Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Bert MacDonald Papers: Finding Aid
mssHM 66522-66575
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: Bert MacDonald Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1935-1950
Collection Number: mssHM 66522-66575
Creator:
MacDonald, Bert.
Extent: 54 items in 1 box
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains 54 items related to the investigations of United States War Department and Corp of Engineers agent
Bert MacDonald, who was
hired in 1942 to monitor and investigate communist and other radical groups in Los Angeles, California.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Bert MacDonald Papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Gift of Kenneth R. MacDonald, June 3, 1976.
Although Bert MacDonald uses the names Michael McDonald, Quink, and Chic in his
espionage work, it was decided to use the name Bert MacDonald throughout the
collection. He used that name when he joined the Army and became a Protective
Security Agent; we believe it to be his real name.
Bert MacDonald was a Protective Security Agent with the Corps of Engineers and the
War Department. He was hired in 1942 to monitor and investigate communist and other
radical groups in Los Angeles.
The 54 items, which are arranged chronologically, include correspondence, military
records, reports, programs, and a newsletter. The collection also contains some
ephemera related to the groups and individuals MacDonald was investigating. The
material before 1947 deals with MacDonald’s early Army career and his appointment as
a Security Protective Agent for the War Department and the Corps of Engineers. The
material after 1947 pertains to MacDonald’s espionage work and his monitoring of
radical groups in Los Angeles. These items include material MacDonald collected
about the groups as well as his reports on their activities. Some of the groups and
people he investigated are: the Congress of American Women, the Federation of
American Citizens of German Descent, Dr. Wesley A. Swift, Glendale School
Superintendent Willard S. Ford, and a conference on civil rights held by the Los
Angeles Community Relations Council. Also included is a copy of the newsletter
Alert: A Weekly Confidential Report on Communism and How to
Combat It.
The collection deals with the following subjects:
Anti-communist movements, anti-Jewish propaganda, Anti-Semitism, Communism,
espionage, race relations in the Untied States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, the Women’s International Democratic Federation, and
subversive activities. Some notable authors of correspondence are: Agnes Ayres,
George Van Horn Moseley, Gerald L. K. Smith, Colonel Edwin C. Kelton, and Major
General Ralph H. Van Deman.
Arranged chronologically.
Flynn, Elizabeth Gurley
- Subject in “Report on Congress of American Women,” (1947, July 31) by Bert MacDonald. HM 66548.
Swift, Wesley A.
- Subject in “Report on Meeting held by Wesley A. Swift,” (1948) by Bert MacDonald. HM 66557, 66559, 66561.
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Subject in Vere A. Beers letter (1942, Mar. 12) to Bert MacDonald. HM 66534.
United States. Race relations
- Subject in Bert MacDonald letter (1948, [before Aug. 16]) to “Dear Friend.” HM 66573.
- Subject in George Van Horn Moseley, 1874-1960, letter (1948, Aug. 16) to Bert MacDonald. HM 66574.
Women’s International Democratic Federation
- Subject in “Report on Congress of American Women,” (1947, July 31) by Bert MacDonald. HM 66548.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Flynn, Elizabeth
Gurley.
MacDonald,
Bert.
Swift, Wesley
A.
United States. Army.
Corps of Engineers.
United States. Federal
Bureau of Investigation.
United States. War
Dept.
Women's International
Democratic Federation.
Anti-communist movements --
California.
Anti-Jewish propaganda --
California.
Antisemitism -- California.
Communism -- California.
Espionage, American.
Internal security -- United
States.
Subversive activities --
California.
California -- History
-- 20th century -- Sources.
California -- Politics
and government -- 20th century --Sources.
United States -- Race
relations.
Letters (correspondence) -- California
-- 20th century.
Military records -- California -- 20th
century.
Newsletters -- California -- 20th
century.
Ayres, Agnes, 1896-1940.
Moseley, George Van Horn, 1874-1960.
Smith, Gerald L. K. (Gerald Lyman
Kenneth), 1898-1976.
Van Deman, Ralph H., 1865-1952.
Federation of American Citizens of
German Descent.