Finding aid to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California records, (bulk ), MS 3580

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1 No online items Finding aid to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California records, (bulk ), MS 3580 Finding aid prepared by California Historical Society staff California Historical Society 678 Mission Street San Francisco, CA, (415) URL: MS

2 Title: American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California records Date (inclusive): Date (bulk): bulk Collection Identifier: MS 3580 Creator: American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. Extent: 117 cartons, 13 boxes (123.5 linear feet) Contributing Institution: California Historical Society 678 Mission Street San Francisco, CA, (415) URL: Location of Materials: Collection is stored onsite. Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English. Abstract: The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) records cover the years 1900 to 2000, with the bulk dating from Comprising correspondence, minutes, policy statements, annual reports, legal documents, attorneys working notes, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other printed material created or collected by the ACLU-NC, these records document the establishment and activities of the northern California branch, including and especially its efforts to protect and extend individual liberties in California. Administrative records (series 1), subject files (series 2), legal case files (series 3), and scrapbooks (series 4) illuminate some of the major social and political conflicts of the twentieth century in California and nationwide, including: the 1934 waterfront and general strike; the relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; the mandatory loyalty oaths and HUAC hearings of the late 1940s and 1950s; the social movements of the 1960s, including the Free Speech, anti-war, and civil rights movements; battles over abortion, immigration, and gay rights in the 1970s and 80s; and privacy and censorship controversies raised by the popularization of the Internet in the 1990s. Administrative records (series 1) also document the activities of the ACLU s national office in New York. s Consistent with the ACLU-NC s support for freedom of information and informed public discourse on matters of public interest, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California records are open to researchers. However, some categories of records in the collection are restricted to protect privacy, confidentiality, and attorney-client privilege. These restrictions are identified in the Access Policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California Archives at the California Historical Society and summarized below. All researchers must sign the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California Archives Records Access Agreement, confirming that they have read and understood the restrictions outlined in the Access Policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California Archives at the California Historical Society. These documents are available at the reference desk and can be sent by . Restricted Materials in the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California records, MS 3580: Personnel records: Records that deal with personnel issues are closed during the lifetime of the person to whom they apply. This restriction will be lifted if the person to whom the records apply gives his or her permission in writing to disclose said information. Administrative records: Records maintained by ACLU-NC administrators are closed for 20 years after the creation of the record or 10 years after its deposit at the California Historical Society, whichever is later, but in no case for more than 30 years after the creation of the record. Development records: Records relating to financial support from foundations or other legal entities but not to individuals or their family foundations are closed for the same period as administrative records. If they contain information about substantive policy issues, records relating to individual donors or their family foundations are closed for the same period as administrative records. Where opened, the portions relating to individuals or their family foundations are closed during the lifetime of the person to whom they apply. This restriction will be lifted if the person to whom the records apply gives his or her permission in writing to disclose said information. Legal case records: Work-product privileged records, including correspondence, memoranda, drafts or briefs prepared in anticipation of litigation, written statements of witnesses, and notes of mental impressions or personal recollections prepared or formed by MS

3 an attorney, are closed for 20 years after the case to which they apply is closed. Attorney-client privileged records, including any documents reflecting an exchange of communication with a client or a potential client made for the purpose of furnishing or obtaining professional legal advice and assistance, are closed for 75 years after the creation of the record for all clients except children, where the period of closure is 100 years after the creation of the record. Other confidential records, including classified documents, documents that a court has placed under seal or subject to a protective order, and documents that identify clients who have been represented anonymously or pseudonymously, are permanently closed unless the records are declassified or unsealed, the protective order is modified, or the client or the client s legal representative has waived the privilege in writing. Publication Rights All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Library and Archives, North Baker Research Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA Consent is given on behalf of the California Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes. Restrictions on Reproduction Reproduction of collection materials may be restricted at the discretion of CHS library staff. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California records, MS 3580, California Historical Society. Separated Materials Photographs have been removed and shelved under MSP Acquisition Information The collection was donated to the California Historical Society by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California in Additional deposits were made in 2006 and Accruals Additions to the collection are ongoing. Processing Information The first deposit of the ACLU-NC records was processed by California Historical Society staff in , with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The public information subject files were processed by California Historical Society staff in Three boxes of video tapes and 31 boxes of case files, deposited at the California Historical Society in 2006 and 2011, respectively, are unprocessed. System of Arrangement The ACLU-NC records are arranged in four series: (1) administrative records; (2) subject files; (3) case files; and (4) scrapbooks. Series divisions, additional subdivisions, and subject headings are derived from the ACLU-NC's recordkeeping practices and authority file, and have been retained in order to preserve the collection's integrity. Administrative History The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a non-profit organization committed to the defense, preservation, and extension of civil liberties in the United States. Through legal and legislative advocacy and public suasion the ACLU has opposed the restriction of individual liberties by laws and governments, defending a wide range of controversial causes. The ACLU traces it roots to the American Union Against Militarism (AUAM), a pacifist organization founded in 1916 to defend the rights of pacifists, socialists, and labor activists to protest U.S. military conscription and intervention in World War I. In response to the federal Espionage Act of 1917 which curtailed and placed severe penalties on those activities deemed hazardous to the war effort the AUAM established a National Civil Liberties Bureau headed by Roger Baldwin. The 1918 Sedition Act, followed by the arrest and deportation of suspected radicals in the Palmer Raids, convinced the Bureau that a permanent civil liberties organization was necessary. In 1920 the AUAM was discontinued and the American Civil Liberties Union was founded in New York with Roger Baldwin as executive director. The 1920s were turbulent years for the new organization. Invoking the principle of academic freedom, the ACLU challenged Tennessee's anti-evolution law in the famous Scopes Trial of Although public opinion remained decidedly pro-creationism, the well-publicized trial propelled the ACLU into national prominence. On other fronts, from steel mills to textile factories, the ACLU championed labor's right to organize and strike. Repeatedly, it bailed out and defended Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Bill Haywood, leaders of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), as well as scores of other workers. The MS

4 Union was also deeply involved in efforts to secure a retrial for Italian American anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. In California, civil liberties advocates were engaged in a struggle to repeal the 1919 Criminal Syndicalism Act. Acting under the auspices of the Labor Defense League, attorney Austin Lewis enlisted the aid of the ACLU to challenge and stop the arrests of striking workers, labor activists, and radicals. Although concerned individuals, such as Lewis, were associated with the national office, their attempts to begin a branch in Northern California were slow to materialize. Despite efforts by Lewis and local director Elmo Robinson, the San Francisco chapter, begun in 1925, did not generate sufficient enthusiasm or financial support, and it closed the following year. The waterfront and general strike of 1934 ushered in a new era for the ACLU in northern California. After two workers were killed on July 5 ( Bloody Thursday ) in San Francisco, the West Coast waterfront strike erupted into a city-wide general strike, called by Bay Area unions in support of the striking longshoremen. As the strike escalated, so did the vigilante reaction in the Northern California communities of Berkeley, Richmond, Palo Alto, and Santa Rosa, where the homes and offices of trade unionists, radicals, and leftist organizations were raided. The most egregious of these incidents occurred in Santa Rosa, where three residents accused of organizing apple pickers were beaten, tarred, and feathered. Responding to a letter from the national office, six Bay Area ACLU supporters agreed to work with Austin Lewis and represent the Union in San Francisco during the emergency. At the same time, the national office requested that two members of the Southern California Branch, Ernest Besig and Chester Williams, travel to San Francisco to act as organizers and investigators in conjunction with this new group. Originally, Besig and Williams had intended to help file lawsuits and combat vigilantism. They soon began considering the feasibility of establishing a northern California branch. Almost immediately they were embroiled in a struggle over the branch s political neutrality, a problem with which the ACLU-NC would grapple throughout its development. For Besig and Williams, the issue was how to maintain a strictly non-partisan position despite pressure from the national office and the political Left to join forces. Committing themselves to the principle of defending civil liberties regardless of politics, they made an effort to organize. Chester Williams became the organizing director, seed money was received from the national office, and sixty members were recruited to join to the newly established permanent branch of the ACLU in northern California. In early 1935, after more than seventeen years of involvement with the ACLU, Austin Lewis resigned his position as counsel to the executive committee, and Dr. George Hedley became the first executive director. During his short term in office a strong executive board was established, while the Union continued the struggle to repeal the criminal syndicalism laws. Partisan politics again interfered, and in April 1935 Dr. Hedley resigned. Ernest Besig returned to northern California in June to investigate violations of civil liberties resulting from the Eureka lumber strike and subsequent vigilantism. As a result of his involvement in this and other new cases, Besig remained in San Francisco and by the end of 1935 had become the director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC), a position he retained until his retirement in Under Besig's leadership the ACLUL-NC intervened in a wide range of civil rights cases, challenging restrictions of individual liberty in the spheres of education, work, politics, and travel. Its legislative and legal efforts included protecting the children of Jehovah s Witnesses from dismissal for refusing to salute the American flag at school; defending workers rights to organize, picket, and distribute literature; promoting academic freedom; and challenging restrictive immigration policies like the anti-oakie law. During this period the ACLU-NC also defended far-right organizations, petitioning for the Nazi Bund s right of assembly. From its beginnings, the ACLU-NC often parted ways with the national office. In 1941 the executive and military orders to relocate and detain thousands of Japanese Americans provoked a major rift between the local branch and the national office. At the onset of World War II, the national office passed the Resolution of 1942, codifying its policy of non-assistance to individuals cooperating with enemies of the United States during wartime. This policy limited ACLU intervention on behalf of Japanese Americans to the protection of the individual s right to due process. In other words, the ACLU would defend the right of individual Japanese Americans to a hearing prior to relocation, but would not challenge the constitutionality of the internment itself. Despite pressure from New York, the ACLU-NC became actively involved in the relocation issue, arguing that Executive Order 9066 was fundamentally unconstitutional. Under the Resolution of 1942, the national office objected to the ACLU-NC s intervention on behalf of Fred Korematsu and Japanese American citizens detained at Tule Lake. As a result of these disputes, the ACLU-NC faced possible disaffiliation from the national organization. Finally, a compromise was reached: local branches could maintain decision-making powers on local issues, leaving the national board the option to disclaim their actions. Likewise, local branches could disclaim a position held by the national office. MS

5 Other significant civil liberties fights undertaken in the 1940s included defending conscientious objectors right to refuse military service on the grounds of religious freedom, and advocating for the rights of returning Nisei soldiers and other veterans of color. In the late 1940s and 1950s, national post-war anxieties over Soviet expansion created a political climate hostile to the Left. Under the rubric of national security, an invigorated House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) launched investigations into government and private industry, academic institutions, and the military in order to uncover hidden subversives. Mandatory loyalty oaths and classified government security hearings resulted from this official outpouring of anti-communist anxiety. The ACLU-NC actively challenged the various conformity oaths, as well as the authority of federal, state, and local investigating committees to inquire into the associations and affiliations of private citizens. The organization also fought to reinstate workers who had been fired because of their alleged political affiliations and beliefs. In less publicized cases, the ACLU-NC defended gays and lesbians against invasion of privacy, entrapment, and intimidation; fought against the "gentlemen's agreements" directed against Jews; and protested the distribution of religious literature in public schools. In a famous 1957 censorship case, the ACLU-NC defended San Francisco bookseller and poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who had been charged with obscenity for selling Allen Ginsburg s poem Howl. In the 1960s and 1970s, the ACLU and its northern California affiliate became involved in many of the civil rights and social movements that were sweeping the country. The ACLU-NC defended the civil liberties of students, activists, and demonstrators involved in the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, student anti-huac demonstrations, and anti-vietnam war sit-ins, and challenged Proposition 14, an initiative that repealed the Rumford Fair Housing Act of The Union also defended the rights of women, gays, and lesbians to due process and equality before the law in housing, employment, public accommodations, and child custody cases, while advocating for the rights of the poor and incarcerated, including welfare recipients, prisoners, and patients in mental hospitals. In 1972, the ACLU-NC successfully championed a Privacy Amendment to the state constitution, which helped provide a legal foundation for abortion rights in California. In the 1980s and 1990s, the ACLU-NC continued to defend and advocate for the rights of immigrants, women, gays and lesbians, and prisoners. The affiliate founded the Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, which provided legal support for gays and lesbians in employment discrimination and other cases, while laying the groundwork for state domestic partnership laws. When the HIV/AIDS crisis erupted, the ACLU-NC fought to protect the privacy, rights, and freedoms of HIV-positive people. At the same time, the Union worked to defend and expand access to abortion in California. With the rise of the Internet in the 1990s, the ACLU-NC began to address issues of censorship and privacy vis-à-vis computer technologies. The ACLU-NC is a living organization that continues to provide legal and legislative advocacy for civil liberties in cases involving a wide range of issues, including censorship, police practices, abortion, capital punishment, juvenile rights, criminal justice, and the separation of church and state. Scope and Contents The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) records cover the years 1900 to 2000, with the bulk dating from 1934, when the Northern California branch was permanently established in San Francisco. Comprising correspondence, minutes, policy statements, annual reports, legal documents, attorneys working notes, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other printed material created or collected by the ACLU-NC, these voluminous records document the establishment and activities of the northern California branch, including and especially its wide-ranging efforts on the legislative, legal, and educational fronts to protect and extend individual liberties in California. Administrative records (series 1), subject files (series 2), legal case files (series 3), and scrapbooks (series 4) illuminate some of the major social and political conflicts of the twentieth century in California and nationwide, including: the 1934 waterfront and general strike; the relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; the mandatory loyalty oaths and HUAC hearings of the late 1940s and 1950s; the social movements of the 1960s, including the Free Speech, anti-war, and civil rights movements; battles over abortion, immigration, and gay rights in the 1970s and 80s; and privacy and censorship controversies raised by the popularization of the Internet in the 1990s. Administrative records (series 1) also document the activities of the ACLU s national office in New York and its sometimes strained relationship with the northern California affiliate. Subjects and Indexing Terms American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California--Archives. American Civil Liberties Union. Northern California Branch--Archives. American Civil Liberties Union. AIDS (Disease)--Patients--Civil rights--california. Anti-communist movements--california. MS

6 Assembly, Right of--united States. Capital punishment--california. Case files. Censorship--California. Civil rights--california. Civil rights--united States. Constitutional law--california. Constitutional law--united States. Due process of law--united States. Free Speech Movement (Berkeley, Calif.) Freedom of association--united States. Freedom of movement--united States. Freedom of religion--united States. Freedom of speech--united States. Gay rights--california. General Strike, San Francisco, Calif., Immigrants--Civil rights--california. Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, Labor movement--california. Loyalty oaths--california. Mentally ill--civil rights--california. Prisoners--Civil rights--california. Scrapbooks. Syndicalism--California. Vietnam War, Protest movements--california. Women's rights--california. Bibliography The following resource was consulted during the 2011 revision: The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, "Our history," retrieved May 2011 from MS

7 Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Subseries 1.1: National Office Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Physical Description: 22.0 cartons Scope and Contents Administrative records (series 1) are divided into two subseries: (1) documents relating to and usually originating from the ACLU s national office in New York; and (2) records originating from and documenting the activities and concerns of the ACLU-NC and its local affiliates. Dated between the years 1934 to 1970, administrative records in the first subseries document the activities and operations of the ACLU s national office. Materials in this subseries include correspondence with the national board of directors; minutes of board meetings; correspondence and printed materials relating to standing committees; policy statements; resolutions; staff reports; annual reports; and documents from national conferences and speaking tours. Included in this subseries are letters and other materials documenting the wartime rift between the ACLU and its northern California affiliate over the constitutionality of Japanese American internment. The bulk of administrative records in the collection were produced by the ACLU-NC between the years 1934 and Records in this subseries have been roughly subdivided by carton to facilitate research. Carton 4 contains correspondence between the ACLU-NC and the national office. Cartons 5 through 11 contain general correspondence to and from the ACLU-NC, including prisoner inquiries; letters of support; specific and general queries; and letters documenting internal policy decisions, membership matters, and other organizational and legal issues. Cartons 13 through 17 contain ACLU-NC Executive Board minutes; specific committee correspondence and minutes; press releases and printed materials; financial records; and assorted materials relating to national and local ACLU chapters and other organizations, including the NAACP, American Jewish Congress, and John Birch Society. Carton 18 contains materials collected by the ACLU-NC concerning federal legislation and activity, including the Fifth Amendment, Fair Employment Act, and House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The remaining four cartons in this group (cartons 19-22) contain correspondence and printed materials documenting California legislation, including anti-picketing initiatives, criminal syndicalism laws, and other referendums, acts, and amendments, between the years 1916 and Subseries 1.1: National Office Board of Directors Carton 1, Correspondence Folder 1-4 Carton 1, Folder 5 Bylaws Carton 1, Folder 6 Constitutional revision Carton 1, Minutes Folder 8-19 Carton 2, Minutes Folder Policy statements Carton 2, Correspondence Folder Carton 2, Printed materials Folder 24 Carton 2, Resolution of Folder 25 Carton 2, Correspondence 1940 Folder 26 Carton 2, Revocation Folder 27 MS

8 Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Subseries 1.1: National Office Carton 2, Folder 28 Carton 2, Folder 29 Carton 2, Folder 30 Carton 2, Folder 31 Carton 2, Folder 32 Carton 2, Folder Carton 2, Folder 35 Carton 2, Folder Carton 2, Folder 38 Carton 2, Folder 39 Carton 2, Folder 40 Carton 2, Folder 41 Carton 2, Folder 42 Carton 3, Folder 43 Carton 3, Folder 44 Carton 3, Folder 45 Carton 3, Folder 46 Carton 3, Folder Carton 3, Folder 54 Carton 3, Folder 55 Carton 3, Folder 56 Carton 3, Folder 57 Carton 3, Folder 58 Carton 3, Folder Carton 3, Folder 62 Carton 3, Folder 63 Correspondence 1967 Resolution of Correspondence Staff council reports Statements and reports Annual Reports Academic Freedom Committee Church-State Committee Correspondence Minutes Due Process Committee, printed material Joint Finance Committee, printed material Miscellaneous committees Correspondence General Affiliates Conference Correspondence Printed material Affiliates relations, printed material 1955 Biennial Conference Correspondence Printed material Reports Printed material 1974 Financial Conference Correspondence Printed material Roger Baldwin Written material Speaking tours Irving Fernam, speaking tour Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr., speaking tour 1965 MS

9 Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Subseries 1.1: National Office Carton 3, Folder 64 Carton 3, Folder 65 Carton 3, Folder 66 Carton 3, Folder 67 Carton 3, Folder Carton 3, Folder 72 Corliss Lamont, speaking tour Patrick M. Malin, speaking tour Lawrence Speiser, speaking tour 1965 Individual associates Miscellaneous subjects Printed material Pamphlets Subseries 1.2: Northern California Branch Carton 4, Folder Carton 5, Folder Carton 5, Folder 97 Carton 5, Folder Carton 5, Folder 101 Carton 5, Folder Carton 6, Folder Carton 6, Folder 115 Carton 6, Folder Carton 7, Folder Carton 7, Folder 129 Carton 7, Folder Carton 8, Folder Carton 9, Folder Carton 10, Folder Carton 11, Folder Carton 12, Folder 202 Carton 12, Folder Carton 12, Folder 205 Carton 12, Folder Carton 12, Folder 218 National Office correspondence National Office correspondence Correspondence Correspondence Membership correspondence Correspondence Correspondence Institutional Queries correspondence Correspondence Correspondence Lawrence Livingston correspondence Correspondence February Correspondence 1959 March-1962 October Correspondence 1962 December-1967 August Correspondence 1967 October-1969 May Correspondence 1969 June-1970 November Day in Sacramento, correspondence Correspondence 1971 April-July Minutes Minutes Minutes, chapter representation 1965 MS

10 Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Subseries 1.2: Northern California Branch Carton 12, Folder 219 Carton 13, Folder Carton 13, Folder 224 Carton 13, Folder 225 Carton 13, Folder 226 Carton 13, Folder 227 Carton 13, Folder 228 Carton 13, Folder 229 Carton 13, Folder 230 Carton 13, Folder Carton 13, Folder Carton 13, Folder 235 Carton 13, Folder Carton 13, Folder Carton 13, Folder 240 Carton 13, Folder 241 Carton 13, Folder 242 Carton 13, Folder 243 Carton 14, Folders Carton 14, Folder 251 Carton 14, Folder 252 Carton 14, Folder 253 Carton 14, Folder 254 Carton 14, Folder Carton 14, Folder Carton 14, Folder 259 Minutes 1966 Minutes Advisory Committee Correspondence Minutes Education Committee Correspondence Minutes Executive Committee, correspondence Incorporation Committee Legal Committee Screening Committee Correspondence Minutes Miscellaneous 1953 Nominating Committee Correspondence Miscellaneous Annual reports, Executive Director Annual reports Media Miscellaneous Press Releases Printed Material Bill of Rights Communist Party Education Legal journals Operation Abolition Clippings , Miscellaneous MS

11 Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Subseries 1.2: Northern California Branch Carton 15, Folder Carton 15, Folder Carton 15, Folder Carton 15, Folder Carton 15, Folder 277 Carton 15, Folder 278 Carton 15, Folder 279 Carton 15, Folder 280 Carton 15, Folder Carton 15, Folder 283 Carton 16, Folder 284 Carton 16, Folder 285 Carton 16, Folder 286 Carton 16, Folder 287 Carton 16, Folder 288 Carton 16, Folder 289 Carton 16, Folder 290 Carton 16, Folder 292 Carton 16, Folder 293 Carton 16, Folder Carton 16, Folder 299 Carton 16, Folder Carton 16, Folder 302 Carton 16, Folder Carton 16, Folder Carton 16, Folder Carton 16, Folder Carton 16, Folder 312 Financial Records Cash disbursements Funds Legacy donations Membership Membership Membership Memoranda Payroll Miscellaneous National Chapters Illinois, correspondence Illinois, minutes Iowa, correspondence Massachusetts Massachusetts, bulletins New York, correspondence New York Miscellaneous correspondence California Chapters Berkeley Berkeley-Albany, correspondence UC Berkeley UC Berkeley, correspondence Butte County Marin County, correspondence Marin County Southern California, correspondence Southern California, correspondence Stanford University MS

12 Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Subseries 1.2: Northern California Branch Carton 16, Folder 313 Carton 17, Folder 314 Carton 17, Folder 315 Carton 17, Folder 316 Boxes 17, Folder 317 Carton 17, Folder 318 Carton 17, Folder 319 Carton 17, Folder 320 Carton 17, Folder 321 Carton 17, Folder 322 Carton 17, Folder 323 Carton 17, Folder 324 Carton 17, Folder 325 Carton 17, Folder 326 Carton 17, Folder 327 Carton 17, Folder 328 Carton 17, Folder 329 Carton 17, Folder 330 Carton 17, Folder 331 Carton 17, Folder 332 Carton 17, Folder 333 Carton 17, Folder 334 Carton 17, Folder 335 Carton 17, Folder 336 Carton 17, Folder 337 Carton 17, Folder 338 Carton 17, Folder 339 Carton 17, Folder 340 Miscellaneous Organizations Academic & Civil Rights Council of California American Bar Association American Jewish Congress 1948 American League Against Communism American Legion American Liberty League American Veterans Committee American Warriors Inc Anti-War Associated Farmers of California California Crusaders California Labor School California Legislation Conference 1947 California Youth Legislation 1941 Citizens Constitutional Rights Committee 1934 Civil Rights Congress Communist Party Constitution Society Democratic Clubs Emergency Civil Liberties Committee Fellowship of Humanity Fun for the Republic Human Rights John Birch Society Labor Minority civil rights NAACP MS

13 Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Subseries 1.2: Northern California Branch Carton 17, Folder 341 Carton 17, Folder 342 Carton 17, Folder 343 Carton 17, Folder 344 Carton 17, Folder 345 Carton 17, Folder 346 Carton 17, Folder 347 Carton 18, Folder 348 Carton 18, Folder 349 Carton 18, Folder 350 Carton 18, Folder Carton 18, Folder 355 Carton 18, Folder 356 Carton 18, Folder 357 Carton 18, Folder 358 Carton 18, Folder 359 Carton 18, Folder 360 Carton 18, Folder Carton 18, Folder Carton 18, Folder 367 Carton 18, Folder Carton 18, Folder 370 Carton 19, Folder Carton 19, Folder 374 Carton 19, Folder 375 Carton 19, Folder Carton 19, Folder 380 Carton 19, Folder 381 NAACP National Association of Social Workers National Lawyers Guild Nazism and fascism Northern California Committee to Defend Education 1957 Progressivism San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation USSR 1937 Vigilantism Miscellaneous organizations Federal legal cases Women's Rights Project Federal Legislation Anti-alien measures Anti-race hatred Arrest, correspondence Fair Employment Fifth Amendment undated Correspondence , General , HUAC, correspondence HUAC Industrial Mobilization 1938 Police Practices Advisory Religion in schools California Legislation Anti-civil liberties bill 1943 Anti-picketing Anti-vigilantism 1937 Arrest information MS

14 Series 1: Administrative Records , bulk Subseries 1.2: Northern California Branch Carton 19, Folder 382 Carton 19, Folder 383 Carton 19, Folder Carton 19, Folder 386 Carton 19, Folder Carton 19, Folder Carton 19, Folder Carton 19, Folder 395 Carton 19, Folder 396 Carton 20, Folder 397 Carton 20, Folder Carton 21, Folder Carton 22, Folder Carton 22, Folder Carton 22, Folder Carton 22, Folder 443 Carton 22, Folder 444 Carton 22, Folder Carton 22, Folder Carton 22, Folder Carton 22, Folder Carton 22, Folder Carton 22, Folder 456 Carton 22, Volume 1 Carton 22, Volume 2 Arrest laws, correspondence 1957 Arrest laws 1957 Barnes Act 1966 Californians for Bill of Rights Communist Party ballot ban 1940 Criminal syndicalism Dirksen Amendment FEPC Francis Amendment, correspondence 1962 Francis Amendment 1962 General General General "Hot Cargo" referendum Loyalty issues 1952 Loyalty issues 1969 Ordinances Penal Code Political advertising 1958 Rumford Act 1964 Traffic violations Wagner Act 1939 ACLU Policy Guide 1966 ACLU Policy Guide 1976 ACLU Policy Guide, supplement 1977 MS

15 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.1: Academic Freedom Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Physical Description: 62.0 cartons Arrangement The subject files are organized and labeled according to the current ACLU-NC authority file. New revisions and headings were made co-operatively by the ACLU-NC and California Historical Society staff. Scope and Contents The subject files found in this series comprise the bulk of the ACLU-NC records, spanning the entire twentieth century ( ), with the bulk created after Documenting some of the major social and political conflicts of the twentieth century in California and nationwide, the ACLU-NC s subject files are extensive and diverse, both in subject matter and format. Materials in the files include correspondence, newspapers clippings, pamphlets, leaflets, and other printed material. Originally maintained for staff use, these files are an adjunct to the ACLU-NC's administrative records (series 1), with which they sometimes overlap. For example, the Discrimination, Racial--Japanese-Americans subject files contain important correspondence between the ACLU's national office and its northern California branch. The public information subject files (subseries 2.33) were received in 2006 from the office of ACLU-NC communications director Elaine Elinson. Collected and maintained by Elinson during the course of her 17-year tenure at the ACLU-NC, these subject files are dated between the years 1931 and 2000, with the bulk created between 1975 and There is significant topical overlap between the public information subject files, deposited in 2006, and those received in 1977 (subseries ). In general, however, the public information subject files concern more contemporary civil liberties-related issues. Three cartons of video tapes, circa , are unprocessed. Subseries 2.1: Academic Freedom Carton 23, Folder 457 Carton 23, Folder 458 Carton 23, Folder 459 Carton 23, Folder Carton 23, Folder 465 Carton 23, Folder Carton 23, Folder 468 Carton 23, Folder 469 Carton 23, Folder Carton 23, Folder 472 Carton 23, Folder 473 Carton 24, Folder Carton 24, Folder Compulsory military education Free speech Clippings Berkeley General, policy statements Political affiliation and beliefs SF Child Care Center 1950 Correspondence Clippings National Defense Education Act Young Socialist Alliance 1961 Political affiliation and beliefs Student rights MS

16 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.1: Academic Freedom Carton 24, Folder 479 Teachers rights 1962 Subseries 2.2: Aliens/Immigration and Naturalization Services Carton 24, Folder Carton 24, Folder Carton 24, Folder Carton 24, Folder 488 Carton 24, Folder Detention and registration, Chinese Deportation Naturalization , Quota system 1952 Repeal of citizenship, correspondence Subseries 2.3: Capital Punishment Carton 24, Folder 491 Carton 24, Folder 492 Death penalty 1936 General 1967 Subseries 2.4: Censorship Carton 24, Folder 493 Carton 24, Folder Carton 25, Folder Carton 25, Folder 498 Carton 25, Folder 499 Carton 25, Folder 500 Carton 25, Folder 501 Carton 25, Folder 502 Carton 25, Folder 503 Carton 25, Folder 504 Carton 25, Folder 505 Carton 25, Folder 506 Carton 25, Folder 507 Carton 25, Folder 508 Carton 25, Folder 509 Comic books 1954 Customs, correspondence June Customs, correspondence 1962 July-1963 Literature regulation, correspondence Mail League Against Yellow Journalism 1936 Correspondence 1937 Printed material Nudism Nudism Correspondence Printed material Correspondence Newsstand Textbooks and library materials Theatre MS

17 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.4: Censorship Carton 25, Folder 510 Visual media and radio Subseries 2.5: Separation of Church and State Carton 25, Folder 511 Carton 25, Folder 512 Carton 25, Folder 513 Carton 25, Folder 514 Carton 25, Folder 515 Carton 25, Folder 516 Carton 25, Folder 517 Carton 25, Folder 518 Carton 25, Folder 519 Carton 25, Folder 520 Carton 25, Folder 521 Carton 25, Folder Carton 26, Folder 524 Carton 26, Folder 525 General, Sutro Library General 1962 Parochial school aid 1945 Correspondence Education Act 1965 Printed materials Religious literature in public schools Correspondence Printed materials Clippings Bible clubs Gideon Bibles Correspondence Correspondence San Jose State College Subjects and Indexing Terms San Jose State University. Carton 26, Folder 526 Carton 26, Folder 527 Carton 26, Folders Carton 26, Folders Carton 26, Folder 533 Carton 26, Folder 534 Carton 26, Folder 535 Carton 26, Folder 536 Carton 26, Folder 537 Printed materials Clippings Correspondence Speeches, addresses, etc Printed materials Clippings Supreme Court decisions Speeches, addresses, etc Clippings SF Unified School District 1966 Subjects and Indexing Terms San Francisco Unified School District. MS

18 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.6: Criminal Justice Subseries 2.6: Criminal Justice Carton 26, Folder 238 Carton 26, Folder 539 Carton 26, Folder 540 Carton 26, Folder 541 Carton 26, Folder 542 Carton 26, Folder 543 Bail Correspondence Speeches, addresses, etc Clippings Court proceedings 1971 Court reporters/transcripts 1956 Due process, Sacco/Vanzetti 1940 Subseries 2.7: Criminal Syndication Carton 26, Folder Carton 26, Folder 546 Correspondence , 1934 SF General Strike 1934 Subjects and Indexing Terms General Strike, San Francisco, Calif., Carton 27, Folder Carton 27, Folder 551 Correspondence , Printed materials Subseries 2.8: Dress Codes Carton 27, Folder 552 Carton 27, Folder 553 Carton 27, Folder 554 Beards/hair, correspondence Beards/hair, printed material 1971 Clothing 1963 Subseries 2.9: Discrimination, Age Carton 27, Folder Juvenile, criminal justice Subseries 2.10: Discrimination, Racial Carton 27, Folder 558 Carton 27, Folder 559 Carton 27, Folder 560 Carton 27, Folder 561 General Criminal justice Education Education 1969 Employment MS

19 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.10: Discrimination, Racial Carton 27, Folder 562 Carton 27, Folder Carton 27, Folder 565 Carton 27, Folder 566 Carton 27, Folder 567 Carton 27, Folder 568 Carton 27, Folder 569 Carton 27, Folder 570 Carton 27, Folder 571 Carton 27, Folder 572 Carton 27, Folder 573 Carton 27, Folder 574 Carton 27, Folder 575 Carton 27, Folder 576 Carton 27, Folder Carton 28, Folder 579 Carton 28, Folder 580 Carton 28, Folder 581 Carton 28, Folder 582 Carton 28, Folder 583 Carton 28, Folder 584 Carton 28, Folder 585 Carton 28, Folder 586 Carton 28, Folder 587 Carton 28, Folder 588 Carton 28, Folder 589 Carton 28, Folder 590 Carton 28, Folder 591 Employment Employment Health care Housing Housing, clippings Insurance Military Police Recreation Gypsies, criminal justice 1940 Blacks Civil disorder Criminal justice, Scottsboro Criminal justice, clippings Criminal justice, Vallejo housing 1946 Education Education Employment Housing Housing Housing Media 1946 Poll tax Public accommodations 1956 Race relations Recreation 1947 Japanese-Americans Employment 1942 Equal Protection, licensing Equal Protection, vigilantism 1945 MS

20 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.10: Discrimination, Racial Carton 28, Folder Carton 28, Folder Carton 28, Folder Carton 29, Folder Carton 29, Folder 601 Carton 29, Folder Carton 29, Folder 604 Carton 29, Folder 605 Carton 29, Folder 606 Carton 29, Folder Carton 29, Folder 609 Evacuation and relocation Correspondence Tule Lake Correspondence Evacuation and relocation Evacuation and relocation, clippings Printed materials Military 1949 Ownership of property 1946 Deportation Renunciation of citizenship Mexican-Americans, general Subseries 2.11: Discrimination, Religious Carton 29, Folder 610 Carton 29, Folder Carton 29, Folder 614 Carton 29, Folder General, Catholic education Jehovah's Witnesses Military, correspondence , 1952 Military, cases Military, printed material Subseries 2.12: Discrimination, Sexual Carton 29, Folder 617 Carton 30, Folder 618 Carton 30, Drawer 619 Carton 30, Folder 620 Carton 30, Folder 621 Homosexual, recreation 1970 Women, child custody 1951 Women, due process 1945 Women, employment Women, reproductive rights 1971 Subseries 2.13: Farmworkers Carton 30, Folder 622 General, printed material Subseries 2.14: Federal Communications Commission MS

21 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.14: Federal Communications Commission Carton 30, Folder 623 Carton 30, Folder 624 Carton 30, Folder 625 Carton 30, Folder 626 Carton 30, Folder 627 General, printed material Licensing General General Fairness Doctrine General 1969 Subseries 2.15: Free Speech Carton 30, Folder 628 Carton 30, Folder 629 Carton 30, Folder 630 Carton 30, Folder 631 Carton 30, Folder Carton 30, Folder 634 Carton 30, Folder 635 Carton 30, Folder 636 Carton 30, Folder 637 Carton 30, Folder Carton 31, Folder Carton 31, Folder Carton 31, Folder 645 Carton 31, Folder 646 Carton 31, Folder 647 Carton 31, Folder 648 Carton 31, Folder Public Protest Black Muslims 1961 Farmworkers Correspondence Clippings General Nazi Party Operation Abolition Correspondence Script House report Survey Printed materials Clippings Use of public buildings Use of public buildings 1967 Socialist Party Sound trucks War in Southeast Asia Subseries 2.16: Gun Control 1968 Carton 31, Folder 653 Printed materials 1968 MS

22 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.17: Labor Subseries 2.17: Labor Subjects and Indexing Terms General Strike, San Francisco, C Carton 31, Folder 654 Free speech, general Carton 31, Folder 655 General Carton 31, Folder Political affiliations and beliefs Strikes Carton 31, Folder 658 General Carton 31, Folder 659 Eureka lumber Carton 31, Folder 660 Salinas lettuce Carton 31, Folder 661 SF General Strike Carton 31, Folder General Subseries 2.18: Libel 1939 Carton 31, Folder 664 Political affiliations and beliefs, anti-fascism 1939 Carton 32, Folder 665 Subseries 2.19: Loyalty/Security Carton 32, Folder 665 Carton 32, Folder 666 Carton 32, Folder 667 Carton 32, Folder 668 Carton 32, Folder 669 Carton 32, Folder 670 Carton 32, Folder 671 Carton 32, Folder 672 Carton 32, Folder 673 Carton 32, Folder 674 Carton 32, Folder 675 Carton 32, Folder 676 Carton 32, Folder 677 Carton 32, Folder Carton 32, Folder 680 Espionage Federal Employment Correspondence Clippings Correspondence Printed materials Commission on Government Security Correspondence Printed materials General 1967 Fingerprinting, general General Minority political parties Yorty Commission 1940 Wartime civil liberties General MS

23 Series 2: Subject Files , bulk Subseries 2.19: Loyalty/Security Carton 32, Folder 681 Carton 32, Folder 682 Carton 32, Folder Carton 33, Folder 686 Carton 33, Folder 687 Carton 33, Folder 688 Carton 33, Folder 689 Carton 33, Folder 690 Carton 33, Folder Carton 33, Folder Carton 33, Folder Carton 33, Folder 697 Carton 33, Folder Carton 33, Folder 700 Carton 33, Folder 701 Carton 33, Folder 702 Carton 33, Folder 704 Carton 33, Folder 705 Clippings "Minneapolis 11" Correspondence HUAC Commission HUAC cases HUAC Levering Act, correspondence Levering Act State Board of California, correspondence Printed material Clippings California Labor School 1957 HUAC Maritime industry Medicare Military Registration State employment Subseries 2.20: Medical Profession Carton 34, Folder 706 Carton 34, Folder 707 Licensing, correspondence Licensing, printed material Subseries 2.21: Mental Patients' Rights Carton 34, Folder Carton 34, Folder 713 Civil commitment, general , Electroshock treatment 1970 Subseries 2.22: Military Carton 34, Folder 714 Church/State, general 1969 Conscientious Objectors MS