JAFFE, PHILIP J. (PHILIP
JACOB), 1895-1980.
Philip J. Jaffe papers
>
The Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA)
Philip J. Jaffe papers > The Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA)
Collection Stored Off-Site
All or portions of this collection are housed off-site. Materials can still be requested but researchers should expect a delay of up to two business days for retrieval.
Series 7
The Communist Party of the United
States (CPUSA)
Boxes 35-41; Microfilm Reels
1-3
Scope and Content Note
The materials contained in this series come from two sources: Jaffe himself and Earl Browder. Browder was clearly responsible for giving Jaffe the great majority of the items filed here. Although few of the materials are originals, there are notable exceptions. This series includes Browder's own corrected copies of the stenograms of CPUSA plenums and national board meetings (boxes 35 and 36; also available on microfilm), and a complete run of Browder's short-lived journal, the "Distributors' Guide," which he published from January to April 1946 (Box 41).
The series also contains other Browder-related material (Boxes 37-41) including correspondence with various individuals; copies of some of Browder's attempted autobiographical writings; copies of a wide variety of unpublished works which were written by Browder between the late 1940's and mid-1960's; and materials from several court cases involving Browder. Included here as well are many typed excerpts of Browder's writings which were probably prepared by Gary Ulmen for Jaffe.
Correspondence between Browder and Theodore Draper (box 38, folder 1) concerns Draper's questions about and Browder's recollections of the political situation in Chicago in 1923-1924, and Browder's comments on the first volume of Draper's History of American Communism. Also included is a Browder commentary on Draper's second volume. Other Browder correspondents represented in this file are Jack Murphy (a British labor leader) and Elizabeth Brown (a writer). Correspondence between Jaffe and Browder may be found in Series 1, Personal Papers: Correspondence.
Also in this series are manuscripts of position papers, articles and speeches written by Browder, many of them perhaps prepared for a discussion group that gathered around Browder after his expulsion from the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) in 1946 (boxes 38-39). This group, consisting of approximately twenty loyal friends and supporters, offered Browder support and apparently originally served as a political base from which Browder could challenge the new leadership of the CPUSA. Agnes and Philip Jaffe were among this group, known as the "Koffee Klatsch." Starting in the late 1940's and continuing through the 1970's (even after Browder's death in 1973), the group met to discuss political issues, often basing their discussion on a position paper written by Browder. Manuscripts filed here and not designated for publication in a particular place or for a specific lecture were probably "discussion papers" written for this purpose. Almost all items are typed carbons; originals are noted.
Book reviews by Browder (box 39) were nearly all written by Jaffe (in the 1960's) and by Jaffe and Ulmen (after 1970). Browder read the final drafts and made few, if any, corrections before signing his name. Drafts of Browder's autobiography, never completed, are included here (box 40) apparently because Jaffe hoped to write a book on Browder and was given much of this material by Browder after his own attempts at autobiography failed. Jaffe apparently interviewed Browder frequently at Browder's home. The bulk of Earl Browder's personal papers is at Syracuse University. A large number of relevant pamphlets are filed in Series 12, Pamphlets and Journals, under CPUSA, Earl Browder, and Anti-CPUSA publications.
Additional Physical Form
Portions of this series (Box 35: folder 4 - Box 36: folder 4) are available on microfilm.
General Materials: History of the Party | ||
Box | Folder | Content |
---|---|---|
35 | 1 | General materials, 1923 (?)-1957 |
35 | 2a-2b | Early history: Materials from Benjamin Gitlow, 1920's [Full copy of this document included in the microfilm series of the Theodore Draper Papers] |
35 | 3 | Alexander Bittelman, "A Communist Views America's Future," 1960 (272 pp., mimeographed) |
35 | 4 | Pre-plenum meeting of the national committee, March 23, 1939 (original typed stenogram, 45 pp., 2 copies) [Available on microfilm] |
35 | 5a-5b | Discussion by CPUSA national committee on the international situation, 14 and 16 September 1939 (stenogram) [Available on microfilm] |
35 | 6a-6c | Minutes of a special CPUSA convention, November 16-17, 1940 (450+ pp.) [Available on microfilm] |
35 | 7a-7c | Minutes of CPUSA national committee meeting, April 1942 [Available on microfilm] |
36 | 1a-1b | Stenogram of CPUSA plenum, January 8, 1944 (ca. 200 pp., corrected carbon) [Available on microfilm] |
36 | 2a-2b | Stenogram of CPUSA national board meeting, February 8, 1944 (ca. 150 pp., corrected carbon) [Available on microfilm] |
36 | 3a-3d | Stenogram of CPUSA national board meeting, May 22-23, 1945 (ca. 250 pp., corrected carbon) [Available on microfilm] |
36 | 4a-4f | Stenogram of CPUSA national board meeting, June 18-20, 1945 (ca. 450 pp., corrected carbon) [Available on microfilm] |
36 | 5 | Typed notes on CPUSA Stenograms from meetings, (probably compiled by Ulmen for Jaffe)1939-1940 (ca. 40 pp.) |
36 | 6 | Typed notes on CPUSA Stenograms from meetings, (probably compiled by Ulmen for Jaffe)1944-1945 (ca. 25 pp.) |
New York State Party | ||
37 | 1 | Official documents, 1959 (2 items) |
37 | 2 | Bulletin, "Party Voice," 1955-1958 (11 issues) |
CPUSA Leaders | ||
37 | 3 | William Z. Foster |
37 | 4 | Gil Green (1 item) |
37 | 5 | Miscellaneous articles on CPUSA leadership |
37 | 6 | Miscellaneous collected writings, 1946-1948 |
37 | 7 | Clippings, 1958-1972 |
37 | 8 | Materials submitted by the CPUSA to the Justice Dept. for use against the Trotskyites, 1941 [trial of the latter under Smith Act] |
37 | 9 | Printed materials, 1956-1971 [Includes xerox letter and U.S. government report on the Troyskyites (1971)] |
Earl Browder | ||
37 | 10 | General correspondence, 1937-1970 (40 letters) |
37 | 11 | Correspondence with Rudy Blum, 1951-54 (33 letters) |
37 | 12 | Correspondence with Abe Heller, 1952 and 1959 (11 letters; carbons) [All letters to "A Friend" included with the Heller correspondence in Jaffe's original filing system] |
37 | 13 | Correspondence with Daniel Bell, 1956 (4 letters, attached with writings by Browder and Bell) |
38 | 1 | Correspondence with Theodore Draper, 1956-1959 (19 letters, and Browder commentary on Draper's work) |
38 | 2 | Correspondence with Jack Murphy, 1961-1966 (14 letters) |
38 | 3 | Correspondence with Elizabeth Brown, 1954-1964 (11 letters) |
38 | 4 | List of Browder publications (excluding books), 1920'2-1952 |
38 | 5 | Transcripts of Browder radio broadcasts and reprints of articles, 1936-1960 |
38 | 6 | Clippings about Browder, 1944-1977 |
38 | 7 | Daily Worker articles on Browder, 1953-1957 |
38 | 8 | Miniature copies of books and journals, 1943-1944 |
38 | 9-10 | Jaffe's excerpts from Browder's writings |
38 | 11 | Jaffe's excerpts from Browder's writings: organized chronologically, 1919-1942 [Includes loose typed pages of straight excerpts from 1919 and ms., "Earl Browder's Political Thought, 1919-1971," probably written by Ulmen for Jaffe for the 1975 book, The Rise Fall of American Communism] |
38 | 12 | Jaffe's excerpts from Browder's writings: organized chronologically, 1944-1971 [Includes the last 60 pages of "Earl Browder's Political Thought"] |
38 | 13 | Miscellaneous excerpts on Browder, 1953-1954 |
38 | 14 | Browder manuscripts, late 1940's, 1951-1952 |
39 | 1-2 | Manuscripts for articles and speeches: 1953 |
39 | 3 | Manuscripts for articles and speeches: 1954-1955 |
39 | 4 | Manuscripts for articles and speeches: 1956-1959 |
39 | 5 | Manuscripts for articles and speeches: 1960's |
39 | 6 | Miscellaneous writings |
39 | 7 | Book reviews: Reviews by Browder and of Browder's book; letters to the editor, 1947-1960 |
39 | 8 | Transcripts of radio interviews, 1953-1957; debates, 1950-1951 and 1961 |
39 | 9-12 | University lectures: "Marxism and America," 1957 at Rutgers University |
39 | 13 | University lectures: General, 1960-1963 |
39 | 14 | University lectures: General, 1966 |
39 | 15 | University lectures: General, 1967 |
40 | 1 | Autobiography: Jaffe's questions, Browder's answers |
40 | 2-3 | Autobiography: Ms., "A Political Autobiography" |
40 | 4 | Autobiography: Drafts |
40 | 5 | Autobiography: Columbia University Oral History Project, 1965 (69 pp., excerpts) |
40 | 6 | Jaffe drafts for essays on Browder |
40 | 7 | Duclos article in French and English translation, 1945 (photocopies) |
40 | 8 | Browder responses to Duclos article, 1945 |
40 | 9 | Browder appeal against expulsion from the CPUSA, 1946 |
40 | 10 | Miscellaneous materials on Browder and Duclos by members of the CPUSA, 1945-1948 and 1969 |
41 | 1 | Court cases: Passport case, 1940 |
41 | 2 | Court cases: Contempt of Congress, 1951 |
41 | 3-4 | Court cases: Perjury concerning Raissa Browder's entry in the U.S., 1951-1959 |
41 | 5 | Court cases: Materials from Browder's appearances before U.S. |
41 | 6 | Correspondence re "Distributor's Guide," and "Soviet Book News," vol. 1, no. 1 (3 items) |
41 | 7 | "Distributor's Guide," January 5 - March 2, 1946 (6 issues) |
41 | 8 | "Distributor's Guide," March 9 - April 27, 1946 (last 8 issues) |
41 | 9 | Manuscripts in English by Russians (sent to Browder in role as Soviet publisher's representative), 1948 (?) (9 items) |
41 | 10 | Manuscripts in English by Russians, 1948 and 1952 (3 items) |
41 | 11 | Manuscripts, notecards, clippings: 1940's - 1950's [Notecards may be Jaffe's or Browder's; some manuscripts by Browder, others are not; 2 cartoons, 1944, included] |
MICROFILM | ||
General Materials: History of the Party | ||
MF1 | 1 | Pre-plenum meeting of the national committee, March 23, 1939 (original typed stenogram, 45 pp., 2 copies) |
MF1 | 2 | Discussion by CPUSA national committee on the international situation, 14 and 16 September 1939 (stenogram) |
MF1 | 3 | Minutes of a special CPUSA convention, November 22-23, 1940 (450+ pp.) |
MF1 | 4 | Minutes of CPUSA national committee meeting, April 1942 |
MF2 | 1 | Minutes of CPUSA national committee meeting, April 1942 (continued) |
MF2 | 2 | Stenogram of CPUSA plenum, January 8, 1944 (ca. 200 pp., corrected carbon) |
MF2 | 3 | Stenogram of CPUSA national board meeting, February 8, 1944 (ca. 150 pp., corrected carbon) |
MF3 | 1 | Stenogram of CPUSA national board meeting, February 8, 1944 (ca. 150 pp., corrected carbon) (continued) |
MF3 | 2 | Stenogram of CPUSA national board meeting, May 22-23, 1945 (ca. 250 pp., corrected carbon) |
MF3 | 3 | Stenogram of CPUSA national board meeting, June 18-20, 1945 (ca. 450 pp., corrected carbon) |