Series IV. Committee Files

This series contains 11 files which pertain to various SDF committees (X:56 X:66). The files are arranged in alphabetical order according to the name of the committee. Items within each committee file have been arranged in chronological order. One of the most interesting files in this section pertains to the Fred E. Beal case (X:56). In 1938 and 1939, the SDF conducted a vigorous campaign in support of the release of Fred E. Beal who was serving a 17 to 20 year prison term for being convicted of murdering a police chief during the 1929 Gastonia, North Carolina, textile workers strike. It was the SDF's belief that Beal was convicted because of his association with the Communist Party and his labor organizing activities. Another important file in this section pertains to the Spanish Workers Fund (X:65). The SDF organized the Spanish Workers Fund in the mid 1930s for the purpose of offering financial assistance, food, and medical supplies to the supporters of the Loyalists during the Spanish Civil War. Two other prominent files in this section pertain to the National Committee for the Protection and Welfare of Persecuted and oppressed European Victims (X:62) and the Women's Committee of the SDF (X:66).