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Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training records
2011C32  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Use
  • Acquisition Information
  • Preferred Citation
  • Historical Note
  • Scope and Content of Collection

  • Title: Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training records
    Date (inclusive): 1966-1972
    Collection Number: 2011C32
    Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
    Language of Material: Mainly in English
    Physical Description: 18 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box (7.2 Linear Feet)
    Abstract: Sound recordings and transcripts of proceedings, and correspondence, memoranda, and conference papers, preparatory to and resulting from the conference, relating to international communist party cadre selection and leadership training.
    Creator: Walker, Richard L. (Richard Louis), 1922-2003
    Creator: Lundquist, Darrel W.
    Creator: Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training (Conference) (Location of meeting: University of South Carolina. Date of meeting or treaty signing: 1969.)
    Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

    Access

    The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

    Use

    For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2011.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

    Historical Note

    Richard L. Walker, director of the Institute of International Studies at the University of South Carolina, in 1966 conceived the idea of a conference at which veterans of leadership training schools of the Communist International and of communist parties in the Soviet Union, China and other countries might discuss and compare their experiences. The idea was approved by university officials and funding secured from the Carthage Foundation. Darrel W. Lundquist was selected as project manager for the conference, working under the general supervision of Walker. The process of selecting and inviting potential conference participants began in 1967. More than 200 potential participants were identified and considered. In addition to former communists who had gone through communist cadre training programs, these included academic experts on comparative communist systems and even a few active communists. Many candidates were contacted and responded through correspondence or by granting interviews to Lundquist, who traveled extensively for this purpose. Some who could not attend submitted written accounts of their experiences.
    The conference, under the title Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training, was finally held on the University of South Carolina campus at Columbia from September 9 to 13, 1969. Thirty-two participants attended, of whom twenty-one had had personal experience as students in communist party schools in the Soviet Union, China, Poland, Hungary, North Korea, Cuba, Germany, France, Italy or the United States, while eleven were noted academic authorities on communism. Conference proceedings included both general sessions and smaller discussion group sessions. Plans were made to edit some of the conference talks and other papers submitted for publication. Efforts to arrange publication continued until at least 1972, but were never realized.
    The conference records were deposited at the Heritage Foundation, from whence they were acquired by the Hoover Institution in 2011.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The conference records fall into two series-- Proceedings of the conference proper, and Supporting Documents. The Proceedings consist of tape recording transcripts of both the general sessions of the conference and of the smaller group discussions. These are fairly raw; they have been edited only lightly.
    The Supporting Documents include a large numerical file of potential participants. The basis for the numerical order of listing is not readily apparent and may be arbitrary. The contents of the 246 individual files composing the series vary greatly. Some consist only of biographical notes about the file's subject or unanswered letters of invitation. In other cases there is substantive correspondence, a substantive summary of an interview with the individual, and/or a substantive written memoir or conference paper. The files of many of the persons who were contacted but did not actually attend the conference nevertheless contain very significant material. Those contacted included North Americans, Latin Americans, Europeans, Africans, Asians and Australians, whose collective experience covered communist party activities from throughout the world from the 1920s to the 1960s. Most of the leading academic authorities on communism internationally as of 1969 were contacted in conjunction with the conference project, and many of their files also contain significant input.
    Over all, between the Proceedings and the Supporting Documents, the quantity and range of material assembled on the specific subject of international selection and training of cadre by communist parties is unparalleled and perhaps unique.
    There is some redundancy in the collection in the form of duplicate photocopies of most items.
    It is not clear when or by whom the computer disks were created. The statistical and comparative data they contain is keyed to the numerical file material by file number.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Audiotapes
    Communist education
    Communist party work