Pacifica Views newsletters and records, 1943-1947

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Summary

Title:
Pacifica Views newsletters and records
Dates:
1943-1947
Creators:
Pacifica Associates of Glendora, Foote, Caleb, 1917-2006, Reeves, George B., and Wilcher, Denny, 1914-1993
Abstract:
A collection of 100 issues of Pacifica Views, a four-page newsletter published at Conscientious Objector (CO) Camp Number 76 in Glendora, California. A group of men, referring to themselves as "Pacifica Associates of Glendora" started the "independent weekly pacifist publication" during World War II. This collection begins with Volume 1, Number 8, issued on July 30, 1943, and ends with Volume 3, Number 43, issued on March 29, 1946. Also included is a small amount of correspondence, fundraising appeals, news sheets titled "Strike News," and a flyer. The collection illustrates the activities and perspectives of conscientious objectors, who were persecuted for their pacifist stance during wartime and forced into work camps.
Containers:
Box: 1
Extent:
0.21 Linear Feet 1 box
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder no. or item name], Pacifica Views newsletters and records, Collection no. 7143, Regional History Collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of 100 issues of Pacifica Views, a four-page newsletter published at Conscientious Objector (CO) Camp Number 76 in Glendora, California. A group of men referring to themselves as "Pacifica Associates of Glendora" started the independent weekly pacifist publication. Pacifica Views "will seek to stimulate serious thought concerning both the basic and particular problems of pacifists" in the hopes that it will grow into "an organ for the interchange of ideas on these and other subjects." Aside from the issues of Pacifica Views, the collection also contains a small amount of correspondence, fundraising appeals, news sheets titled "Strike News," and a flyer.

The collection includes: Vol. 1, Nos. 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 44, 46, 49, 50, 51, 52; Vol. 2, Nos. 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 38, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51; Vol. 3, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 43.

The USC Libraries Special Collections holds a related collection, Collection on conscientious objectors (no. 6270), which includes the following issues of Pacifica Views: Vol. 1, No. 12-15, 32, 34, and 40-43; Vol. 2, No. 3, 16, 22-24, 29-37, and 39; and Vol. 3, No. 13 and 27. See the link under "Related Materials."

In his article "Pacifica Views and Radical Pacifism," published in 2017 in Peace & Change magazine, Jeffrey Kovac called Pacifica Views a "lively forum for discussion among radical pacifists." The editorial in the first issue describes the purpose of Pacifica Views: "The Pacifist Movement needs constructive discussion and critical evaluation of its ideals and objectives." Kovac also provided the following statement on the scope and contents of Pacifica Views:

"Each issue of PV had a lead article on page one, often more than a page long. The left-hand column of page two was an editorial, usually unsigned. The remaining space included contributions from readers, news, and reviews of articles, books, and films. Unsigned editorials and articles were the product of the editorial team, the rather mysterious Pacifica Associates who were no identified. Contributions from readers, however, were signed. Although evidence is scarce, it appears PV never had a circulation of more than about seven hundred, but it was an active readership. Over the four years, there were nearly 150 different contributors beyond the editorial staff."

For its first two years, PV was published by men at CO Camp 76, a forest service camp in Glendora. The work there included fire and soil studies, a tree survey along with tree planting, firefighting, and maintaining recreational areas. It was administered by the American Friends Service Committee and had a diverse population. There were 216 men in camp, reporting 35 different denominations and 36 with no religious affiliation.

One of the major figures in the founding of PV was Henry V. Geiger, Jr., who was born in New York and moved to Los Angeles where he was a magazine writer and employed as an editor by the Theosophy Company. He was a member of the United Lodge of Theosophists in Los Angeles, which reportedly helped with financial support for Pacifica Views. In 1944, Geiger was released from Civilian Public Service (CPS) and, failing to find someone to take over, publication of PV moved to San Francisco. The move is explained in the June 1945 issue of Pacifica Views.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Johnson Rare Books Archives, February 1, 2023.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Bo Doub
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-03-22 14:58:07 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Advance notice required for access.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections 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.

Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder no. or item name], Pacifica Views newsletters and records, Collection no. 7143, Regional History Collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Location of this collection:
Special Collections
Doheny Memorial Library, Room 209
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0182, US
Contact:
(213) 740-5900
specol@usc.edu
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