To the President and Congress of the United States of America [Petition] and Typed Signed Letter Bearing Signatures of Robeson, Du Bois, and Dungee. by Robeson, Paul, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Roscoe Dungee - 1947

Robeson, Paul, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Roscoe Dungee.

To the President and Congress of the United States of America [Petition] and Typed Letter Bearing Signatures of Robeson, Du Bois, and Dungee. New York: [Communist Party USA], 1947.

Single-page typed letter and two-page petition, printed on rectos only. Each page 8 1/2 x 11 inches (215 x 280 mm).

A rare typed letter bearing signatures of Paul Robeson, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Roscoe Dungee, asking recipients to sign a petition against banning the Communist Party USA. We believe the signatures were printed, as does an autograph expert we consulted.

In any case, the three African-American leaders sprang into action after President Truman's Labor Secretary, Lewis B. Schwellenbach, told Congress that the Communist Party should be outlawed. Schwellenbach was concerned about Communist control and infiltration of labor unions and thought no Communist should be allowed to lead a union.

The letter is dated March 22, 1947, and carries the address of 23 West 26th Street, New York (the Communist Party's headquarters at the time). The letter is aimed at African-American recipients: "This invitation [to sign the petition] is also being sent to several hundred other Negro leaders throughout the country."

According to the letter, "It is clear that Labor Secretary Schwellenbach's proposal to suppress the Communist Party involves a flagrant negation of our constitutional Bill of Rights. It represents, therefore, a serious threat to the civil liberties of all minority groups." The authors urge recipients to mail back a postal reply card confirming they would sign the petition. The card is not present, probably because it was mailed back to the Communist Party.

The petition, which is also rare, is addressed to the President and Congress, urging them to reject Schwellenbach's "fascist-like proposal" to ban the Communist Party. The Party was not banned, but the government regularly harassed and imprisoned its leaders in the 1940s and '50s.

Even though we believe the signatures on the letter were printed, these materials are nonetheless rare. We have not found any institutional holdings of the letter or petition. None in commerce.

CONDITION: Pages lightly creased for mailing, staple on petition badly rusted. A Very Good set. RARE.