, folder 13

McDaniel, Eluard Luchell 61847 undated

box 1, folder 13

Merriman, Marion to John C. Ross 61848 1937 July-1938 February

box 1, folder 14

Nitzburg, Leo to Edna 61849 1937 October 15

box 1, folder 15

Orton, Fritz to Paul 61850 1937 September-October

box 1, folder 15

Payne, Perley 61851 [1937] April-July

box 1, folder 16

Prowell, Alphaeus to Harry 61852 1937 September-November, undated

box 1, folder 17

Sansone, Joe to Edna 61855 1938 February

box 1, folder 18

Silverstein, Esther to children 61853 1937

box 1, folder 19

Slivan, Boleslaw (Slipp, Slippery) to Archie, Samuel, Ednaita, Lee 61854 1937-1938

box 1, folder 20

Smith, "Junior" to Mike, Joe, Canales, etc. 61856 1937 May-October, undated

box 1, folder 21

Thompson, David 1937 October

box 1, folder 21

Thompson, Frederick to Miss Schneider 61857 1938 June 2

box 1, folder 22

Yeager, N.T. to Henry 61858 1937 September 14

box 1, folder 23

Unidentified, or no surname 61860 1937-1938

Contents

Including: Ken to My darling Sis (Sigrid Parmalie) DM to Ethel DM to E. D....to Mom Jack to L...S...& M... Bob 3/26/38 Evelyn to Mildred Fred to Ann (handwritten) Wade to Mario Caseroli

box 1, folder 24

Transcript of Murphy / White Interview with Sam Kutnick 1938 October 12

box 3, folder 1

Photocopies of letters - A - O 61863 1937-1938

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically and chronologically.

box 3, folder 2

Photocopies of letters - P - Z 61864 1937-1938

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically and chronologically.

box 3, folder 3

Photocopies of letters - Unidentified authors 61865 1937-1938

box 3, folder 4

Photocopy of Transcript of Murphy / White Interview with Sam Kutnick 1938 October 12

Duplicate photocopies of letters 1937-1938

Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade

box 2, folder 1

Abraham Lincoln Brigade poems, songs 61866 undated

box 2, folder 2

International Brigade publications 61867 1937-1938

box 2, folder 3

Abraham Lincoln Brigade clippings, ephemera 61869 undated

box 2, folder 4

Photographs From Spain 1938

Scope and Contents

Two original photographs sent by Slivan, Boleslaw (Slippery) in a letter to Lee dated Sept. 6, 1938. One photograph shows a sailor, Bill Bailey, Slippery, and Pedro with a machine gun captured from fascists. The second photograph shows Slippery in a helmet loading a clip for the machine gun.

box 2, folder 5

The Story of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion 1938

Scope and Contents

Pamphlet published as a fundraiser by the Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Battallion.

box 2, folder 6

Letters From Spain Publication 1937

Scope and Contents

Booklet published by the Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, showing a selection of reprinted letters sent home from the trenches accompanied by illustrations.

box 2, folder 7

Seamen, Longshoremen & Maritime Workers of the Lincoln-Washington Battalion in Spain to The National Unity Convention of Maritime Unions, San Francisco 61862 1937 December 27

Scope and Contents

Statement with list of signers included; pages 2-3 of untitled essay upholding the battle to support a constitutional government.

box 2, folder 8

Precinct 11, Assembly District 19 Index to Register 61831 1943

box 2, folder 9

Spanish Refugee Relief Campaign Letter 1939

box 2, folder 10

Posters from Time Magazine 1938

Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade

box 2, folder 11

The Volunteer Newsletter 1984

box 2, folder 12

Videotaping Project 1985

box 2, folder 13

Member List 1987

box 2, folder 14

International Solidarity Efforts 1993

box 2, folder 15

Meeting Minutes 61870 1993-1995

box 2, folder 16

Commemorative Events Ephemera 1985 - 1996

Series 2: Sam Kutnick papers 1933-1964, Bulk 1945-1959 1945-1959

Arrangement

This series is arranged hierarchically into subseries that reflect various organizations and projects that Sam Kutnick was involved with throughout his lifetime.

Subseries 2.1 Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA)

Subseries 2.2 Committee for World Peace

Subseries 2.3 Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee

Subseries 2.4 Miscellaneous Culinary Employees Union, Local 110

Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA)

Scope and Contents

Due to State repression and other internal tensions within the Left movements in the United States at the time, CPUSA turned inwards to inspect, surveil, and purge itself of members who were deemed undesireable. The San Francisco County Personnel Committee was charged with investigating Party members to be expelled in the name of the survival and success of CPUSA.

Members of the Party could be expelled for any of the following reasons: 1. Being or suspected of being a state agent, spy, or informant. 2. Being or suspected of being a factionalist such as a Trotskyist or Lovestoneite whose ideology was deemed "impure" by the central leadership. 3. Being or suspected of being a social deviant whose presence in the Party was a threat either to social unity or further State repression. The beliefs and identities targeted in this category include white chauvinists; people with a history of debt, gambling, alcoholism, and receiving psychiatric care; or people who experience same-sex attraction or engage in sexual promiscuity. 4. Associating with former Party members who had been expelled for one of the reasons listed above.

These files reveal the motivations behind the Committee and the mechanisms by which the internal investigations and expulsions occurred.

County Personnel Committee

box 4, folder 1

Background 1940-1952

box 4, folder 2

Policies and Procedures 1933-1954

box 4, folder 3

Photographs undated

box 4, folder 4

Meeting Minutes 1945

box 4, folder 5

County Personnel Committee Reports 1950

box 4, folder 6

Correspondence From Other CPUSA Entities 1949-1951

box 4, folder 7

Letters From Local Members 1949-1952

box 4, folder 8

The Crusader 1950

box 4, folder 9

Bridges-Robertson-Schmidt Trial 1949-1950

box 4, folder 10

Smith Act Trial 1952

box 4, folder 11

FBI Visit Reports 1947-1955

box 4, folder 12

FBI Loyalty Investigations 1947-1948

Leadership Review

box 4, folder 13

San Francisco Committee on Leadership 1945

box 4, folder 14

Yates, Oleta 1945

Reports on Individuals

box 4, folder 15

Case Files 1947-1955

box 5, folder 1

Notes 1950-1954

box 5, folder 2

Adams, Richard 1954

box 5, folder 3

Alexander, Edwin Jr. 1948

box 5, folder 4

Baker, Enos Jr. 1947-1949

box 5, folder 5

Barnes, Jane 1950

box 5, folder 6

Bishop, Dorothy 1950

box 5, folder 7

Brown, Ed 1947-1949

box 5, folder 8

Collier, Emory 1955

box 5, folder 9

Daniels, Hilde 1950

box 5, folder 10

Drury, Jim 1946

box 5, folder 11

Elkins, Mike 1945-1946

box 5, folder 12

Flood, George 1948

box 5, folder 13

Franklin, Francis undated

box 5, folder 14

Furst, Peter / Cannan, June 1951

box 5, folder 15

Gay, Ronnie undated

box 5, folder 16

Hedley, Jean undated

box 5, folder 17

Johnson, Manning 1951

box 5, folder 18

Kaplan undated

box 5, folder 19

Kepner, Jim / Brown, Mel 1949-1950

box 5, folder 20

Kirk, Kris 1950

box 5, folder 21

Kjosness, Mollie / Lucid, Jack 1946

box 5, folder 22

Kutnick, Sam 1945-1960

box 5, folder 23

Littleton, Ed 1951-1955

box 5, folder 24

Payne, Earl 1948

box 5, folder 25

Rector, Nicky / Sherwood, Mary 1947

box 5, folder 26

Reno, Phil undated

box 5, folder 27

Ronconi, Rome 1950

box 5, folder 28

Sanders, Butch undated

box 5, folder 29

Smith, Vern / George, Harrison / Fels, Lenny 1947-1949

box 5, folder 30

Stevens, Arthur 1955

box 5, folder 31

Taylor, Bill undated

box 5, folder 32

Vanderlaan, Justin 1946

box 5, folder 33

Vicker, M. undated

box 5, folder 34

Welch, Ramon undated

box 5, folder 35

Young, Ed & Wife undated

box 5, folder 36

List of expelled members and charges [slides and photocopies] undated

National Convention 1959

box 6, folder 1

Program Materials 1959

box 6, folder 2

Declaration of Aims and Tasks 1959

box 6, folder 3

Resolutions 1959

box 6, folder 4

Preconvention Discussion Materials 1959

box 5, folder 5

Reports on the State of the Country 1959

box 5, folder 6

Horizons of the Future Pamphlet 1959

box 6, folder 7

Discussion on "The Negro Question" 1958-1959

box 6, folder 8

AFL Section 1959

box 6, folder 9

SF County Convention 1959

box 6, folder 10

District Convention 1959

box 6, folder 11

Convention Materials and Notes 1959

box 6, folder 12

California Labor School undated

box 6, folder 13

Committee for World Peace 1950

box 6, folder 14

Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee 1954

box 6, folder 15

Miscellaneous Culinary Employees Union, Local 110 1959-1964

Series 3: Lisette Kutnick papers 1950-2003, Bulk 1972-1986 1972-1986

Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) 1972-1985

box 7, folder 5

Memos and Reports 1972-1985

box 7, folder 6

Publications 1985-1985

Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) 1974-1996

Arrangement

This series is arranged hierarchically into the following subseries:

Subseries 3.1 Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA)

Subseries 3.2 Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU)

Subseries 3.3 Southwest Voter Registration Education Project

Subseries 3.4 AFL-CIO Committee on Evolution of Work Report

Subseries 3.5 Conference Materials

Subseries 3.6 News Clippings

box 7, folder 7

Constitution and By-laws 1974-1996

box 7, folder 8

Committee for International Support of Trade Union Rights (CISTUR) 1982-1985

Meeting Minutes

box 7, folder 9

Membership Meeting Minutes 1983-1986

Scope and Contents

Includes financial documents.

box 7, folder 10

Executive Board Meeting Minutes 1983-1986

box 7, folder 11

Bargaining 1983-1985

box 7, folder 12

Grievances and Charges 1987-2003

box 7, folder 13

Campaign Files 1980-1986

box 7, folder 14

Tentative Agreement with Sheet Metal Union Local 104 1997

box 7, folder 1

Personal 1950-1991

box 7, folder 3

Southwest Voter Registration Education Project 1985

box 7, folder 4

AFL-CIO Committee on Evolution of Work Report 1985

box 7, folder 15

Conference Materials 1982-1984

box 7, folder 16

News Clippings 1984-1986

Series 4: Assorted Publications 1935-1996

Arrangement

This series is arranged chronologically.

box 6, folder 16

Song Books and Pamphlets 1935-1954

box 6, folder 17

The Italians of San Francisco: Their Adjustment and Acculturation 1935

box 6, folder 18

History of Journalism in San Francisco 1940

box 6, folder 19

Flashes from Hollywood 1947

box 6, folder 20

Negro Heroes Comic and Soviet Humor Book 1947 1949

box 6, folder 21

Land of the Free, Home of the Brave 1996

Scope and Contents

Ten page booklet written by Esther Kutnick about her experience growing up with Communist parents during the Red Scare, focusing on her relationship with her father, Sam Kutnick.