Description:
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…
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