Four additional cartons of loose materials from the pre-1947 period, American Civil Liberties Union Records, The Roger Baldwin Years, 1917-1947, were indexed as Appendices 1-4. Appendices 1-3 were filmed for the microform collection (Reels 280-288) and correspond to Boxes 1-9 of this collection. Appendix 4 had previously been filmed as Volumes 1-7 of the 1946 correspondence (Reel 238) and corresponds to Boxes 9-12. These materials document the Baldwin years of the ACLU and are part of this later run of records in form only.

The Board of Directors subseries (14.8 linear feet) contains mailings from the National Office to the Board, minutes of Board meetings, and correspondence with individual Board members arranged chronologically. From 1975 to 1983, ACLU Associate Director Alan Reitman's pre-Board meeting letter to the president of the Board can be found occasionally. These letters explain the agenda in greater detail to assist the president in facilitating the meeting.

Norman Dorsen was the ACLU president from 1976 to 1990, though prior to his presidency, he had been extremely active within the ACLU, serving as a board member and also as general counsel from 1969-1976. Additionally, Dorsen was on the New York University Law School faculty and director of the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program at New York University.

This subseries (0.84 linear feet) concerns the discussion and reaction of the board, ACLU members, and individuals to the ouster of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a member of the Communist Party, from the Board of Directors in 1940. The Board passed a resolution that prohibited anyone who supported totalitarian regimes from holding official positions within the ACLU. The resolution created heated debate within the ACLU as some claimed the ACLU was infringing on Flynn's freedom of speech by endorsing the resolution. The resolution was rescinded in 1968 and she won posthumous reinstatement to the board in 1976. The records consist of minutes, memoranda, correspondence and printed materials. See also the Policies subseries for additional materials on this controversy and the pre-1947 microfilmed records.

The Board Committee files (42 linear feet) contain minutes, correspondence, and occasionally committee rosters. The Board Committees themselves fall into two categories: Standing Committees and Special Committees. Standing committees meet regularly to discuss broad topics in civil liberties (Academic Freedom Committee, Church and State Committee, etc.), while special committees are created to deal with some specific incident related to a civil liberties concern or the workings of the board or committee themselves. The records are arranged chronologically with standing committees in alphabetical order within each year followed by the special committees. The researcher should note that committee names often change, and that committees are created or disbanded over time.

These records (2.94 linear feet) document the activities of assistant director Jeffrey Fuller who promoted the creation of ACLU state affiliates. Organized alphabetically by state and by chapter within each state, the records consist of correspondence, memoranda, printed materials, and financial records. The researcher will also want to consult the affiliates and state correspondents subseries.

This subseries (7.65 linear feet) provides partial documentation of issues of importance to ACLU lawyers from 1937-1980. There are no materials for the years 1962 to 1964, 1975, and 1978 to 1979.

The Membership subseries (0.84 linear feet), arranged alphabetically within each year, primarily consists of correspondence and statistics concerning ACLU membership. The correspondence includes comments on various issues concerning ACLU actions, applications, resignations, deaths, and membership surveys. The statistics include numbers of members and information on contributions.

The affiliates subseries (56.70 linear feet), arranged chronologically by year then alphabetically by state, contains mailings from the national office to affiliates, board minutes of affiliates, general correspondence, and affiliate publications. In states with several chapters, material is filed by city or chapter name within each state. In the early years many states had civil liberties committees but not full fledged affiliates. These files are labeled "committee."

This subseries (18.48 linear feet) documents civil liberties concerns within various states and U.S. Possessions. There are also a few folders documenting civil liberties concerns in Canada. Prior to creating a state affiliate network, the ACLU had "state correspondents"--individuals who monitored civil liberty concerns within their state and informed the national office of local cases and issues. More extensive for earlier years, prior to the growth of the state affiliates, the files are organized chronologically and then alphabetically by state within each year. Large cases or issues of concern are contained in their own folders; many minor issues are grouped a general folder for each state. Correspondence comprises the majority of this subseries, but briefs and printed matter are also found.

The Attacks and Commendations subseries (3.78 linear feet) documents attacks leveled against the ACLU by the press, various institutions, and individuals, as well as commendations of the ACLU, with the majority of the material dating to the early 1950s. The material is arranged in two sections: Attacks, arranged alphabetically by attacker, and Commendations, arranged chronologically. The attacks material consists of newspaper clippings, statements detailing the attacks themselves, correspondence between ACLU members, and correspondence between the ACLU and their attackers. The material also contains detailed documentation of the ACLU's response to each attack. Occasionally there are descriptions of the reaction to those responses, on the part of both the public and the attackers themselves.

The Organizational Miscellaneous subseries (4.2 linear feet) contains various materials concerning structural and functional matters of the ACLU. Arranged chronologically by year and alphabetically within each year, this subseries is divided into four headings: miscellaneous, deaths, financial, and requests for information. The material under miscellaneous includes guides, memoranda, organizational and office materials, statements, articles, book proposals, project proposals, requests for speakers, speeches, and material concerned with ACLU social events. The deaths heading contains ACLU resolutions on the deaths of prominent civil libertarians, including Arthur Garfield Hays. Under the financial heading the researcher will find accountant reports and information concerning funds, grants, budget, and investments. Requests for information contains correspondence requesting information regarding the ACLU or other civil liberty issues. These requests come from members, newspapers and other publications, and lawyers. Included in these files are the ACLU responses.