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.
