Guide to the Papers of Herman Bernstein, (1876-1935), 1899-1935 RG 713

Processed by David Wolfson, Geulah Schulsinger, and Francesca Pitaro

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
Email: archives@yivo.cjh.org
URL: http://www.yivo.org

Machine-readable finding aid created by Faige Lederman and Francesca Pitaro as MS Word file in November 2002. Electronic finding aid converted to EAD 2002 by Dianne Ritchey Oummia in November 2003. EAD findng aid customized in Archon in 2014. Description is in English.

Collection Overview

Title: Guide to the Papers of Herman Bernstein, (1876-1935), 1899-1935 RG 713

ID: RG 713 FA

Creator: Bernstein, Herman (1876-1935)

Extent: 32.75 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

The best way to access the collection is with the detailed index available at YIVO's reference desk in the reading room at the Center for Jewish History. Please also see the description of the index.

The physical arrangement of the papers corresponds to the following six groupings:

Languages: English, Yiddish, Russian, German, Polish, French

Abstract

This collection contains the papers of the journalist, author, translator, and diplomat Herman Bernstein. It documents his work on behalf of Eastern European and Russian Jews and holds correspondence, memos, writings and translations by Herman Bernstein, writings by others, contracts, clippings, printed matter, and photographs.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Herman Bernstein Papers (ca. 1899-1935) include correspondence, memos, writings and translations by Herman Bernstein, writings by others, contracts, clippings, printed matter, ephemera, and photographs. This collection documents the life and career of Herman Bernstein and touches on many of his pursuits, including journalism, philanthropy, diplomacy, theater, and advocacy for Jews in Russia and Eastern Europe. In his work Bernstein was in contact with many prominent statesmen, literary figures, philanthropists, and leaders of the Jewish community in the United States.

The Bernstein papers are arranged physically into seven series, six of which are chronological, with the remaining series consisting of addenda. The first five series are made up largely of correspondence and some personal papers from the time period represented in each series. Each series contains at least four subseries: correspondence from individuals; correspondence from organizations; personal, and subjects. Series IV, however, has only three subseries. Series II has an additional two categories: The Day, the newspaper which Herman Bernstein edited, and subjects. Series III has a fifth subseries concerning the Ford Libel Suit as well as a sixth on subjects. Series V contains a subseries concerning Albania in addition to the four other subseries. The last series, Series VI: Mostly Undated, is comprised largely of manuscripts of writings and translations by Herman Bernstein and others. Series VI also contains newspaper clippings, undated personal documents, photographs, and plays.

Bernstein’s journalistic work is represented by his writings, his interviews, and by organizational files for various papers which published his work or where he served as editor. Among the publications represented are The American Hebrew, The Day, The Jewish Tribune, The New York Herald, and The New York Times. Correspondence includes information on editorial policy, letters from readers, and financial arrangements. Also included are copies of Bernstein’s articles and interviews which may include manuscript, typescript, and printed copies. Many of the interviews do not include transcripts, but only Bernstein’s narrative of the interview. Several files of dispatches from Russia, many of which may be found in Series VI, Subseries 7, include his writings on Lenin, Andreyev, Kerensky, the Tsarina Alexandra (wife of Nicholas II), and the changes wrought by the Revolution. Most of the articles and dispatches are undated, and their date and place of publication are not noted. Some of the articles that can be found in the clippings files (Series VI, Subseries 15), which are arranged alphabetically, include the actual newsprint copies of Bernstein’s articles. His work appeared in many New York and U.S. papers in addition to those listed above. Bernstein also corresponded regularly with publishers and magazines regarding the publication of his writings and translations. These include The Century Magazine, the Associated Press, Harper & Bros., Alfred A. Knopf, Macmillan, and The Independent.

The collection includes a significant amount of material relating to Bernstein’s theatrical work. In addition to writing his own plays and translating works from Russian and German, a large amount of which are located in Series VI, Subseries 17, Bernstein often served as the agent for playwrights whose works he translated. He corresponded regularly with playwrights, actors, agents, theater companies, publishers, and producers. Among the noted playwrights represented (by correspondence and scripts) are Leonid Andreyev, Georg Erastov, Ossip Dymow, Nicolas Evreinoff, Rudolf Lothar, Luigi Pirandello (1 letter), Arthur Schnitzler, George Bernard Shaw (1 note), and Leo Urvantzov. Other correspondents relevant to his theatrical work include Nina Caraciollo, Feodor Chaliapin, Morris Gest, Jacob Gordin, Bertha Kalich, Alla Nazimova, Max Rabinoff, and Maurice Schwartz. Organizations represented include: Brady and Wiman, the Theatre Guild, Radiant Productions, and the Yiddish Art Theatre. The collection also includes programs, reviews, and some photographs of theatrical productions and personalities.

Bernstein’s involvement in the American Jewish community is documented by his work with organizations such as the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Relief Committee, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the Jewish National Fund, Joint Distribution Committee, ORT (Obschestvo Rasprostraneniia Truda sredi Evreev, the Society for Spreading Work Among Jews), and the Zionist Organization of America. In his work with these organizations Bernstein corresponded with prominent political, philanthropic and communal society leaders including Cyrus Adler, Joseph Barondess, Bernard Baruch, Jacob Billikopf, Josephus Daniels, Adolph Lewishohn, Louis Marshall, Jacob Schiff, Nathan Straus, and Stephen Wise. Correspondence with these organizations and individuals is located chronologically in Series I through V. Some organizational papers include minutes and reports.

Materials relating to Bernstein’s tenure as the Minister to Albania are located in Series V, Subseries 6, and include official letters and invitations, general correspondence and correspondence with other legations, reports, clippings, press releases, and writings including King Zog’s story as told to Herman Bernstein. Photographs from Bernstein's time in Albania will be found in Series VI: Subseries 16.

The scope of Bernstein’s many pursuits is reflected in his correspondence. Other prominent correspondents are Shalom Aleichem, Auguste Rodin, Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and William G. McAdoo.

Family papers include correspondence, photographs and miscellaneous materials. The earliest letters in the collection are letters from Herman Bernstein (in Russian and English) to Sophie Friedman, written in 1896 and located in Series I. The collection also includes letters from Bernstein’s children, and from his brother, Harry Bernstein.

This collection holds photographs, which will be found in Subseries 16 of Series VI, that portray Bernstein's work and travels, including photos related to his theatrical work, such as production photos and photos of performers. Of particular interest to researchers may be photos acquired during Bernstien's tenure as ambassador to Albania. These include photos of King Zog and other government officials, of offical functions, and of an archeological excavation in the city of Butrinto. The collection also contains personal photos, including portraits and family images. Photos of American and French soldiers from World War I will also be found in this subseries, as well as images of Bernstein's trip to Siberia under the auspices of the American Expeditionary Forces.

Users of this collection should be aware that there this collection has an index. Information on this index may be found here.

Historical Note

Herman Bernstein, journalist, author, translator, diplomat, and advocate for the rights of the Jews of Eastern Europe, was born in Neustadt-Schwerwindt on the Russo-German border on September 21, 1876. He was the son of David and Marie (Elsohn) Bernstein. In 1893 Bernstein emigrated to the United States where he completed his education. He was married to Sophie Friedman on December 31, 1901.

Bernstein’s journalistic career began in 1900 when his first stories were published. He was a contributor to the New York Evening Post, The Nation, The Independent and Ainslee’s Magazine. He was a founder and editor of The Day (1914-1916) and an editor of The Jewish Tribune (1924-1926; 1930), and an editor of the Jewish Daily Bulletin (1933-1934). As a special correspondent to the New York Times, Bernstein traveled to Europe in 1908, 1909, 1911 and 1912. On these visits he interviewed many prominent individuals of the day and his dispatches and articles were widely read in the U.S. Bernstein also went to Europe in 1915 to study the conditions of Jews in the war zones. He went to Russia in 1917 to report on the Revolution for the New York Herald, which also sent him to Japan and Siberia with the American Expeditionary Forces. His work for the Herald extended to his coverage of the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. In the 1920s Bernstein wrote for the New York American and the Brooklyn Eagle, often reporting from Europe and writing frequently about Russia. One of Bernstein’s journalistic coups was his publication of the so-called “Willie-Nicky” correspondence between Wilhelm II and Nicholas II, which he discovered in Russia in 1917. These secret telegrams between the Kaiser and the Tsar during the years 1904-1907 revealed, according to Bernstein, how “Both talked for peace and plotted against it.” The telegrams were first published in the Herald.

Many of Bernstein’s interviews, including those with Henri Bergson, Hall Caine, Albert Einstein, Havelock Ellis, Vladimir Jabotinsky, Max Nordau, Auguste Rodin, Romain Rolland, Theodore Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw, Leo Tolstoy, Chaim Weizmann, Count Sergius Witte, Woodrow Wilson, and Israel Zangwill, were later published in three volumes: Celebrities of Our Time (1924), With Master Minds, and The Road to Peace (1926).

Bernstein’s literary work included translations of short stories and plays by Gorky, Tolstoy, Andreyev, Lothar, Urvantzov, Schnitzler, Asch, Chekov, and Turgenev. Bernstein’s own writings include a book of verse, The Flight of Time (1899), a book of short stories, In the Gates of Israel (1902), and a novel, Contrite Hearts (1905). He also wrote his own plays including The Mandarin and The Right to Kill which were presented on Broadway.

Bernstein was also known for his efforts to expose anti-Semitism in the United States and elsewhere. He won a retraction from Henry Ford after suing him for libel for anti-Semitic statements Ford had published in the Dearborn Independent. In 1921 Bernstein’s book, The History of a Lie, exposed the fraudulent origins of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.” His 1935 work The Truth about the Protocols of Zion was released to combat a renewed interest in the Protocols coinciding with the rise of anti-Semitism in pre-war Europe. Throughout his career Bernstein researched and wrote about the conditions of Jews in Europe, reporting on pogroms in Poland and Russia, and the effects of the Revolution on Russia’s Jews. Bernstein worked with organizations such as ORT, the Central Relief Committee, the American Jewish Relief Committee, and the Joint Distribution Committee to improve conditions for Jews in Europe. He also served as secretary of the American Jewish Committee, as an officer of the Zionist Organization of America, and as a member of various committees of HIAS. Politically he advocated for liberal immigration policies and was a member of the Democratic National Committee and worked to elect Woodrow Wilson in 1912. Bernstein also supported the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine and wrote about the politics of the Middle East and the settlement of Palestine.

Bernstein met Herbert Hoover at the Paris Peace Conference and supported his bid for the presidency in 1928. In 1930 Hoover appointed Bernstein as the United States minister to Albania, a position he held until 1933. During this appointment, he worked on negotiation and extradition treaties between the U.S. and Albania, and received an award from King Zog for his service to Albania, the Grand Cordon of the Order of Skanderberg.

Herman Bernstein died in Sheffield, Massachusetts on August 31, 1935. He was survived by his wife Sophie and three daughters, Violet Bernstein Willheim, Hilda Bernstein Gitlin, and Dorothy Bernstein Nash, as well as a son, David.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions: Open to researchers by appointment with a YIVO archivist.

Use Restrictions: There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact: Chief Archivist, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 email: archives@yivo.cjh.org

Acquisition Method: The Herman Bernstein Papers were donated to YIVO by David Bernstein, Adele Bernstein, and Ann Weissman.

Preferred Citation: Published citations should take the following form:Identification of item, date (if known); YIVO Archives; Herman Bernstein Papers; RG 713; box number; folder number.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

Series 1: Series I, 1896-1917,
Series 2: Series II, 1913-1916,
Series 3: Series III, 1917-1924,
Series 4: Series IV, 1920-1930,
Series 5: Series V, 1930-1935,
Series 6: Series VI: Mostly Undated, , 1898-1935,
Series 7: Series VII: Addenda, 1915-1956,
All

Series III 1917-1924

This series is made up mainly of correspondence dating from 1917 through 1924. Subseries 3, 4, and 5 contain other types of documents in addition to correspondence, including: articles, addresses, interviews, and notes by him, as well as material on his speaking engagements and a dinner reception given for him.

Arrangement: This series is separated into five subseries: Individuals; Organizations; Personal; Ford Libel Suit; and Subjects.

Subseries 1: Individuals 1914-1925

Correspondence from individuals during this time period includes such eminent persons as Edward Benes, Louis Brandeis, Henry Ford, Herbert Hoover, Louis Marshall, Max Nordau, Tsar Nicholas II, Theodore Roosevelt, Chaim Weizmann, Woodrow Wilson, and Stephen S. Wise.

Arrangement: Alphabetical by last name.

Box 10

Folder 303: Adler, Cyrus 1923
Folder 303A: Andreyev, Anna 1922
Folder 304: Andreyev, Leonid 1918-1919
Folder 305: Ba Baker, Newton (1924); Barondess, Joseph (1924); Baruch, Bernard (1921) 1921-1924
Folder 306: Be-Bo Ben-Ami, Joseph (1921); Benes, Edward (1924); Bernstein, Eduard (1922); Bernstein, Freeman (1917); Boro, Stanley (1924); Billikopk, Jacob (1919); Bourtseff, Vladimir (1918); Brown, Charles (1921) 1917-1924
Folder 307: Br-Bu Bramson, Leon (1924); Breshkovsky, Catherine; Brounoff, Platon (1923) 1923-1924
Folder 308: Bergson, H. 1919-1924
Folder 309: Brandes, Georg 1924
Folder 310: Brandeis, Louis D. 1924
Folder 311: C Earl Carrol Theatre (1923); Carter, Oscar M. (1924); Caz, David (1924); Cohen, John S. (1924) 1923-1924
Folder 312: Cecil, Lord Robert 1919-1924
Folder 313: D Davis, John N. (1924); Day, S. Don (1921); Delbrueck, Haas (1924); Dymow, Ossip (1924) 1921-1924
Folder 314: Daniels, Josephus 1917-1918
Folder 315: E Elkus, Abraham (1917-1923); Ellis, Havelock (1924); Epstein, M. (1921) 1917-1924
Folder 316: F Farmer, Virginia (1924); Finkelstein, Maurice (1924); Fishberg, Maurice (1924); Prince Faisal; Frankfurter, Felix (1919); Frackman, David (1924) 1919-1924
Folder 317: Ford, Henry 1921-1923
Folder 318: G Gerard, James (1917); Glazer, Benjamin (1923); Goldstein, Jonah J. (1921); Grimball, Elizabeth (1924); Grossbard, Sol (1919) 1917-1924
Folder 319: Gorny, Sergius 1922-1924
Folder 320: H Halperine, Kaminsky (1919); Harde, Maximillian Esq. (1924); Harding, Warren (1921); Hayes, Cardinal; Hearst, W.R.; Hughes, Charles (1924) 1919-1924
Folder 321: Hessen, Joseph 1922
Folder 322: Hoover, Herbert 1920-1924
Folder 323: House, Edward M. 1922-1924
Folder 324: J Jabotinsky (1922); Jochelson, Waldemar (1922); Jones, Macy E. 1922-1924
Folder 325: K Kuhn, Loeb & Co. (1924); Kaun, Alexander (1921); Krasnovs, Altman (1918) 1918-1924
Folder 326: L Lamport, S. (1924); Lander, L. (1919); Leblang, Joe (1923); Levin, Shmarya (1921) 1919-1924
Folder 327: Lehman, Herbert Irving 1923-1924
Folder 328: Lewisohn, Adolph Sam 1923-1924
Folder 329: Ma 1922-1924
Folder 330: Me-My Melnik, J.; Miller, J. Nathan; Mason, Elizabeth (1923); Miller, Nathan (1924); Mitchell, John; Morris, Ivan (1916); Mosessohn, M. (1924); Moskowitz, (1924) 1916-1924
Folder 331: Manson, Philip 1922-1925

Box 11

Folder 332: Marshall, Louis 1919-1924
Folder 333: McAdoo, William G. 1917-1924
Folder 334: Michaelson, L.B. 1921-1923
Folder 334A: Morgenthau, Henry 1921
Folder 335: N Nichols, Miss Anne (1923-1924); Nordau, Max (1920) 1920-1924
Folder 335A: Nicholas II 1917-1918
Folder 336: O Oberoutcheff, C. (1919); Orlik, Emil 1919
Folder 337: P Patridge, Mrs. Fredrik (1924); Pilichowski, L.; Polarski, G. (1922); Poliakoff, Solomon (1919); Pool, David de Sola (1923); Popkin, Louis (1922) 1919-1924
Folder 338: R Rathend, Walther (1921); Reinhardt, Max (1923); Rosenthal, Leonid 1921-1923
Folder 339: Rabinoff, Max 1923
Folder 340: Rogers, Jason 1924
Folder 341: Roosevelt, Theodore 1918
Folder 342: Rosenberg, James 1924
Folder 343: Sa-Sh Schatzky, B.E. (1917); Schereschewsky, M. (1917); Schildkraut, J. (1923); Schneiderman, Harry (1924); Seligman, Harry (1924); Shapiro, Nathan D. (1923); Shaw, G.B. (1924) 1917-1924
Folder 344: Si-Su Silberstein, M. (1923); Sirovich, William (1924); Smith, Alfred E. (1923); Snegoff, Leonid (1922); Stanislavsky, K. (1923); Straus, Oscar S. (1922); Strindberg, Frieda (1923) 1922-1924
Folder 345: Schiff, Jacob H. 1917-1923
Folder 346: Schnitzler, Arthur 1922
Folder 347: Schwartz, Maurice 1922-1924
Folder 348: Singer, Isidor 1922-1924
Folder 349: Sterling, Ada 1924
Folder 350: Straus, Nathan 1918-1924
Folder 351: T Teitel, Jacob (1924); Tootle, Harry King; Trotzky, Leon (1918) 1918-1924
Folder 352: U Untermyer, Samuel (1923); Urban, Joseph 1923
Folder 353: Urvantzov, Leo 1922-1923
Folder 354: V Van Namee, George R. (1919); Van Guard, Albert (1924) 1919-1924
Folder 355: W Weil, Rabbi Julien (1924); White, Andrew D. (1917); Williams, Jefferson (1924); Williams, T. (1918); Wiener, Captain Clarence (1918) 1917-1924
Folder 356: Warburg, Felix 1918-1924
Folder 357: Weizmann, Chaim 1921
Folder 358: Wilson, Woodrow 1914-1917
Folder 359: Wingardh, Freddy 1921
Folder 360: Wise, Stephen S. 1923-1924
Folder 361: Y-Z Yagokin, Vladmir (1919); Zelenko, S. 1919

Subseries 2: Organizations 1915-1924

Subseries 2 contains correspondence between Herman Bernstein and various organizations. Much of the correspondence in this series is with publications or publishers, including extensive correspondence with the New York Herald , the Jewish Tribune , and Hearst Newspapers, as well as with The Day . Other organizational correspondence found here include political and Jewish organizations, such as the Democratic National Committee, HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), the Palestine Foundation Fund, the Socialist Revolution Party, and the Zionist Organization of America. More information concerning the Zionist Organization of America will also be found in Subseries 5: Subjects.

Arrangement: Alphabetical by name of organization.

Box 12

Folder 362: A American Association of Foreign Language Newspapers (1924); America's Good Will Union; The American Hebrew (1918); American Peace Award (1923); American Play Co., Inc. (1922); Americanism Protective League (1924); Art Film (1922) 1918-1924
Folder 363: American Jewish Committee 1919-1921
Folder 364: American Jewish Congress 1922
Folder 365: American Jewish Relief Committee 1919
Folder 366: B Bartsch, Hans (1923); Boni & Liveright (1922); Brentano's (1923) 1922-1923
Folder 367: C The Century (1924); Cherry Lane Production; Conference of Jewish National Organization; The Council of Jewish Women (1921); Current History (1924); Current Opinion (1919) 1919-1924
Folder 368: Central Relief Committee 1917-1918
Folder 369: Czechoslovakian Legion 1924
Folder 370: D Delegation Des Judischen Nationalrates Fur Ostgalizien (1921); Decla Bioscop A.G. 1921
Folder 371: The Day 1924
Folder 372: Democratic National Committee 1924
Folder 373: E English Zionist Federation (1919); Felix Blich Erben (1922); Esthonian Legation (1924) 1919-1924
Folder 374: F Famous Players - Lasky Corporation (1924); Federal Council of the Churches of Christ In America (1921-1924); Federal Feature Syndicate (1924); Federation of Ukranian Jews (1919); Fayette Avery McKenzie (1921); The Foreign Press Service (1922-1923); Fulton Theatre (1924) 1921-1924
Folder 375: G-H The Guardian; Harper & Brothers (1918); The Hebrew Standard; Hotel Hungaria (1921); Hutchinson & Co. (1924) 1918-1924
Folder 376: Haint Publishing Company 1921
Folder 377: HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) 1919-1921
Folder 378: Hearst Newspapers 1921-1922
Folder 379: Hearst's International 1921-1923
Folder 380: I International Press Cutting Bureau (1924); The Independent (1922); International Book Review (1924); International Jewish Press Bureau (1924) 1922-1924
Folder 381: J The Jewish Agricultural Society, Inc. (1924); Jewish Daily Forward; The Jewish Magazine; A National Review; The Jewish Philharmonic Society of New York; Jewish Correspondence Bureau (1922); The Jewish Times, Limited (1919); Jewish Welfare Board (1918) 1918-1924
Folder 382: Jewish Tribune 1923-1924
Folder 383: Joint Distribution Committee 1918-1924
Folder 384: K Edward L. Klein Co. (1924); Alfred A. Knopf [Co.](1917-1924) 1917-1924
Folder 385: L Library of Congress (1923); I. Ladyschnikov (1922); The Literary Digest (1922) 1922-1923
Folder 386: M The Macmillan Company (1922); McClures Magazine (1922); The Menorah Journal (1917); Metropolitan (1917) 1917-1922
Folder 387: N National Arts Club (1917); The National Security League (1919); The Newspaper Enterprise Association (1917); The New York Times (1921-1924) 1917-1924
Folder 388: New York Herald 1917
Folder 389: New York Herald 1918
Folder 390: New York Herald 1919

Box 13

Folder 391: 0Organization of Jewish R.R.Workers In Warsaw (1919); ORT - Union of Societies for the Promotion of Trades and Agriculture Among the Jews (1915-1921); Our World (1922) 1915-1922
Folder 392: PPlanned Publicity Service (1923); Plymouth Theatre (1922); Provisional Executive Committee (1917); Publicity & Authors’ Center (1923) 1922-1923
Folder 393: Palestine Foundation Fund 1922-1924
Folder 394: Poland n.d.
Folder 395: R-S Russian Supply Committee (1917); Russian Zemstovs; Verlag Russische Kunst; The Saturday Review (1924); Standard International Agency (1922); AB Svensk Film Industry (1921) 1917-1924
Folder 395A: Socialist Revolution Party 1921
Folder 396: T The Talmud Society (1922); Township of Tel Aviv (1922); The Town Hall (1924); Transit Film Co. (1921); The Theatre Guild Inc. (1922) 1921-1924
Folder 397: U-V United Press Associations (1919); Universal Press Service, Inc. (1922); U.S. Department of State (1918-1921) 1918-1922
Folder 398: W Wiking Film (1922); The Woman Patriot (1922); The World (1917) 1917-1922
Folder 399: Zionist Organization of America 1922-1924

Subseries 3: Personal 1915-1930

Subseries 3: Personal is comprised of various materials of a personal nature, including family materials and personal documents. There are also articles, addresses, interviews, and press releases by Herman Bernstein, as well as a dinner reception celebrating his 25 years as a journalist and writer.

Box 13

Folder 400: Personal Materials 1922-1923
Folder 400A: Family Correspondence 1922-1924
Folder 401: Speaking Engagements: Including speaking to: Joseph G. Schiff Center, Young Men's Hebrew Association, Jewish War Relief Fund, Hebrew Veterans of The Wars of the Republic 1917-1924
Folder 402: Dinner Reception for Herman Bernstein - 25 Years Tribute as a Journalist and a Writer 1924
Folder 403: Articles by Herman Bernstein 1915-1922
Folder 404: Addresses by Herman Bernstein 1924-1928
Folder 405: Interviews by Herman Bernstein 1920
Folder 406: Statements and Press Releases 1916-1927
Folder 407: Notes and Outlines n.d.
Folder 408: The History of A Lie 1921
Folder 409: Celebrities of Our Time 1924-1930

Box 14

Folder 410: News Dispatches (not related to Ford) n.d.
Folder 411: News Dispatches (not related to Ford) n.d.
Folder 411A: Unidentified 1918-1923
Folder 412: Articles 1918

Subseries 4: Ford Libel Suit 1920-1929

This subseries focuses on Herman Bernstein’s libel lawsuit against Henry Ford. Prominent in this subseries are copies of court documents and published newspaper articles about the case.

The first two folders contain mainly correspondence and court documents. The first of these folders includes such documents as correspondence with Louis Marshall and Samuel Untermeyer, Bernstein’s lawyer, especially concerning attempts to serve papers to Henry Ford in the state of New York. It also holds letters sent to Herman Bernstein by individuals who supported Ford’s position in the case. Both folders also contain copies of court depositions. Folder 413A has several documents which deal with the aftermath of the lawsuit, including a court decision given by Judge Hand, articles about Ford’s anti-Semitic remarks in the Dearborn Independent, an article concerning Ford’s apology, and a published copy of his retraction. This folder also contains a letter by Bernstein thanking Henry Ford for retracting his anti-Semitic remarks, and a document by Bernstein discussing the effects of Ford’s writing about him.

The last three folders in this subseries are copies of publications related to the lawsuit. Copies of the Dearborn Independent will be found in folder 415, while clippings about the lawsuit are located in the other two folders. Clippings in folder 414 focus on articles and clippings on the progress of the lawsuit while folder 416 contains clippings concerning Henry Ford’s retraction of the anti-Semitic articles he published. Newspaper clippings come from newspapers all over the United States, although a large number are New York publications.

Box 14

Folder 413: Libel Suit vs. Henry Ford 1922-1923
Folder 413A: Libel Suit vs. Henry Ford 1925-1929
Folder 414: Libel Suit vs. Henry Ford 1922-1923
Folder 415: Libel Suit vs. Henry Ford 1920-1921
Folder 416: Libel Suit vs. Henry Ford 1927-1928

Subseries 5: Subjects n.d., 1918-1920

Of the subjects covered in Subseries 5, the Zionist Organization of America is the most represented here. There is also information on the Paris Peace Conference that ended World War I. Material on Poland includes press releases and other documents concerning the treatment of Jews during World War I. The folder entitled Russian Materials includes a report on the situation concerning occupied Odessa.

Box 15

Folder 417: Z.O.A. (Zionist Organization of America) - (Delaware, Georgia, Indiana) n.d.
Folder 418: Z.O.A. (Zionist Organization of America) - (Illinois) 1920
Folder 419: Z.O.A. (Zionist Organization of America) - (Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota) n.d.
Folder 420: Z.O.A. (Zionist Organization of America) - (Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina) n.d.
Folder 421: Z.O.A. (Zionist Organization of America) - (New Jersey) n.d.
Folder 422: Z.O.A. (Zionist Organization of America) - (Ohio) n.d.
Folder 423: Z.O.A. (Zionist Organization of America) - (Tennesse, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin) n.d.
Folder 423A: Paris Peace Conference 1919
Folder 424: Paris Peace Conference 1919
Folder 425: Poland 1919
Folder 425A: Russian Materials 1919
Folder 426: Japan 1918