New York State Joint Legislative Committee to Investigate Seditious Activities Mass Meetings Investigation Files

Chronological by meeting date.

This series contains reports compiled by committee investigators attending mass meetings to gather information and evidence about suspected radical groups and individuals in New York. The reports cover meetings held between January 1918 and April 1920; most of the meetings were held in the New York City area.

The majority of the meetings were sponsored by local labor organizations or by local branches of the Socialist Party. Information on meetings includes date, place, time, sponsoring organization, estimated number of people attending, ethnic and political makeup of audience, names of individual radical suspects attending, and a summary of proceedings. The reports include either summaries or verbatim transcripts of speeches, many by prominent Socialist leaders.

August Claessens, Henry Jaeger, and Louis Weitz gave the greatest number of speeches at the meetings investigated. Claessens, Charles Solomon, Louis Waldman, Samuel A. DeWitt, and Samuel Orr were the five assemblymen prevented from being seated in the New York Assembly because of their Socialist party membership, and the controversy over their plight is documented in speeches given by them and others. Generally the speeches and rallies explained Socialist beliefs; denounced American militarism, politics, and foreign policy (including Woodrow Wilson and policies towards Mexico and India); and commented on topics of the day: Eugene Debs' imprisonment; the raid on the Rand School of Social Science; the "Soviet Ark" deportations (in which over 250 alleged radicals or illegal aliens were forcibly deported); and the illegal arrest and imprisonment of socialists.

Microfilm is available for use at the New York State Archives or through interlibrary loan.

Folder list is available at the repository.

Folder 1 contains a chronological summary of speakers and dates.

This series was originally accessioned as box 5 of old collection #281, accessions -236 and -237.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.