Archives West Finding Aid

The collection contains records from Watson's work with the Living Newspaper, the Newspaper Guild, the International Longshoremen's & Warehouse Union, the American Labor Party, and the National Federation for Constitutional Liberties and includes play and radio manuscripts, correspondence, memos, speeches, articles, meeting minutes, committee reports, statements and conference materials, publications, publicity, publications, and photographs.

Living Newspaper material consists of play manuscripts, correspondence by Watson that contains separated outgoing and incoming sections organized by date (1936-1968), as well as individual and organizational files containing correspondence that are organized alphabetically by title. There is also a file of interdepartmental memos from 1936-1937, speeches, articles, and radio scripts by Watson, and meeting minutes, statements, and reports from committees and meetings regarding the WPA and federal arts projects organized by committee or meeting title. Also included are program files, publicity and photographs of theater performances.

American Newspaper Guild material consists of the papers of Carl Randau as well as Watson's files. Randau material includes incoming (1938-1947) and outgoing (1938-1948) correspondence files, Randau's notes and arguments about the 1937 ANG referendum, elections committee reports, memos, statements, contracts, leaflets, and biographical material. Watson's files include outgoing (1937-1965) and incoming (1932-1969) correspondence as well as correspondence files organized alphabetically by organizational title or person's name, telegrams, speeches, articles, memos, statements, reports, notes, leaflets, contracts, pamphlets and photographs.

International Longshoremen's & Warehousemen's Union material contains outgoing (1943-1965) and incoming (1943-1967) correspondence as well as correspondence files organized alphabetically by organizational title or person's name, memos, reports, material from Harry Bridges Victory committee, material from legal cases involving Bridges and other trials, pamphlets, and press releases.

There is also a section of general correspondence separated into outgoing (1937-1968) and incoming (1937-1969), as well as correspondence files organized alphabetically by organizational title or person's name, files on Richfield Oil regarding an anti-communist rally the company sponsored, manuscripts that include a proposal for California Labor School, book reviews, and articles, as well as speeches that include research and drafts.

American Labor Party material (1940-1942) includes campaign material, memos, minutes, press releases, material on radical/liberal split within the party, official newspaper, material regarding a law suit between factions within the Labor Party, and correspondence.

National Federation for Constitutional Liberties material includes correspondence, action letters, pamphlets, leaflets, and newspapers, and a play manuscript.

The collection also contains miscellaneous publications, biographical material, and folders of Watson's work as an arbitrator for San Francisco.

Photographs are housed separately for preservation purposes and are mostly black and white prints of play performances.