Series Part V, III: Special Subjects, 1959-1960

Series

Call Number: MS 628, Series Part V, III

Scope and Contents

Part V, Series III, Special Subjects, is composed of materials divided into five subjects;

1) House Foreign Affairs Committee

2) Bowles' Bills

3) Democratic Platform

4) Bowles for President Movement

5) Kennedy Campaign

1) House Foreign Affairs Committee: materials relating to Bowles' work on this Committee. Bills and resolutions considered by the Committee as well as printed copies of some hearings and background information are in this subseries. There is also material concerned with the Committee's special study mission to Europe in the fall of 1959; this material is organized by country. Folders may contain background information, notes, schedules, and correspondence relating to local arrangements.

2) Bowles' Bills: materials related to bills introduced by Bowles during the 86th Congress, including copies of the bills with background information and a small amount of related correspondence.

3) Democratic Platform: materials relating to Bowles' work as chairman of the Democratic Platform Committee. The subseries includes transcripts, programs, and summaries from the eight regional advanced platform hearings as well as a few items from the platform hearing during the convention. The subseries contains several folders of correspondence from the general public incorporating suggestions for planks in the platform. This correspondence is arranged by subject, i.e. Agriculture, Civil Rights, Clean Elections, Consumers, and the like. (Additional platform suggestions will be found in the Selected Correspondence in Part V, Series I.) Following this correspondence are the various drafts for the platform arranged by section and the printed copies of the final platform. The last items in the subseries relate to the presentation of the platform at the convention, and include scripts, cue sheets, and correspondence about the production of the documentary film with Ted Mills and Dore Schary.

4) Bowles-for-President-Movement; correspondence, press releases, leaflets, clippings, and correspondence of others. The correspondence is basically public opinion mail interspersed with some correspondence with local organizers such as Robert Rutland, Sheldon Newberger, and Eric Cox. Additional correspondence on this subject will be found in Part V, Series I, "Selected Correspondence." For reminiscences of the movement see the correspondence of Barbara Byers and Robert Rutland in Part VI, Series I, subseries 1 - General Correspondence.

5) The Kennedy Campaign: chiefly Bowles' drafts and suggestions for Kennedy's speeches. Also included are circulars, background material, and other campaign literature.

Dates

1959-1960

Physical Description

(13 boxes)

Conditions Governing Access

From the Collection: Boxes 220-223, which contain constituent correspondence, are restricted until 2035 Jan 1.

The transcript of the oral history interview with Douglas Bennet, Jr. in Box 399b is closed until the deed of gift is secured from Bennet.

Box 408, which contains restricted personal and financial papers is closed until 2025 Jan 1.

Box 409, which contains audio tapes of oral history interviews with Bowles's associates, is not open to researchers.

Original audiotapes, videotapes, and motion picture films, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or pay for the creation of a use copy, retained by the repository, if none exist.