Title: World Peace Brigade. North American Regional Council: Records
Inclusive Dates: 1961-1963

Creator:

• World Peace Brigade. North American Regional Council

Call Number: Mss 81

Quantity: 1.0 c.f. (3 archives boxes)

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, mainly correspondence, financial records, minutes, and subject files, of the North American affiliate of the World Peace Brigade, an international organization devoted to peace through nonviolent protest and liberation of colonial territories. Among the groups founding the Brigade in December 1961 were the Society of Friends, American Friends Service Committee, War Resisters' League, and the Gandhi Peace Federation. Much of the correspondence in the collection is of the Council's chairman, A. J. Muste, with Bayard Rustin, William Sutherland, and others. The Council was involved in such projects as the Delhi-Peking Friendship March (1963), the African Project for the liberation of Northern Rhodesia (1962-1963), and a 1962 protest of Soviet nuclear testing.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00081

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

The World Peace Brigade was founded at an international conference held at Brummana, near Beirut, Lebanon, from December 28, 1961 to January 1, 1962. The objectives of the organizations were to promote peace through non-violent protest and to work for the liberation of colonial territories through education. The participants in the conference represented various peace groups throughout the world (Society of Friends, Committee for Non-violent Action, American Friends Service Committee, War Resisters' League, Gandhi Peace Federation, etc.), and included prominent pacifists from Europe, Asia, and North America.

The Brigade was composed of three regional councils (European, Asian, and North American), with an Executive Committee composed of the chairmen of the regional councils and other appointed individuals. The Executive Committee was primarily responsible for the coordination of projects that involved the cooperation of all three regional councils.

The World Peace Brigade was involved in several projects, the most ambitious and important of which was the Delhi-Peking Friendship March in 1963, the African Project for the liberation of Northern Rhodesia in 1962-1963, and the voyage of Everyman III to Leningrad to protest Soviet nuclear testing in 1962. In all three instances the projects failed because of financial reasons, personnel problems, or the lack of cooperation from government officials.

This collection consists of the records of the North American Regional Council of the World Peace Brigade from its founding in December, 1961, to November, 1963, and includes correspondence, financial records, and official minutes of the meetings of the Councils' Executive Committee. The activities of the World Peace Brigade were international in scope, and these records reflect the organization's world-wide interests.

The collection is divided into two general series: correspondence and a general subject file. The correspondence is arranged by subject and includes letters to and from leading members of both the European and Asian Councils, participants in the Brigade's African, Asian, and European projects, personal correspondence, and financial and legal matters. In many cases, letters were mimeographed for general circulation, and the collection includes both the originals and the copies. A. J. Muste, the prominent American pacifist, was the chairman of the North American Council, and much of the correspondence originated in his office. Prominent correspondents include Bayard Rustin and William Sutherland, who directed the African Project from Dar-Es-Salaam; Sidd haraj Dhadda and Jayapzakash Narayan of the Asian Council; and Arlo Tatum, Michael Scott, Barnably Martin, and T. S. Maxwell of the European Council.

The subject file contains materials other than correspondence, and includes the minutes of the meetings of all three regional Councils, as well as Executive Committee conferences, reports from participants in the African Project, the Delhi-Peking Friendship March, and the voyage of Everyman III to Leningrad. There are also extensive financial records for the North American Regional Council.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the World Peace Brigade, North American Regional Council, New York, N.Y., April 4, 1968. Accession Number: M68-72

Processing Information

Processed by Richard Reed, June 10, 1970.

	Series: Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1-2	General, 1962-1963
Box   1 Folder   3-4	African Project, 1962-1963
Box   1 Folder   5	Asian Regional Council, 1962-1963
	Delhi-Peking March
Box   1 Folder   6	1962, Dec. - 1963, Feb.
Box   1 Folder   7	1963, March - April
Box   1 Folder   8	1963, May
Box   1 Folder   9	1963, June - July
Box   1 Folder   10	1963, Aug. - Nov.
Box   1 Folder   11	European Regional Council, 1962-1963
Box   1 Folder   12	Financial, 1962-1963
Box   1 Folder   13	Incorporation and legal, 1962-1963
Box   1 Folder   14	Leningrad Project (Everyman III), 1962
	Series: Subject File	⇧
	African Project
Box   2 Folder   1	1962-1963
Box   2 Folder   2	Newspaper clippings, 1962-1963
	Anti-Nuclear Arms Convention
Box   2 Folder   3	1962
Box   2 Folder   4	Newspaper clippings, 1962
Box   2 Folder   5	Asian Regional Council, Shanti Sena, and Sino-India border dispute, 1962-1963
Box   2 Folder   6	Asian Regional Council, minutes of meetings, 1962-1963
	Brummana Conference
Box   2 Folder   7	1961-1962
Box   2 Folder   8	Photographs, 1961-1962
Box   2 Folder   9	Constitution (drafts, etc.), 1962
	Delhi-Peking March
Box   2 Folder   10	Newspaper clippings, 1963
Box   2 Folder   11	Publicity, newsletters, memos, etc., 1963
Box   2 Folder   12	Photographs, 1963
	European Regional Council
Box   2 Folder   13	1962-1963
Box   2 Folder   14	Minutes of meetings, 1962-1963
	Financial
Box   2 Folder   15	African Project, 1962-1963
Box   2 Folder   16	Budgets and reports, 1962-1963
Box   2 Folder   17	Fund raising, 1962-1963
Box   2 Folder   18	Income description vouchers, 1962
Box   2 Folder   19	Treasurer's vouchers, 1962
Box   2 Folder   20	Miscellaneous notes, memos, etc., 1962-1963
Box   3 Folder   1	General information (brochures, fact sheets, etc.), 1962-1963
Box   3 Folder   2	Leningrad Project (Everyman III), 1962
	London Conference
Box   3 Folder   3	1962, July
Box   3 Folder   4	1963, January
Box   3 Folder   5	Miscellaneous materials, 1962-1963
	North American Regional Council
Box   3 Folder   6	1962-1963
Box   3 Folder   7	Minutes of meetings, 1962-1963
Box   3 Folder   8	Sponsor's authorization forms, 1963
Box   3 Folder   9	Typescripts and manuscripts for registration forms and W.P.B. brochure
Box   3 Folder   10	Volunteers and training, 1961-1962