Part 1 (Mss 700, Micro 1100): Original Collection, 1949-1963
Physical Description: 0.2 c.f. (1 archives box) and 38 reels of microfilm (35mm) 
Scope and Content Note

The records of the American Council of Christian Laymen consist almost entirely of the correspondence of its president and chief policy maker Verne P. Kaub, together with an incomplete run of “Challenge,” its newsletter; other mailings and advertising literature; pamphlets which it published; and two cashbooks. In addition, other titles written by Kaub are available in the Society Library. Unfortunately, there are no records dealing with the founding of the organization.

Originally donated from 1959 to 1964, the collection became available for research in 1984. Because the papers were badly deteriorated, the collection was microfilmed. At this time all routine correspondence and literature orders were removed. The remaining collection (13 cubic feet before filming) is still a testimony to Kaub's prodigious abilities as a letter writer.

Despite its narrow interests within the anti-Communist movement, the records of ACCL have little to say specifically on either of its two purposes: Christian Americanism or Communism propaganda in the schools. Instead, because of Kaub's wide-ranging personal influence within conservative circles, the collection is more valuable as a resource for studying conservatism generally during the 1950s. The correspondence ranges from ordinary citizens who wrote concerning their ideas and local activities to nationally-known leaders of the far right. Because the majority of these individuals are undocumented in archival collections, their extensive and detailed correspondence with Kaub is a unique and valuable resource. Among the correspondents are William F. Buckley, Edgar Bundy, L. Ray Carroll, Willis Carto, John K. Crippen, Harry Everingham, C.O. Garshwiler, William J. Grede, Chester Hanson, Billy James Hargis, Merwin K. Hart, Joseph P. Kamp, James J. Kilpatrick, Fulton Lewis, Jr., Joseph R. McCarthy, Carl McIntire, Ben Moreell, James D. Murch, Henry Regnery, George Robnett, Edward A. Rumley, Gerald L. K. Smith, Dan Smoot, Robert Welch, Gerald B. Winrod, and Allen Zoll.

The CORRESPONDENCE is arranged by month and then alphabetically by name. However, it must be understood that the January, 1953 file, for example, contains correspondence which closed during that month, not just letters written during that period. As a result, the January 1953 file on Allen Zoll, may actually include many letters written during several prior months. Researchers should also be prepared for some inconsistencies in filing. Some individual names may be found to be filed by their own name and by the name of the organization or the publication with which they were associated.

Also on the microfilm are an incomplete run of “Challenge” (borrowed from the SHSW Library), other informational mailings and advertising brochures, and copies of various ACCL publications. Other titles which they published or distributed are available as part of the Library's collections, as are Kaub's other writings. Not available on film are two cashbooks, 1949-1954, which individually list all subscribers and contributors.

Correspondence

1950

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1951

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1952

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1953

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1954

January

A-J

K-Z

February

March

April

May

June

A-L

Mc-W

July

August

September

October

November

December

1955

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

A-L

L-Z

November

December

1956

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

A-J

L-Z

November

December

1957

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1958

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1959

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1960

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

A-L

Mabley-Z

November

December

1961

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

1962

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

Records, 1949-1963

“Challenge,” 1952-1963

Mailings, 1953-1959, undated

Advertising material and brochures, undated

Tracts published or distributed by ACCL

Cashbooks, 1949-1954

Part 2 (M2004-199): Additions, 1949-1964
Physical Description: 7.8 c.f. (7 record center cartons and 2 archives boxes), 6 photographs, and 1 negative 
Scope and Content Note: Additions, 1949-1964, consisting of correspondence and other writings, news clippings, pamphlets, leaflets, newsletters and other printed materials, the bulk of which documents the final years of the organization. The correspondence has been kept in Kaub's original arrangement: the first set is chronologically by the month the particular correspondence was closed and the second set is filed alphabetically by the name of the correspondent or organization. Also included is a copy of Kaub's book, Communist-Socialist Propaganda in Our Schools; a book featuring criticism of Kaub and the ACCL by Ralph Lord Roy titled Apostles of Discord; four of the Council's cash books; and a travel diary written by Kaub's daughter Shirley Jean during a trip to Europe in 1954.

Correspondence - chronological files

1949, October-1957, December

1958, January-1963, February

1963, March-1963, October

1963, November-1964, August

1964, September-undated

Correspondence - individuals' files

Baxter, R.R. – Harvard Law School, 1961, undated

Buckley, William F. – National Review, 1960, 1963, undated

Carto, Willis A. – John Birch Society, 1959-1961, undated

Derleth, August, 1963

Dickerson, A.B. – Methodist Church, 1963

Eisenhower, President Dwight D., 1953

Evjue, William, 1950-1961, undated

Forester, Arnold – Anti-Defamation League, 1950

Gallagher, Wes – Associated Press, 1962-1964, undated

Gallop, A.L. – Minnesota Education Association, 1960

Gleason, Aurel E., 1949, 1953-1955, undated

Golden, Harry, 1958-1962, undated

Goldwater, Barry, 1962-1963, undated

Green, Rev. John F.C., 1949, 1951, 1954, 1958-1962, undated

Hammond, Edna, 1950-1951, undated

Hearst, William R. – United Press International, 1963

Hoiles, R.C., 1950

Hoover, J. Edgar – Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1961-1962

Kamp, Joseph P., 1955, 1958, undated

Kastenmeier, Robert, 1963

Kennedy, President John F., 1963

Knauss, Elizabeth, 1953-1956

Koch, Gerda, 1957-1964, undated

Linkins, Ester, 1953-1955, undated

Luce, Henry R. – Life Magazine, 1961

McCarthy, Joseph, 1951, 1955, 1957

Mefford, Chick – WISM Radio, 1961-1963

Nixon, Richard M., 1950

Perlman, Vee, 1957-1958

Peterson, Svend, 1957-1958, undated

Pew, J. Howard, 1949-1951, undated

Proxmire, William, 1959, 1963

Pulitzer, Joseph Jr. – The Warren Court, 1963

Richardson, Ethel, 1960, 1963-1964, undated

Robnett, George, 1950, 1953, 1958, 1960

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1953-1954, 1959, undated

Roy, Ralph L., 1951-1955, 1960

Selby, Howard W., 1953

Skumavc, Dick – Farmer's Union/On the Air, 1963

Sulzberger, Arthur Hays – New York Times, 1953-1954

Swan, Dr. Alfred, 1949-1953, 1960, 1964, undated

Tuttle, H.S., 1963

Wallace, Governor George, 1963

Ward, Wayman – African Methodist Episcopal Church resolution, 1953

Zoll, Allen, 1949-1953, 1961-1963, undated

Subject files

Address and contributor lists, 1953-1954, undated

American Mercury

General correspondence, 1953-1954

Solicitation letter, 1953

Subscriptions and solicitations, 1953-1954

“A New Bill of Rights,” 1954

Annual meeting, constitutional articles and bylaws, 1950-1952, undated

Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, 1954-1963, undated

Applicants for Assistant to the President position, 1961-1963, undated

Ballweg, Charlotte, 1955-1956

“Begging” solicitation letter, 1956-1957, undated

Board of directors, 1953

Book reviews, 1960, undated

Boyle, Sarah – review of The Far Right, 1963

Capital Times, 1950-1964, undated

Carroll, Ray – Freedom Forum, 1951-1953

Catholic applicants and correspondents, 1950, 1961, undated

“Challenge,” 1950-1964

“Challenge” – Bishop Dibelius photograph, 1953

Chicago Tribune, 1962-1964

Christian Beacon, 1945, 1947-1948

Clerics – correspondence, 1960-1964, undated

Colegrove, Kenneth, 1950-1962, undated

Communist-Socialist Propaganda in Our Schools – reviews, 1954-1955

Congregational churches – church merger, 1950, 1960

Congress of Freedom

Correspondence, 1954-1955, undated

Omaha convention, 1953-1954

Omaha convention – suggested attendee list, 1953

Congressmen

Bishop Oxnam, 1953

General correspondence, 1960-1964

Matthews affair, 1953

Contacts – lists of people sending lists, 1953

Dissolution, 1964

Education

Arithmetic, 1964, undated

Censors and the Schools criticism, 1963, undated

Educators, 1960-1964, undated

McGuffey readers, 1961-1962

Miscellaneous, 1959-1962, undated

Schools, 1960-1964

Textbook reviews, 1960-1962, undated

Textbook study/tests and questionnaires, 1958-1963, undated

Episcopal Church, 1961

Faulkner, L.E., 1950, undated

Federal Communication Commission – broadcasters, 1962-1963

Federal Council of Churches

Constituting convention, 1951, undated

Vs. Verne Kaub, 1950, 1953, 1957, 1960, undated

First Presbyterian Church, Peoria, Illinois – report of the Committee of Seven, undated

Florida – solicitation letters, 1954

Freedom, 1950-1951, undated

General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, 1963

General solicitations, 1953-1954

Hance, Myrtle, 1952-1954, undated

Income tax, 1956-1957, 1963, undated

Internal Revenue Service – request for refund, 1952, undated

John Birch Society

1960-1961, undated

Report for year ending, October 31, 1961

Johnson, President Lyndon B., 1964

Lawton Ledger – Lawton, Michigan, 1950

Lerner, Max – Twin Cites lecture, 1960

Librarians – correspondence, 1953

Lists of distributed materials and publications, undated

Look magazine, 1962-1964

Madison school board, 1963

Meador Publishing, 1953-1956, undated

Methodist churches and addresses, 1951-1953, 1961-1963

Mental health, 1957-1961

Milwaukee Journal, 1960-1964, undated

Milwaukee Sentinel, 1960-1963, undated

Mississippi – letters to editors, etc., 1962

Nall, Dr. Otto – Christian Advocate, 1950-1951, 1955, undated

National Citizens Council for Better Schools, 1956-1957, 1960

National Council of Churches, 1963

National Education Association

“An Over-all View of the NEA,” undated

Building America review and other writings, undated

Correspondence and printed materials, 1950-1964, undated

Clippings, 1954-1955, 1962-1963

Newspapers and editors – correspondence, 1950, 1953-1955

[Notepad, undated]

Opocensky, Milan – Madison visit, 1964

Oxnam, Bishop G. Bromley

Oxnam – requests for dossier from Educational Guardian, 1953

Personal papers

Biographical materials, 1956, 1960, undated

[Certificates and diplomas, 1959, undated]

Rensselaer High School reunion, 1963

[Plain Facts rebuttal drafts, undated]

Printed materials, 1950-1964, undated

Publishers and editors – correspondence, 1953

Radio Free Europe, 1963

Reader's Digest, 1964

Reisel, Victor – clippings, 1953-1954, 1956, undated

Religious file, 1958, undated

Reprint prospects, 1955, undated

Saturday Evening Post, 1961-1962

The Scroll, 1958-1960

Segregation, undated

State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1964

Swan, Rev. Alfred – retirement, 1965

Tax exemption, 1950-1954, undated

Tennessee Valley Authority, 1950-1960, 1964, undated

Tennessee Valley Authority – correspondence with congressmen, 1953

Texas – solicitation letters, 1953-1954

This Week Magazine – “Let Freedom Ring,” 1963

Treasury department, 1963, undated

United Nations – Boaz, Wisconsin, 1956

United Nations – Bricker amendment, 1953

United States House of Representatives

Committee on appropriations, 1953

Tax exemption investigation, 1953-1954

Un-American Activities Committee – “Operation Abolition,” 1960

Viking Press, 1953-1954

We, the People, 1955-1957, 1961-1962, undated

We, the People – report on education, 1960

Wisconsin Power and Light Company, 1949-1951, undated

Wisconsin State Journal, 1961-1964, undated

Young Men's Christian Association of the University of Wisconsin, 1961, undated

Miscellaneous correspondence and writing

Miscellaneous correspondence and writing (continued)

Clippings, 1950-1964, undated

Communist-Socialist Propaganda in Our Schools, 1958

Apostles of Discord by Ralph Lord Roy, 1953

Cash books

1951, June-1952, November

1955, June-1960, March

1960, November-1961, August

Kaub, Shirley Jean – travel journal, 1954

Photographs, including photographs given to Verne P. Kaub from acquaintances, and a photograph, corresponding newspaper clipping, and negative of Bishop Otto Dibelius