KYLE'S ACTIVITIES IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO SELECTION AS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE WISCONSIN ASSOCIATION OF COOPERATIVES (WAC)
Scope and Content Note: Practiced law in both Whitewater and Madison from 1946-1948; lobbied for Wisconsin Collectors Association and other organizations in 1947 legislative session.

CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING KYLE'S SELECTION AS WAC EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Scope and Content Note: Read newspaper article that Erich Lenz was resigning as WAC executive secretary and sent brief, frank letter to WAC president William Sanderson expressing interest in the job. Felt well qualified because of previous legislative work, interest in politics, and personal commitment to helping the “underdog,” e.g., cooperatives. Sanderson promptly contacted Lenz, who requested Kyle's resume for consideration by WAC board.

KYLE'S REASONS FOR SEEKING EXECUTIVE SECRETARY POSITION
Scope and Content Note: Position “naturally” lent itself to Kyle's interests and back- ground; involved legislative work, public relations; editing newsletter; championing a cause.

KYLE ANTICIPATES ONLY MINOR PROBLEMS IN DIRECTING WAC
Scope and Content Note: Knew Lenz had created a sound organization during WAC's first three to four years. Despite some early organizational problems, member-cooperatives united around similar goals.

COMMENTS ON MELVIN MASON
Scope and Content Note: “Rural Whitewater “right-wing progressive,” Mason an officer of Midland Cooperative Wholesale, Pure Milk Products Cooperative, and Wisconsin Council of Agriculture (WCA). As WAC board member, was a “centrist,” but Kyle not apprehensive about Mason because of long-standing rapport between them.

WAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS SUPPORTS KYLE'S APPOINTMENT
Scope and Content Note: Received support of previous acquaintances William Rabe, William Sanderson, Melvin Mason, Walter Uphoff and William Owen; cultivated a favorable relationship with Ed Whitney from Central Cooperative Wholesale, Superior, whom Sanderson and Lenz considered a “key person” on board. Not acquainted with, but received support from Gordon Dexter, Lynn Pingry, and Oscar Hunter; only dissenting vote from Newell A. Trumbower.

REASONS WHY WAC ORGANIZED
Scope and Content Note: To confront National Tax Equality Association (NTEA) efforts to impose special tax on cooperatives; to complete tasks of rural electric cooperatives; to promote common goals of cooperatives not represented elsewhere.

WAC'S PHILOSOPHICAL POSITION
Scope and Content Note: Centered around ideology of Farmers' Union, rural electric and consumer-oriented cooperatives.

WISCONSIN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURE (WCA)
Scope and Content Note: Nominal state-wide federation of cooperatives, acting in behalf of farmers only. Farmers' Union and Midland had severed relationship in 1930's with WCA over ideological differences; rural electric cooperatives never represented in WCA. [Incorporated originally as Wisconsin Council of Agriculture, it was known variously through the years, until 1969, as the Wisconsin Council of Agriculture (Cooperative); Wisconsin Council of Agriculture Cooperatives; and Wisconsin Council of Agricultural Cooperatives.]

WCA SHOWS LITTLE CONCERN OVER NTEA ACTIVITIES
Scope and Content Note: Kyle recalls no vocal opposition from WCA over NTEA taxation proposals. WCA felt protected under federal taxation exemption law and mistakenly believed NTEA interested in taxing only cooperative patronage refunds. Gavin McKerrow's affiliation with WAC in late-1950's signified greater concern among council members over NTEA; also demonstrated more interest in growing dairy marketing problems.

WAC AND WCA DIFFERENCES
Scope and Content Note: Differences revolved around membership composition, attitudes towards business and labor, and political affiliation. WCA composed of conservative, “Stalwart,” politically-active Republicans opposing organized labor and forming “natural alliance with business,” which had acted as “front” to repeal “little Wagner Act” in 1939. WAC, “Progressive” and “Democratic,” maintained friendly relationship with labor; mutual interests and shared political philosophy exemplified in work of WAC director William Rabe. Disagreements, if any, between WAC and organized labor, were not voiced.

COMMENTS ON ERICH LENZ
Scope and Content Note: Midland Cooperative director from Merrill before serving as an original WAC director; resigned to accept executive secretary position. More aggressive and less compromising than Kyle. Left WAC to buy into a Sun Prairie farm implement business. [Hanley Implement Company]

LENZ'S EFFECTIVENESS AS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Scope and Content Note: Came up through the ranks and knew problems of local consumer and farm supply coops. Little experience dealing with legislators, but successfully pushed health legislation during 1947 session. Lenz faced such early internal problems as staffing and publishing WAC Bulletin.

WAC BULLETIN UNDER LENZ'S DIRECTION
Scope and Content Note: A “Holy mess.” Wordy, filled with abstract theory on cooperatives by Omar Tinglum and other “intellectuals,” ineffectual farmer- directed communication device.

KYLE'S STAFF
Scope and Content Note: Lenz assisted during Kyle's first days in office. Kyle retained Lenz's secretary and field organizer, E. J. Stanek, a former Farmers' Union field man. Stanek “low key,” loyal, accommodating; worked most effectively with farm board but had limited abilities. Later, Lawrence Jones, a former vocational school teacher and city commissioner, replaced Stanek and concentrated on educational work. Organizing potential members not as important since WAC had reached nearly all who would join.

WAC HEADQUARTERS IN MADISON
Scope and Content Note: Located originally in building owned and occupied by Wisconsin Electric Cooperative at foot of King Street facing West Wilson Street; later housed in three different offices in the one hundred block of West Main Street.

KYLE'S WORK AS NEW WAC EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Scope and Content Note: Kyle changed format, resorted to offset printing, and tried to fill paper with relevant news to improve WAC Bulletin. Attending and participating in local cooperative annual meetings required constant attention. Had to make and maintain affiliations and contacts in Washington, D.C., as NTEA grew more active. WAC's national affiliate, National Association of Cooperatives, floundered and eventually folded due to such competing organizations as National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Cooperative League of the U.S.A., and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Kyle favored WAC joining Cooperative League because of joint interests; board feared affiliation with League would identify WAC too closely with consumer groups. Board decided to apply first for membership in National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. NCFC denied membership to WAC probably because WCA, already a member of NCFC, was opposed to WAC. Left WAC open to join Cooperative League. Kyle served on Cooperative League board for over a decade including term on Executive Committee and several times delegate to International Cooperative Alliance. Cooperative League the first organization in Washington openly opposing NTEA, became vehicle through which WAC battled NTEA.

KYLE ADVOCATES CHANGE IN PROCEDURE FOR ELECTING DISTRICT DIRECTORS
Scope and Content Note: Directors originally elected in district caucuses during WAC annual meetings; later, eight directors nominated at district meetings and ratified at WAC annual meetings. Eight elected directors then formed nominating committee for other seven director slots; entrusted to select representatives from various interests, e.g., Farmers' Union, Midland Cooperative, Dairyland Power Cooperative, Wisconsin Electric Cooperative, and later credit unions.

INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL COOPERATIVES ON WAC
Scope and Content Note: Regionals paid top dues $500, as did some large individual cooperatives, since dues based on volume of business. WAC maintained control of selecting regional representatives, occasionally arousing ire of the regionals. Directors from regionals never “tried to throw their weight around;” one man, one vote principle adhered to.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS VOTING PROCEDURE
Scope and Content Note: One man, one vote created no serious problems among the fifteen directors.

WAC USE OF RADIO
Scope and Content Note: Developed in response to Wisconsin Council of Agriculture Cooperatives (WCAC) regular features on WHA; WAC used radio sporadically. Programs covered variety of topics emphasizing cooperative concept, NTEA tax proposals and legislative bills. Kyle participated in most programs; received little feedback from listeners; never discussed differences between WCAC and WAC.

WAC SPEAKERS BUREAU
Scope and Content Note: Several “vocally qualified” directors available to speak before local groups. Not widely used nor terribly successful, but complemented rural electric and regional cooperatives public messages. Contacted high schools, normal schools, and teachers' colleges to allow Kyle to discuss NTEA and state education law.

WAC USE OF TELEVISION
Scope and Content Note: WAC later participated in Bill Groves' noon “Farm Hour” on Madison's Channel 3. WAC and Kyle promoted then nonexistent state educational television network.

COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING COUNCIL
Scope and Content Note: Initially a project of regional cooperatives Midland and CENEX in which WAC cooperated.

WAC BULLETIN
Scope and Content Note: Kyle given free license to publish the WAC Bulletin, printed and illustrated by Wisconsin Electric Cooperative. Kyle improved format, prepared answers to questions on cooperatives sent to state and federal political candidates and elected officials, and printed roll call votes at end of legislative and congressional sessions. WAC maintained impartiality by quoting candidates verbatim, although falsely suspected of “playing politics.” Kyle composed intentionally biased questions to survey attitudes of politicians, but never received direct criticism from directors. When William Sanderson ran in U.S. Senate primary, the WAC Bulletin maintained strict neutrality.

KYLE'S RELATIONSHIP WITH WAC DIRECTORS
Scope and Content Note: Considered directors a “reasonable bunch of people.” Any controversy over Kyle's suggestions and recommendations resolved through discussions and mutual concessions.

WAC AND WISCONSIN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATIVES (WCAC) DIFFERENCES ON PROPOSED STATE LEGISLATION
Scope and Content Note: Agreed on such important issues as opposing repeal of law requiring public school instruction in cooperatives, educational television, and NTEA. WCAC never took active position on labor legislation or cooperative health act passed in 1947 legislative session through WAC efforts.^[1] Kyle speculates that WCAC ambivalence towards cooperative health based on belief that cooperatives good only for farmers.

WAC MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
Scope and Content Note: Approximately one hundred members in 1944 increased to 360 in 1962. Non-member cooperatives wooed by WAC field man and directors, regional cooperatives' field men, and other representatives of WAC membership.

WAC TACTICS FOR INDUCING COOPERATIVES TO JOIN
Scope and Content Note: Stressed WAC's front line opposition to NTEA; offered local cooperatives assistance in legal and financial matters; portrayed WAC as information source.

WAC SUCCESS PRIOR TO KYLE'S SELECTION AS EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Scope and Content Note: Lenz successfully identified danger of NTEA; got health bill enacted despite early strong opposition from State Medical Society of Wisconsin.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST JOINING WAC
Scope and Content Note: Kyle unable to recall single prominent argument; some local cooperatives opposed to paying membership dues; other considered WAC all talk, no action.

COMPOSITION OF WAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Scope and Content Note: Many veterans of cooperative movement; most 50 and over except for directors Walter Uphoff, Bill Sanderson, and Lynn Pingry. Absence of women due to their noninvolvement in local cooperatives; “agricultural mores” of the times inhibited women from active participation. Women first appeared on boards of urban cooperatives, including Midland-affiliate in Madison. WAC, following example of regional cooperatives, encouraged youth participation. Kyle initiated annual youth conferences; expanded by Glenn Anderson of Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives after WAC and WCA merged.

KYLE'S TYPICAL WORKING DAY WHILE LEGISLATURE IN SESSION
Scope and Content Note: Visited legislators; noted and attended committee hearings directly applicable to WAC interests.

KYLE'S METHOD OF PROMOTING LEGISLATION
Scope and Content Note: Scheduled meetings with legislators; attended committee hearings; discussed issues with friends. Kyle ignored those legislators staunchly unyielding to contradictory arguments; maintained advantageous position because of lengthy experience in Wisconsin politics.

LEGISLATORS SYMPATHETIC TO WAC
Scope and Content Note: Harvey Dueholm; Ervin Bruner, former assemblyman from western Dane county; WAC board member William Owen, later both state senator and assemblyman; two-term senator John Olson from Barron county succeeding Owen as Dairyland Power Cooperative president; former University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point president William circa Hansen; John Pritchard from Eau Claire county; Vic C. (Cap) Wallin, “no heavy weight” but always reliable; Republican William Bergeron from Jackson county [actually St. Croix county], board member of Midland Cooperative Wholesale and Mutual Service Insurance; and the Rissers from Madison. Legislature supporters tended to be progressives from agricultural western Wisconsin where cooperatives prevalent, although exceptions existed. Cites example of former Progressive Party member Bergeron, elected to legislature as Republican, who voted straight Republican except on cooperative-related issues.

LEGISLATORS UNSYMPATHETIC TO WAC
Scope and Content Note: “Representatives from “silk stocking area” of Milwaukee and most representatives from Waukesha and Winnebago counties; opponents generally legislators from districts with strong private business interests and few cooperatives.”

COMMENTS ON WALTER HOLLANDER
Scope and Content Note: “Reasonable” moderate Republican senator representing conservative, yet cooperative-minded farmers. WAC occasionally received but never assured of his vote.

KYLE'S RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER FARM LOBBYISTS IN WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE
Scope and Content Note: Kyle met occasionally with WCAC's Milo Swanton; William KasaKaitas, Wisconsin Farm Bureau; Arthur Hitt, Wisconsin Farmers' Union; and Lukasavage from Pure Milk Products Cooperative. Swanton more accessible than KasaKaitas, a “loner.”

FARM LOBBYISTS' COOPERATIVE EFFORTS
Scope and Content Note: Never met as group to discuss farm problems, except during revision of cooperative law in mid-1950's. WAC often met with WFU representatives; Swanton and KasaKaitas held similar joint discussions.

WAC AND WISCONSIN FARM BUREAU (WFB)
Scope and Content Note: Kyle disappointed in WFB's disinterest in group health bill in 1947 and rural electrification; only open opposition over WFB's stance on selective sales tax. Kyle unable to recall Farm Bureau's position on dairy enabling legislation in late-1950's, but recalls that all professional farm leaders, including such WAC board members as Webster Sprecher, supported the bill. Kyle explains personal objections to dairy farmers carrying brunt of ADA advertising costs.

NECESSITY OF RETAINING BOTH WAC AND WCAC IN AND
Scope and Content Note: Each group represented different political and economic philosophies; consolidation meant watering down strengths of each organization.

WAC/WCAC MERGER
Scope and Content Note: Not seriously discussed nor considered prior to early-1960's; recalls Melvin Mason's early ineffective efforts. Later, major disagreement for merger over one member-one vote finally mediated successfully, much to Kyle's surprise, by Wisconsin Department of Agriculture staffer Martin Abrahamson.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BILL
Scope and Content Note: Emotional issue among farmer-members which generated surprisingly little interest among WAC's urban cooperative members. WAC expediently opposed passage in response to membership desires.

WAC'S POSITION ON SELECTIVE SALES TAX
Scope and Content Note: “Regressive tax” threatened a fundamental concept of cooperative structure that favored the underdog. Purely an economic measure strongly opposed by WAC, including farmer-members. Opposition reaffirmed annually at WAC membership meetings. Kyle refutes claim that sales tax would ease and has eased property tax burden on farmers.

RURAL HEALTH COOPERATIVES
Scope and Content Note: Health cooperative enabling act intended to alleviate medical care needs in rural communities by providing doctors and maintaining hospitals. WAC executive secretaries Lenz and Kyle argued benefits for farmers and other rural people in midst of strong opposition from State Medical Society of Wisconsin. WCAC and WFB disinterested; reluctant to support new ideas. Wisconsin State Grange largely uninvolved in legislative lobbying; WFU probably supported. Kyle unable to recall details of WAC's exclusion from Wisconsin's first statewide rural health conference.

COOPERATIVE EDUCATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Scope and Content Note: Kyle supposes bill introduced and passed in 1935 session^[2] by legislator seeking favor with cooperatives, but Kenneth Hones credited with passage due to numerous acquaintances in Assembly. “Special privilege” or “class interest” legislation difficult to justify, although cooperative education bill supported by cooperative associations.

COUNTY TEACHERS COLLEGE LEGISLATION
Scope and Content Note: WAC, motivated by organization's farmer constituents, favored retention of colleges. Minor “provincial” issue that stirred excitement among local farmers.

EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION
Scope and Content Note: A consumer issue that combined interests of farmers and other consumers, educational television supported by WAC, WCAC, WFB and such others as League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.

STATE-SUPPORTED MARKETING OF MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS
Scope and Content Note: WAC advocated development of large state-wide, state-supported dairy marketing cooperative to stabilize milk prices by returning more “middleman profits” to farmers. State aid in the form of marketing orders needed for early stages of organization. First state-wide dairy marketing organization temporarily succeeded in 1920's; WAC in 1950's incorporated a dairy marketing cooperative in attempt to replicate for Wisconsin dairy plants what Minnesota Cooperative Creameries (later Land O'Lakes) had done in Minnesota. WAC cooperative failed because of lack of interest and WAC's inexperience in dairy marketing.