Lee Roberts Pennington papers, 1909-1974

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Summary

Creators:
Pennington, Lee Roberts, 1894-1974
Abstract:
Correspondence, speeches, reports, memoranda, serial issues, clippings, and other printed matter relating to communism and other political issues in the United States, subversive activities in the United States, and investigative activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and private organizations collected by agent Lee Roberts Pennington, who specialized in investigating radical left wing activists when employed by the FBI.
Extent:
16 manuscript boxes (6.4 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Lee Roberts Pennington papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains correspondence, speeches, reports, memoranda, serial issues, clippings, pamphlets, and other printed matter relating to communism in the United States, subversive activities in the United States, the issues surrounding Watergate, the Vietnam War, and the Middle East, and investigative activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and private organizations.

Biographical / historical:

Correspondence, speeches, reports, memoranda, serial issues, clippings, and other printed matter, relating to communism in the United States, subversive activities in the United States, and investigative activities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and private organizations.

Date Event
1894
Born in Martinsburg, West Virginia
1920
Married Catherine Carter
1974
Died in Bethesda, Maryland
1953
Retired from FBI
1972
The Watergate scandal; Pennington under suspicion for destroying documents due to his connection with James W. McCord
1915
Received Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland
1917-1918
Served as Lieutenant in the 60th Infantry in World War I
1928
Began working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
1944
Served as Department Commander of the District of Columbia America Legion
1952-1954
Served as National Executive Commiteeman of the American Legion
1955
Became full-time Director of the American Legion's National Americanism Commission's counter-subversive activities in Washington, DC
1953-1974
Believed to be employed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1988.
Arrangement:

The collection is organized into five series: Biographical File, General Correspondence, Printed Matter, Speeches and Writings, and Subject File.

Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

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], Lee Roberts Pennington papers, [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
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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