Raymond R. White collection, 1966-1985

Collection context

Summary

Creators:
White, Raymond R.
Abstract:
The Raymond R. White collection consists of documents relating to the Stanford antiwar movement and to the wider radical political and countercultural scene in the Palo Alto area in the late 1960s and early 1970s. White was a member of a conservative group, the Stanford branch of the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), that actively opposed campus radicals during this period. Along with other YAF members, White systematically collected materials published by and pertaining to Stanford radicals and the demonstrations that they organized. He also collected leaflets, pamphlets, and serial issues published by a variety of New Left organizations and counter-cultural groups in the greater Palo Alto area. The White collection includes some posters and a considerable number of fugitive and ephemeral materials not found in other collections pertaining to radical political movements at Stanford and in its vicinity during this period.
Extent:
3 manuscript boxes, 6 oversize boxes (9.5 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Raymond R. White collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Raymond R. White collection consists of documents relating to the Stanford antiwar movement and to the wider radical political and countercultural scene in the Palo Alto area in the late 1960s and early 1970s. White was a member of a conservative group, the Stanford branch of the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), that actively opposed campus radicals during this period. Along with other YAF members, White systematically collected materials published by and pertaining to Stanford radicals and the demonstrations that they organized. He also collected leaflets, pamphlets, and serial issues published by a variety of New Left organizations and counter-cultural groups in the greater Palo Alto area. The White collection includes some posters and a considerable number of fugitive and ephemeral materials not found in other collections pertaining to radical political movements in the Peninsula during this period.

While much of the White collection centers on the antiwar movement, it also has materials relating to the case of Stanford University professor and Venceremos leader H. Bruce Franklin, whose teaching career at Stanford ended in 1972, after prolonged proceedings initiated by the Stanford administration. Franklin's dismissal was controversial at the time, as were his political views. In addition to being a tenured English professor, Franklin was the leader of Venceremos, a Maoist organization that openly advocated armed struggle as part of its revolutionary program. The result of a split within the Revolutionary Union (which later became the Revolutionary Communist Party), Venceremos aligned itself with the Black Panther Party and other militant organizations active in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time.

The White collection comprises the largest set of documents in the archives specifically relating to Stanford and its environs during the turbulent era of the Vietnam War and the mass protests that arose in opposition to it. Although its creation and order were determined by the conservative political agenda of White and his collaborators, the collection will provide researchers with a detailed view of the groups that were most active in the radical movement at Stanford and in the Palo Alto area at the time. It will also show that Stanford had its own radical milieu, and although it was much smaller than the Berkeley movement of the same era, it was one that had a significant impact on campus life.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1950
Born, New Rochelle, New York
1967-1976
Studies at Stanford University, where he is active in conservative student groups
1973
Awarded doctorate in biology, Stanford University
1982-present
Teaches biology at City College of San Francisco
Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 2011.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Boxes 1-2 closed. Box 8 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of 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.

Terms of access:

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

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Raymond R. White collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563