WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND
FREEDOM IN MINNESOTA ORAL HISTORY PROJECT:
An Inventory of Its Oral History Interviews at the Minnesota Historical Society
Oral History Collection
OVERVIEW
Creator: | Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in Minnesota Oral History Project, creator. | |
Title: | Oral History Interviews of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in Minnesota Oral History Project. | |
Dates: | 1972. | |
Language: | Materials in English. | |
Abstract: | Gloria Thompson, a Moorhead State College student, conducted oral history interviews for the Minnesota Historical Society in 1972 with 8 members of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The women interviewed describe their backgrounds; discuss the Minnesota branch of the WILPF from its founding in 1922 by Maud C. Stockwell through the 1970s; comment on the organization’s founding principles of peace; support for the United Nations; disarmament; opposition to the Korean and Vietnam Wars; advocacy of peace candidates; lobbying for legislation reflecting the human rights principles of the WILPF; a Federal Bureau of Investigation's scrutiny of the WILPF in the 1940s; and the WILPF's resolution criticizing Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. | |
Quantity: | 9 master audiotape reels : 3 3/4 ips ; 7 inch, 9 submaster audiocassettes, 16 submaster audio files : digital, WAV, 16 user audio files : digital, MP3, 9 volumes of transcripts (141 pages), and 9 transcript text files : digital, PDF. | |
Location: | OH 169 : See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
HISTORICAL NOTE
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) was organized in 1915 and began as a war protest in the early days of World War I. The primary objectives of the WILPF was total and universal disarmament, abolition of violence, encouragement of peaceful settlements of conflicts, and the development of a world organization to promote political, social, and economic cooperation of peoples.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in Minnesota Oral History Project. Oral History Interviews of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in Minnesota Oral History Project. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: AV2014.23
Processing Information:
Processed by: Karen Obermeyer-Kolb, July 2017
Catalog ID number: 990088833430104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
MADGE HAWKINS
Biographical Information: Madge Hawkins (1882-1980), a retired schoolteacher, was active in the peace tradition beginning with the Spanish-American War. She was involved in the Nonpartisan League of North Dakota, the Farmer-Labor party, and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the latter of which she joined in the 1930s.
Scope and Content: Topics discussed include early life in Norway, formation of the WILPF, the antiwar movement, socialism, WILPF in Korea and Vietnam, and John Foster Dulles.
OH 169.1 | Oral history interview with Madge Hawkins, November 9, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (1 hour, 5 minutes), 1 submaster audiocassette, 2 submaster audio files: digital, WAV, and 2 user audio files: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (16 pages). | ||||||||||||
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VIENA HENDRICKSON
Biographical Information: Viena Johnson Hendrickson (1898-1980) immigrated to Minnesota from Finland as an infant with her parents. She was active in the Farmer-Labor party in the 1930s and 1940s, served as a representative of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (1952-1953), and was an active member and president of the WILPF (1935-1971).
Scope and Content: Topics discussed include early life, joining the WILPF, WILPF in Minnesota, advocacy in politics, and Hubert Humphrey.
OH 169.2 | Oral history interview with Viena Hendrickson, November 14, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (48 minutes), 1 submaster audiocassette, 2 submaster audio files: digital, WAV, and 2 user audio files: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (9 pages). | ||||||||||||
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OLIVE MEILI
Biographical Information: Olive Meili was born in 1895. She joined the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in the 1930s and served as an officer.
Scope and Content: Topics discussed include early life in Minnesota; joining WILPF; World War I; Jean Wilcox, Dorthy Detzer, Opal Gruner, Brena Wells, Medora Petersen, and others active in the Minnesota WILPF; and McCarthyism and WILPF.
OH 169.3 | Oral history interview with Olive Meili, October 14, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (1 hour, 3 minutes), 1 submaster audiocassette, 2 submaster audio files: digital, WAV, and 2 user audio files: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (21 pages). | ||||||||||||
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ELEANOR OTTERNESS
Biographical Information: President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) at the time of the interview, Eleanor Otterness moved to Minnesota in 1950 to pursue post-graduate studies in social work. She began her presidency in 1971.
Scope and Content: Topics discussed include arrival in Minnesota, current employment, work with other peace leagues, events leading to her peace activism, activity with the WILPF draft repeal campaign, participation in the Civil Rights movement, other WILPF concerns and issues, socioeconomic breakdown of the WILPF, WILPF opinions on foreign policy and disarmament, her proposed policies and activities as president, relationship between the economy and war, WILPF women holding political office, work with American Indians, and WILPF's budget.
OH 169.4 | Oral history interview with Eleanor Otterness, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (1 hour), 1 submaster audiocassette, 2 submaster audio files: digital, WAV, and 2 user audio files: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (18 pages). | ||||||||||||
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MARJORIE SIBLEY
Biographical Information: Head librarian at Augsburg since 1971, Marjorie Sibley moved to Minnesota in 1948, originally from Illinois. She became active in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) primarily in the 1950s, and was state president of the organization during the Joseph McCarthy period.
Scope and Content: Topics discussed include her start with the WILPF in 1950, peace education in the 1950s, impact of McCarthyism on the WILPF, meetings and activities hosted by the WILPF, her pacifist beliefs, the league’s position on pacifism and peace, demographics of the WILPF, middle-class nature of the WILPF, study groups hosted by the WILPF, American foreign policy related to the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the effect of the U.S. on U.N. effectiveness, Toys for Peace, Art for World Friendship, WILPF involvement in the civil rights movement, and effects of World War II and McCarthyism on the organization's membership.
OH 169.5 | Oral history interview with Marjorie Sibley, November 14, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (40 minutes), 1 submaster audiocassette, 1 submaster audio file: digital, WAV, and 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (11 pages). | ||||||||||||
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MARGARET THOMSON
Biographical Information: Margaret Thomson taught school in Minneapolis for thirty-five years. She joined the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in the 1920s and was president from about 1959 until 1963.
Scope and Content: Topics discussed include family and educational background, motivations for joining the WILPF in the 1920s, becoming active in the WILPF in the 1950s, campaigns against atomic testing, McCarthyism’s impact on the WILPF, the character of women who joined WILPF, views on nonviolent change, WILPF activities during the Vietnam War, reminisces about Jean Wilcox, 1931 peace caravan, her presidency of the WILPF in the 1960s, and various members of the WILPF.
OH 169.6 | Oral history interview with Margaret Thomson, October 15, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (1 hour, 8 minutes), 1 submaster audiocassette, 2 submaster audio files: digital, WAV, and 2 user audio files: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (25 pages). | ||||||||||||
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RACHEL TILSEN
Biographical Information: Born in Minneapolis in 1928, Rachel Tilsen worked as a secretary. She joined the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) during the Korean War.
Scope and Content: Topics discussed include early life in Minneapolis, becoming active in the WILPF in Minnesota, the antiwar movement, Marjorie Sibley, McCarthyism and WILPF, Vietnam, the national WILPF, Maud Stockwell, and Susan B. Anthony.
OH 169.7 | Oral history interview with Rachel Tilsen, November 1, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (1 hour, 17 minutes), 1 submaster audiocassette, 2 submaster audio files: digital, WAV, and 2 user audio files: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (17 pages). | ||||||||||||
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GERTRUDE VISSCHER
Biographical Information: Gertrude Visscher was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1889, the daughter of Dutch Reformed Church missionaries. She attended Hope College in Michigan and taught as a missionary in Japan. Visscher came to Minnesota in 1936 and was active in the Y.W.C.A. and the Minneapolis cooperative movement. Visscher joined the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in the 1960s. She served as president of the Minnesota branch from approximately 1968 until 1970.
Scope and Content: October 26 interview: Topics discussed include pacifism, racism, structural changes in the WILPF, and the women’s rights movement. November 15 interview: topics discussed revolve around Visscher's opinions and the WILPF's position on the Vietnam War.
OH 169.8 | Oral history interview with Gertrude Visscher, October 26, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (1 hour, 3 minutes), 1 submaster audiocassette, 2 submaster audio files: digital, WAV, and 2 user audio files: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (16 pages). | ||||||||||||
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OH 169.9 | Oral history interview with Gertrude Visscher, November 15, 1972. 1 master audiotape reel (37 minutes), 1 submaster audiocassette, 1 submaster audio file: digital, WAV, and 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (8 pages). | ||||||||||||
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CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Feminism -- Minnesota.
- Peace -- Societies, etc.
- Women -- Political activity.
- Persons:
- Hawkins, Madge, 1882-1980, interviewee.
- Hendrickson, Viena Johnson, interviewee.
- Meili, Olive, interviewee.
- Otterness, Eleanor G., interviewee.
- Sibley, Marjorie, interviewee.
- Thompson, Gloria, interviewer.
- Thomson, Margaret, interviewee.
- Tilsen, Rachel, interviewee.
- Visscher, Gertrude, interviewee.
- Organizations:
- Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Minnesota Branch.
- Document Types:
- Audiocassettes.
- Audiotapes.
- Interviews.
- Oral histories (document genres)
- Sound recordings.