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Eisman (William and Beatrice) papers
HLL.2019.004
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
Holt Labor Library at CSU Dominguez Hills
Title: William and Beatrice Eisman papers
Identifier/Call Number: HLL.2019.004
Physical Description:
3.34 Linear Feet
Physical Description:
8 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1964-2005
Abstract: The collection contains the personal and professional papers of William and Beatrice Eisman, political activists who founded
the U.S. / Vietnam Friendship Committee in 1979, which aimed to normalize relations between the U.S. and Vietnam, Cambodia,
and Laos. It includes correspondence, newsletters, press releases, articles, publications, and videocassettes.
Language of Material: Collection material is in English.
The William and Beatrice Eisman papers (1964-2005) comprises correspondence, newsletters, press releases, articles, and publications
that document the activities of various reparational and anti-war organizations, namely the U.S. / Vietnam Friendship Association,
in the years after the Vietnam War. Some subject files concerning the Chinese invasion of Vietnam and politically-motivated
attacks on Vietnamese emigres are present, as well as documents regarding the Association's fundraising for St. Paul Hospital
in Hanoi, Vietnam and the establishment of a preventative dental health program in Vietnamese schools. Other organizations
represented in the collection include the Association of Vietnamese Patriots in the United States, the Vietnamese Women's
Union, and the Campaign to Oppose the Return of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, among others. Videocassettes regarding the effects
of war in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and the Middle East are present as well.
Also included are subject files related to the environmental and public health effects of Agent Orange and the political situations
in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos after the wars. The collection also contains various periodicals, magazines, and other publications
regarding the anti-nuclear weapon movement, and records documenting the Veterans' Speakers Alliance successful lawsuit against
the U.S. Army at the end of the Persian Gulf War.
The collection was processed by Benjamin Cohen in 2006 at the Holt Labor Library in San Francisco, California. In 2019 Allison
Ransom edited the finding aid in ArchivesSpace at the Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University,
Dominguez Hills.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
The William and Beatrice Eisman papers were donated to the Holt Labor Library in San Francisco, California in 2005, and were
acquired by the Gerth Archives and Special Collections at California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2019.
Open for use by qualified researchers.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
The collection is arranged in three series: Series I. U.S. / Vietnam Friendship Association, 1978-2005; Series II. Conflicts
in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, 1964-2005; Series III. Other Conflicts and Issues, 1964-2005.
William Eisman (1922-1993) was a dentist as well as a political activist who worked to normalize relations between the U.S.
and Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. In the 1950s he joined a dental group in Southern California which developed a dental plan
for children of West Coast longshoreman, and in the 1970s he organized the first dental care center for the Sonoma County
Indian Health Project. After the 1975 U.S. defeat in Vietnam he formed the U.S. / Vietnam Friendship Association with his
wife, Beatrice Eisman, in 1979 to reconcile relations between Vietnam and the U.S., as well as Laos and Cambodia. He frequently
traveled to Vietnam and established a children's dental project there to provide dental equipment, toothbrushes, and a fluoride
mouth washing and oral examination program for over 800,000 Vietnamese children. Eisman also worked with the Committees of
Correspondence to reduce the U.S. military budget, and participated in other political actions related to the aftermath of
U.S. wars with Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Beatrice Eisman (1926-2014) was born in Monticello, New York, studied dietetics at Hunter College in New York City, and trained
at the Veteran's Hospital in Los Angeles. In 1979 she formed the U.S. / Vietnam Friendship Association with her husband, William
Eisman, which worked to normalize relations between the U.S. and Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia after the Vietnam War and other
associated conflicts. After witnessing the effects of Agent Orange upon visiting Vietnam, she became dedicated to fundraising
for the victims of the Vietnam war. The U.S. / Vietnam Friendship Association raised money to provide prostheses for about
100,000 Vietnamese victims of the war. After her husband's death, the Association continued to fundraise for various political
and reparational causes related to the U.S. role in destabilizing Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
"Beatrice Eisman," obituary.
San Francisco Chronicle Feburary 16, 2014.
William and Beatrice Eisman papers, 1964-2005, HLL.2019.004, Letter to U.S. / Vietnam Friendship Association, December 1993,
Box 2, Folder 2.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements -- United States
Agent Orange -- Health aspects
Nuclear disarmament -- Cold War -- 20th century
Dental public health -- Human rights advocacy -- Vietnam -- 20th century
Peace movements -- United States -- 20th century