Inventory of the William Schneiderman Papers
Processed by Rex Doane; machine-readable finding aid created by
James Lake
Labor Archives and Research Center
San Francisco State University
480 Winston Drive
San Francisco, California 94132
Phone: (415) 564-4010
Fax: (415) 564-3606
Email: larc@sfsu.edu
URL: http://www.library.sfsu.edu/special/larc.html
© 1999
San Francisco State University. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the William Schneiderman Papers
Accession number: 1988/104
Labor Archives & Research Center
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California
Contact Information:
- Labor Archives & Research Center
- San Francisco State University
- 480 Winston Drive
- San Francisco, California 94132
- Phone: (415) 564-4010
- Fax: (415) 564-3606
- Email: larc@sfsu.edu
- URL: http://www.library.sfsu.edu/special/larc.html
- Processed by:
- Rex Doane
- Date Completed:
- October 1990
- Encoded by:
- James Lake
© 1999 San Francisco State University. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: William Schneiderman Papers
Accession number: 1988/104
Creator:
Schneiderman, William, 1905-1985
Repository:
San Francisco State University. Labor Archives & Research Center
San Francisco, California 94132
Shelf location: For current information on the location of these
materials, please consult the Center's online catalog.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives & 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 & 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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William Schneiderman Papers, 1988/104, Labor Archives & Research Center,
San Francisco State University.
Introduction
This collection was donated by Leah Schneiderman, the wife of William Schneiderman, in 1988 under the direction of Robert
Cherny. The collection was processed by Rex Doane, October, 1990.
Biography
Born on December 14, 1905 in Romanov, Russia, William Schneiderman
was brought to the United States at the age of two by his parents. The
family settled in Chicago where Schneiderman's father worked in the
garment industry. The Schneidermans would later relocate to Los Angeles
in the 1920s after William's father contracted T.B. While in Los Angeles,
Schneiderman wrote in his autobiography that the "land of promise" had once
again "mocked" his family.
1
It was this disillusionment and the poverty that he
suffered as a child that helped to, in Schneiderman's words,
develop a strong "working-class consciousness"
2
early in life. At
age 16, Schneiderman joined the Young Communist League to begin
his long career of political activism. Schneiderman also held a
number of jobs while in Los Angeles during the Twenties. Letters
of recommendation found in this collection indicate that he worked
as a bookkeeper for the Upholstery Union No. 15, in a similar
capacity for the National Biscuit Company, and as an office clerk
for a local grocery. Despite working ten hour days, Schneiderman
attended night classes at UCLA. While enrolled, Schneiderman
actively opposed the compulsory ROTC program on campus. As a
result of his activities, school officials classified him as a
"non-citizen." The consequence of this change in status meant
that Schneiderman had to pay significantly higher tuition as a
non-resident in order to complete his education. The increase in
fees proved to be too much for the already strapped Schneiderman
and he was forced to drop out. He would finally receive his
degree some forty years later.
Schneiderman's political convictions continued to have an
impact on his personal fortunes. In 1925, he was fired from a job
he had held for five years. The Simon Levi Company stated that
Schneiderman was laid-off, "owing to some changes in our office
work."
3
Schneiderman held that his dismissal was the result of
being "fingered by the Red Squad." In 1927, Schneiderman's final
citizenship papers came through and they would later become the
source of some controversy. In 1930, Schneiderman was assigned by
the Communist Party to become a district organizer in the New
England area (a territory hard hit by unemployment). Schneiderman
was transferred a year later to Minneapolis, where a number of
party leaders had been indicted as a result of a "Red Scare."
Serving once again as a district organizer, Schneiderman was also
nominated as the Party's candidate for governor and received 5,000
votes. In 1935, Schneiderman spent a year in the Soviet Union and
was deeply impressed with what he thought to be the future for all
governments.
Returning to California, Schneiderman was appointed as state
secretary for the Communist Party, a position he held until 1957.
In 1939, the year of his marriage to Leah, the U.S. Justice
Department moved to deport Schneiderman on the basis of his
membership to the Communist Party during the time of his
naturalization. Schneiderman's citizenship trial would eventually
reach the Supreme Court where he was represented by Wendell Wilkie
without fee. Schneiderman won the case and soon made headlines
again, when in 1949 he and fourteen other communist leaders were
indicted under the Smith Act (a list of the individuals indicted
is included in the noteworthy individuals index at the end of this
guide). With the eventual Supreme reversal of the Smith Act,
Schneiderman resumed his active role within the Communist Party,
and as state secretary he delivered a number of speeches at the
various state and national conventions. In 1982, Schneiderman
wrote his autobiography,
Dissent on Trial, chronicling his
struggles as a life-long political activist. William Schneiderman
died on January 29, 1985.
1Schneiderman, William,
Dissent on Trial (MEP Publishing, Minneapolis, MN, 1983) p. 15.
2Ibid. p. 17.
3Simon Levi Co. letter of recommendation dated Nov. 28, 1925 Schneiderman Collection Box #2, folder #75
Scope and Content
The material within this collection chiefly focuses on
William Schneiderman's involvement in the Communist Party from
1931 until his retirement in the late 1960s. The types of
material in the collection include: official and personal
correspondence; court transcripts; newspaper clippings; Communist
Party memos, newsletters, and pamphlets; research material; speech
notes; and manuscript versions of both published and unpublished
writings. The largest segment of the collection are the
transcripts of speeches delivered by Schneiderman as California
State secretary at the Communist Party state and national
conventions. As long-time state secretary (and later chairman) of
the California Communist Party, Schneiderman offers a critical and
revealing view of the Party's development. As such, researchers
will value his insight into the Communist Party and its internal
turmoil. Issues often addressed by Schneiderman within his
speeches include the rights of minorities and a need to develop a
youth movement within the Party. Other issues include the steady
decline of membership (particularly in the 1950s and early 1960s)
and the developing ideological split in the party. Other
noteworthy series in the collection include the Schneiderman
citizenship case and the Smith Act trial materials. Included in
the citizenship case are the Supreme Court briefs, news clippings,
related correspondence, and the manuscripts of Schneiderman's
speeches during the trial. This case still serves as a
fundamental precedent for the rights of immigrants. Similarly,
the speech notes, court transcripts, and newspaper clipping in the
Smith Act series help further document the struggles endured by
the Communist Party in the United States. Please note that the
Smith Act transcripts included in this series are incomplete.
Researchers should value the unpublished epilogue to
Schneiderman's autobiography,
Dissent on Trial. Indicative of
Schneiderman's deep concern for the fate of the Communist Party,
the epilogue is outspoken and fairly critical. In it,
Schneiderman candidly writes that the Communist Party too quickly
dismissed criticisms of the Soviet Union and too often held that
these were merely distortions and falsehoods. While emphasizing
the continued allegiance to the ideals of communism, Schneiderman
warned that the Soviet Union could not be considered infallible
and that certain alterations in policy were appropriate and just.
The epilogue was considerably revised by Schneiderman prior to
publication.
Series Description
Series I. Citizenship Case,
1939-1943
Physical Description:
4 folders
Scope and Content Note
This series contains court briefs from February, 1941 to
October, 1942; court transcripts from December 7 to December 13,
1939; speeches from December, 1939 to June, 1941; newspaper
clippings from November, 1941 to June, 1943. Also included are
related pamphlets, petitions, and press releases issued by the
Schneiderman-Darcy Defense Committee and the Committee for
Citizenship Rights. In addition, Schneiderman's statement to the
press upon the Supreme Court decision to uphold his citizenship is
included as well as telegrams and letters of congratulations.
Series II. Un-American Committee Hearing, 3/27/39-12/02/41
Physical Description:
2 folders
Scope and Content Note
The series contains the 1939 court transcript and related
newspaper clippings, December 2, 1944.
Series III. Election Law, 9/27/40-1/12/44
Physical Description:
1 folder
Scope and Content Note
The series contains court briefs concerning the case between
Anita Whitney, California Communist Party candidate for State
Senator, and Frank Jordan, California Secretary of State.
Series IV. Smith Act Materials,
1949-1957
Physical Description:
53 folders
Scope and Content Note
This series includes an incomplete set of court transcripts;
related newspaper clippings, 1951 to 1957; related correspondence,
1955 to 1958; pamphlets, petitions, and newsletters from the
California Emergency Defense Committee. Also included are undated
speeches delivered by Schneiderman during the trial and Communist
Party reports and policy memos issued during the Smith Act trial.
Series V. Communist Party Convention Material,
ca.1950-1983
Physical Description:
9 folders
Scope and Content Note
The bulk of this series includes undated speeches given at
CP state and national conventions. Also included are materials
from the 1957 state convention; a report on the 20th Congress from
1956; speeches and draft election statement from the 1950
California State election; material from undated state reports;
and speeches concerning the Communist Party Platform, ca.1950 to
1958.
Series VI. Personal Papers,
ca.1920-1985
Physical Description:
7 folders
Scope and Content Note
This series contains correspondence from labor journalist
Sender Garlin, March, 1983 to November, 1984. Also included are
three letters from Gil Green in late 1962. In addition, there are
three booklets written by Schneiderman, school records and
miscellaneous personal research material.
Series VII.
Dissent on Trial material,
1983-1985
Physical Description:
2 folders
Scope and Content Note
This series contains a chronology of Schneiderman's life,
correspondence and reviews regarding
Dissent on Trial, an
unpublished foreword by Jessica Mitford and an unpublished
epilogue for the book.
Container List
Series I: CITIZENSHIP CASE, 1939-1943
Box-folder 1/3
Supreme Court Transactions
12/7/39-12/3/39
Box-folder 1/4
Newspaper Clippings
11/29/41-1/2/42
Box-folder 1/5
Miscellaneous
12/12/39-6/17/76/undated
Series II: UN-AMERICAN COMMITTEE HEARINGS, 3/27/39-12/2/41
Box-folder 1/6
Court Transcripts
3/27/39
Box-folder 1/7
Newspaper Clippings
12/2/41
Series III: ELECTION LAW, 9/27/40-1/12/44
Box-folder 1/8
Court Briefs
9/27/40-1/12/44
Series IV: SMITH ACT MATERIAL, 1949-1957
Box-folder 1/9
Court Briefs
10/1/56/undated
Box-folder 1/12
Newspaper Clippings
7/27/51-6/29/57
Box-folder 1/13
Miscellaneous
ca.1951-1959
Box-folder 1/14
C.P. Policy/Defense
ca.1951-1959
Box-folder 2/1
Court Transcripts
2/11/52
Box-folder 2/2
Court Transcripts
2/12/52
Box-folder 2/3
Court Transcripts
2/13/52
Box-folder 2/4
Court Transcripts
2/14/52
Box-folder 2/5
Court Transcripts
2/15/52
Box-folder 2/6
Court Transcripts
2/18/52
Box-folder 2/7
Court Transcripts
2/19/52
Box-folder 2/8
Court Transcripts
2/20/52
Box-folder 2/9
Court Transcripts
2/21/52
Box-folder 2/10
Court Transcripts
2/26/52
Box-folder 2/11
Court Transcripts
2/28/52
Box-folder 2/12
Court Transcripts
2/29/52
Box-folder 2/13
Court Transcripts
3/03/52
Box-folder 2/14
Court Transcripts
3/07/52
Box-folder 2/15
Court Transcripts
3/10/52
Box-folder 3/1
Court Transcripts
3/11/52
Box-folder 3/2
Court Transcripts
3/12/52
Box-folder 3/3
Court Transcripts
3/13/52
Box-folder 3/4
Court Transcripts
3/19/52
Box-folder 3/5
Court Transcripts
3/20/52
Box-folder 3/6
Court Transcripts
3/21/52
Box-folder 3/7
Court Transcripts
3/25/52
Box-folder 3/8
Court Transcripts
3/26/52
Box-folder 3/9
Court Transcripts
3/31/52
Box-folder 3/10
Court Transcripts
4/03/52
Box-folder 3/11
Court Transcripts
4/10/52
Box-folder 3/12
Court Transcripts
4/14/52
Box-folder 3/13
Court Transcripts
4/15/52
Box-folder 3/14
Court Transcripts
4/16/52
Box-folder 3/15
Court Transcripts
4/17/52
Box-folder 3/16
Court Transcripts
4/18/52
Box-folder 4/1
Court Transcripts
4/25/52
Box-folder 4/2
Court Transcripts
4/28/52
Box-folder 4/3
Court Transcripts
4/30/52
Box-folder 4/4
Court Transcripts
5/01/52
Box-folder 4/5
Court Transcripts
5/02/52
Box-folder 4/6
Court Transcripts
5/05/52
Box-folder 4/7
Court Transcripts
5/06/52
Box-folder 4/8
Court Transcripts
5/07/52
Box-folder 4/9
Court Transcripts
5/08/52
Box-folder 4/10
Court Transcripts
5/09/52
Box-folder 4/11
Court Transcripts
5/12/52
Box-folder 4/12
Court Transcripts
5/13/52
Box-folder 4/13
Court Transcripts
5/15/52
Box-folder 4/14
Court Transcripts
5/16/52
Box-folder 4/15
Court Transcripts
5/20/52
Box-folder 4/16
Court Transcripts
5/21/52
Series V: COMMUNIST PARTY CONVENTION MATERIAL, ca.1950-1987
Box-folder 5/1
20th Congress Meeting
4/5/56
Box-folder 5/2
National Convention Report
6/56
Box-folder 5/4
State Conventions
4/53/undated
Box-folder 5/5
State Conventions
ca.1945-1983
Box-folder 5/6
Party Election Platforms
ca.1945-50/undated
Series VI: PERSONAL PAPERS
Box-folder 5/10
Correspondence From S. Garlin
3/83-11/84
Box-folder 5/11
Correspondence From G. Green
10/1/63-12/3/63
Box-folder 5/12
Biographical Data
undated
Box-folder 5/13
School Records
ca.1958-1962
Box-folder 5/15
Miscellaneous Clippings
undated
Box-folder 5/16
Miscellaneous Writings
undated
Series VII:
DISSENT ON TRIAL
Box-folder 5/17
Reviews and Correspondence
12/1/81-8/31/84
Box-folder 5/18
Unpublished Epilogue
ca.1982
Box-folder 5/19
Jessica Mitford's Unpublished Forward
ca.1982
