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Herbert A. Philbrick Papers Herbert A. Philbrick Papers A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2001 Revised 2010 April Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Additional search options available at: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms003015 LC Online Catalog record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm98084356 Prepared by Laura J. Kells with the assistance of Paul Colton, Valerie Frey, Alys Glaze, David Lake, Sherralyn McCoy, Brian McGuire, and Margaret Smith Collection Summary Title: Herbert A. Philbrick Papers Span Dates: 1849-1997 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1940-1993) ID No.: MSS84356 Creator: Philbrick, Herbert A. (Herbert Arthur), 1915-1993 Extent: 126,000 items ; 290 containers plus 1 oversize plus 1 top secret ; 116 linear feet Language: Collection material in English Location: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Summary: Anticommunist activist and counterspy. Correspondence, writings, speeches, television scripts, subject files, and other papers relating primarily to Philbrick's role as a leading anticommunist spokesman, his activities as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation while he was a member of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), and the television program based on his autobiography, I Led 3 Lives: Citizen, “Communist,” Counterspy. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Bales, James D., 1915- --Correspondence. Foster, William Z., 1881-1961--Trials, litigation, etc. Hoover, J. Edgar (John Edgar), 1895-1972--Correspondence. Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963--Assassination. Loeb, William, 1905-1981--Correspondence. McDowell, Arthur G.--Correspondence. Niebuhr, Reinhold, 1892-1971--Correspondence. Philbrick, Herbert A. (Herbert Arthur), 1915-1993. Philbrick, Herbert A. (Herbert Arthur), 1915-1993. I led 3 lives: citizen, "Communist," counterspy (1952) Reid, Ogden R. (Ogden Rogers), 1925- --Correspondence. Roche, Anthony M. Wallace, Henry A. (Henry Agard), 1888-1965--Correspondence. Welch, Robert Henry Winborne, 1899- --Correspondence. Organizations America's Future (Organization) American Youth for Democracy. Cambridge Youth Council (Cambridge, Mass.) Christian Anti-Communism Crusade. Communist Party of the United States of America (Mass.) Communist Party of the United States of America. Constructive Action, Inc. Council Against Communist Aggression (U.S.) Massachusetts Political Action Committee. Massachusetts. Special Commission to Study and Investigate Communism and Subversive Activities and Related Matters in the Commonwealth. Progressive Citizens of America. U.S. Press Association. United States Anti-Communist Congress. United States. Congress. House--Elections, 1948. United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities. United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws. United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Herbert A. Philbrick Papers 2 Young Americans for Freedom. Young Communist League of the U.S. Subjects Anti-communist movements--United States--History. Presidents--United States--Election--1948. Subversive activities--United States. Undercover operations--United States. Vietnam War, 1961-1975. Places Massachusetts--Politics and government--1865-1950. New England--Politics and government. Titles I led 3 lives (Television program) Occupations Political activists. Administrative Information Provenance The papers of Herbert A. Philbrick, anticommunist activist and counterspy, were given to the Library of Congress by his daughter, Dawn Philbrick Lambert, in 1998. A small addition was given by her in 2000. Processing History The papers of Herbert A. Philbrick were arranged and described in 2000. Additional material received in 2000 was incorporated into the collection in 2001. Transfers Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Sound and video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Some photographs and posters have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Herbert A. Philbrick Papers. Copyright Status Copyright in the unpublished writings of Herbert A. Philbrick in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is reserved. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division for further information. Access and Restrictions The papers of Herbert A. Philbrick are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Security Classified Documents Government regulations control the use of security classified material in this collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish information concerning access to and use of classified items. Preferred Citation Researchers wishing to cite this collection are asked to include the following information: Container number, Herbert A. Philbrick Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Herbert A. Philbrick Papers 3 Biographical Note Date Event 1915, May 11 Born, Boston, Mass. 1938 Graduated, Lincoln Technical Institute of Northeastern University, Boston, Mass. 1939 Married Eva Gertrude Luscombe (divorced 1967) Sales representative, Holmes Direct Mail Service, Cambridge, Mass. 1940 Organizer and chairman, Cambridge Youth Council, Cambridge, Mass. Reported suspicions of communist control of Cambridge Youth Council to Boston, Mass., office, Federal Bureau of Investigation 1941 Began reporting to Federal Bureau of Investigation on actions of Communist party 1942 Joined Young Communist League 1942-1949 Assistant advertising director, Paramount Theaters Division of New England, M & P Theatres Co., Boston, Mass. 1944 Joined Communist party 1949 Testified in federal court as surprise witness against eleven Communist party leaders indicted for violation of the Smith Act 1951 Testified before hearings of the House Committee on Un-American Activities regarding Communist party activities in the Boston, Mass., area “I Led 3 Lives” serialized in the New York Herald Tribune 1951-1957 Lectured on anticommunist topics 1952 Published I Led 3 Lives: Citizen, “Communist,” Counterspy (New York: McGraw-Hill. 323 pp.) 1952-1958 Wrote syndicated column “Red Underground ” for the New York Herald Tribune 1953-1956 Technical advisor for television program “I Led 3 Lives” 1961-1962 Prepared series of five-minute television programs, “The Red Report” 1963-1969 Wrote newsletters, Dollar Hollar, Herb Philbrick's News Bulletin, Peoples Voice, and Schick Razor's Edge 1964 Candidate for delegate-at-large from New Hampshire to the Republican national convention for presidential candidate Barry M. Goldwater 1967-1969 National Director, United States Anti-Communist Congress 1968 Married Shirley J. Brown 1969-1977 Editor and publisher, Washington Exclusive, U.S. Press Association Herbert A. Philbrick Papers 4 1972 Published revised edition, I Led 3 Lives: Citizen, “Communist,” Counterspy (Washington, D.C.: Capitol Hill Press. 306 pp.) 1976-1977 Writer-editor, Division of Organization and Personnel, United States Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Washington, D. C. 1977-1979 Store manager, Fletcher's Paint Works, Hampton, N. H. 1982-circa 1989 Court reporter and free-lance writer for Rockingham County, N. H., newspapers 1990-1993 President, Constructive Action 1993, Aug. 16 Died, North Hampton, N. H. Scope and Content Note The papers of Herbert Arthur Philbrick (1915-1993) span the years 1849-1997, with the bulk of the material dating from 1940 to 1993. They relate primarily to Philbrick's interests and activities as a leading anticommunist spokesman from the 1950s through the early 1970s whose concern with the threat of communism continued until his death. Philbrick became a public figure in 1949 when he was a government witness in the trial of eleven leaders of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) indicted for violation of the Smith Act. During his testimony, Philbrick revealed that for the previous nine years he had functioned as an undercover agent, serving as an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) while an active member of the CPUSA. He subsequently wrote an autobiography entitled I Led 3 Lives: Citizen, “Communist,” Counterspy, which became the basis of a television series in the 1950s. In addition to documenting Philbrick's life and activities, his papers are a source of information on the anticommunist movement in general featuring prominent individuals and organizations and containing correspondence, newsletters, and press clippings from throughout the country. The collection is organized in the following series: General Correspondence, Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), I Led 3 Lives , Subject File, Speeches and Writings, Miscellany, Addition, Oversize, and Top Secret. The General Correspondence series consists primarily of letters received by Philbrick, with copies of some of his outgoing correspondence. Although correspondence relating to specific
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