Americans for Constitutional Action Records, 1955-1971


Summary Information
Title: Americans for Constitutional Action Records
Inclusive Dates: 1955-1971

Creator:
  • Americans for Constitutional Action
Call Number: Mss 309

Quantity: 8.6 c.f. (22 archives boxes)

Repository:
Archival Locations:
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:
Records of Americans for Constitutional Action, a non-partisan political action committee founded in 1958 for support of constitutional conservatives in congressional elections. Documenting its state and national activities mainly prior to 1968 are trustee minutes and correspondence, fundraising and financial records, campaign and chapter files, speeches, pamphlets, and annual reports. Major correspondents include Bruce Alger, Owen Brewster, Edgar Eisenhower, Ralph Gwinn, Charles A. McManus, Ben Moreell, Felix Morley, James E. Price, Ralph de Toledano, and Loyd Wright. Patrick Frawley, Herbert Hoover, Max Rafferty, and Henry C. Schadeberg also are represented in the collection.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00309
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Biography/History

A non-partisan political action committee, Americans for Constitutional Action (ACA) was founded on June 27, 1958 for the purpose of supporting constitutional conservatives in United States congressional elections. ACA's political action program included providing candidates with paid, fulltime field workers; subsidizing specific campaign activities and workers; coordinating special fundraising activities on behalf of selected candidates; and furnishing research, speeches, and endorsements. ACA based its endorsements of incumbents on their ratings in the ACA Index, an analysis of congressional voting records published biennially beginning in 1960.

The founders and initial officers of ACA included Chairman of its Board of Trustees Admiral Ben Moreell, U.S.N. (Ret.), former president and chairman of the board of Jones and Laughlin Steel; Vice Chairman Henning Prentice, chairman of the board of Armstrong Cork; Treasurer Charles Edison, chairman of the board of McGraw-Edison Electric Company and former governor of New Jersey; and Recording Secretary Owen Brewster, former United States senator from Maine. In 1965 General Thomas A. Lane, U.S.A. (Ret.) assumed the new position of ACA president. Charles A. McManus, ACA executive director, succeeded Lane as president in 1969. Between 1958 and 1971 other ACA trustees included former United States President Herbert Hoover, former American Bar Association president Loyd Wright, former American Medical Association president Walter Martin, Sears, Roebuck, and Company chairman General Robert E. Wood, U.S.A. (Ret.), physician Edgar Eisenhower, former Framm Corporation president and board chairman Steven B. Wilson, political scientist and former Human Events publisher Felix Morley, journalist Ralph de Toledano, and actors Walter Brennan and John Wayne.

ACA began its field program in the summer of 1958 with a pilot project supporting conservative candidates in West Virginia's twin United States Senate races. In late 1958 and early 1959 ACA mounted a nationwide fund-raising campaign to finance field activities in the 1960 elections. The Committee for the Forty-Eight States, a political education committee independent of and older than ACA, helped organize early ACA fundraising activities and provided direct financial aid to the new organization. In the 1960 elections ACA supplied intensive assistance to 52 candidates and other aid to more than 100 additional candidates, a level of activity increased in each election through the end of the decade. In 1968, for example, ACA participated in 268 election campaigns.

ACA's chapter program began in 1961 with the granting of a charter to the Alabama chapter. More than 45 local chapters in more than 20 states were active through 1969. Chapter activities included participation in state and local election campaigns, ratings of state legislators' voting records, and other activities beyond the scope of the national organization.

Scope and Content Note

The collection is a partial record of ACA activities for the years 1958-1971. Most papers predate 1968. The records provide information on the founding and structure of ACA, development of the organization's political action and education programs, sources of financial support, distribution of campaign funds, activities of local chapters and their relationships with the national committee, and the relationship of ACA to other conservative groups. Major correspondents include Bruce Alger, Owen Brewster, Edgar Eisenhower, Ralph Gwinn, Charles A. McManus, Ben Moreell, Felix Morley, James E. Price, Ralph de Toledano, and Loyd Wright. There are no records covering trustees meetings after 1968, congressional campaigns after 1967, and the application of electronic data processing techniques to political fundraising. Several prominent conservatives associated with ACA, including Herbert Hoover, Max Rafferty, Patrick Frawley, and Henry C. Schadeberg, are only minimally represented in the collection, and there is no complete record of the organization's financial supporters.

In the BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECORDS, there are gaps in the Minutes, particularly for 1963 and 1964. In addition to records of meetings, the file of minutes includes correspondence related to trustee meetings, especially for early years, and annual and other reports. Chairman Ben Moreell's Trustees Correspondence is arranged chronologically under the name of each correspondent. Moreell's General Correspondence, arranged chronologically, includes personal correspondence unrelated to ACA as well as correspondence with ACA's financial supporters and general political correspondence.

Among the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S RECORDS, the Memoranda File includes memos to and from the chairman and other officers of ACA and activity reports by staff members. The Trustees Correspondence includes some annotated duplicate copies of the chairman's outgoing trustee correspondence in addition to the executive director's original correspondence with trustees. The Ben Moreell file in this series is a particularly rich source on ACA policy making and activities.

The CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENCE is organized alphabetically by candidate for the years 1960-1965 and by candidate within state for the years 1965-1967. In addition to correspondence, these files contain records of financial assistance to candidates rendered directly or coordinated by ACA, campaign literature, press releases, and clippings. Correspondence with candidates in the 1964 election includes responses to an ACA survey of the opinions of candidates regarding the reasons for the winning or loss of individual campaigns, the usefulness of ACA aid to the candidate, and suggestions for future campaigns. Comparable surveys of candidates in 1960 and 1968 are included in the SUBJECT FILES (box 21, folders 4-5).

The CHAPTER CORRESPONDENCE is organized alphabetically by chapter within state. In addition to correspondence regarding charters and candidate endorsements, the files include reports of local activities, meeting minutes, chapter newsletters, membership lists, dues payment records, and clippings.

The DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS series consists of correspondence, planning memoranda, guest lists, and programs related to the biennial ACA Distinguished Service Awards banquet honoring present and past members of the United States Congress. The purpose of the awards program was to publicize congressmen with voting records in support of legislative measures sustaining constitutional principles as defined by the founding fathers of the republic.

The FIELD PROGRAM records consist of correspondence, memoranda, and other materials related to a variety of ACA field activities. Among the subjects documented are the beginning of ACA's field program in the 1959 United States Senate elections in West Virginia, ACA participation in the Morris for governor campaign in New Jersey in 1960, the founding of the Washington state chapter of ACA, a proposal for a Rocky Mountain states regional office of the ACA, and the activities of ACA speech writers and field operatives. This series also includes a set of speeches distributed to candidates in the 1966 United States congressional elections.

In the FINANCIAL RECORDS, the Financial Reports and Replies to Contributors furnish a partial record of ACA's financial supporters. For the years 1959-1961 the Financial Reports are forms listing checks received at headquarters and forwarded to the ACA treasurer. These forms include the name and address of the donor and the amount of the contribution. For 1966 and 1969 the Reports are daily to biweekly summaries of contributions received and include the names of donors and the amounts of contributions. The Replies to Contributors, 1959-1961 and 1963-1964, are acknowledgments of contributions. The amount of the contribution is usually specified. By including small contributors, these forms supplement data on donors making political contributions over $100 reported by ACA to the Clerk of the House of Representatives pursuant to the Federal Corrupt Practices Act. Names of ACA contributors can also be found in the Fundraising records.

The FUNDRAISING records consist mainly of form letters issued during specific fundraising campaigns. The E. Ainsworth Eyre and Steven B. Wilson project files document special fundraising efforts directed at personal friends and contacts of Wilson and Eyre. These files include successive corrected drafts of solicitation letters, mailing lists, replies, and correspondence with ACA headquarters. The Lists of Names include names of potential contributors provided by ACA supporters and ACA mailing lists classified by status as contributor and by size of past contributions.

The NEWS RELEASES constitute an apparently incomplete chronological file of statements released by ACA's national headquarters. Included are ACA response to events such as Khrushchev's visit to the United States, speeches by ACA officers, and endorsements of candidates.

The PUBLICATIONS series is a partial set of reports and newsletters primarily distributed to past and potential ACA supporters. The Annual and Semi-Annual Reports summarize ACA activities. A more complete file of these reports may be consulted in the Minutes file of the BOARD OF TRUSTEE RECORDS (box 1, folders 1-5). The Digest and Tally of Roll Call Votes reports the voting records of United States Congressmen. Right Action was a newsletter dealing mainly with the activities of ACA chapters. The Political Bulletins report on congressional politics during the first year of the Nixon administration and planning for the 1970 United States congressional elections. The Program Manuals describe the founders and purposes of ACA and solicit financial and other support for the then new organization. The Ratings of Congressmen are ratings of the voting records of United States Congressmen based on selected roll call votes.

The SPEECHES series consists primarily of about 40 speeches delivered by Ben Moreell which were issued or distributed by ACA. Included are, corrected manuscripts and printings, revised editions, and possibly unpublished manuscripts. Printed copies of several speeches by Thomas A. Lane, retired United States Army Major General and Chester A. Ward, retired Admiral, United States Navy, are also included in this series. The Ralph Gwinn speeches are manuscripts not published by ACA. The 1954 platform of the United States Communist Party was reprinted by the ACA in 1964.

With a single exception, the contents of the SUBJECT FILES are self-explanatory. The Scholars Project files document an effort by Ben Moreell to organize conservative scholars for radio, television, and other public appearances in 1968. The files include the names of individuals contacted during the campaign, their responses, and Moreell's correspondence and minutes of meetings with media executives regarding the project.

Administrative/Restriction Information
Acquisition Information

Presented by Americans for Constitutional Action via Charles A. McManus, Washington, D.C., 1972. Accession Number: M72-236, M72-297


Processing Information

Processed by Steven P. Johnson and Joanne Hohler, May 1979.


Contents List
Series: Board of Trustees Records, 1958-1969
Box   1
Folder   1-5
Minutes, 1958-1968
Chairman Ben Moreell's Correspondence, 1958-1969
Trustees
Box   1
Folder   6
Alger, Bruce
Box   1
Folder   7
Anderson, E. Robert
Box   1
Folder   7
Benedict, Cooper
Box   1
Folder   7
Bottum, J. H., Jr.
Box   1
Folder   7
Bouscaren, Anthony T.
Box   1
Folder   7
Brennan, Walter T.
Box   1
Folder   7
Buffett, Howard
Box   1
Folder   8
Carson, Clarence B.
Box   1
Folder   8
Cole, Mrs. Louis B.
Box   1
Folder   8
Davis, James C.
Box   1
Folder   8
Edison, Charles S.
Box   1
Folder   8
Eisenhower, Edgar
Box   2
Folder   1
Eisenhower, Edgar, continued
Box   2
Folder   1
Fellers, Bonner
Box   2
Folder   1
Foremen, Edward
Box   2
Folder   1
Frawley, Patrick
Box   2
Folder   1
Gwinn, Ralph
Box   2
Folder   1
Herlong, A. Sydney
Box   2
Folder   1
Hoeven, Charles B.
Box   2
Folder   2
Ingram, T. Robert
Box   2
Folder   2
Johansen, August E.
Box   2
Folder   2
Johnson, Robert W.
Box   2
Folder   2
Kline, Allen B.
Box   2
Folder   2
Loeb, William
Box   2
Folder   2
McKenna, Phillip
Box   2
Folder   3
Martin, Walter B.
Box   2
Folder   3
Mechem, D. L.
Box   2
Folder   3
Morley, Felix
Box   2
Folder   4
Parker, Thomas
Box   2
Folder   5
Pillion, John R.
Box   2
Folder   5
Prentice, H. W.
Box   2
Folder   5
Price, James E.
Box   2
Folder   5
Rafferty, Max
Box   2
Folder   5
St. George, Katherine
Box   2
Folder   5
Scherer, Gordon
Box   2
Folder   5
Schadeberg, Henry C.
Box   2
Folder   5
Toledano, Ralph de
Box   2
Folder   6
Toledano, Ralph de, continued
Box   2
Folder   6
Tuck, William
Box   2
Folder   6
Wayne, John
Box   2
Folder   6
Whittaker, Charles E.
Box   2
Folder   6
Wilson, Steven B.
Box   2
Folder   6
Wright, Loyd
Box   2
Folder   7
Wright, Loyd, continued
Box   3
Folder   1-4
General, 1958-1969
Box   3
Folder   5
Secretary Owen Brewster's Correspondence, 1958
Box   3
Folder   6
Trustee Ralph Gwinn's Correspondence, 1961-1962
Series: Executive Director's Records
Memoranda File
Box   3
Folder   7
1958-1962
Box   4
Folder   1
1965-1969
Correspondence
Trustee
Box   4
Folder   2
Benedict, Cooper
Box   4
Folder   2
Bottum, J. H.
Box   4
Folder   2
Brewster, Owen
Box   4
Folder   2
Cole, Mrs. Louis B.
Box   4
Folder   3
Gwinn, Ralph
Box   4
Folder   4
Hoover, Herbert
Box   4
Folder   4
Johansen, August E.
Box   4
Folder   4
Johnson, Robert W.
Box   4
Folder   4
Kline, Allen B.
Box   4
Folder   4
Kovac, Frank B.
Box   4
Folder   4
Martin, Walter, M.D.
Box   4
Folder   5-7
Moreell, Ben
Box   5
Folder   1
Morley, Felix
Box   5
Folder   1
Schadeberg, Henry C.
Box   5
Folder   1
Smith, Mrs. R. Templeton
Box   5
Folder   1
Synon, John J.
Box   5
Folder   1
Toledano, Ralph de
General
Box   5
Folder   2
1959-1962
Box   5
Folder   3
1964-1967
Series: Campaign Correspondence, 1960-1967
1960-1964
Box   6
Folder   1
Abele - Baring
Box   6
Folder   2
Barry - Bruce
Box   6
Folder   3
Budge - Crawford
Box   6
Folder   4
Curtis - Gleason
Box   6
Folder   5
Goodling - Hoover
Box   6
Folder   6
Hostek - Judd
Box   6
Folder   7
Kemper - McNutt
Box   7
Folder   1
Martin - Miller
Box   7
Folder   2
Mize - Reinecke
Box   7
Folder   3
Renk - Schroeder
Box   7
Folder   4
Schwiebert - Tabbert
Box   7
Folder   5
Taft - Wilkinson
Box   7
Folder   6
Wilkinson - Zion
1965-1967
Box   8
Folder   1
Alabama - California
Box   8
Folder   2
Colorado - Georgia
Box   8
Folder   3
Idaho - Kentucky
Box   8
Folder   4
Kentucky - Michigan
Box   8
Folder   5
Minnesota - Montana
Box   8
Folder   6
Nebraska - New York
Box   8
Folder   7
North Carolina - Pennsylvania
Box   9
Folder   1
South Carolina - Texas
Box   9
Folder   2
Texas - Wyoming
Series: Chapter Correspondence
Box   9
Folder   3-5
Alabama
Box   9
Folder   6
California, Florida
Box   9
Folder   7
Florida, Georgia
Box   10
Folder   1-2
Illinois
Box   10
Folder   3
Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland
Box   10
Folder   4-5
Maryland
Box   10
Folder   6
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana
Box   10
Folder   7
Nebraska, New Hampshire
Box   11
Folder   1
New Jersey
Box   11
Folder   2
North Carolina
Box   11
Folder   3
Ohio, Oklahoma
Box   11
Folder   4
Oklahoma
Box   11
Folder   5
Tennessee, Pennsylvania
Box   11
Folder   6
Pennsylvania, Washington
Box   11
Folder   7
Washington
Box   12
Folder   1
Wisconsin
Series: Congressional Correspondence, 1959-1971
Alphabetical, 1959-1971
Box   12
Folder   2
Adair - Chenoweth
Box   12
Folder   3
Cunningham - Ellsworth
Box   12
Folder   4
Fenton - Hansen
Box   12
Folder   5
Harrison - Kunkel
Box   12
Folder   6
Kupferman - Martin
Box   12
Folder   7
May - Ostertag
Box   13
Folder   1
Ottinger - Rumsfeld
Box   13
Folder   2
Russell - Taber
Box   13
Folder   3
Tuck - Westland
Box   13
Folder   4
Wharton - Young
Box   13
Folder   5
Chronological, 1960
Box   13
Folder   6
Endorsement Refusals, 1961-1968
Box   13
Folder   7
Replies to Ratings, 1961
Series: Distinguished Service Awards
Box   13
Folder   8
Awards Program Planning Memoranda, 1961
Distinguished Service Awards to Congressmen
Box   13
Folder   9-10
1961, 1963
Box   14
Folder   1
1963, 1965, 1967
Series: Field Program
Box   14
Folder   2
Chapter Organization Manual, 1961
Box   14
Folder   3
Clay, H. B., Speech Writer
Field Workers
Box   14
Folder   4
Barker, Des, Utah, 1962-1964
Box   14
Folder   5
Cope, Don, Indiana, 1962
Box   14
Folder   6
Edens, Drake, South Carolina, 1962
Box   14
Folder   7
Gerken, John, South Dakota, 1962
Box   14
Folder   8
Harmen, John, California, 1962
Box   14
Folder   9
Kelly, John, Pennsylvania, 1962-1964
Box   14
Folder   10
Matthews, C.W., Colorado, 1962
Box   14
Folder   11
Pogo, Edward T., 1962
Box   14
Folder   12
Price, James, Alabama, 1962
Box   14
Folder   13
Reed, James S., Texas, 1962
Box   14
Folder   14
Usher, Monroe, Nebraska, 1962
Box   14
Folder   15
Field Workers, 1964, Post-Election Mailing
Box   14
Folder   16
Idaho, 1960
Box   14
Folder   17
McManus Field Trip and Summary of Field Program
Box   14
Folder   17
Expenditures, 1964
Box   14
Folder   18
Memos and Correspondence, 1960-1961
Box   14
Folder   19-20
Morris Campaign, New Jersey, 1960
Box   14
Folder   21
Mountain States Regional Office Proposal, 1963
Box   14
Folder   22
North Carolina, 1959
Box   14
Folder   23-24
Speech Kits, 1966
Box   15
Folder   1
Speech Kits, 1966, continued
Box   15
Folder   2
Target Areas and Marginal Districts
Box   15
Folder   3
Washington Chapter Organization Meeting, 1963
Box   15
Folder   4
West Virginia, 1959
Series: Financial Records
Box   15
Folder   5-7
Balance Sheets and Cash Reports, 1960-1969
Box   15
Folder   8
Financial Correspondence, Moreell-Orbann, 1961-1969
Financial Reports
Box   15
Folder   9
1959-1961
Box   15
Folder   10
1966
Box   15
Folder   11
1969
Box   16
Folder   1
1969
Box   16
Folder   2
Income Tax Returns, 1958-1968
Box   16
Folder   3
Receipts and Expenditures, 1965, 1969
Replies to Contributors
Box   16
Folder   4-9
1959-1961
Box   17
Folder   1-2
1963-1964
Series: Fundraising
Box   17
Folder   3-4
Eyre, E. Ainsworth, Fundraising Project, 1959-1960
Box   17
Folder   5-6
Form Letters and Advertisements, 1959-1960
Box   17
Folder   7
Local Chairmen, 1959 Mailing
Box   17
Folder   8
Major Contributors, 1962 Mailing
Box   17
Folder   9
Memos, 1960
Box   17
Folder   10-11
Moreell Mailings, 1961, 1964
Box   17
Folder   12
Mundt, Karl, Fundraising Project, 1969
Names
Box   17
Folder   13-14
1959-1964
Box   18
Folder   1-2
1963-1964
Box   18
Folder   3
Special Donors Project, 1967
Box   18
Folder   4-7
Wilson, Steven B., Fundraising Project, 1966-1969
Series: News Releases
Box   18
Folder   6-8
1958-1964
Box   19
Folder   1-7
1964-1969
Series: Publications
Box   19
Folder   8
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports, 1958-1971 (Incomplete)
Box   19
Folder   9
Digest and Tally of Roll Call Votes, 1962-1964 (Incomplete)
Box   20
Folder   1
Political Bulletins, 1969
Box   20
Folder   2
Program Manuals, 1958, 1960
Box   20
Folder   3
Right Action, 1962-1964 (Incomplete)
Box   20
Folder   4
Ratings of Congressmen, 1960
Series: Speeches
Box   20
Folder   5
Gwinn, Ralph, 1959-1960
Box   20
Folder   5
Lane, Thomas A., 1965, 1967
Moreell, Ben
Box   20
Folder   5
1958-1959
Box   20
Folder   6-9
1959-1964, 1966, undated
Box   20
Folder   9
Ward, Chester, 1965
Series: Subject Files
Box   20
Folder   10
Brochures, 1959-1968
Box   21
Folder   1
Chapter Program Application and Code of Ethics
Box   21
Folder   2
Clippings
Congressional Candidates
Box   21
Folder   3
Recommendations for Support, 1964, 1968
Box   21
Folder   4-5
Surveys, Post Election, 1960, 1968
Box   21
Folder   6
Congressional Election Results, Synopsis of Efforts, 1962
Box   21
Folder   7
Congressmen, Relative A.C.A. Standings, 1962
Box   21
Folder   8
Connally Amendment, Moreell Comments, undated
Box   21
Folder   9
Corporate Political Program Mailing and Replies, 1960
Box   21
Folder   10
Election Statistics for 1968 Campaign
Box   21
Folder   11
Emanuel, Henderson, Estate, 1969
Box   21
Folder   12
Enclosures, Printed, 1959-1960
Box   21
Folder   13
Extremism, Response to Charges of, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1967
Box   21
Folder   14
Ganahl, Frank de, Biographical Sketch
Box   21
Folder   15
Kennedy's Farm Program, 1960
Box   21
Folder   16
Key Phonograph Records, 1967-1969
Box   21
Folder   17
Khrushchev's visit
Box   21
Folder   18
Lane, Thomas A., Biographical Sketch and Essay
Box   21
Folder   19
McManus, Charles, Local Campaign Files, 1955-1959
Box   21
Folder   20
Mathias, Charles McC., Clippings
Box   21
Folder   21
Moreell, Ben, Candidate-Delegate, 1964 Republican National Convention
Box   21
Folder   22
National Advisory Council Members, 1959/1960?
Box   21
Folder   23
National Committee for an Effective Congress, Report on
Box   21
Folder   24
Payne, Jessica, Biographical Sketch
Box   21
Folder   25
Pennsylvania Elections, 1964-1966, Investigation of Funding
Box   21
Folder   26
Plank for Democratic and Republican National Conventions, 1968
Box   21
Folder   29
Platform for Political Action
Box   21
Folder   28
Pros and Cons Re: ACA Delivered on Floor of House, 1963
Box   21
Folder   29
Questions and Answers About ACA
Box   21
Folder   30
Scholars Project, 1968
Box   22
Folder   1
Scholars Project, 1968, continued
Box   22
Folder   2
Supreme Court Rating Proposal, 1968
Box   22
Folder   3
Trustees, Names, 1965, 1969
Box   22
Folder   4
Trustees Recruiting Campaign, 1965
Box   22
Folder   5
United Republicans of America, Report on, 1968
Voting Index
Box   22
Folder   6
1962 Ratings
Box   22
Folder   7
1967 Interim Ratings
Box   22
Folder   8
Moreell Comments, 1964
Voting Performance Fact Sheets
Box   22
Folder   9
Distribution, 1960
Box   22
Folder   10
Mailing to Press, 1960
Box   22
Folder   11
Way to Win in 1960