Anti-communist investigations, 1912-1963
Extent
71.5 cubic feet (176 boxes)
Dates
1912-1963
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research with the exception of a select number of series containing restricted records. More information can be found within the series-level description for those series affected. Advance notice is required for using original material. Please contact us to arrange access.
Additional Description
Introduction
The fear of communism, external and internal, generated a massive program to eliminate communists and suspected communists from the New York City schools. State legislation generally known as the Feinberg Law, adopted in 1949, directed the New York State Board of Regents and local boards of education to take action to remove teachers who were members of “subversive” organizations. Both the Regents and the New York City Board of Education adopted policies declaring the Communist Party to be such an organization.
The investigations, dismissals, resignations, and court challenges, running from 1949 through the 1960s, had major impact on education, politics, law, and culture in New York, and had national influence as well. The records of these investigations (Anticommunist Investigations, 1912-1963) provide a full picture of the competing forces at work: Board of Education officials, police investigators, the special investigative office under Saul Moskoff, the Teachers Union, the courts, and especially the teachers themselves who became caught up in the purge. While research use of much of the records is affected by the need to preserve the privacy rights of teachers, the full potential of the records to elucidate this period of history can be achieved in accordance with conditions for research access to restricted materials.
The investigations, dismissals, resignations, and court challenges, running from 1949 through the 1960s, had major impact on education, politics, law, and culture in New York, and had national influence as well. The records of these investigations (Anticommunist Investigations, 1912-1963) provide a full picture of the competing forces at work: Board of Education officials, police investigators, the special investigative office under Saul Moskoff, the Teachers Union, the courts, and especially the teachers themselves who became caught up in the purge. While research use of much of the records is affected by the need to preserve the privacy rights of teachers, the full potential of the records to elucidate this period of history can be achieved in accordance with conditions for research access to restricted materials.
Arrangement
The 71.5 cubic feet of the Anticommunist Investigations (1912-1963) subgroup are arranged into seven series.
- Series 590: Administrative files, 1939-1962
- Series 591: Subject files, 1934-1963
- Series 593: Trial transcripts, 1950-1951
- Series 594: Individual case files, 1912-1963
- Series 595: Publications, 1944-1962
- Series 596: Index file of suspected communists and subversive organizations, 1951-1956
- Series 597: Feinberg Law loyalty forms, 1953-1960
Custodial History
The file cabinets holding this subgroup of records were apparently placed into storage in approximately 1963. (Later events, including court decisions favoring teachers in the late 1960s and a settlement reinstating and compensating some teachers in 1973, are not documented in this series.) The investigation files, along with a mass of records of historical value, were retrieved from the basement of the Board of Education headquarters in approximately 1976 and placed in the custody of Teachers College Library, Columbia University. They were transferred to the Municipal Archives in 2003.
At Teachers College Library the records were largely retained as found. The sensitive nature of much of the material tended to discourage extensive archival processing. Research access to the records was a problem early on. In 1980, a researcher brought suit in the state courts (Cirino v. Board of Education) to establish her right to use individual case files of several teachers who had given her their permission. As a result, Teachers College Library adopted access guidelines to reflect the court ruling and to provide the maximum access possible while preserving teacher privacy rights.
After transfer of the records to the Municipal Archives in 2003, a similar set of access guidelines was adopted. These regulations were challenged in court and were largely upheld, with some modification by the Court of Appeals. The conclusion of this legal process made it appropriate to complete the processing and description of the records to ensure preservation and to promote improved research access.
At Teachers College Library the records were largely retained as found. The sensitive nature of much of the material tended to discourage extensive archival processing. Research access to the records was a problem early on. In 1980, a researcher brought suit in the state courts (Cirino v. Board of Education) to establish her right to use individual case files of several teachers who had given her their permission. As a result, Teachers College Library adopted access guidelines to reflect the court ruling and to provide the maximum access possible while preserving teacher privacy rights.
After transfer of the records to the Municipal Archives in 2003, a similar set of access guidelines was adopted. These regulations were challenged in court and were largely upheld, with some modification by the Court of Appeals. The conclusion of this legal process made it appropriate to complete the processing and description of the records to ensure preservation and to promote improved research access.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The records were transferred from Teachers College to the Municipal Archives in 2003.