The papers document the overall research Shannon conducted for his manuscript “The American Communists since 1945,” which was later to be named The Decline of American Communism (1959). This book was part of a series of studies of Communist influence in American life supported by the Fund for the Republic. The Fund for the Republic, a nonprofit membership corporation, was started in 1952 in an effort to support activities directed toward the elimination of restrictions on freedom of thought, inquiry and expression in the United States, and the development of policies and procedures best adapted to protect these rights. The two additional books that were a part of the series were The Roots of American Communism by Theodore Draper and The Communists and the Schools by Robert W. Iversen; all three texts were edited by Clinton Rossiter and published by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York.
The collection contains very little personal material but focuses rather on Shannon's writings and includes manuscript drafts, research files (including research notes and citations, clippings, and pamphlets), and some correspondence. While the sources Shannon consulted date as early as the 1920s, he primarily compiled and wrote his manuscript between 1955 and 1958. The research files contain many of the original sources Shannon consulted among which are: pamphlets written by Earl Browder (circa 1945-1946); pamphlets and handouts written by Irwin Edelman documenting the Rosenberg and Sobell Case (circa 1952-1955); notes, schedules, and speeches from the Communist Party U.S.A. Convention (1957 February); and four pamphlets written by Communist Party USA general secretary Eugene Dennis (circa 1946-1949). Also of interest are several articles taken from Political Affairs and The Daily Worker, both Communist Party publications.
The collection is divided into three main series: Manuscript Drafts, Research Files, and Correspondence.
The MANUSCRIPT DRAFTS include various drafts of Shannon's “The American Communists since 1945” The drafts that are most complete contain very little, if any, revisions while other drafts include comments either by an editor, an unnamed acquaintance, Olive Golden, or Shannon himself. The manuscript drafts also include Shannon's tentative outline and prospectus for a “book on the history of the Communist Party, 1945-circa 1955.” The published edition of The Decline of American Communism is available in the Historical Society library.
The RESEARCH FILES represent the largest and most important area of the collection. The Files have been sub-divided into notes, and clippings and pamphlets. Each is arranged alphabetically by subject, except in the one instance where the General Notes have been placed at the beginning of the sub-series.
The notes are predominantly typewritten, usually containing a quote, its source, the date, and commentary by Shannon. Occasionally, the note files will contain some clippings and pamphlets that relate to the subject. The sources cited date from the early 1940s to the mid-1950s and range from popular publications, such as the New York Times, to less mainstream publications, such as Political Affairs and The Nation. Included are the pamphlets written by both Earl Browder and Eugene Dennis, a list of Smith Act cases involving Communist Party leaders, as well as general information on the Communist Party.
The clippings and pamphlets are largely from smaller presses and publications and are arranged by subject. Publications date from 1940s to the mid-1950s and include clippings and copies of Political Affairs, The Daily Worker, The Nation, New Masses, The American Socialist, The New Republic, and The New Leader. Included in the clippings and pamphlets sub-series are the speeches, schedules, and notes from the Communist Party U.S.A. Convention, held in New York City, February 1957. The Rosenberg and Sobell Case folder contains several handouts and pamphlets, many written by Irwin Edelman, which argue for the defense and release of the Rosenbergs. Other areas of interest include the Communist Party Crisis and the Twentieth Congress; these folders contain documentation of the Communist Party reaction to the famous six-hour “secret speech” Khrushchev gave denouncing the crimes of the Stalin era at the 20th party congress in 1956.
The CORRESPONDENCE documents the period 1955-1956 and consists of incoming mail with carbons of outgoing letters oftentimes attached. The correspondence generally revolves around professional matters and contains no personal correspondence. The General Correspondence, as well as the A.D.A. and A.H.A. correspondence, include letters to colleagues in various History departments and others in professional agencies. The few letters to and from C.P. Baldwin, Curtis D. MacDougall, and Progressive Party leader Henry A. Wallace, all cover the general topic of Communism, and pay special attention to certain details addressed in The Decline of American Communism.
