The James Loeb Papers span his varied career as a leader in the anti-Communist left. However, for complete documentation of his career the researcher will have to consult other Loeb papers which are part of the records of Americans for Democratic Action (also at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin), papers at the Truman Presidential Library, the Brandeis University files on the Spanish Civil War, and State Department files at the National Archives.
Because of the dispersed nature of Loeb's papers, the early files at the Historical Society are somewhat fragmentary. However, because of the prominence of his correspondents, these items are of considerable interest. The coverage of the early years is in part overcome by the inclusion (only on microfilm) of an unpublished autobiography written in 1959.
The value of the papers at the Historical Society is enhanced by the inclusion of numerous lengthy and reflective memoranda which Loeb later placed in the files to comment upon and clarify points in the original papers. The topics of these notes range from information on the history of ADA to various incidents concerning his appointment in Peru.
The Loeb Papers consist of correspondence; notes; memoranda; reports; speeches and writings; an unpublished autobiography; photographs; and subject files on the ADA, various political activities, and his ambassadorial posts.
The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of biographical sketches, personal recollections (including a memo on the anti-Communist aspects of his career), miscellaneous clippings, and the 1959 autobiography, which is available only on microfilm. Photographs relate to his political activities and to his two ambassadorial posts.
The GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, which contains both incoming and outgoing letters of a personal and political nature, is arranged chronologically and spans the years 1937 through 1974. With the mid-1950's the coverage of his political activities becomes complete. Although there is coverage of his writing, there is little information concerning work on the Daily Enterprise.
The POLITICAL FILES contain varied material on his political activities. Included is a run of the mimeographed newspaper Spanish Labor News, notes on his files at the Truman Library, a memorandum on Wisconsin senatorial politics in 1951, and information of various kinds concerning the presidential candidacies of Adlai Stevenson, Hubert Humphrey, and Averell Harriman. Most valuable in the AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION FILES are lengthy comments prepared by Loeb on histories of the organization written by others.
The AMBASSADORIAL FILES consist of unclassified correspondence which includes letters to and from personal friends and governmental leaders such as President Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Also included is an Army briefing book on the situation in Peru, a paper from Arnold Payne on the 1962 coup, and miscellaneous clippings. Also present are extended notes on his ambassadorships.
NOTES AND WRITINGS include speeches, notes concerning his meeting with European anti-Communist leaders in 1949 as a representative of ADA, notes and outlines for articles and books, copies of articles he wrote for the North American Newspaper Alliance, and notes and a draft for his book on Kennedy era foreign policy, “Failure of Two Missions.”
