Liston M. Oak papers, 1910-1970

Author / Creator

Oak, Liston M., 1895-1970

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Summary

Papers of a journalist and proponent of democratic socialism who, in the 1920s, became active in the Communist Party, but repudiated communism in the late 1930s. Oak edited or wrote for many public...

Papers of a journalist and proponent of democratic socialism who, in the 1920s, became active in the Communist Party, but repudiated communism in the late 1930s. Oak edited or wrote for many publications including "Soviet Russia Today" (1932-1934), "Fight" (1935-1936), "Antiques" (1938-1943), and "The New Leader" (1943-1948), and served as labor and economics editor of the "Voice of America" (1948-1965). The bulk of the papers date from the late 1940s to the early 1960s and largely document Oak's work at "The New Leader" and the "Voice of America."

Included is correspondence, much of which reveals Oak's opinions and political philosophy; speeches and articles by Oak; research materials on leftist and labor movements; "Voice of America" materials, including scripts for Oak's radio broadcasts; and personal information. Among the prominent correspondents are Socialist leader Norman Thomas, labor leader George Meany, ex-communist and informer Whittaker Chambers, Polish leader Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, and leftist writer Max Eastman. Also included are minutes of a 1937 meeting of the Theater Union, a leftist theater group which Oak managed briefly.

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