Materials collected by Lisette (Lee) and Sam Kutnick over the course of their political work in the San Francisco Bay Area. Roughly one-half of the collection consists of typed transcripts of letters (circa 1937-1938) written by members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade from the Spanish Civil War to family and friends in the Bay Area, collected by Lisette (Lee) Kutnick when she served as secretary of the Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in San Francisco. Kutnick gathered and typed copies of letters received by friends, as well as many addressed to her and her husband Sam. The letters span the period when the Americans arrived in Spain in early 1937 and continued to the end of 1938 when most of the American volunteers returned home.

The letters document daily life behind the lines and in the trenches, including their food, training, learning Spanish, recreation, and interactions with Loyalist soldiers. Many are told with humor as well as the affirming the righteousness of their cause. The political dogma of the Communist Party can be seen in many letters. Undoubtedly some of the hardships were edited out for families and friends and some letters were censored. Among the prolific writers are Maurice Hawkins, Boleslaw “Slippery” Slivan, and Alphaeus Prowell (an African-American volunteer who died in Spain). Also notable are handwritten letters from Fritz Orton to “Paul,” most likely Paul Ryan better known by his pseudonym Mike Quin. Quin writes about Fritz Orton in the collection of his articles in On the Drumhead (page 84).

The other large part of this collection contains materials related to Sam Kutnick’s work on the County Personnel Committee of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA). This committee was charged with investigating CPUSA members for political and personal transgressions, recommending names to County Leadership for expulsion from the Party. There are handwritten notes with lists of names for further research, correspondence with other County or District Committees to share information on members, correspondence from Party members recommending others for investigation, and files related to the investigation of specific local Party members. These files show how cases were built against members and their associates, sometimes resulting in a chain reaction of expulsion. For example, Vern Smith was expelled for being suspected of homosexuality, then Harrison George was expelled for associating with Vern Smith after his expulsion and for organizing a “renegade, anti-Party group” before Lenny Fels was then expelled for continuing to associate with Harrison George.

Of note are the files of M. Vicker and Jane Barnes protesting and appealing their expulsions. Other material of interest includes two letters from The Crusader in which the anonymous author sends anti-Communist materials and challenges recipients to leave the Party.