Taken as a whole, the records of Women Strike for Peace reflect the informal organization of the movement. There is a lack of functional records such as annual reports, proceedings, minutes, directories, and rolls, largely because decision-making within the various branches of the movement was done primarily by telephone and correspondence. The records convey the membership's desire that the movement remain a grass-roots and voluntary one, emphasizing total participation for all and guaranteeing that each member could speak her mind freely. The collection is divided into two major subgroups, the first being the Records of the Washington Chapter of Women Strike for Peace, 1958-1969, with the emphasis on the period 1961-1966. Also spanning 1961-1966 is the second subgroup, the Papers of Dagmar Wilson, founder of Women Strike for Peace. The original arrangement of the collection has been closely followed and preserved. The major alteration has been the removal of the many scattered newspaper clippings and their organization into a separate file.
RECORDS OF THE WASHINGTON CHAPTER OF WOMEN STRIKE FOR PEACE consist of General Correspondence, Committee Files, Activity Files, Newspaper Clippings, and Other Printed Materials. The General Correspondence is arranged chronologically and includes informational letters written between members, outside inquiries, letters of support and correspondence with a variety of other organizations.
The Committee Files are organized alphabetically and contain reference material and samples of ephemera produced for public education and announcement purposes. Included are a variety of flyers, handbills, reprints and pamphlets.
The Activity Records are arranged chronologically and document the major actions organized by Women Strike for Peace during the years 1961-1965. These files consist of a variety of materials, and each is unique in what it contains. Included are memoranda pertaining to the organization of activities and publicity material. Adjunctive to these files are Newspaper Clippings, likewise arranged chronologically according to activity, which corroborate the news media's reactions to the disturbances set off by WSP.
The Other Printed Material consists of serial publications, pamphlets and ephemera. There are incomplete runs of Memo, “National Information Memo,” “News Releases,” and the “Washington WSPer,” publications produced by and for the Washington, D.C. chapter of WSP. No national-level serial publications are included. Thus, it is very difficult to identify variations within the movement itself such as differences of policies and priorities among locals. The Pamphlets include a small number of widely distributed published materials concerning subjects of topical interest. The Ephemera contains a variety of material such as discussion and policy papers, handbills, reprints, and samples of newsletters not substantial enough in quantity to list separately above. Publications, such as the serials mentioned above, were the movements main vehicles of issue discussion and planning.
The PAPERS OF DAGMAR WILSON are comprised largely of Correspondence. Included are letters from other members of WSP; inquiries and letters exchanged with other activist groups; correspondence, telegrams and money orders in support of the positions taken by Mrs. Wilson and WSP, mainly from women in other organizations working for peace in the United States and abroad; and invitations for speaking engagements.
A second category consists of Biographical Data assembled at various points in Wilson's career as an activist. The final category in this subgroup is composed of Speech Notes written by Dagmar Wilson mainly in the period 1964-1966, although many are undated.
