Marvin Gettleman Papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Marvin Gettleman (1933-2017) was an emeritus professor of history at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. The collection reflects Gettleman's work as a historian, as well as with the New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean. The collection also contains audio materials collected by Gettleman on a range of topics related to the left. The New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean fought for human rights in Central America in the 1980s, with a focus on conditions in El Salvador and Guatemala. The group organized visits to the region and advocated for changes in United States foreign policy. The files contain reports, notes, newspaper and magazine clippings, correspondence, petitions, and research materials. There are newsletters, meeting minutes, and drafts of papers from an exchange between Gettleman and Harold Weissman. Audio materials in the collection contain recordings of interviews, debates, and lectures. Four interviews document the experiences of those effected by the Rapp-Coudert Committee of the early 1940s. Recordings of debates and lectures document the study of movements on the left in North America, Latin America, and Europe from 1976-2000.
Biographical Note
Marvin Gettleman (1933-2017) was an emeritus professor of history at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. He was involved with many causes on the left, including the New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean in the 1980s.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series:
Series I. New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean
Series II. Audio Materials
Series III. 2019 Accretion
Series IV. 2020 Accretion.
Files within Series I-II are arranged chronologically; accretions are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.
Scope and Contents
The collection contains notes, clippings, articles, correspondence, and petitions documenting the activities of New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean and human rights in Latin America.
Newsletters, meeting minutes, and drafts of papers from an exchange between Marvin Gettleman and Harold Weissman document some of Gettleman's activities as a historian. FBI files from FOIA requests cover subjects that Ellen Schrecker and Marvin Gettleman researched together such as the Smith Act Trials, Kang Jai Association, Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance, Benjamin Mandel, and Clinton E. Jencks.
Audio materials in the collection contain recordings of interviews, debates, and lectures documenting the study of movements on the Left in North America, Latin America, and Europe from 1976-2000. Four interviews document the experiences of those effected by the Rapp-Coudert Committee of the early 1940s.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Topics
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive has no information about copyright ownership for this collection and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it. Materials in this collection, which were created in 1976-2000, are expected to enter the public domain in 2120.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Marvin Gettleman Papers; TAM 523; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Marvin E. Gettleman in 2008; additional materials were donated by Marvin E. Gettleman and Ellen Schrecker in 2009, 2019, and 2020. The accession numbers associated with this gift are 2009.095, 2019.039, 2020.009.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Access to some audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact special.collections@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The materials were donated to the repository in 2009, and the collection was broken into two pieces. The papers related to Central America were partially processed and arranged by language in a collection called: New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean: Marvin Gettleman Files. The audio materials remained unprocessed. In 2013, the two parts were reunited, each being represented by a series, and materials were arranged chronologically. The collection was renamed the Marvin Gettleman Papers to better reflect the broader range of materials.
In March 2019, materials in the 2019 accretion were rehoused in an acid-free folder.
In January 2020, loose materials in the 2020 accretion were rehoused in acid free folders. Materials were refoldered where appropriate, with original titles used.
Revisions to this Guide
Repository
Series I. New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean, 1977-1985, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The series contains reports, notes, newspaper clippings, correspondence, articles, and petitions documenting the activities of New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean and human rights in Latin America. The documents focus primarily on conditions in Guatemala and El Salvador. Notes and correspondence document members' visits to El Salvador and Guatemala. The series also contains research materials for writings on Central America, such as a photocopy of a special issue of Guatemalan Church in Exile titled "Guatemala, a New Way of Life: The Development Poles." Members corresponded with elected officials about United States foreign policy, and these materials are present. There are also documents from Faculty for Human Rights in El Salvador and Central America (FACHRES), the Peace Lobby, and other organizations.
Historical/Biographical Note
The New York Faculty Committee for Non-Intervention in Central America and the Caribbean was an organization focused on human rights and United States foreign policy in Central America in the 1980s. Their activities included the investigation of human rights abuses, lobbying the United States government, and organizing visits to El Salvador and Guatemala. The organization worked in cooperation with Faculty for Human Rights in El Salvador and Central America (FACHRES).
1977-1979, 1977-1979, inclusive
Language of Materials
1980, 1980, inclusive
1981, 1981, inclusive
Language of Materials
1982, 1982, inclusive
1984, 1984, inclusive
1985, 1985, inclusive
Undated, undated
Slides: Nicaragua, El Salvador, 1983-1985, inclusive
Series II. Audio Materials, 1976-2000, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
This series contains recordings of interviews, debates, and lectures. Four interviews document the experiences of those effected by the Rapp-Coudert Committee of the early 1940s. Recordings of debates and lectures document the study of movements on the left in North America, Latin America, and Europe from 1976-2000.
E.P. Thompson at New York Socialist Conference, Feb 1976, inclusive
Karen Spaulding on history of Peru and Professor Woods, 1976, inclusive
Interview with Edward Rosen (Rapp-Coudert), 1977, inclusive
Dorothy Healy and Michael Harrington at ITT Forum, Jan 16, 1978, inclusive
Audio
Interview with Oscar Shaftel (Rapp-Coudert), 1978, inclusive
Interview with Sidney Shanker (Rapp-Coudert), 1978, inclusive
Music recorded in visit to Lutheran Refugio outside of San Salvador, 1985, inclusive
Mark Naison, "Thinking About American Communism," Brecht Forum, Sep 29, 1988, inclusive
Audio
World Historical Conference, Montreal Canada, 1995, inclusive
New York Marxist School, 1996, inclusive
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
This tape was not digitized because it is blank.
Havard Debates on the origins of the New Left, Apr 17, 2000, inclusive
Sam Bowles on political economy at John Jay College, undated
Marvin Gettleman, debates and lectures in Massachusetts, undated
Audio
New York Marxist School [Brecht 3/10], undated
Audio
Science and Society event featuring Eric Foner and Eleanor Leacock, undated
Interview with Dudley Strauss (Rapp-Coudert), undated
Series III. 2019 Accretion, 1981-1982, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
This series contains newsletters and meeting minutes.
Arrangement
This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.
Newsletters, Meeting Minutes, 1981-1982, inclusive
Series IV. 2020 Accretion, 1978-1999, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
This accretion consists of FBI files requested by Ellen Schrecker and Marvin Gettleman through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) during the 1990s. The FOIA requests primarily cover subjects such as the Smith Act Trials, Kang Jai Association, Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance, Benjamin Mandel, and Clinton E. Jencks.
Arrangement
This collection has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.
