Series III: Commissions and Departments, 1926-2000, inclusive

In the early 1980s, CPUSA members responded to the need to preserve and document Party history by creating a national History Commission. This commission was tasked with gathering significant historical documents; the commission's chair Mary Licht also began recording and transcribing oral histories of Party members. Most of the material in this subseries was created or collected by Licht and Phil Bart who was also chair at one time. Licht and Bart worked closely with the Archives Commission, with which it eventually merged, as well as the Reference Center for Marxist Studies. Researchers will find a significant amount of materials that document workers' history across the United States; there are also records concerning African Americans and the CPUSA that date back to the 1930s. Some of the History Commission's meeting minutes and correspondence are also included in this subseries. Researchers may also wish to consult the Communist Party of the United States of America Oral Histories Collection (OH 065). Many of the interviews in that collection were conducted by members of the History Commission.

The majority of the records held in this subseries are reference files on international communist parties. These files were compiled by Jim West, one time chair of the International Affairs Commission. Also included here are some reports and speeches by West, and some correspondence files of Helen Winter, who was also chair of the Commission at one point.

The files of Judy Gallo and George Meyers, Chair, make up the bulk of this subseries. They contain article drafts, correspondence, and reference files on various labor related issues such as African American trade unionists, unemployment, women workers, and peace efforts. Distribution materials, newsletters, and reports, mostly deriving from the 1970s and 1980s, can also be found here.

The Organization Department manages the affairs of the Party and mobilizes membership to implement policy. This work is reflected in Subseries D primarily through meeting minutes and printed directives addressed to districts and clubs. Arnold Becchetti, Lucia Faithfull-Stevenson, and Judith Leblanc were each chair of the Organization Department at one time and many of their records can be found here. There is also a sizeable amount of membership inquiries and applications from across the United States.

The Central Review Commission is a national body elected by the National Convention to review the conduct of Party bodies and members and ensure observance of Party standards in order to preserve Party unity and integrity. The first subseries contains records of the Commission encountered during general processing of the collection, while the second holds records that were photocopied from the originals held by the Party and processed separately. Both subseries are largely comprised of records that date from the 1970s and 1980s. See also the Central Control Commission Records, ca. 1929-1953 (Microfilm R-7821).

The varied purposes of the CPUSA's commissions highlight many of the social issues central to Party work throughout the 20th century—racial and gender equality, cultural engagement, youth rights, and economic freedom. Correspondence, discussion documents, and reports found in this subseries detail policy development and internal dialogue. Many commissions which focus on Party work with ethnic communities are represented in this subseries, as is the Agitprop Commission which directed early Party endeavors to mobilize workers. Also found here are the records of the Video Department which provide a glimpse of efforts to publicize the Party via television and other newer forms of media. The largest set of files are from the Economics Commission, long headed by Victor Perlo. There are also files from the Black Liberation, Chicano Liberation and Cultural Commissions.