Finding Aid for the James Richardson papers on the Ku Klux Klan in Southern California LSC.1818
Finding aid prepared by Krystal Appiah in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley
Wolfe Bachli, 2008; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
© 2009
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Business Number: 310-825-4988
Fax Number: 310-206-1864
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: James Richardson papers on the Ku Klux Klan in Southern California
Creator:
Richardson, James
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1818
Physical Description:
2.2 linear feet
(5 boxes, 1 shoe box)
Date (inclusive): 1910-1985 (bulk 1975-1985)
Date (bulk): 1975-1985
Abstract: Research materials, notes, transcripts and audio cassette interviews relating to the Ku Klux Klan group based in Southern
California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These materials were created, collected and assembled by James Richardson (b.
1953), who was a journalist and investigative reporter for
The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.) and other California newspapers. The collection contains Richardson's materials for his investigative
reporting on the Ku Klux Klan in Riverside. This includes Richardson's coverage of the 1980 43rd Congressional District election
between Republican Clair Burgener and Democrat Tom Metzger, the leader of the Ku Klux Klan in California. The only material
in the collection with no connection to the Ku Klux Klan is Richardson's reporting of the conspiracy and perjury trial of
San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Restrictions on Access
CONTAINS UNPROCESSED AUDIO MATERIALS: Audio materials are not currently available for access and will require further processing
and assessment. If you have questions about this material please email spec-coll@library.ucla.edu.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of James Richardson, August 8, 2008.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], James Richardson papers on the Ku Klux Klan in Southern California (Collection 1818). UCLA Library
Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Processing Note
Processed by Krystal Appiah in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley Wolfe Bachli,
2008.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating
existing description of our materials that contains language that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit
feedback about how our collections are described, and how they could be described more accurately, by filling out the form
located on our website:
Report Problematic Content and Description in UCLA's library collections and archives.
Biography
The bulk of the collection relates to the Ku Klux Klan group based in the Riverside-San Bernardino area in the late 1970s
and early 1980s. These materials were created, collected and assembled by James Richardson (b. 1953), who was a journalist
and investigative reporter for The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.) and other California newspapers.
During this period, the Ku Klux Klan had three branches in California, with the Riverside-San Bernardino group probably being
the largest. The Riverside-San Bernardino area "Realm of California" branch was initially part of the national organization
"Knights of the Ku Klux Klan," but split from the group in 1979 after disputes between Klan leader Thomas Metzger and Grand
Wizard David Duke. Metzger then created the separate organization "Ku Klux Klan of California" (also referred to as the "California
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan") and appointed himself State Director.
In 1980, Metzger made headlines when he won the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives with over
40,000 votes in a San Diego-area district. The Democrats disavowed his candidacy, instead endorsing incumbent four-term Republican
Clair Burgener. Metzger lost by over 200,000 votes, which was 86 percent of the vote.
Scope and Content
The collection contains Richardson's notes, transcripts and audio cassettes of interviews, and research materials for his
investigative reporting on the Ku Klux Klan in Riverside. This includes Richardson's coverage of the 1980 43rd Congressional
District election between Republican incumbent Clair Burgener and Democrat Tom Metzger, the leader of the Ku Klux Klan in
California.
The only material in the collection with no connection to the Ku Klux Klan is Richardson's reporting of the conspiracy and
perjury trial of San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock.
Organization and Arrangement
The original arrangement of the creator was maintained during processing. The only exceptions are for the notebooks and audio
cassette tapes which had no discernable order. The notebooks are arranged alphabetically by subject and the cassettes are
arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ku Klux Klan (1915- )–-California.
Richardson, James -- Archives
box 1, folder 2
Richardson, James--article draft
1980 March
box 1, folder 3
Interviews--miscellaneous
1980-1981
Scope and Contents note
Transcripts and typed notes of interviews with Ku Klux Klan members and public officials.
box 1, folder 5
Ku Klux Klan--rallies
1981-1982
Scope and Contents note
Clippings.
box 1, folder 6
Ku Klux Klan--publications
1979-1981
box 1, folder 7
Ku Klux Klan--clippings--Southern newspapers
1975-1980
box 1, folder 8
Anti-Defamation League of B'Nai B'rith
1979-1980
Scope and Contents note
Reports and newsletters.
box 1, folder 9
Anti-Defamation League of B'Nai B'rith
1979-1982
Scope and Contents note
Clippings of Ku Klux Klan activities.
box 1, folder 10
Anti-Ku Klux Klan activities
1980, undated
Scope and Contents note
Press releases, clippings, event announcements.
box 1, folder 11
Klanwatch Intelligence Report
1981-1983
box 1, folder 13
Interviews--Metzger, Tom and Subject "Y"
1979 November, 1980 February
box 1, folder 14
Ku Klux Klan--leaflets and pamphlets
1982, undated
box 2, folder 1
Metzger, Tom--notes
undated
box 2, folder 2
Ku Klux Klan--post-election update
1981 July-August
Scope and Contents note
Clippings, California state report, handwritten notes
box 2, folder 3
Duke, David
undated
Scope and Contents note
Pamphlets
box 2, folder 5
Ku Klux Klan--handbook
undated
box 2, folder 6
43rd Congressional District election--clippings
1980 March-November
box 2, folder 7
Ku Klux Klan and National Socialist Party--clippings
1981
box 2, folder 8
43rd Congressional District election--campaign trail
1980 October
Scope and Contents note
Richardson's notes on Burgener and Metzger.
box 2, folder 9
Ku Klux Klan--notes
1980 July 23
box 2, folder 10
Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations
1980 December
Scope and Contents note
Report
box 2, folder 11
Richardson, James--book proposal
1980
Scope and Contents note
Richardson's correspondence and notes to Doubleday editor.
box 2, folder 12
Metzger, Tom--clippings
undated
box 2, folder 13
Richardson, James--California Journal article
1980 September
box 2, folder 14
Ku Klux Klan--press releases
1978-1980
box 2, folder 15
Ku Klux Klan--government records
1980-1981
Scope and Contents note
Motor vehicle registrations and court records involving Ku Klux Klan members.
box 2, folder 16
Ku Klux Klan--internal grievances
1978-1981
box 2, folder 17
Johnson, Paul
1979-1980
Scope and Contents note
Riverside City Council candidate with alleged involvement with Ku Klux Klan.
box 2, folder 18
Ku Klux Klan--clippings
1977-1979
box 2, folder 19
Ku Klux Klan--clippings and photographs
1980-1982
box 3, folder 1
Ku Klux Klan--demonstration
undated
Scope and Contents note
Notes.
box 3, folder 2
Ku Klux Klan--Fresno
1980 January
Scope and Contents note
Clipping.
box 3, folder 3
Pepper, George
1910-1911, 1980-1985, undated
Scope and Contents note
Handwritten notes, transcript of interview with James Richardson, correspondence with Ku Klux Klan members, photocopy of Encyclopedia
Britannica entry for "Negro."
box 3, folder 4
Howard, Dovard--shooting
1980, undated
Scope and Contents note
Notes, clipping.
box 3, folder 5
43rd Congressional District election--election night
1980 November
Scope and Contents note
Notes, election returns, clippings, campaign materials.
box 3, folder 6
Burgener, Clair--campaign materials
1974, 1980, undated
box 3, folder 7
43rd Congressional District election--primary election
1980 March-September
Scope and Contents note
Interviews, notes, clippings relating to primary election and responses to Metzger's victory.
box 3, folder 8
43rd Congressional District election--Democratic Party resolutions
1980
box 3, folder 9
Metzger, Tom--campaign literature
1980
box 3, folder 10
Metzger, Tom--campaign financial reports
1980 October-December
box 3, folder 11
National Minority Advisory Council on Criminal Justice
1979 October
Scope and Contents note
Transcript of proceedings at which Tom Metzger spoke.
box 3, folder 12
Dent, Robert
1980 October
Scope and Contents note
Probation officer report for murder conviction of fellow Ku Klux Klan member.
box 3, folder 13
Ku Klux Klan--Southern California activities
1977-1980, undated
Scope and Contents note
Clippings, interviews, notes.
box 4, folder 1
Ku Klux Klan--photographs
1980-1981, undated
box 4, folder 2
Thompson, Jerry--clippings
1980
Scope and Contents note
Articles of Tennessean newspaper reporter who went undercover as Ku Klux Klan member.
box 4, folder 3
Oceanside incident
1980 March 16
Scope and Contents note
Clippings, notes.
box 4, folder 4
Oceanside incident
1980 March 17-20
Scope and Contents note
Clippings.
box 4, folder 5
Ku Klux Klan--clippings--San Diego newspapers
1980 October 14-16
box 4, folder 6
Oceanside incident--wire photographs
1980 March 15
box 4, folder 7
Hedgecock, Roger--trial
1984-1985
Scope and Contents note
Conspiracy and perjury trial of San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock. Clippings, notes, correspondence. This folder contains the
only material in the collection with no connection to the Ku Klux Klan.
box 4, folder 8
43rd Congressional District election--opposition and election statistics
1980 October-November
Scope and Contents note
Notes, interviews of Metzger's opponents, election results predictions.
box 4, folder 9
Yellen, Ben--newsletters
1969, 1980
Scope and Contents note
Water and land issues in the Imperial Valley, California
box 4, folder 10
Richardson, James--clippings
1980 April-October
Scope and Contents note
Articles published in Press-Enterprise.
box 5, folder 1
Burgener, Clair--notes
1980 October
Scope and Contents note
Three notebooks.
box 5, folder 2
Burgener, Clair--notes
undated
Scope and Contents note
Two notebooks.
box 5, folder 3
Election night--notes
1980 November 4
Scope and Contents note
One notebook.
box 5, folder 4
Interviews--notes
undated
Scope and Contents note
One notebook.
box 5, folder 5
Metzger, Tom--notes
undated
Scope and Contents note
Two notebooks.
box 5, folder 6
Pepper, George--notes
undated
Scope and Contents note
One notebook.
box 5, folder 7
Richardson, James--address book
undated
box 6, folder 1
Interviews--Pepper, George and John Edens--audio cassette
1979 December 18
box 6, folder 2
Interviews--Pepper, George and John Edens--audio cassette
1979 December 18
box 6, folder 3
Interviews--Ku Klux Klan meeting--audio cassette
1980 January 20
box 6, folder 4
Interviews--Fraley, Bernie Lee and George Pepper--audio cassette
1980 February 8
box 6, folder 5
Interviews--Metzger, Tom--audio cassette
1980 February 13
Scope and Contents note
Parts 1 and 2.
box 6, folder 6
Interviews--Metzger, Tom--audio cassette
1980 February 13
Scope and Contents note
Parts 3 and 4.
box 6, folder 7
Interviews--Alcorn, Irvin--audio cassette
1980 February 22
box 6, folder 8
Interviews--Oceanside incident--audio cassette
1980 March 15
box 6, folder 9
Interviews--Pepper, George--audio cassette
1980 April 25
box 6, folder 10
Interviews--Johnson, Paul and Clair Burgener--audio cassette
1980 July 10, 1980 September 26
box 6, folder 11
Interviews--Anti-Ku Klux Klan march--audio cassette
1980 October 4
Scope and Contents note
Progressive Labor Party and International Committee against Racism.
box 6, folder 12
Interviews--Solomon, Ben--audio cassette
1980 October 29
Scope and Contents note
NAACP leader.
box 6, folder 13
Interviews--Burgener, Clair and Tom Metzger--audio cassette
1980 October 21 and 22
box 6, folder 14
Interviews--Metzger, Tom--audio cassette
1980 October 22
Scope and Contents note
At El Centro Detention Center
box 6, folder 15
Interviews--Metzger, Tom and Ben Yellen--audio cassette
1980 October 22
Scope and Contents note
At El Centro Detention Center and Brawley, California.
box 6, folder 16
Interviews--Metzger, Tom--audio cassette
1980 October 24
Scope and Contents note
San Diego County Democratic Central Committee trial.
box 6, folder 17
Interviews--Morrow, Floyd--audio cassette
1980 October 24
Scope and Contents note
Chairperson, San Diego County Democratic Central Committee.
box 6, folder 18
Interviews--Cross burning-audio cassette
1980 November 1
Scope and Contents note
Parts 1 and 2. At George Pepper's house in Fontana.
box 6, folder 19
Interviews--Cross burning--audio cassette
1980 November 1
Scope and Contents note
Part 3.
box 6, folder 20
Interviews--Election night--audio cassette
1980 November 4
Scope and Contents note
Tom Metzger, Larry Kapiloff, Connie Lemen, Tim Field
box 6, folder 21
Interviews--Johnson, P. and NAACP anti-Ku Klux Klan march--audio cassette
undated
