Title: Socialist Party of the United States of America Records
Inclusive Dates: 1909-1965

Creator:

• Socialist Party of the United States of America

Call Number: Mss 12; Micro 2094

Quantity: 4.0 c.f. (10 archives boxes) and 1 reel of microfilm (35mm)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records of that branch of American socialism which has gradually moved toward the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. The papers mainly date from the late 1920's to the early 1950's, most are duplicates received from the main collection of Socialist Party materials at Duke University. Included are correspondence and circular letters, minutes of various committees, reports of proceedings of conventions, copies of campaign speeches by Norman Thomas and others, newsletters, press releases, memoranda to the executive committee, resource materials, resolutions, and policy statements and position papers.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00012

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The Socialist Party of America was founded in 1901, from a fusion of the Social Democratic Party and the so-called “Rochester” faction of the Socialist Labor Party. For a time the Socialist Party gained membership and electoral strength rapidly, reaching a pinnacle in 1912 of nearly one million votes or 16 percent of the electorate. Internal disputes, however, prevented the Party from advancing further. In 1913, approximately fifteen percent of the Socialist Party's members left its ranks over the issue of sabotage and syndicalism generally. In 1919, Socialist Party leaders expelled a majority of the Party's members, chiefly those who identified themselves with the leaders of the Russian Revolution. By 1921 the internal struggle, along with government repression, reduced the Socialist Party to a slight fraction of its former size.

The Socialist Party never fully recovered from the splits of 1919 to 1921. In the 1920s it assumed a position to the right of the Communist Party and accepted the leadership of Norman Thomas. In the 1930s, international and national pressures threw the Socialist Party Right against its Left, resulting finally in the withdrawal of the extreme moderates from the Party in 1936 to form the Social Democratic Federation. In 1938 the extreme Left wing was expelled from the Party, and moved toward the formation of the Socialist Workers Party.

In the 1940s and 1950s the Socialist Party almost fully accepted the premises of American foreign policy toward the Soviet Union and drew increasingly closer to orthodox American liberalism. In 1957, the Party merged with the Social Democratic Federation, and in 1958 accepted the membership of the Independent Socialist League. But despite unity, the Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation (as it was renamed in 1958) continued to shrink in size and influence. By the 1960s the Socialist Party, retaining only a few well-known spokesmen, such as Norman Thomas and Erich Fromm, was scarcely more than an appendage to the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. It rarely contested elections, its press was reduced to the monthly newspaper, New America, and its membership was no more than a few thousand.

These Socialist Party papers are primarily duplicates of materials held at Duke University. The exceptions include a volume containing the minutes of the 1919 National Convention, and a small amount of correspondence. Although the collection includes items from 1907 to 1965, the bulk of the material covers the period from the late 1920s to the early 1950s.

The National Office of the Socialist Party was in Chicago until late 1940 when it was relocated in New York. Consequently, materials originating from the Socialist Party of Illinois and Cook County locals are in evidence before 1940 and, beginning about 1939, a fairly large amount of material from the Socialist Party of New York state and various New York City locals is included.

The papers are arranged in ten series: correspondence; circular letters; minutes; conventions and constitutions; campaigns; newsletters; press releases; reports and memoranda; resource materials, resolutions and policy statements, and position papers; and miscellaneous materials. For the most part, the papers in each series are arranged according to issuing body and chronologically thereunder.

CORRESPONDENCE: This series is predominantly copies of typed letters relating to party organization, work of locals, and petition drives. Included are three colorful letters describing attempts to organize farm workers in California in the late 1940s. A selected list of significant correspondents is in an Appendix to this finding aid.

CIRCULAR LETTERS: This series consists of circular letters emanating from the National Office and other bodies; 1917-1919, 1923-1965. The letters were mimeographed and circulated both to the general membership and to key individuals. They are generally concerned with the more practical aspects of party life such as fund raising and membership drives.

MINUTES: This series consists of the minutes of various bodies, including the National Action Committee, the National Executive Committee, the Anti-War Committee, and the National Conventions. The minutes reveal the internal life of the Socialist Party from the 1919 split to the persistent financial embarrassment and dwindling membership which characterized the 1940s and 1950s. Especially apparent are the split at the 1919 convention, the minutes of which constitute a very important document in the history of American politics; the unsuccessful drives for party rejuvenation in 1945 to 1946 and 1948; the determination to run candidates for national office when nearly all other party functions had ceased; and the final abandoning of national campaigns.

CONVENTIONS AND CONSTITUTIONS: This series includes reports and proceedings of national conventions, 1936 to 1958, as well as the constitutions of the Socialist Party for 1944, 1948, and 1952. One folder contains constitutions and information relating to the conventions of the New York City and state Socialist organizations.

CAMPAIGNS: This series includes material directly related to the process of campaigning, such as handbooks to guide locals in the running of campaigns, biographical sketches and lists of speakers, itineraries of campaign tours, and speeches. While most of these speeches were probably delivered in the course of political campaigns, some date from periods of little or no campaign activity, but were kept with the campaign speeches for the convenience of the researcher.

The Socialist Party began using national radio networks as a medium for its speakers in 1936. The series includes radio speeches, most of them delivered by Norman Thomas, as well as other addresses by Mr. Thomas, covering the years 1940 to 1961.

Since political campaigns were a constant concern of the Socialist Party, materials relating to individual campaigns may be found throughout the collection. Folders in this series are arranged alphabetically.

NEWSLETTERS: Newsletters and bulletins are included in this series. In addition to general informational bulletins such as “News and Views” and “Progress Report,” the series includes a number of newsletters of special interest: “Socialist Action” (1935-1936) outlines organizing procedures and techniques for party locals (issue no. 3 is devoted to the role of women in the party); the Negro Labor News Service publication (1929-1931) contains articles on racial problems and socialist solutions; “Socialist C.O.” (1942-1945) contains articles on conscientious objection, pacifism, and Civilian Public Service (CPS) camps; “Fraternally Yours” and later, the monthly newsletter of the Serviceman's Committee (1943-1945) brought Socialist Party news to men in uniform; and “Notes for Speakers” (1933) and other outlines contain information about economic conditions in early depression years. The series is arranged in the following order: (1) various newsletters from the National Office, chronologically; (2) selected newsletters from the National Office, alphabetically; (3) newsletters issued by state and local organizations, by issuing body; and (4) newsletters not issued by the Socialist Party or affiliates, chronologically.

PRESS RELEASES: This series is divided into two categories: regular releases from Socialist Party Press Services (1929-1936), and special press releases (1913-1961). Regular press service releases, under various titles, are arranged chronologically; special press releases are arranged by issuing office.

MEMORANDA, REPORTS: This series includes memoranda, on a variety of issues, directed to members of the National Executive Committee. Since these were meant for the information of party officials and not for publication, they tend to be personal, candid reports. Three memoranda, in typescript, bear corrections in Norman Thomas' handwriting and his signature. One of these concerns the party's anti-war stand and the relationship of the U.S. to Europe (1940, Dec. 6); another is a “Memorandum on Japanese Situation in California” (circa 1942). Other memoranda include “Auto Report no. 2” [on the UAW] (1938) and “Report on the C. P. [Communist Party] in the Southern Conference” (circa 1944).

RESOURCE MATERIALS, RESOLUTIONS AND POLICY STATEMENTS, AND POSITION PAPERS: Resource materials consist of information on various types of cooperative activities ranging from municipal coal yards to community dancing. These materials, along with some statistical information, were released by the Information Department (circa 1914-1916).

Resolutions and policy statements are internal expressions of socialist opinion on various topics, Evidently, many were prepared to be voted on by the membership.

Position papers are public expressions of socialist points of view, Many are concerned with explaining what socialism is, what it has done, and what it proposes to do.

The series is arranged according to type of material, in the order given above.

MISCELLANEOUS: This series includes bibliographies of writings available from, or recommended by, the Socialist Party; financial reports showing National Office expenditures (1929, 1939-1961); copies of local ordinances, state statutes and bills (1909-1948); lists of Socialist Party members (incomplete) and miscellaneous lists of names and addresses (1937-1950); Membership Reports showing numbers of Socialist Party members, by states, for the years 1928, 1929, 1930, 1940 and 1956; and total membership figures for the years 1900 to 1932.

The last three folders in this series contain miscellaneous printed material and ephemera, including pamphlets, flyers, newspaper clippings, and brochures (1900-circa 1961).

Folders in this series are arranged alphabetically

Acquisition Information

Duplicates received from Duke University Library, Durham, N.C., June 21, 1967; Vol. 1 purchased by the State Historical Society, July 23, 1952.

Processing Information

Processed by Paul Buhle, February 15, 1968, and by Barbara Kaiser, June 11, 1970.

Mss 12	Series: Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1	1913-1942
Box   1 Folder   2	1943-1947
Box   1 Folder   3	1948-1961
Box   1 Folder   4	Undated
	Series: Circular Letters	⇧
	National Office
Box   1 Folder   5	1917-1929, Aug.
Box   1 Folder   6	1929, Sept. - 1930
Box   1 Folder   7	1931
Box   1 Folder   8	1932-1936, Aug,
Box   1 Folder   9	1936, Sept. - 1937
Box   1 Folder   10	1938-1939
Box   2 Folder   1	1940, Jan. - Oct.
Box   2 Folder   2	1940, Nov. - 1942
Box   2 Folder   3	1943-1946
Box   2 Folder   4	1947-1948
Box   2 Folder   5	1949-1953
Box   2 Folder   6	1954-1965, undated
Box   2 Folder   7	Local Cook County (Illinois), 1934-1937
Box   2 Folder   8	Socialist Party of Illinois, 1935-1937
Box   2 Folder   9	Local New York, N.Y.C. Branches, 1936-1961
Box   2 Folder   10	Socialist Party, New York State, 1940-1956
Box   2 Folder   11	Circular letters, minutes, etc., various locals, 1923-1948
Box   2 Folder   12	Various independent committees for socialist candidates, 1932-1952
Box   2 Folder   13	Friends of the Debs Column (Spanish Civil War), 1937, May-1952
Box   2 Folder   14	Socialist Call and Call Association, 1938-1964
Box   3 Folder   1	S.D.F. (Social Democratic Federation), National Office and New York local, 1944-1954
Box   3 Folder   2	Various organizations, 1931-1964?
	Series: Minutes	⇧
Box   3 Folder   3	City Central Committee, Local New York, 1935, Dec. - circa 1964
Box   3 Folder   4	Executive Committee, Local New York, 1937, Jan. - 1950, Dec.
Box   3 Volume 1	“Proceedings of the National Convention of the Socialist Party at Machinist's Hall Chicago, Illinois, Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, 1919” 786 p.
Micro 2094	Microfilm copy of Proceedings
Mss 12	National Executive Committee
Box   4 Folder   1	1931, June - 1943, Nov.
Box   4 Folder   2	1944, Feb. - 1957, Oct.
	National Action Committee
Box   4 Folder   3	1939, Jan. - 1940, Dec.
Box   4 Folder   4	1941, Jan, - 1942, Dec.
Box   4 Folder   5	1943, Jan. - 1945, Dec.
Box   4 Folder   6	1946, Jan. - 1956, Dec.
Box   5 Folder   1	1957, Feb. - 1961, Aug.
Box   5 Folder   2	Anti-War Committee, 1939, May - 1941, July
Box   5 Folder   3	National Campaign Committee, 1940-1944
Box   5 Folder   4	National Labor Committee, 1942
Box   5 Folder   5	National Conventions, 1940, 1944, 1946, 1954
Box   5 Folder   6	New York State Socialist Party, 1936, Dec. - 1949, March
Box   5 Folder   7	Committees, Local New York, 1948-1950
Box   5 Folder   8	Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation National Committee, 1958-1961
Box   5 Folder   9	Socialist Unity conferences, committees, 1939; 1946-1958
Box   5 Folder   10	Miscellaneous committees, organizations, 1929-1959
	Series: Conventions and Constitutions	⇧
	National Convention reports, proceedings
Box   5 Folder   11	1936-1940
Box   5 Folder   12	1942-1948
Box   6 Folder   1	1950-1958
Box   6 Folder   2	Constitutions, Socialist Party of USA, 1938-1952
Box   6 Folder   3	Constitutions, conventions, New York State Socialist Party and Local New York, 1936-1953
	Series: Campaigns	⇧
Box   6 Folder   4	Biographies of candidates, 1930-1959
Box   6 Folder   5	Campaign handbooks, 1944-1952
Box   6 Folder   6	Campaign tours - itineraries and schedules, 1936-1952
Box   6 Folder   7	Lists of speakers, 1940-1952
Box   6 Folder   8	Norman Thomas speeches, 1940-1961
Box   6 Folder   9	Radio broadcasts, 1936-1958
	Series: Newsletters	⇧
	Various newsletters, National Office
Box   6 Folder   10	1934-1945
Box   6 Folder   11	1946-1958
Box   7 Folder   1	“Bare Facts” for Socialist Speakers, various discussion outlines, 1939-circa 1951
Box   7 Folder   2	Fraternally Yours, servicemen's letter, 1943-1945
Box   7 Folder   3	Negro Labor News Service, 1929, Nov. - 1931, Oct.
Box   7 Folder   4	Notes for Speakers, 1933, Jan. - Nov.
Box   7 Folder   5	Socialist C.O., 1942, Dec. - 1945, April
Box   7 Folder   6	Socialist Campaigner, 1940, Aug. - 1944, Dec.
Box   7 Folder   7	Newsletters, bulletins, New York State Socialist Party and N.Y.C. Locals, 1934-1956
Box   7 Folder   8	Newsletters, various S.P. Locals and state organizations, circa Sept. 1936-1960
Box   7 Folder   9	Newsletters, bulletins, not Socialist Party publications, 1933-1949
Box   7 Folder   10	La Follette campaign publicity leaflets, 1924
	Series: Press Releases	⇧
Box   8 Folder   1	Weekly Press News, 1929, Jan. - Aug.
	Labor and Socialist Press News
Box   8 Folder   2	1929, Aug. - 1931, May
Box   8 Folder   3	1931, June - 1936, July
Box   8 Folder   4	News and Features from the Labor and Socialist Press Service, 1936, July - Dec.
	Press releases
	National Office
Box   8 Folder   5	1913-1943
Box   8 Folder   6	1944-1948, Aug.
Box   8 Folder   7	1948, Sept. - circa 1961
Box   9 Folder   1	Local New York, 1936-1957, Dec.
Box   9 Folder   2	Miscellaneous, 1930-1961
	Series: Memoranda, Reports	⇧
Box   9 Folder   3	1930-1941
Box   9 Folder   4	1942-1948
Box   9 Folder   5	1949-1961
	Series: Resource Materials, Resolutions and Policy Statements, and Position Papers	⇧
	Information Department resource materials
Box   9 Folder   6	Circa 1914-1915
Box   9 Folder   7	1915-1916
Box   9 Folder   8	Resolutions, policy statements, 1918-1961
Box   9 Folder   9	Position papers, circa 1930-1960
	Series: Miscellaneous	⇧
Box   10 Folder   1	Bibliographies, circa 1915-circa 1949
Box   10 Folder   2	Financial reports, 1929-1961
Box   10 Folder   3	Legal briefs, 1944, 1948
Box   10 Folder   4	Legislation, 1909-1948
Box   10 Folder   5	Membership lists, miscellaneous lists of names, 1937-1950, undated
Box   10 Folder   6	Membership reports, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1940, 1956
	Miscellaneous printed material and ephemera
Box   10 Folder   7	1900's-1935
Box   10 Folder   8	1936-1945
Box   10 Folder   9	1946-circa 1961

1934, Nov. 26	Father Chas. Coughlin to Sam Verne (socialism and Christianity)	typed, carbon copy
1940, May 20	Anton Garden to Norman Thomas (moving Call to N.Y.)	mimeographed or otherwise reproduced
1940, June 19	Norman Thomas to Detroit Comrades (CP, Walter Reuther and SP)	handwritten carbon copy/typed carbon copy
1940, July 12	Robert Jackson to Norman Thomas (FBI investigation of SP)	typed carbon copy
(1940?)	Norman Thomas to Rep. Jerry Voorhis (amendment to bill)	postal telegram/carbon copy
(1940?)	Violet Thomas to Harry (Fleishman) (progress of campaign tour)	typed
1941, Feb. 28	Norman Thomas to Comrade Tulchen (America First Committee)	typed carbon copy
1942, Aug. 14	Emanuel Cellar to Norman Thomas (situation of India in wartime)	typed/signed
1942, Sept. 2	Harry Fleishman and N. T. to Gandhi (wishing success in establishing independence)	typed carbon copy
1943, April 2	Harry Fleishman and Maynard Kreuger to F.D.R. (hearings on railroad labor discrimination)	typed carbon copy
1944, June 30	Herman Singer to James Rorty (writing assignment)	typed/signed (Rorty's reply handwritten/signed)
1944, June 14	Norman Thomas to Robert Taft (soldier's vote)	typed carbon copy
1944	Norman Thomas to Thomas Dewey (open letter on peace position)	mimeographed
1944, Oct. 15	H. C. Holdridge to Harry (Fleishman) (news of his tour)	handwritten/signed
(circa 1944) May 5	Norman Thomas to Harry Fleishman (note on tour, written in Cal.)	handwritten/signed
(1944?) Aug. 26	Norman Thomas to Harry (Fleishman) and Herman (Singer) (note on tour, from Denver)	typed/corrections in writer's hand/signed
1945, May 16	N. T. and H. F. to Family of Theodore Dabs (consolation)	telegram/carbon copy
(1945?)	Circular letter from A. Phillip Randolph (Socialist Party and unions)	typed carbon copy
1946, May 17	N. T. to New York Times (Harold Laski and International Socialism)	typed carbon copy
1946, Oct. 5	John Dos Passos to Harry F. (socialists on west coast)	typed carbon copy
1946, Dec. 26	Draft of circular letter from N. T. (statement on post world war council)	typed/corrections in writer's handwriting
(circa 1947)	Christopher T. Boland (form letter on McMahon Atomic Energy bill)	mimeographed or otherwise reproduced
1948, Jan. 13	N. T. (form letter on 1948 campaign)	mimeographed or otherwise reproduced/signed
1948, Jan. 16	George L. Paine to N. T. (reply to above, comments on state of S. P.)	handwritten/signed
1948, Feb, 4	Lewis C. Karrick to Harry Truman (Karrick's oil scheme)	typed/carbon copy
1948, July 29	Lewis C. Karrick to Norman Thomas (financing S.P.)	typed/carbon copy
1948, Oct. 12	James T. Farrell to Bill Becker (Daily Worker quotes)	typed/carbon copy
1948, Oct. 16	Vincent Sheean to James T. Farrell (party business)	typed/carbon copy
1948, Oct. 18	Florence Rossi to Erich Fromm (note thanking Fromm for speaking)	typed/carbon copy
(1948)	N. T. and Darlington Hoopes to Hugh Sheean (Oregon vote)	telegram/carbon copy
1950, Dec. 14	N. T. to International Socialists in London (Socialist unity)	mimeographed or otherwise reproduced
(1952)	Ernesto Galarza to N. T., other delegates (Cuban S.P. statement to convention)	handbwritten/signed
1953, May 27	N. T. to Robin Myers (meeting of Socialist International in Stockholm)	mimeographed or otherwise reproduced
1956, June 14	Hugh Gaitskell to Louis P. Goldberg (socialist unity)	printed
1960, June 5	N. T. to Chester Bowles (question about Democratic Party platform)	mimeographed or otherwise reproduced
1961, March 3	Pietro Nenni to Irwin Suall (invitation to Italian party national conference, personal note to Suall)	typed/handwritten/signed
1961, May 18	N. T. to Robert McNamara (Defense Dept. film)	mimeographed or otherwise reproduced
1961, June 7	N. T. to Leonard Goldenson (segregated movie theaters)	mimeographed or otherwise reproduced
undated	N. T. to Polish Labor Bund (death of Mendelson)	telegram/carbon copy
undated	Mel Pitzele to N. T. (declining dinner invitation)	handwritten/signed
undated	N. T. to Mrs. Beardsley (asking for contribution)	typed/carbon copy
undated	Eleanor and Mickey Most to N. T. (note accepting invitation)	handwritten/signed
undated	Carl Friedman to N. T. (note accepting invitation)	typed/signed