Finding aids: Checklist prepared by Martha P. Shane (March
l985)
Historical Introduction
Mercedes Moritz Randall, writer and peace worker, was born
September ll, l895, in Guatemala City where her father Albert
Moritz was an American merchant. She received her B.A. from
Barnard College in l9l6 and a master's degree in history from
Columbia University. Sh taught both English and history in New
York City between l9l6 and l923. She married John Herman Randall,
Jr., a professor of philosophy at Columbia, in l922, and the
couple had two sons, John Herman Randall, III, and Francis Ballard
Randall, both of whom became professors. The Randalls lived at l5
Claremont Avenue in Morningside Heights, New York City, and
summered in an old farmhouse in Peacham, Vermont. Mercedes Randall
died on March 9, l977, at the age of 8l.
Already involved with pacifist and social concerns during World
War I, Randall became a member of the Young Democracy. Colleagues
in this group included Devere Allen, Frances Witherspoon and Tracy
Mygatt, and these friendships endured throughout their lives. She
was one of the early members of the Women's International League
for Peace and Freedom, holding many executive offices including
chairman of the National Education Committee. She was president of
the Manhattan branch of WILPF.
Randall first met Emily Greene Balch in l9l8 at a dinner in
New York City sponsored by the Collegiate Anti-Militarism League.
Balch was the first International Secretary of WILPF and the two
women worked closely together on many WILPF projects. Miss Balch
asked Randall to be her literary executor, and, in l964, Randall
wrote a biography of Balch entitled Improper Bostonian: Emily
Greene Balch. Later, in l972, she edited Beyond
Nationalism: The Social Thought of Emily Greene Balch. She led
the campaign that resulted in Balch receiving the Nobel Peace
Prize in l946.
Randall wrote much WILPF material including pamphlets, reports,
articles, and mailings. In l944, she wrote a pamphlet "The Voice
of Thy Brother's Blood", a plea for action to help the Jewish
refugees of World War II. This was distributed by both WILPF and
the American Jewish Committee. She and Balch together wrote the
pamphlet "Highlights of WILPF History, l9l5 l946". Other writings
included the appendix to the l945 edition of Peace and
Bread by Jane Addams and the introductions to Women at the
Hague by Jane Addams and Occupied Haiti by Balch. She
also compiled indexes for several WILPF periodicals.
Her publisher, Twayne, described Randall as having "devoted
herself to problems of international and interracial peace and
justice." After her death in l977, the WILPF periodical Peace and
Freedom (April-May l977)wrote: "Mrs. Randall believed strongly
that the peace movement was historically important and that
similar studies should be made of some of the other pioneer women
and their early followers who showed clearly the connection
between pacifism and freedom and feminism and economic change all
over the world. She kept track of all such books that appeared and
urged the peace leaders to write before they died so that others
could have the record."
Scope and Contents
The papers of Mercedes M. Randall include her research on Emily
Greene Balch whose biography she wrote in l964 as well as the book
Beyond Nationalism: The Social Thought of Emily Greene
Balch which she edited in l972. Both books are in the SCPC
library. There are pamphlets, articles, reports, and mailings that
Randall wrote for WILPF, including the pamphlets "The Voice of Thy
Brother's Blood" (l944) and "Highlights of WILPF History,
l9l5-l946". Other writings include letters to the editor and the
indexes of several WILPF periodicals.
There is correspondence with prominent peace leaders,some of whom
were WILPF colleagues. There is also correspondence pertaining to
projects in which she was involved. This includes the responses to
a letter Randall sent in l940 to representative Americans asking
them to formulate "the conditions of a lasting peace," and the
responses, in l972, to a letter to pacifists of her acquaintance
on "What I Believe." There is also correspondence pertaining to
Balch's Nobel Peace Prize (l946). One item of correspondence is
restricted at this time.
Her subject files contain articles, notes, correspondence, and
other material about peace-related topics. They include two
scrapbooks on World War I, information about the Young Democracy,
and a large collection of pamphlets and booklets on the Jewish
refugees during World War II.
Personal calendars for the years l973 to l976 and her obituary
can also be found.
Correspondents include Emily Greene Balch, Marion Balch, Helen
Beardsley, Gertrude Bussey, Sarah Cleghorn,Dorothy Detzer, Dorothy
Hutchinson, A.J. Muste, Clara Ragaz, Ella White, and Frances
Witherspoon.
Arrangement
The bulk of these papers was given to SCPC in l977 by
Francis B. Randall following the death of his mother Mercedes M.
Randall earlier that year. Because of Mercedes Randall's research
on Emily Greene Balch for two books, there was much Balch material
in these papers that was sorted out and moved to DG 6 (Balch
papers). The remaining papers were well organized by Randall. Her
system was to use large mailing envelopes as folders with
pertinent notes on the front to identify the contents.During the
processing, the writing portion of these envelopes was removed and
placed with its contents in new folders. These folders were then
arranged together depending on the predominant kind of material
inside, i.e.correspondence with an individual, related to a
project,etc. There are often many kinds of material together in
one folder, as Randall had collected it. The folder listings in
the checklist, except in the subject files,are usually not
Randall's words, but are meant to be more descriptive.
Folders simply labeled "Writing" in Series III contain single
items together by decade. Series III is arranged in chronological
order.
There are two subject files. The first, called the Original Order
Subject File, has been left intact in alphabetical order as
Randall had kept it. The second,called the Imposed Order Subject
File, is a collection of folders about various topics that were
found in different parts of the papers, placed together, and
arranged chronologically.
Checklist
Box l
Checklist
Removal sheets
SERIES I. PERSONAL
Box 1 (cont.)
Obituary, newsclippings, and information about M.M.R.
Christmas cards from friends
Article by son, Francis B. Randall, and Balch booklet by husband,
John Herman Randall, Jr.
Personal calendars (l973-l976)
SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE
Box 1 (cont.)
With individuals
Emily Greene Balch to M.M.R. (1942-1960)
Marion Balch (sister of Emily Greene Balch, 1956-1961)
Helen Beardsley (l974)
Gertrude Bussey (l957)
Sarah Cleghorn (l950-l952)
Dorothy Detzer (l945-l974)
Dorothy Hutchinson (l974)
A.J. Muste (l945-l965)
Clara Ragaz (l940, l94l)
Ella White (l96l)
Frances Witherspoon (l956-l973)
Other correspondence
General correspondence
"International Correspondence"
With family in German (l924-l926)
Previously restricted: Balch, Randall, Schwimmer (l943-l946;
l958)
Box 2
Project-related correspondence
Responses to WILPF Peace Aim Letter (l940)
About "The Voice of Thy Brother's Blood" pamphlet (l943)
About distribution of "Voice..." pamphlet (l943,l944)
Responses to "Voice..." pamphlet (l944)
About "free ports" (l944)
About Balch Nobel Peace Prize (l946)
About support for Balch Nobel Peace Prize (l946)
About Balch research (late l950s and early l960s)
About Beyond Nationalism... (l968-l972)
Responses to "What I Believe" (WILPF project, c. l972)
About pamphlet "Peace and Justice without Violence" (l974)
On interview with Mildred Scott Olmsted (l974)
About editorial on hemlock trees (l974)
Between WILPF and Israeli section (l974-l975)
SERIES III. WRITINGS BY M. M. RANDALL
Box 3
Reports on National Peace Education (l936-l940)
Writings (l940s)
Book proposal: War and Peace Reconsidered w/correspondence
(l942)
Pamphlet: "The Voice of Thy Brother's Blood" w/drafts (l944)
Report on pamphlet "The Voice of Thy Brother's Blood" to WILPF
National Board (l944)
Draft of appendix to l945 edition of Peace and Bread by Jane
Addams
Pamphlet: "Highlights of WILPF History, l9l5-l946" w/draft
(l946)
Drafts from WILPF annual meeting (l948)
Writings (l950s)
Writings (l960s)
Book: Improper Bostonian - Emily Greene Balch (l964)
Writings (l970s)
Drafts: Introduction to Women at the Hague by Jane Addams
(l972)
Drafts: Introduction to Occupied Haiti by E.G. Balch
(l972)
Messages to WILPF w/correspondence (l973, l974) Beyond Nationalism: Social Thought of Emily Greene Balch
edited by M. M. Randall (l972)
"Segesta" Description of travel w/photos. (No date)
Box 4
Publicity and orders for Beyond Nationalism...
"Front materials" for Beyond Nationalism...
Drafts: Beyond Nationalism...
Box 5
Research on Emily Greene Balch
Lists of Balch materials used
Balch writings used by M.M.R.
"Balch quotations"
Other Balch research materials
SERIES IV. SUBJECT FILES
Box 6
Original order subject file (l965-l969)
Anthropology: Armed Conflict, Science and Peace (l967)
Berne Conference; M. Fainsod on Int. Socialism &;World War
(l9l5)
Black Panther Platform &;Program; Black Manifesto
(1968-1969)
Black Power
C.I.A. Clippings (5) (April l966)
Campus Violence (1969)
Civil Defense - Ryan - WILPF
Cold War: WILPF and Cold War
Books found in SCPC library
One-half box
Columbia
Columbia University (l965-66)
Columbia (l967); H.A. Dean "On the New Student Nihilism"
Columbia (l968)
Columbia University &;W.W.II; Articles by V. Gildersleeve,
Butler
C.O.'s-old Statement by A. Moritz.
Conscientious Objection - A. Hassler "Supreme Being" (1967)
C.O. Radio Talk - M.M. Randall (very poor-historical)
Disarmament
Disarmament - Non-Proliferation Treaty (Draft)
Dominican Crisis
Draft-Card Burning
Draft-Lottery; Uptight on Draft - Peace Time Conscription
Draft: Military Training (1969-1970)
Drugs (l968)
Greek Games, End of (l969); announcement
Human Rights - Declaration of Peace-Keeping (C.W.D.W.D.)
(l965-67)
R. Schwimmer - Relations to early WILPF history
Statements on Peace; position of scientists
Vietnam - Cruelty and Horror
Tillich, Paul; "Existential Philosophy" (Speech in l965)
W.I.L. Congress Resolution on Disarmament
Wynner, Edith - Errors in W.I.L. History, Berne Conference
Wynner, Edith - Rosika Schwimmer
Imposed order subject file in chronological order
War Album, World War I. Volume I
Box 7
War Album, World War I. Volume II.
World War I
Young Democracy (c. l9l9)
Censorship of ideas in public schools (c.l9l9)
Writings of Mme. Andree Jouve in Paris (l9l9-l944)
Article: "My Philadelphia" by Florence Kelley (l926)
Sacco-Vanzetti Case (l927)
World War II
Symposium: Discussion of the theory of international relations
(l945)
Israel and Middle East (l945-l974)
Booklet: "Jane Addams As I Knew Her" (l94l?)
Material on Jessie Wallace Hughan
Peace literature on non-violence
U Thant (l963-l97l)
Non-violence: Gjermoe, Zenthen (WILPF, l964-l972)
Middle East (l967-l973)
Non-violence, general (c.l968-l97l)
WILPF (l970)
Articles on Columbia University in the l930s (written in l970)
Violence (clippings, etc., c.l97l)
Memorials to Mark Van Doren and Rabbi Heschel (l972)
Box 8
"A Thousand Cranes" (c.l972)
Correspondence, notes, etc. about Francis Sheehy Skeffington,
Irish pacifist (l973)
Jews and Arabs in Middle East (c.l976)
WILPF-related misc.
Misc. peace literature
Miscellaneous
Jewish Refugees in World War II materiaL