Historians of American Communism
Encyclopedia
Historians of American Communism (HOAC) is a national academic association, established in 1982, bringing together historians
, political scientists, and independent scholars interested in the study of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) and other communist and anti-communist organizations in the United States. The society publishes a semi-annual journal, American Communist History, produced by the British
academic publisher Routledge
. The organization also maintains an internet newsgroup
on H-Net
.
(CPUSA) to attend an organizational meeting held in conjunction with the 1982 Convention of the Organization of American Historians
in Philadelphia
. This meeting was held on April 2, 1982, with Dyson occupying the chair. Dyson noted that a chance meeting of several historians interested in various aspects of American Communism in which he participated at the 1980 Upper Midwest History Conference in Duluth, Minnesota
had yielded productive discussion and he suggested that a new national organization of individuals interested in such matters might provide a forum for a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas. The small circle who had participated in the informal 1980 conclave had constituted themselves a General Organizing Board for such a new group, an organization tentatively called "The John Reed
Club."
The organizers envisioned a society which would help interested scholars make contact with one another to exchange in academic discourse. The group would additionally publish information about research in progress, it was hoped, as well as aid in the search for obscure sources — no simple task in the days before easily searchable library catalogs via the internet
. Further, organizers sought a place to where one might take esoteric questions about little-known aspects of American communism and hope to find an answer.
Discussion at the organizational meeting centered around the parameters of the organization, with some arguing in favor of inclusion of other radical
political organizations outside of the CPUSA, while others sought a more limited and tightly focused orientation. It was decided that a concentration upon the history of the CPUSA alone would make for a more useful organization in its initial phase.
As objection was raised to the political connotation of naming the organization after John Reed, a founding member of the American Communist Party, a new name was called for. The gathering decided upon the name "Historians of American Communism." A second meeting of the organization was called for later in 1982, to be held in conjunction with the convention of the American Historical Association
(AHA) in Washington, D.C.
The General Organizing Board of the new organization approved by the April 2, 1982, meeting consisted of Hyman Berman of the University of Minnesota
; Lowell Dyson of Alexandria, Virginia
; Max Gordon
of New York City
; John Earl Haynes
of Washington, D.C.; Harvey Klehr
of Emory University
; and William Pratt of the University of Nebraska. A two-page mimeographed newsletter was published by Haynes, entitled Newsletter of the Historians of American Communism — a publication which would continue uninterrupted through the summer of 2004.
No organizational dues were set for 1982, but a $5 membership fee was levied for 1983, with proceeds to pay for production of the newsletter, projected to be a quarterly.
Ballots were sent out early in March 1983, with the mail election closing on the 29th of that month. The draft constitution was duly approved.
The constitution of HOAC lists as the organization's objective "To stimulate interest in, promote the study of, and facilitate research and publication on the history of American Communism."
HOAC's system of office was convoluted. The organization was to feature four officers — a President, Vice President, General Secretary, and Treasurer. Vice Presidents were to be the automatically succeed to the office of president in the subsequent year and were thus to be the chief competitive election. A nominating committee appointed by the President was to provide one nominee, with others added to the list by membership petition. An six member Central Committee, elected to a three year term, was to directly appoint the General Secretary and Treasurer, who would join the Central Committee, along with the President and Vice President and the three most recent past presidents. This Central Committee was to meet annually at a time and place determined at its pleasure. Dues were formally set at $5 per annum by the constitution, with a special life membership made available to anyone contributing $1,000 or more to the organization. This dues rate remained in effect until 1990, when dues moved to a rate of $10 per annum by decision of the HOAC Central Committee. Dues rose again in 2002, this time to $25 per year, due to the launch of a new academic journal, subscriptions to which were included in the cost of membership dues.
Elected as first President of the organization was Hyman Berman, with Harvey Klehr elected Vice President. The six members of the initial Central Committee were elected for staggered terms: John Haynes and Max Gordon for a three year term, Daniel Leab and Ellen Schrecker
for a two year term, and Kenneth Waltzer and David J. Garrow for a one year term. Thereafter, two of the six members would come up for election each year.
A membership list published in September 1985 indicated that HOAC had a paid membership of 117 for that year.
In the Spring of 1986, HOAC President Harvey Klehr asked Dan Leab to assume the role of "Executive Secretary" of the organization (originally called "General Secretary" in the HOAC constitution). Leab has continued in this position for more than 20 years, and remains the organization's point of contact in 2009.
at Tamiment Library, located at New York University
. Haynes converted this material and further additions to digital form in the 1990s, a listing which he continues to maintain on his personal website into the 21st Century. The organization also publicized "Research in Progress" and "Recent Publications and Papers by Members" in its quarterly newsletter. The organization also fostered the exchange of primary source
materials gathered from the Federal Bureau of Investigation
under the Freedom of Information Act.
Beginning in 2002, HOAC began the publication of a semi-annual academic journal, American Communist History. This marked a move for HOAC from its previous function of facilitating and chronicling academic publications in other venues to actually engaging in academic publication itself. American Communist History is a scholarly journal with the worthiness of submitted articles anonymously juried by recognized experts in the field prior to their acceptance for publication. Editor of the publication from its first issue through the current date is Dan Leab of Seton Hall University
.
At the time of the new journal's launch, HOAC Editor John Haynes defined the purpose of the new publication:
In March 2003, HOAC launched its own newsgroup
via the academic newsgroup coordinator, H-Net
. In the initial post announcing the new forum, co-moderator of the forum John Haynes wrote:
The 2002 advent of American Communist History, and its regular announcement of new publications, and the H-HOAC newsgroup, and its regular announcement of research in progress and exchange of information about various esoteric research issues, made the continuation of the Newsletter of the Historians of American Communism moot. That publication quietly terminated publication effective with the July 2004 issue.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, political scientists, and independent scholars interested in the study of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) and other communist and anti-communist organizations in the United States. The society publishes a semi-annual journal, American Communist History, produced by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic publisher Routledge
Routledge
Routledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
. The organization also maintains an internet newsgroup
Newsgroup
A usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users in different locations. The term may be confusing to some, because it is usually a discussion group. Newsgroups are technically distinct from, but functionally similar to, discussion forums on...
on H-Net
H-Net
H-Net is an interdisciplinary online discussion forum for scholars in the humanities and social sciences that consists of over 180 topic- or discipline-specific listservs. Many of the lists deal with various areas of historical study...
.
Formation
In March 1982, historian Lowell Dyson invited scholars interested in the history of the American Communist PartyCommunist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
(CPUSA) to attend an organizational meeting held in conjunction with the 1982 Convention of the Organization of American Historians
Organization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians , formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. This meeting was held on April 2, 1982, with Dyson occupying the chair. Dyson noted that a chance meeting of several historians interested in various aspects of American Communism in which he participated at the 1980 Upper Midwest History Conference in Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
had yielded productive discussion and he suggested that a new national organization of individuals interested in such matters might provide a forum for a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas. The small circle who had participated in the informal 1980 conclave had constituted themselves a General Organizing Board for such a new group, an organization tentatively called "The John Reed
John Reed
-Arts, letters, and entertainment:* John Reed , New York novelist and author* John Reed , actor and singer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company* John Reed , Australian critic and art patron...
Club."
The organizers envisioned a society which would help interested scholars make contact with one another to exchange in academic discourse. The group would additionally publish information about research in progress, it was hoped, as well as aid in the search for obscure sources — no simple task in the days before easily searchable library catalogs via the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Further, organizers sought a place to where one might take esoteric questions about little-known aspects of American communism and hope to find an answer.
Discussion at the organizational meeting centered around the parameters of the organization, with some arguing in favor of inclusion of other radical
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
political organizations outside of the CPUSA, while others sought a more limited and tightly focused orientation. It was decided that a concentration upon the history of the CPUSA alone would make for a more useful organization in its initial phase.
As objection was raised to the political connotation of naming the organization after John Reed, a founding member of the American Communist Party, a new name was called for. The gathering decided upon the name "Historians of American Communism." A second meeting of the organization was called for later in 1982, to be held in conjunction with the convention of the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
(AHA) in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The General Organizing Board of the new organization approved by the April 2, 1982, meeting consisted of Hyman Berman of the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
; Lowell Dyson of Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
; Max Gordon
Max Gordon
Max Gordon was a jazz promoter who founded the Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City.Born in Lithuania, Gordon settled with his family in Portland, Oregon, where he later attended Reed College....
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; John Earl Haynes
John Earl Haynes
John Earl Haynes is an American historian who is a specialist in 20th century political history in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress...
of Washington, D.C.; Harvey Klehr
Harvey Klehr
Harvey E. Klehr is a professor of politics and history at Emory University; he is known for his books on the subject of the American Communist movement, and on Soviet espionage in America ....
of Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
; and William Pratt of the University of Nebraska. A two-page mimeographed newsletter was published by Haynes, entitled Newsletter of the Historians of American Communism — a publication which would continue uninterrupted through the summer of 2004.
No organizational dues were set for 1982, but a $5 membership fee was levied for 1983, with proceeds to pay for production of the newsletter, projected to be a quarterly.
Development of the organization
The second meeting of the Historians of American Communism was held in December 1982 in conjunction with the annual convention of the AHA. At this gathering the General Organizing Board distributed copies of a draft constitution and bylaws for the organization. After a discussion about possible changes, the Board announced that a revised draft would be subsequently mailed out to all members after the first of the year for approval or rejection.Ballots were sent out early in March 1983, with the mail election closing on the 29th of that month. The draft constitution was duly approved.
The constitution of HOAC lists as the organization's objective "To stimulate interest in, promote the study of, and facilitate research and publication on the history of American Communism."
HOAC's system of office was convoluted. The organization was to feature four officers — a President, Vice President, General Secretary, and Treasurer. Vice Presidents were to be the automatically succeed to the office of president in the subsequent year and were thus to be the chief competitive election. A nominating committee appointed by the President was to provide one nominee, with others added to the list by membership petition. An six member Central Committee, elected to a three year term, was to directly appoint the General Secretary and Treasurer, who would join the Central Committee, along with the President and Vice President and the three most recent past presidents. This Central Committee was to meet annually at a time and place determined at its pleasure. Dues were formally set at $5 per annum by the constitution, with a special life membership made available to anyone contributing $1,000 or more to the organization. This dues rate remained in effect until 1990, when dues moved to a rate of $10 per annum by decision of the HOAC Central Committee. Dues rose again in 2002, this time to $25 per year, due to the launch of a new academic journal, subscriptions to which were included in the cost of membership dues.
Elected as first President of the organization was Hyman Berman, with Harvey Klehr elected Vice President. The six members of the initial Central Committee were elected for staggered terms: John Haynes and Max Gordon for a three year term, Daniel Leab and Ellen Schrecker
Ellen Schrecker
Ellen Wolf Schrecker, Ph.D. is a professor of American history at Yeshiva University. She is currently teaching and has received the Frederick Ewen Academic Freedom Fellowship at the Tamiment Library at NYU....
for a two year term, and Kenneth Waltzer and David J. Garrow for a one year term. Thereafter, two of the six members would come up for election each year.
A membership list published in September 1985 indicated that HOAC had a paid membership of 117 for that year.
In the Spring of 1986, HOAC President Harvey Klehr asked Dan Leab to assume the role of "Executive Secretary" of the organization (originally called "General Secretary" in the HOAC constitution). Leab has continued in this position for more than 20 years, and remains the organization's point of contact in 2009.
Function of the organization
Throughout its first 20 years of existence, HOAC's primary function related to its compilation and publication of a listing of "Writings on the History of American Communism." Begun by John Haynes in 1982, this task was later taken over by Peter Filardo, an archivistArchivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
at Tamiment Library, located at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. Haynes converted this material and further additions to digital form in the 1990s, a listing which he continues to maintain on his personal website into the 21st Century. The organization also publicized "Research in Progress" and "Recent Publications and Papers by Members" in its quarterly newsletter. The organization also fostered the exchange of primary source
Primary source
Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied....
materials gathered from the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
under the Freedom of Information Act.
Beginning in 2002, HOAC began the publication of a semi-annual academic journal, American Communist History. This marked a move for HOAC from its previous function of facilitating and chronicling academic publications in other venues to actually engaging in academic publication itself. American Communist History is a scholarly journal with the worthiness of submitted articles anonymously juried by recognized experts in the field prior to their acceptance for publication. Editor of the publication from its first issue through the current date is Dan Leab of Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
.
At the time of the new journal's launch, HOAC Editor John Haynes defined the purpose of the new publication:
"American Communist History will be the impartial, leading journal for scholarship about the history of the Communist Party in the United States and its social, political, economic and cultural impact on its members, on its opponents, and the public at large. The journal will deal with the American party and with the various outside influences which have dealt with its representation, with the controversial folklore that has been engendered about it, and with the many differing views about its antecedents, and its diverse opponents on the Left and Right. While rooted in the United States, the journal welcomes contributions which are transnational or international in scope."
In March 2003, HOAC launched its own newsgroup
Newsgroup
A usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users in different locations. The term may be confusing to some, because it is usually a discussion group. Newsgroups are technically distinct from, but functionally similar to, discussion forums on...
via the academic newsgroup coordinator, H-Net
H-Net
H-Net is an interdisciplinary online discussion forum for scholars in the humanities and social sciences that consists of over 180 topic- or discipline-specific listservs. Many of the lists deal with various areas of historical study...
. In the initial post announcing the new forum, co-moderator of the forum John Haynes wrote:
"H-HOAC has several tasks. It will provide a forum for discussion of the history of American communism and domestic anticommunism. It is, however, also a place to report on research in progress, recent publications, openings of archival resources, raise research questions, and provide information about upcoming conferences and symposia or to report on what happened. * * *
"Historical scholarship is in part the lonely task of a historian in the archive studying documents and then writing in isolation. But we write so that others will read, and if others do not know about what we write, they cannot read it. We hope authors will send in brief announcements of new publications with complete citations and, if one wishes, a short annotation describing the essay....
"We hope scholars of American communism and anticommunism will treat H-HOAC as a common forum for the exchange of scholarly gossip (civilly worded) about who is writing what."
The 2002 advent of American Communist History, and its regular announcement of new publications, and the H-HOAC newsgroup, and its regular announcement of research in progress and exchange of information about various esoteric research issues, made the continuation of the Newsletter of the Historians of American Communism moot. That publication quietly terminated publication effective with the July 2004 issue.
Past Presidents of HOAC
- Hyman Berman (1983-1984)
- Harvey KlehrHarvey KlehrHarvey E. Klehr is a professor of politics and history at Emory University; he is known for his books on the subject of the American Communist movement, and on Soviet espionage in America ....
(1984-1987) - Lowell Dyson (1987-1989)
- Robert "Bob" ZiegerRobert ZiegerRobert H. "Bob" Zieger is a renowned labor historian whose research focuses on the labor history of the United States.-Early years:...
(1989-1992) - John Earl HaynesJohn Earl HaynesJohn Earl Haynes is an American historian who is a specialist in 20th century political history in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress...
(1992-1994) - Rosalyn Baxandall (1995-1997)
- Ronald RadoshRonald RadoshRonald Radosh is an American writer, professor, historian, former Marxist, and neoconservative. He is known for his work on the Cold War espionage case of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and his advocacy of the state of Israel....
(1997-1999) - Ronald Cohen (2000-2003)
- Richard Gid Powers (2004-2007?)
- Maurice IssermanMaurice IssermanMaurice Isserman is James L. Ferguson Professor of History at Hamilton College and an important contributor to the “new history of American communism” which reinterpreted the role of the Communist Party USA during the Popular Front period of the 1930s and 1940s. His books have also traced the...
(current, 2009)
External links
- HOAC homepage, at the website of the American Historical AssociationAmerican Historical AssociationThe American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
. - H-HOAC newsgroup homepage, at the website of H-NetH-NetH-Net is an interdisciplinary online discussion forum for scholars in the humanities and social sciences that consists of over 180 topic- or discipline-specific listservs. Many of the lists deal with various areas of historical study...
.