Title: Bay Area Student Committee to Abolish the House Committee on Un-American Activities Records
Inclusive Dates: 1958-1965

Creator:

• Bay Area Student Committee to Abolish the House Committee on Un-American Activities

Call Number: Mss 90

Quantity: 4.0 cubic feet (11 archives boxes)

Repository:

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

Archival Locations:

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

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Records of Bay Area Student Committee to Abolish the House Committee on Un-American Activities (BASCAHCUA), an organization (1960-1964) of students from the San Francisco Bay Area active in both national and local opposition to the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Much of the collection focuses on BASCAHCUA's exposé of the biased representation of a 1960 anti-HUAC demonstration in San Francisco that appeared in the film Operation Abolition. Organizational and operational records consist of internal and external correspondence, financial records, public relations materials, legal material, minutes, and agenda. The internal correspondence between officers Burton White and Irving Hall reflects the dissatisfaction felt by San Francisco members with White's neglect of them in favor of national activities. In the external correspondence there are letters from Aubrey Williams and James Roosevelt. Also includes a reference file of newspaper clippings and printed matter on related topics.

Note:

Donor Irving Hall requests that any researchers using this collection who publish works citing the collection send him one copy of said publication. Donor also wishes to note that he is willing to give his permission for researchers to obtain his FBI file under FOIA and that he is interested in doing oral history interviews. Mr. Hall's address as of July 2021 is Irving Hall, 3 Columbia St., Oxford, N.Y. 13830.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00090

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As part of a growing national protest against the practices of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), on May 12-14, 1960, students from the San Francisco Bay Area participated in a demonstration to protest a HUAC investigation in San Francisco. When the police attempted to arrest some of the students, violence broke out in the City Hall. Of the 68 arrested on charges of inciting a riot and disturbing the peace, all but Robert Meisenbach, one of the organizers of the demonstration, were immediately cleared of charges. In order to continue their opposition to HUAC, these students met in June 1960, to form the Ex-Defendants Committee. On September 11, 1960, the group expanded its membership to 125 to become the Bay Area Student Committee to Abolish the House Committee on Un-American Activities (BASCAHCUA). The stated purposes of the group were (1) to work for the abolition of HUAC, (2) to publicize the political issues of civil liberties, (3) to establish the truth concerning the events of the May 1960, demonstration and (4) to secure financial aid for Meisenbach. Although the group had hopes of attracting a large and active membership, throughout its history BASCAHCUA remained an informal student organization, and its activities were carried out entirely by the volunteer labor of a few dedicated members.

Since the committee decided to play an educational role, the greatest part of BASCAHCUA activity was concerned with reprinting and distributing materials about HUAC, Its major effort was an exposé of the biased editing of the HUAC film Operation Abolition in which it appeared that the students in the May 1960, demonstration were innocent dupes of communist agents. By publicly protesting this representation, BASCAHCUA was responsible for re-introducing the question of the constitutionality of HUAC's existence and for further polarizing national opinion on the subject. In addition to its publication work, BASCAHCUA supplied speakers to discuss the issues involved in Operation Abolition with groups who saw the film. Irving Hall, the treasurer, spoke in many California communities and Burton White, the original chairman, made a national speaking tour in conjunction with the National Committee to Abolish HUAC.

On the local level, BASCAHCUA helped raise funds for the Student Emergency Defense Fund to support the legal defense of Robert Meisenbach. Meisenbach was acquitted on May 3, 1961, in what BASCAHCUA asserted legally substantiated that there were distortions present in Operation Abolition.

At the conclusion of its first year of existence, BASCAHCUA experienced an internal restructuring as a result of a dispute between White, Hall, and the rest of the committee, in which White was eventually removed from office because of his irresponsibility toward the San Francisco group and long absences. The result of this dispute was a constitutional revision which gave control to Hall and the few active members,

A substantial decline in the amount of correspondence in 1962 suggests a lessened public interest in HUAC in favor of other civil rights issues, and increasingly BASCAHCUA's activities were carried on by the loyal few. In January 1964, the group's finances were liquidated and the remaining records turned over to Hall.

For more information on the movement see: We're Not In Kansas Anymore / political commentary and satire by Irving Wesley Hall.

The BASCAHCUA collection consists of correspondence, financial records, public relations materials, legal materials, minutes, agendas, and a reference file.

The ORGANIZATIONAL FILES series, in its efforts to abolish HUAC, is composed of correspondence, financial records, public relations materials, legal materials and meeting records. The second series, the organization's reference file, consists of materials on other issues that were of lesser interest to the group.

In ORGANIZATIONAL FILES have been subdivided into categories relating to the committee's internal and external functions, as the committee maintained its records. Thus, materials relating specifically to activities in the San Francisco Bay Area have been classified as Internal Organization, while literature requests from the nation as a whole have been classified as External Organization.

Internal Organization includes minutes and agendas from meetings, local membership records, and internal correspondence. The correspondence, chiefly between Hall and White, reflects the Bay Area students' growing dissatisfaction with White's irresponsibility to the San Francisco group. The culmination of this internal dispute is documented in the section containing materials on the constitutional revision.

External Organization includes correspondence, public relations materials, legal materials, and financial records. The correspondence chiefly consists of requests for BASCAHCUA reprints from religious, educational, and civic groups, although opinions about HUAC and Operation Abolition are interspersed throughout the section. Letters from Aubrey Williams, head of MCAHUAC, and U.S. Representative James Roosevelt (Democrat - California), a Congressional leader in the opposition to HUAC, are similarly scattered throughout the section. The legal material, including a lengthy summation of Robert Meisenbach's trial was probably used by BASCAHCUA to prepare their response to Operation Abolition. Included in the public relations materials are samples of BASCAHCUA publications and proofs, form letters, as well as ads and press releases. Financial records include deposit and check records of BASCAHCUA as well as those of the funds raised to support Meisenbach in the Student Emergency Defense Fund. Also arranged here are telephone bills listing the location of long distance calls.

The REFERENCE FILES consists of two parts, sorted and unsorted materials. The sorted materials, which contain information on such topics as Christian Anti-Communist Crusade, the Cuban Defense Committee, and SLATE, the student political party at the University of California, Berkeley, are contained in folders as kept by BASCAHCUA. Materials which the organization left unsorted have been placed in folders and classified according to organizational title. Included among the unsorted materials are such topics as Helsinki World Youth Festival, Americans for Democratic Action, and Vietnam. The majority of the materials in the reference file consists of newspaper clippings and public relations mailers. Although the materials in both sections of this file are superficial in their coverage of the issues, the reference file is helpful in shedding light on the various aspects of student political activity in the early sixties.

The BASCAHCUA records have been arranged into two series: ORGANIZATIONAL FILES and REFERENCE FILES. The Organzational files have been further divided into: Internal Organization and External Organization. The Reference Files have been further divided into: Sorted Files and Unsorted Materials File.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Irving Hall, Claremont, California, February 17, 1970.

Processing Information

Processed by Carolyn J. Mattern and Eleanor Niermann, April 28, 1970.

	Series: Organizational Files
	Subseries: Internal Organization
Box   1 Folder   1	Constitutions and revisions, 1961 August, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Agenda, 1961 July-1962 January
Box   1 Folder   3	Minutes, 1960 September-1961 March, undated
Box   1 Folder   4	Membership records, undated
Box   1 Folder   5	Treasurers reports, 1960 November-1961 September
Box   1 Folder   6	Internal correspondence, 1961 August-1962 February, undated
	Subseries: External Organization	⇧
	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   7	1960 June-October
Box   1 Folder   8	1960 November
Box   1 Folder   9	1960 December
Box   1 Folder   10-11	1961 January
Box   2 Folder   1-3	1961 February
Box   2 Folder   4-7	1961 March
Box   2 Folder   8-9	1961 April
Box   3 Folder   1-2	1961 April (continued)
Box   3 Folder   3-4	1961 May
Box   3 Folder   5	1961 June
Box   3 Folder   6	1961 July
Box   3 Folder   7	1961 August
Box   3 Folder   8	1961 September
Box   3 Folder   9	1961 October
Box   4 Folder   1	1961 November
Box   4 Folder   2	1961 December-1962 January
Box   4 Folder   3	1962 February
Box   4 Folder   4	1962 March-1963 February, 1965 November, undated
Box   4 Folder   5	Legal
Box   4 Folder   5	Meisenbach Trial Court Summation, 1961 April
	Public Relations
Box   5 Folder   1	Publications, 1960 October-1961
Box   5 Folder   2	Publication proofs, 1960 November-1961 August
Box   5 Folder   3	Publications research, undated
Box   5 Folder   4	Fund raising ads, 1960 November
Box   5 Folder   5	Press releases, 1960 September-December
Box   5 Folder   6	Form letters, 1960 June-1962 March, undated
	Financial
Box   6 Folder   1	Bank statements, 1960 September-1964 January
	Check records
Box   6 Folder   2	1960 September-1961 February
Box   6 Folder   3	1961 March-1961 July
Box   6 Folder   4	1961 August-1962 July
Box   6 Folder   5	1962 July-1964 January
	Deposit records
Box   6 Folder   6	1960 September-1961 February
Box   6 Folder   7	1961 March-July
Box   6 Folder   3	1961 August-1962 July
Box   6 Folder   9	1962 August-1963 November
Box   6 Folder   10	Long distance telephone bills, 1960 August-1963 August
Box   6 Folder   11	SLATE record committee, 1960 November-1961 February
Box   6 Folder   12	Student Emergency Defense Fund, bank statements, 1960 June-1964 January
Box   6 Folder   13	Student Emergency Defense Fund, deposit and check records, 1960 June-1963 January
	Series: Reference Files	⇧
	Subseries: Sorted Files
Box   7 Folder   1	Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, 1960 September, undated
Box   7 Folder   2	American Legion, 1960 June-July
Box   7 Folder   3	“Anvil”, 1960 December
Box   7 Folder   4	“Beat Generation,” 1958 June-August, undated
Box   7 Folder   5	John Birch Society, 1961 February-April, July, December, undated
Box   7 Folder   6	Edmund “Pat” Brown Recall, 1960 June, undated
Box   7 Folder   7	California Inter-Campus Coordinating Committee, 1960 September, undated
Box   7 Folder   8	Capital punishment, 1960 February, March, July, November, undated
Box   7 Folder   9	Censorship, 1960 October, December, 1961 February, 1962 January, undated
Box   7 Folder   10	“Challenge”, 1958 November
Box   7 Folder   11	Christian Anti-Communist Crusade, 1960 July-1962 February, undated
Box   7 Folder   12	San Francisco Mayor George Christopher, 1961 February, May
Box   7 Folder   13	Civil liberties, 1960 September-December, 1961 October, December, undated
Box   7 Folder   14	Civil rights demonstrations, 1960 December, 1961 February-March, undated
Box   7 Folder   15	Committee of Correspondence, 1960 March-June, undated
Box   7 Folder   16	Communist China, 1960 October, 1965 December, undated
Box   7 Folder   17	Communist Party-USA, 1960 May, July, November, 1961 February, April, undated
Box   7 Folder   18	Cuba, 1960 October-November, 1961 February-March, undated
Box   7 Folder   19	Cuban Defense Committee, 1960 September-October, undated
Box   7 Folder   20	Daily Californian Controversy, 1960 October
Box   7 Folder   21	Democratic Convention, 1960 July
Box   7 Folder   22	Earlham Political Issues Committee, undated
Box   7 Folder   23	Emergency Civil Liberties Committee, 1958 December-1962 February, undated
Box   7 Folder   24	Erickson Series on Operation Abolition, 1961 March
Box   7 Folder   25	Assemblyman Louis Francis (California), 1961 March
Box   7 Folder   26	Fraternity discrimination, 1955, October-December
Box   7 Folder   27	“Freedom”, 1960 August
Box   7 Folder   28	Fundamental Standard, undated,
Box   7 Folder   29	Barry Goldwater, 1959 November, 1960 July, 1961 April
Box   7 Folder   30	Hiroshima Day Peace March, 1960 August-October
Box   7 Folder   31	Hollywood, 1961 February
	HUAC
Box   8 Folder   1	Citizens Committee to Preserve American Freedoms, 1960 May, undated
Box   8 Folder   2	Clippings, 1960 April-1961 October, undated
Box   8 Folder   3	Community protest, 1960 September-1961 February, undated
Box   8 Folder   4	Demonstrations, 1961 January-1962 May, undated
Box   8 Folder   5	Opinions, 1960 May, undated
Box   8 Folder   6	Publications, undated
Box   8 Folder   7	Reflections, undated
Box   8 Folder   8	Teachers, undated
Box   8 Folder   9	Immigration, 1960 November, undated
Box   8 Folder   10	Integration, 1960 November-1961 November, undated
Box   8 Folder   11	Johnson deportation, 1960 November
Box   8 Folder   12	“Keep Left”, 1960 June
Box   8 Folder   13	Korean Student demonstrations, 1960 May-October, undated
Box   8 Folder   14	Loyalty oaths, 1961 February-March
Box   8 Folder   15	McCarthyism, 1960 February, 1961 February, undated
Box   8 Folder   16	March on the Conventions Movement, 1960 June-July
Box   8 Folder   17	March on the Conventions Movement clippings, 1960 July
	May 13 demonstration
Box   8 Folder   18	1960 March
Box   8 Folder   19	1960 May-September 20
Box   9 Folder   1	1960 May-September
Box   9 Folder   1	Record
Box   9 Folder   2	Robert Meisenbach Trial, 1960-1961 April
Box   9 Folder   3	“The Militant”, 1960 July
Box   9 Folder   4	“Mug Shot” Suit, 1961 September
Box   9 Folder   5	National Committee to Abolish HCUA, 1960 September, 1961 January-1965 March
Box   9 Folder   9	Nazis, 1961 February-April
Box   9 Folder   7	“New America”, 1960 September-October
Box   9 Folder   8	“New Horizons for Youth”, 1960 October
Box   9 Folder   9	Operation Abolition, 1960 September-1961 December
Box   9 Folder   10	Thomas F. Parkinson shooting, 1961 March
Box   9 Folder   11	Linus Pauling, 1960 July-November
Box   9 Folder   13	Peace, 1961 January-April, undated
Box   9 Folder   13	Peace demonstrations, circa 1960
Box   9 Folder   14	Peace economics, 1960 April-September
Box   9 Folder   15	Peace, fallout, 1959 March, 1960 June, 1961 October
Box   9 Folder   16	“People's World”, 1960 May-June
Box   9 Folder   17	Pornography, 1960 June
Box   9 Folder   18	Protestants and Other Americans United, undated
Box   9 Folder   19	Reed College Guest, 1960 January-February
	SLATE
Box   9 Folder   20	circa 1959-1960
Box   9 Folder   21	circa 1960
Box   9 Folder   22	“Cal Reporter”, 1958-1960 February
Box   9 Folder   23	Convention, 1961 July
Box   9 Folder   24	Socialist Workers' Party, 1960 September
Box   9 Folder   25	Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), undated
Box   9 Folder   26	Supreme Court, circa 1960-1961
	Subseries: Unsorted Material File	⇧
Box   10 Folder   1	Academic Freedom, undated
Box   10 Folder   2	Africa, 1960 December
Box   10 Folder   3	American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 1961 January-December, 1965 March, undated
Box   10 Folder   4	ACLU, Student Civil Liberties Union, 1961 July, undated
Box   10 Folder   5	Americans for Democratic Action, 1960 December, undated
Box   10 Folder   6	Articles, undated
Box   10 Folder   7	Berkeley Free Speech Movement (FSM), 1964 August
Box   10 Folder   8	“Californian”, undated
Box   10 Folder   9	Civil Defense Protest, 1962 February, undated
Box   10 Folder   10	Committee for Constitutional Liberties, 1961 November-1962 February, undated
Box   10 Folder   11	Committee for Health in California, 1961 October-1962 February, undated
Box   10 Folder   12	Communism, 1961 November, undated
Box   10 Folder   13	Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), 1961 February
Box   10 Folder   14	Foreign policy, 1962 January, undated
Box   10 Folder   15	Helsinki World Youth Festival, undated
Box   10 Folder   16	David Horowitz, 1962 May
Box   10 Folder   17	Japanese Clothing Boycott, undated
Box   10 Folder   18	Mine Mill Defense Committee, undated
Box   10 Folder   19	Miscellaneous, undated
Box   10 Folder   22	NCAHUAC, New York Council, 1961 May-1962 February, undated
Box   10 Folder   21	NCAHUAC, Washington Area Committee, 1962 March, undated
Box   10 Folder   22	National Lawyers Guild, Civil Liberties Docket, 1960 November, 1961 April, July
Box   10 Folder   23	“Newsletter” for a new Democratic Party, 1962 February-March
Box   10 Folder   24	Nuclear disarmament, 1961 November
Box   11 Folder   1	Radical Right, undated
Box   11 Folder   2	Reapportionment, 1965 March
Box   10 Folder   3	Socialism, 1960 December-1961 October
Box   10 Folder   4	Student protest
Box   10 Folder   5	Students for a Democratic Society, 1962 January
Box   10 Folder   6	Teacher's Defense Committee, 1959 August, undated
Box   10 Folder   7	“Union Democracy in Action”, undated
Box   10 Folder   8	United Nations, undated
Box   10 Folder   9	Willard Uphaus, undated
Box   10 Folder   10	Vietnam, circa 1965
Box   10 Folder   11	Wilkinson-Braden Imprisonment, undated