Collections : [University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center]

The Laurance Labadie Papers document the work and life of Laurance Labadie, anarchist writer and theorist and son of the noted labor leader and anarchist Joseph A. Labadie. The collection contains correspondence, other writings, and printed material related to Laurance's economic theory and work with the School of Living, as well as a series containing papers related to the work of Laurance's father Joseph A. Labadie.

The Laurance Labadie Papers measure 9.5 linear feet and date from 1882 to 1973. The collection documents, through correspondence and writings, Labadie's ideas on anarchism and the social problems of the time, as well as the views of many of his anarchist contemporaries, mainly from 1932 to 1972. Unfortunately, there is little material from the years before this, and little, if anything, on Labadie's family. The correspondence is especially rich for the 1930s and 1940s, when Labadie was corresponding with anarchists who had been active in the late 19th and early 20th century, and who had known Labadie's father. The papers from the 1950s and 1960s document his involvement with the School of Living, a decentralist, back-to-the-land organization that he supported. The Joseph A. Labadie papers held by Laurance are chiefly notebooks and booklets of poetry with broad subject range, and scrapbooks of news clippings about Joseph Labadie, anarchy and labor movements in the 19th century, and Walhalla, the farm of Labadie's friend Carl Schmidt.

The collection, which spans 1870s-1960s (bulk dates 1880s-1930s), chiefly includes correspondence with fellow workers in the labor movement, publishers and writers for anarchist, socialist, and labor journals, and a wide circle of friends, some letters being also addressed to Mrs. Labadie, manuscripts of his articles, speeches, and poems, photographs, and personal documents. The Family series also contains a folder of correspondence relating to the donation of this collection to the University of Michigan Library. Joseph Labadie's activities within the labor movement in Detroit, his anarchist philosphy, as well that of the many correspondents he had, and early Detroit history is welldocumented in this collection.

The collection, which spans 1870s-1960s (bulk dates 1880s-1930s), chiefly includes correspondence with fellow workers in the labor movement, publishers and writers for anarchist, socialist, and labor journals, and a wide circle of friends, some letters being also addressed to Mrs. Labadie, manuscripts of his articles, speeches, and poems, photographs, and personal documents. The Family series also contains a folder of correspondence relating to the donation of this collection to the University of Michigan Library. Joseph Labadie's activities within the labor movement in Detroit, his anarchist philosphy, as well that of the many correspondents he had, and early Detroit history is welldocumented in this collection. The Joseph Labadie Papers are separated into three series: Correspondence (Incoming); Family (correspondence between family member, outgoing correspondence, autobiographical notes, journals, family histories, biographies, scrapbooks, etc.); and Works (Labadie's titled and untitled essays, articles, columns, letters to the editor, and poetry). The Correspondence consists of 4.25 linear feet of incoming letters, mainly to Joseph Labadie. The files are arranged alphabetically (see Boxlist) with folders for principle correspondents interfiled with general alphabetical headings. Letters from Herman Kuehn to Labadie comprise .25 ft. and are kept in a separate box. The Family series consists of correspondence between family members, both immediate and extended, copies of some of Jo Labadie's outgoing correspondence, autobiographical notes, labor and other organizational membership cards, biographical notes and character sketches by Agnes Inglis, copies of legal briefs for a civil case Jo and Sophie were involved in with a relative, descriptions of Bubbling Waters, the Labadie's summer and retirement home, photocopies of Jo's scrapbooks, his account book and address books, a journal, and materials relating to the donation of Jo's materials to the University of Michigan. The Works series consists of titled essays, untitled essays, miscellaneous fragments of Labadie's writings, drafts of letters to the editors of various newspapers, drafts of his long-running column, "Cranky Notions," and his poetry. The last item in the collection is a videotape copy of a silent feature film made in 1925 on location at the Labadie's property at Bubbling Waters. Some reels of the film are not included, but the forest fire scene is believed to have been filmed at Bubbling Waters. This is the last known extant film relating to the Labadie Family. More information on the film is available upon request.

This collection contains material related to the anarchist Esther Dolgoff's English translation, completed around 1980, of Joseph Cohen's 1945 Yiddish book Di yidish anarkhistishe bavegung in Amerike: historike iberblik un perzenlekhe iberlebungen (The Jewish Anarchist Movement in America: Historical Overview and Personal Experiences). In addition to a photocopy of Dolgoff's handwritten translation of the four-part work, the collection contains a small number of letters written by Dolgoff concerning the manuscript.

The bulk of this collection is a photocopy of the handwritten, unpublished manuscript of Esther Dolgoff's translation of Joseph Cohen's 1945 Yiddish book Di yidish anarkhistishe bavegung in Amerike: historike iberblik un perzenlekhe iberlebungen (The Jewish Anarchist Movement in America: Historical Overview and Personal Experiences). A notable addition is two original, handwritten chapters of the translation and a typed foreword and table of contents. Handwritten annotations, likely written by Philadelphia anarchist Robert Helms and another unknown comrade, appear throughout the photocopied manuscript. These materials together comprise the second and largest series, "Manuscript."

The first series consists of a small amount of correspondence, mainly letters from Esther Dolgoff to Frank Gerould written in 1980, and emails from Gerould and Helms to Labadie curator Julie Herrada in the 2010s providing some context for the manuscrpt.

The Tufts Papers contain case files, related documents, internal USACIDC administration and operational papers, and application of USACIDC resources. The Administrative Files consist of background and history of the USACIDC, as well as biographical information on Tufts, including a transcript of an interview, and some brief biographical sketches on other military personnel. Correspondence contains letters and memoranda between Tufts and other military personnel. The largest series, Case Files, concerns criminal investigations which Colonel Tufts directed, including the one convened for the My Lai Massacre. Additional cases involve other war crimes, murder, drug trafficking, drug use, bribery, rape, corruption, racketeering, illegal use of government property, etc.

The papers consist of case files, related documents, internal CID administration and operational papers, and application of CID resources. The Administrative Files consist of background and history of the USACID, as well as biographical information on Tufts, including a transcript of an interview, and some brief biographical sketches on other military personnel. Correspondence contains letters and memoranda between Tufts and other military personnel. The largest series, Case Files, concerns criminal investigations which Colonel Tufts directed, including the My Lai case as well as the Son My case. Additional cases involve other war crimes, murder, drug trafficking, drug use, bribery, rape, corruption, racketeering, illegal use of government property, etc.

Included in Box 2 is the index card filing system of Col. Tufts. This filing system is the key to all of the major case files. The number and letter designations in the upper right hand corner of the case files were copied from the original folders and correspond to the index cards. For example, the contents of case file "1A" (file A of case 1) can be found by locating card A in tab 1 of the index card filing system. (The tab numbers correspond to case file numbers and the letters refer to Reports of Investigation (ROIs). There is also a section divided alphabetically by last name of an individual or name of a firm. The number and letter code found on these cards corresponds to the numbered tabs in the front of the index. These "name" cards can be used as cross reference for locating the cases in which these subjects were involved. This system has been preserved for reference purposes and has been kept in the exact order in which it was received. We have made every effort to maintain the original case file designations and have also retained some of the original case file labels.

Only Social Security numbers were redacted from case files. The identities of individuals are not concealed. The photocopies are of the best quality, and any difficulty in reading them is due to the poor quality of the original, which in many cases was also a photocopy.

One box of materials containing personnel records has been closed and is not available for research.

This collection personal correspondence, legal documents, and publications related to Finnish-American labor organizer William Kaino Heikkila's struggles for US citizenship under anti-communist immigration policies.

The records, which measure one linear foot, cover the dates from 1951 to 1966 and are divided into seven series. These are as follows: Correspondence (1952-1966), Publicity and Activities (1958-1961 and undated), Legal Proceedings and Documents (1952-1964 and undated), Legislation (1958-1962 and undated), Personal (1958-1960), Subject Files (1951-1960 and undated), and Miscellaneous (1958-1960 and undated).

The Correspondence series, (1952-1966), is rich in materials relating to both the public (esp. legal) and private sides of William Heikkila's deportation ordeal. It contains letters from Heikkila's attorneys, the general public, friends and family of the Heikkilas, and from William Heikkila himself to his wife, Phyllis, in the midst of his deportation stay in Finland. The letters illustrate both the ongoing struggle for Heikkila's citizenship and freedom, and the extent to which individuals and groups offered their support to his cause.

The Publicity and Activities series, (1958-1961 and undated), is the largest series in the records collection. The materials in this series help to illustrate the great amount of attention his deportation and the following proceedings received in the national, regional, and in particular local media. Included are a variety of materials from the NCCPFB, which played a central role in supporting both Heikkila's case and cause throughout the years. The organizational records of the NCCPFB, also in the Labadie collection, are a similar but somewhat less abundant source of materials of this nature. The bulk of the Publicity and Activities series consists of news clippings from around 1958, which provide a valuable means of understanding the deportation and proceedings from the perspective of the general public, and offers a generally detailed chronological progression of events in the case.

The Legal Proceedings and Documents series, (1952-1964 and undated), includes briefs from Heikkila's citizenship and deportation cases from 1952 to 1959. Also in this series are several items relating to Phyllis Heikkila's legal battle to win William's Social Security Lump Sum Death Benefit.

The next series, Legislation (1958-1962 and undated), contains informational sheets about bills published by the NCCPFB and other regional divisions of the American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born (ACPFB). It also contains copies of some bills and notes and publications relating to bills.

The Personal series (1958-1960) includes two groupings of materials: those relating to Heikkila's deportation and related travel (1958), and those relating to his death and funeral (1960).

The Subject Files (1951-1960 and undated) contains two folders. The first concerns William Niukkanen (a.k.a. William Mackie), another Finnish-born man residing in the United States who encountered citizenship battles similar to those of Heikkila, and who was sometimes discussed in relation to Heikkila. The second relates to the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), which was intimately involved with the battle against Communism in the 1950s onward which Heikkila found himself inadvertently involved with.

The final series, Miscellaneous (1958-1960 and undated), contains some photographs, some Finnish language materials of undetermined nature, and some general items which do not fall within the series structure but which nonetheless have a place in the records collection.

Edward C. Weber (1922-2006) was long-time curator of the University of Michigan Special Collection's Joseph A. Labadie Collection of radical history. Under his stewardship, the Labadie Collection grew into one of the premier and most forward-thinking holdings of materials relating to radical and protest groups from the United States and around the world. The Edward C. Weber Papers are made up of the subject's correspondence and biographical materials, written from 1949 to 2006. The bulk of the collection, the correspondence is mostly comprised of Weber's letters soliciting materials on behalf of the Labadie Collection or fielding reference questions from researchers, as well as personal correspondence from the his family and friends. The collection's materials are comprised of letters (typed and handwritten), printed out emails, postcards, greeting cards, news clippings, photographs, printed biographical materials, framed commendations, and other miscellaneous paper materials.

The Edward C. Weber Papers consists of Weber's correspondence with organizations, publishers, researchers, associates, family, and friends, along with biographical materials created for his retirement and memorial services. The collection provides a snapshot of the Joseph A. Labadie Collection and his work there for a 40 year period (1960-2000), as well as a portrait of his personal relationships with friends and family from 1949 to 2005.

The Biographical Materials series contains materials from Weber's retirement celebration and memorial service. The first folder contains past articles and correspondence on paper stock, reprinted for Weber's memorial service in 2006. The second set of items relate to Weber's retirement in 2000. This includes a flyer for his retirement celebration, articles about his retirement, and copied certificates of commendation. In addition, two framed items of commendation are housed in an oversized box.

The Correspondence series makes up the majority of the collection and is comprised of 27 linear feet of paper material housed in 54 manuscript boxes, foldered alphabetically by correspondent or corresponding organization. Individual letters, cards, photographs and other types of written communication are arranged chronologically within each subject's folder(s). The majority of folders are dedicated to outreach by Weber to various radical groups and individuals soliciting material donations to contribute to the Labadie Collection. His written responses to reference inquiries for items within the Labadie Collection make up another significant segment of the series. Most of these materials are typewritten letters officially sent on behalf of the Labadie Collection and University of Michigan Special Collections. Some later letters were written by Labadie Collection assistants during Weber's time there and with his knowledge. Since Weber never used email, his letters sent on behalf of the Labadie Collection were typed on a manual or electric typewriter. There are occasional handwritten notations on some of these letters and a few emails printed out so he could read them. Other folders in the series contain personal correspondence from friends, family, and other associates. These items are made up mostly of handwritten notes, postcards, greeting cards, newspaper clippings, printouts of emails, occasional photographs, and other miscellaneous items. Many of the folders were removed from the general Labadie correspondence files in 2008 and a listing was made of them at that time. The rest of the series is made up of personal correspondence Weber stored in his home.

Within the series are several notable, lengthy correspondence partners including Theodore Adams (1950-2004, 21 folders), James Q. Belden (1952-2000, 11 folders), George Nick (1949-1991, 12 folders), Curtis and Clarice Rodgers (1961-2005, 18 folders), and Henry Van Dyke (1950-2004, 12 folders). The series also includes correspondence from notable individuals such as civil rights activist Malcolm X, graphic novelist Harvey Pekar, former Secretary of State Eliot Abrams, the White Panther Party, among many others.

Abbreviations:

LC=Labadie Collection ECW=Edward C. Weber

Comprised of articles by C. Cornelisson, H. Kelly, E. Malatesta, M. Nettlau, and F. Tcherkesoff solicited for a special Kropotkin memorial issue of Detroit Russian-language journal Probuzhdenie; other articles by Jean Grave and Nettlau; and letters from Kelly, Grave, Nettlau, and J. Ishill to editor J. Cherney and other editorial staff members.

The collection contains correspondence related to the Detroit Russian-language journal Probuzhdenie during J. Cherney's tenure as editor. It particularly contains material related to the production of a special issue on Russian anarcho-communist Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin, as well as one copy of that 1931 issue; Jean Grave's writings (in French) for the journal; and writings by Max Nettlau (in English) for the journal.

The Mary Hays Weik Papers include correspondence with anti-nuclear activists world wide, public officials, concerned citizens, and Weik's family; newsletters and articles on nuclear power, civil rights, neighborhood improvement in Cincinnati in the 1950s, and right-wing and anti-communist organizations; other writings by Weik; legal documents on nuclear power plants in New York; research notes; newspaper clippings; and subject files. Also includes the correspondence, 1950-1954, of Caroline Urie, who, like Weik, was a leader of the American branch of the International Registry of World Citizens.

The papers document Weik's involvement in the world government movement after World War II and the antinuclear movement of the 1960's and 1970's. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1950's to the 1970's; there is little material or information on Weik's life and work prior to 1950. The correspondence file is rich in its documentation of a small but dedicated group of individuals who made up an informal network of international antinuclear activists.

The Ammon Hennacy Papers were acquired from the family of Hendrik Anderson, who had stored them for many years after Hennacy's Southwest sojourn. In the course of the years the papers were re-arranged, and in some cases mixed with Anderson's own papers. The bulk of the collection ranges from 1936-1944, although many items are undated.

These papers are particularly significant in their documentation of Hennacy's early years of study, his prison experiences, and his relationships with his family and various close friends, including Dorothy Day. Hennacy's notes and manuscripts document his attentive reading and study habits, while his handwritten "Gospel in Brief" includes his own cross-references (including to Tolstoy) and interpretations of the New Testament (a second volume of this project may be found in the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center). Hennacy's letters are filled with political and social arguments; they document his constant effort to convince other people of his views.

In his personal papers, the notes on travels with Selma Melms in 1921-1925 are rich in detailed descriptions of places visited, people met, and miles traveled. Some of these latter notes appear to be written by Melms.

The Hennacy Papers are divided into seven series: Correspondence, Manuscripts, Printed Materials, Notes and Book Reviews, Personal files, Subject files and Hendrik Anderson papers.

Correspondence comprises roughly 1/3 of a linear foot. Of particular note are letters from Ralph Borsodi, Holley Cantine, Dorothy Day, Theodore Debs, Mohandas K. Gandhi, E. Haldeman-Julius, Hippolyte Havel, Thomas Keall, Lucy Parsons, Maximillian Olay, Boris Yelensky, and the Sunrise Farm Cooperative Community. The correspondence from Day, most of which is undated, is intimate in tone, touching on daily events as well as spiritual matters. Day coaches Hennacy through his conversion, complains lightly about people who hang around her but are "not really concerned in our point of view" (in a letter dated only "Saturday"), and frequently expresses worry about his health and safety. In one letter, Day indirectly addresses the physical attraction between them, and asserts her celibacy.

The letter from Gandhi is apparently not written in his hand, but appears to be signed by him. The signature, in different ink than the letter itself, matches Gandhi's as reproduced in published letters. The letter is marked "Yerawa Central Prison 3rd April," and includes a blue symbol, perhaps a censor's mark, at the top margin. Since Gandhi was in the Yeravda (or Yerawa or Yeravada) Central Prison (in Poona or Pune, Maharashtra, India) from March 1922 until February 1924, it is most likely that this letter dates from 1923. In response to a letter from Hennacy, Gandhi gently rejects Christian Science, and asserts his belief in God "...not in the hope that He will heal me, but in order to submit entirely to His will, and to share the fate of millions who, even though they wished to, can have no Scientific medical help." Gandhi adds that he often fails to carry this belief into practice.

Hennacy's outgoing correspondence is arranged chronologically. It includes his letters to Dorothy Day, to his family, the Fuller Brush Company (1923 to "Dad Fuller" and 1929 to Mr. Eckman), Upton Sinclair (1924, 1932, 1935), Gandhi (1933), President Roosevelt (1934), Emma Goldman (1936) and many others. While nearly all are dated, many are addressed only with the correspondent's first name. The letters are preserved as typed carbon copies in most cases, usually not signed by hand. They cover a wide range of topics, from personal relations to political and religious concerns, to the pragmatics of publication, travel and meetings.

The Manuscripts series contains both typed and handwritten manuscripts by Hennacy, including chapter drafts from his book on Christian Anarchism. The "Prison Writings" folder contains letters and statements produced by Hennacy during his imprisonment in 1919. These include detailed descriptions of prison conditions and Hennacy's own classification of prisoners according to their crime, background, ethnicity and honesty ("rat," "professional rat" and "potential rat").

Printed Materials contains Hennacy's clipping files, as well as articles published by Hennacy. It is not clear whether Hendrik Anderson might have added clippings to some of these files in later years.

The fourth series,Notes and Book Reviews, consists of three original Hennacy folders ("Anarchism Book Reviews," "Anarchism Notes and Articles," and "Extra Copies of Notes"), and a varied sample of Hennacy's research notes that have been re-foldered. Most of these are undated, although the dates may be extrapolated from the publication dates and sometimes from the home address Hennacy included. Hennacy's own inventory for his notes in 1938 are in the folder "Index to Notes."

Personal files and Subject files are both very small series, comprising a miscellany of materials. Of particular interest are the photographs, many of which are inscribed and a few of which are dated, and the "Honeymoon Hiking Adventure," a set of notes concerning Hennacy's travels around the country with his bride Selma Melms in 1921-1925.

The Anderson Papers, roughly 1⁄2 linear foot, date primarily from 1942-1944. They comprise leaflets, publications, and a negligible amount of correspondence. Most of the material concerns Anderson's efforts in pacifism and the Socialist Party in California and other western states.

Anarchist, social worker, friend of J. A. Labadie, and first curator of the Labadie Collection. Comprise administrative files of the Labadie Collection which she combined and intermingled with personal correspondence, memoirs, and research notes.

The Agnes Inglis Papers are comprised of a variety of materials including her correspondence, research notes, writings, scrapbooks, and her work at the Labadie Collection. The bulk of these papers range from 1924 to 1952, the years during which she served as curator of the Labadie Collection.

These papers hold significance in several respects. First, Agnes Inglis held an important place within the radical movement (anarchism, communism, socialism, etc.) in Southeastern Michigan during the first half of the 20th century, and was particularly active in the anti-conscription campaigns and the subsequent deportation of radicals surrounding the first World War. Her connections within this movement were extensive, and her papers reflect insider knowledge of the events, activities and especially of the individuals of the Left during her lifetime. Also, these papers essentially document the Labadie Collection itself. Because she was the initial and sole curator for the Collection for its first three decades in the University of Michigan libraries, her papers hold extensive information on the Collection's history. Finally, Inglis was an extremely historically minded individual and saw great value in documenting the facts and her impressions of the many people, organizations and events she came to know.

The Agnes Inglis Papers are separated into three series: Corresponsence, with Individual and Corporate subseries; Writings, with Autobiographical, Creative and Theoretical and Notes and Research subseries; and Scrapbooks.

It should also be noted here that during her time as curator of the Labadie Collection, Inglis constructed a card catalog filled with references and biographical and historical notes on the individuals, groups and events of the radical movement. Labadie staff should be consulted if one wishes to view this catalog.