Samuel Adams Darcy Papers
Call Number
Dates
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Sam Adams Darcy (1905-2005), born Samuel Dardeck in the Ukraine of Jewish background, was an organizer, orator, writer, a leading official of the CPUSA and an official in the Communist International. Darcy helped organize the first mass demonstration of unemployed in New York City, was chairperson of the Communist Party California during the 1934 San Francisco General Strike, and made an unsuccessful run for governor of California in 1934. In 1941, Darcy was imprisoned briefly for allegedly falsifying information on his voter registration form. He left the CPUSA in 1945. The papers contain correspondence, writings (unpublished and published), CPUSA internal documents, clippings, ephemera, photographs, and an oral history transcript. Best documented are Darcy's educational, electoral and labor activity, and intra-Party relationships and struggles.
Historical/Biographical Note
Sam Adams Darcy (1905-2005), born Samuel Dardeck in the Ukraine of Jewish background was a leading official of the CPUSA for some twenty years (1925-44), and also held a number of important positions in the Communist International. Darcy was an effective organizer, talented public speaker and a prolific and vivid writer with a flair for dramatization. From 1925-27 he was head of the Party's youth organization, the Young Workers League. Along with William Z. Foster, his friend and ally in intra-party struggle against CP head Earl Browder, he organized in New York City in March 1930 the first mass unemployed demonstration.
From 1931-36 Darcy headed the second largest Party district, California, where he personally participated in the organizing of agricultural workers and the related successful struggle against California's criminal syndicalism law. As head of the California Party organization, he also played a leading role in the longshore and San Francisco general strike of 1934. That year Darcy was the Party's gubernatorial candidate, after unsuccessfully arguing within the party's central committee for a united front with Upton Sinclair's EPIC (End Poverty in California) movement.
Darcy's visibility in California was a factor in his becoming one of several Party leaders who faced legal action after the Russo-German treaty of 1939 placed the CPUSA in sharp opposition to American foreign policy. In September 1940 Darcy was indicted on charges of perjury for allegedly having incorrectly stated his name and birthplace in registering to vote in California in 1934, and spent six weeks in jail, until September 1941.
From 1939-44 Darcy led the Party's fourth largest district, Eastern Pennsylvania, and was heavily involved in electoral work, notably the Party's campaign to defeat the 1943 Democratic nominee for mayor of Philadelphia, William C. Bullitt. Darcy's continuing interest in educational work was reflected in his role as leader of the New York Workers School in 1930, CP National Education Director (1938), and in numerous lectures given at Party run workers schools in New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Darcy also maintained friendships and correspondence with a number of important non-communist progressives, including author Lincoln Steffens, songwriter Yip Harburg and Otto Nathan, executor of the estate of Albert Einstein.
In 1927-28 and again in 1935-38 Darcy worked in Moscow for the Communist International, serving during his second trip as head of its Anglo-American secretariat, after attending the 7th congress of the CI as a delegate from the US. On both occasions Darcy met with Stalin.
In early 1944 Darcy and Foster stood alone among the Party leadership in opposition to Browder's estimation of the prospects for post-war American-Soviet harmony. While Foster retreated in the face of overwhelming opposition, Darcy resigned his party offices in protest and shortly thereafter was expelled from the CPUSA by the vote of a commission which his friend Foster was required to chair. Although politically vindicated a year later when Browder was removed from the Party leadership, Darcy did not rejoin the party. Among the factors for this were his belief that the repudiation of Browder's policies was incomplete, and a request by the new leader, Eugene Dennis, to examine a manuscript Darcy had been working on since his expulsion. Darcy for a time maintained some contacts with other "left-wing" expellees, such as William Dunne and Charles Keith. He later became a successful furniture merchant and became active in the Democratic party.
Chonology
1917: Joins Young Peoples Socialist League (YPSL)1921: Joins Workers Party (later Communist Party), December, 19211925-27: Head, Young Workers League (later Young Communist League); on CPUSA Politburo as YWL representative1926: Marries Emma Blechschmidt1927-28: On exec. committee, Young Communist International; Moscow, chair International Childrens Committee (YCI); travels to China and Philippines1929-30: New York City; briefly editor of the Daily Worker, head NY Workers school1930: Head; International Labor Defense1931-36: Head; California district, CPUSA (also included Nevada and Arizona)1935-38: Moscow; 7th congress Communist International, head, Anglo-American Secretariat1938: CPUSA National Edcuation Director; Central Committee representative for Minnesota-Wisconsin-Dakotas district1938-39: Demoted form full Central Committee member to alternate1929-44: Eastern Pennsylvania district head1944: Expelled from CPUSA1945: Declines to rejoin CPUSA
Sources:
''Agricultural strikes,'' Party Organizer, Aug-Sep (1933), 82-83.''The big stick in Latin America - its size and cost,'' Workers Monthly, March (1926), 215-218.The Battle for Production (New York, Workers Library Publishers, 1942), 47 pp.The Challenge of Youth; Why Every Young Worker Should Join the Young Workers Communist League (Chicago, Ill., Young Workers Communist League of America, 1926), 52 p.''The elections in Philadelphia,'' The Communist, December (1943), 1121-1132.An Eye_Witness at the Wreckers' Trial (New York : Workers Library Publishers, 1937), 63 p.''The Great West Coast Maritime Strike,'' The Communist, 13:7 (1934), 664-686.Introduction to Politics. Part 1, A Critique of American Capitalism, assisted by Ernest Pendrell. (Philadelphia, Pa. : Philadelphia Workers School and School of Social Science, 1940), 174, [1] leaves.''Join the army-,'' Workers Monthly, May (1926), 315-318.''Native daughter-Communist Party founder and leader,'' Communist, Oct (1942), 849-856. Anita Whitney.''The San Francisco Bay Area General Strike,'' The Communist, 13:10 (1934), 985-1004.Late Afternoon for the Nation_State; A Study of the Origins, Growth, Present Position and Possible Future of the Nation_State as a Form of Social Organization (New York, Cromwell Books, 1972), 408 p.''What's Happening in the U.S.S.R? (New York, Workers Library Publishers, 1937), 15 pp.
Arrangement
Organized into nine series: I. Communist Party material; II. Expulsion from CPUSA; III. Correspondence; IV. Political Activities; V. Trials; VI. Biographical Manuscripts; VII. Additional Correspondence; VIII. Photographs and Graphics; IX. Unprocessed Materials.
Folders in series I-VIII are arranged alphabetically by subject/author heading within each series.
Scope and Content Note
The Papers contain correspondence, writings (unpublished and published), CPUSA internal documents, clippings, ephemera, photographs, and an oral history transcript. Best documented are Darcy's educational, electoral and labor activity, and intra-Party relationships and struggles. The principal correspondents, in addition to William F. Dunne and William Z. Foster are: Israel Amter, Roger Baldwin, Max Bedacht, Cedric Belfrage, Earl Browder, Eugene Dennis, Leo Gallagher, Yip Harburg, Roy Hudson, Robert Minor, Tom Mooney, Otto Nathan, Scott Nearing, Mike Quinn, Nat Ross, William Schneiderman, Jack Stachel, Lincoln Steffens, Peter Steffens, and Ella Winter (widow of Lincoln Steffens).
Subjects
Organizations
People
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection created by Samuel Adams Darcy was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Samuel Adams Darcy Papers; TAM 124; box number; folder number;
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Samuel Adams Darcy in 1985; additional materails were donated were donated during the 1990s and by his daughter in 2007. The accession numbers associated with the gifts are 1950.257, 1985.001, 1985.008, 1985.011, NPA.2007.029, and 1009.056.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Collection processed by Peter Filardo in 1986. Additional materials received from Sam Darcy in the early 1990s remain unprocessed, as do photographs received in 2007. Photographs donated in 1985 were separated during initial processing and were established as a separate collection, the Samuel Adams Darcy Photographs (PHOTOS 035). In 2013, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the Samuel Adams Darcy Papers. Materials received during the 1990s were rehoused at this time for preservation reasons.
In 2014, a box of unprocessed photographic and graphic materials found in the repository from the 2007 donation was added to the collection as Box 8. Materials in this box have not received preservation rehousing.
Revisions to this Guide
Repository
Series l. Communist Party material. 1937-1946., 1937-1946, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Series l (Communist Party material, 1937-1946) contains reports and speeches by Darcy to state and national CPUSA meetings. Subjects best documented are Party education and Pennsylvania electoral politics. Also contains various memos, reports, resolutions and ephemeral publications of state and national Party organizations.
Leadership list, undated, inclusive
SAD talks at national meetings, 1937, inclusive
SAD talks at Pennsylvania district meetings., 1938-1939, inclusive
SAD report for Pennsylvania state convention, 2/27/43, 1943, inclusive
SAD at Pennsylvania state committee meeting, 11/6/43, 1943, inclusive
CPUSA, Pennsylvania, 1943-1944, inclusive
CPUSA, national, 1934-1946, inclusive
CPUSA, national (ballot), [1934], inclusive
New York branch meeting, 1945, inclusive
Series II. Expulsion from CPUSA. 1944-1945., 1944-1945, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Series 2 (Expulsion from CPUSA, 1944-1945) contains excerpts from Darcy's criticism of Earl Browder at Politburo meeting, February 8, 1944, and correspondence relating to Darcy's expulsion and possible readmission.
SAD at 2/8/44 Politburo meeting, 1944, inclusive
Expulsion, 1944-1945, inclusive
Readmission, 1945, inclusive
Series III. Correspondence. 1929-1985., 1929-1985, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Series 3. Correspondence, 1929-1985: Especially rich documentation is to be found in Darcy's correspondence with the national Party leadership (subseries A) and with William Z. Foster (see subseries B).
Arrangement
This series is divided into six subseries. They are: A. National Office. 1930-1943; B. Individual correspondents. 1929-1983; C. Darcy jail correspondence with defense organizations, 1941; D. CPUSA years (alphabetical). 1931-1944; E. CPUSA years (chronological- names not known). 1929-1945; F. Post-CPUSA years (alphabetical). 1950-1985.
Subseries A. National Office
National Office, 1930-1943, inclusive
Subseries B. Individual Correspondents
Amter, Israel, 1930, inclusive
Bachrach, Marion, undated, inclusive
Baldwin, Roger, 1929, inclusive
Bedacht, Max, 1932-1972, inclusive
Belfrage, Cedric, 1970-1982, inclusive
Browder, Earl, 1931-1938, inclusive
Dennis, Eugene, 1943, inclusive
Dolsen, James, 1941, inclusive
Duclos, Jacques, 1945, inclusive
Dunham, Barrows and Alice, 1963-1985, inclusive
Dunne, William, 1932-1948, inclusive
Foster, William Z., 1931-1945, inclusive
Gallagher, Leo, 1940-1962, inclusive
Harburg, Yip, 1954-1981, inclusive
Harris, Lem, 1938, inclusive
Hudson, Roy, 1940, inclusive
Loenfels, Walter, 1941, inclusive
Minor, Robert, 1933-1934, inclusive
Mooney, Tom, 1938, inclusive
Nathan, Otto, 1975-1983, inclusive
Nearing, Scott, 1963-1972, inclusive
Quinn, Mike, 1937-1941, inclusive
Rapport, xx, 1931, inclusive
Ross, Nat, 1938, inclusive
Schneiderman, William, 1937-1941, inclusive
Stachel, Jack, 1931, inclusive
Steffens, Lincoln, 1934, inclusive
Steffens, Peter, 1942, inclusive
Tallentire, Norman, 1945, inclusive
Timber Workers Union, local 29Timber Workers Union, local 29, 1941, inclusive
Winter, Ella (Lincoln Steffen's widow), 1941, inclusive
Subseries C. Correspondence with Legal Defense Organizations
Darcy jail correspondence with defense organizations, 1941, inclusive
Subseries D. CPUSA years (alphabetical)
CPUSA years (alphabetical), 1931-1944, inclusive
Subseries E. CPUSA years (chronological, names unknown)
CPUSA years (chronological, names unknown), 1929-1945, inclusive
Subseries F. Post-CPUSA years (alphabetical)
Post-CPUSA years (alphabetical), 1950-1985, inclusive
Series IV. Political Activities. 1924-1958., 1924-1958, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Series 4 (Political Activities, 1924-1958) contains numerous articles, lectures and speeches by Darcy, files on various events, subjects and activities, and memorabilia. Among Darcy's extensive interests those best documented by his writings are military strategy, non-Party leftist tendencies, and in addition, his trade union, electoral and educational activities, which are well documented by the series taken as a whole.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
McNamara case, undated, inclusive
Miscellaneous, undated, inclusive
Young Pioneers/Young Workers League, 1924-1926, inclusive
Articles, clippings, 1926, inclusive
Articles, clippings, 1927, inclusive
The first subbotnik and the latest (Moscow), 1927-1928, inclusive
On child labor, 1928, inclusive
Philippines, 1928-1929, inclusive
Articles, clippings, 1929, inclusive
Clippings, 1930, inclusive
International Labor Defense, 1930, inclusive
SAD article vs. Lovestoneites, 1930, inclusive
May Day, New York City, 1930, inclusive
Unemployment and Democracy, 1930, inclusive
Workers School, New York City, 1930, inclusive
Working Class Education Conference (New York City), 1930, inclusive
Insufficient organization in L.A. Section, 1930, inclusive
Dialectcs, 1931, inclusive
Not Hillquit alone, but the Socialist Party, 1931, inclusive
Sugar industry workers, 1931, inclusive
Unemployed/Hunger movement, California, 1931-1932, inclusive
Erickson, Oscar, ca.1931-1933, inclusive
Fallacy of technocracy, ca.1931-1933, inclusive
Economics, 1931-1935, inclusive
Flyers, California, 1931-1935, inclusive
Socialist Party and Trotskyism, 1931-1935, inclusive
Radio speeches, 1932-1933, inclusive
Strikes, California, 1932-1933, inclusive
Agricultural strikes, California, 1933, inclusive
Symposium on culture, San Francisco, 1933, inclusive
Thomas-Steffens debate, 1933, inclusive
NRA; the pyramiding of the crisis, ca.1933-1934, inclusive
SAD gubernatorial campaign, 1934, inclusive
Maritime and General Strike, 1934, inclusive
Report on general strike, 1934, inclusive
The lesson of the recent strike and the general strike, 1934, inclusive
Clippings: California Strikes, Anti-Fascism, 1934-1943, inclusive
Next step forward in the US (N. Americus), 1935, inclusive
The Communist Party of the United States of America, 1936, inclusive
Minnesota activities, 1936-1938, inclusive
Andre Marty interview, ca.1937, inclusive
Against Trotskyism, Bukharin, ca.1937, inclusive
Radek-Piatakov trial, notes on, 1937, inclusive
Pennsylvania, articles and speeches, 1937-1943, inclusive
Pennsylvania, flyers, memorabilia, 1937-1944, inclusive
Isolation, mother of militarism, 1938, inclusive
Lovestoneism and Trotskyism, 1938, inclusive
Since 1848; ninety years of our movement, 1938, inclusive
History of Communist Party in California, 1939, inclusive
Lenin memorial speech, Philadelphia, 1939, inclusive
Russo-German Treaty, speech, 1939, inclusive
Fall of France, speech, 1940, inclusive
World War II, miscellaneous writings, 1940-1943, inclusive
The outlook for the war, 1941, inclusive
Relation of forces in war/domestic class relations, 1941, inclusive
Browder, Earl; "Negro people and the war", 1943, inclusive
Browder, Earl; "Teheran, history's greatest turning point", 1943, inclusive
Bullitt, William C., mayoral campaign (anti), 1943, inclusive
Daily Worker 20th anniversary speech, 1943, inclusive
United Mine Workers, Lewis and World War II, 1943, inclusive
SAD re: Teheran Declaration, Duclos letter, 1944-1945, inclusive
Introduction to Bill Dunne's booklet ca. 1946-47, 1947, inclusive
Browder, Earl; "World communism and America", 1947, inclusive
One hundred years of Marxism, ca.1948, inclusive
Bridges, Harry, ca.1949, inclusive
Recent changes in the USSR, 1958, inclusive
Series V. Trials. 1932-1941., 1932-1941, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Series 5 (Trials. 1932-1941) contains Darcy's notes on his defense, jail notes, defense committee materials, testimony, and clippings pertaining to Darcy's criminal syndicalism and perjury trials, and to a 1932 criminal syndicalism trial at which Darcy appeared as a defense witness.
Long Beach, California trial, 1932, inclusive
Criminal Syndicalism, 1934-1935, inclusive
Perjury trial, defense literature, 1940-1941, inclusive
Perjury trial, SAD notes., 1940-1941, inclusive
Perjury trial, SAD jail notes., 1940-1941, inclusive
Perjury trial, CPUSA assessment, 1941, inclusive
Series VI. Biographical and other manuscripts., circa 1945-1971, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Series 6 (Biographical and other manuscripts, circa 1945-1971) contains "The Storm Must Be Ridden" (unpublished book-length political-autobiographical typescript, incomplete, circa 1945); oral history interview transcripts and notes, 1969-71; "Tales of Three Worlds" (unpublished book-length political-autobiographical typescript, circa 1960-63); a play and poetry; miscellaneous post-1945 notes.
Subseries A. "The storm must be ridden" (ca 1945?)
Table of contents, undated, inclusive
SAD biographical chronology, 1905-1939, inclusive
Chapter unknown #1, undated, inclusive
Chapter unknown #2, undated, inclusive
Chapter 1 "this much is family lore", undated, inclusive
Chapter 2 "New York City", undated, inclusive
Chapter 3 "rise and decline of the Socialist Party", undated, inclusive
Chapter 4 "painful birth of the left wing", undated, inclusive
Chapter 5 "new beginning", undated, inclusive
Chapter 5 "The Revolution Postponed", undated, inclusive
Chapter 6 "rerum novarum", undated, inclusive
Chapter 7 "Third International", undated, inclusive
Chapter 8 "Third International" (continued), undated, inclusive
Chapter 9 "the far east", undated, inclusive
Chapter l3 "California in 1931-32", undated, inclusive
Chapter 15 "King cotton", undated, inclusive
Chapter l6 "West coast maritime strike/San Francisco general strike, undated, inclusive
Chapter 17 "San Francisco general strike", undated, inclusive
Chapter 18 "a lost opportunity", undated, inclusive
Chapter 19 "the communist international - 7th & last congress", undated, inclusive
Chapter 20 "the Moscow trials", undated, inclusive
Chapter 21 "eve of catastrophe in west Europe", undated, inclusive
Chapter 22 "tale of two states", undated, inclusive
Chapter 23 "one account is paid", undated, inclusive
Chapter 24 "the dissolution of the communist international", undated, inclusive
Chapter 25 "the earlier crop of `creative Marxists'", undated, inclusive
Chapter 26 "a tale of how Browder made Marx more creative", undated, inclusive
Subseries B. Oral history interview transcripts and notes.
SAD notes on interview by Harry Stein, 1969, inclusive
Transcript of interview by Ron Filipelli,, undated, inclusive
second of two interviews, 1971, inclusive
Wormser, Richard - Interview notes & documents, 1981, inclusive
Subseries C. Tale of three worlds (unpublished ms.) ca 1960-63
Tale of three worlds, book 1 ca 1960-63, ca.1960-1963, inclusive
Tale of three worlds, book 2 ca 1960-63, ca.1960-1963, inclusive
Tale of three worlds, book 3 ca 1960-63, ca.1960-1963, inclusive
Tale of three worlds, book 4 ca 1960-63, ca.1960-1963, inclusive
Tale of three worlds, book 5 ca 1960-63, ca.1960-1963, inclusive
Subseries D. Play and poetry
The second revolution (play), 1974, inclusive
Poetry, ca.1981, inclusive
Subseries E. Miscellaneous post-1945 notes
Bullitt, William: Darcy Notes re WB and Russian Revolution, undated, inclusive
A Fresh Look at the Christian Crusades as the Past Lay Dying (ts, 18 pp.), undated, inclusive
Miscellaneous post, 1945 notes undated., ca.1940-1950, inclusive
References to, reviews re SAD, undated, inclusive
Sam Darcy Studies, no. 1-6, 1979-1980, inclusive
Book Four, Chapter One, The New Beginning, undated
Series VII: Additional Correspondence
Scope and Content Note
Series 7 (Additional Correspondence) is principally correspondence with students, professors, and others researching the history of American communism and related topics. Principal and/or prominent correspondents include Jim Barrett (re William Z. Foster) and Harry Stein (re Lincoln Steffens).
