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Guide to the Erik Bert Papers

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Collection Overview
Date Span: 1930-1979
Creator: Bert, Erik (1904-1981)
Extent: 12.00 linear feet.
Collection Number: MSC0426
Repository: University of Iowa Special Collections
Summary: Born Herbert Joseph Putz. Communist journalist and editor in the 1930s of The Producers News and Farmers National Weekly; his career after 1941 was with the Daily World. Subject files, correspondence, notebooks, typescripts, and published writings regarding the link between communism and agriculture.

Access: This collection is open for research.

Use: Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.

Acquisition: This collection was donated to the University of Iowa Libraries by Ruth Putz in 1983.

Preferred Citation: Erik Bert Papers, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

Repository: University of Iowa Special Collections
Address: Special Collections Department
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone: 319-335-5921
Curator: Greg Prickman
Email: lib-spec@uiowa.edu
Website: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc

Herbert Joseph Putz (Erik Bert) was born on November 25, 1904, in the Bronx, the son of Jakob Putz, a machinist, and Anna Marie Uzelmeier. The young Herbert went to public school in the Yorkville section and attended German socialist Sunday school. Later he attended Stuyvesant High School, Columbia University, and the University of Berlin.

In 1929 or 1930 Herbert Putz became active in the Communist Party and adopted the name Erik Bert. In November 1931 he became editor of The Producers News: National Edition, the official weekly organ of the United Farmers League. From 1934 until 1936 he edited the Farmers National Weekly, the official paper of the Farmers National Committee for Action. In 1941 he joined the staff of the Daily World, a position he occupied for the rest of his life. He died on June 11, 1981, in Brooklyn, New York.

The papers include subject files, correspondence, notebooks, typescripts, and published writings. A linkage between agriculture and communism in the United States is one of the major subjects.

Browse by Series:
Series 1: AGRICULTURAL CENSUS
Series 2: NOTEBOOKS
Series 3: GENERAL SUBJECT FILES
Series 4: PUBLISHED WRITINGS
Series 5: BOOK REVIEWS

  • Series 1: AGRICULTURAL CENSUS
  • Box 1:
  • General - 1956-1974
  • Miscellaneous notes, undated
  • Typescript with notes - 1930
  • Typescript with notes - 1940
  • Typescript with notes - 1954
  • Typescript - 1959
  • Typescript - 1959
    2 folders
  • Box 2:
  • Typescript carbon, incomplete - 1959
  • Typescript carbon, incomplete - 1959
  • Typescript carbon, incomplete - 1959
  • Preliminary Report (1959) - 1961
  • Box 3:
  • Statistics - 1959
  • Minneapolis Report - 1960
  • Preliminary Report - 1964
  • Typescript with notes - 1969
    2 folders
  • Typescript with corrections and revisions - 1969
    2 folders
  • Box 4:
  • Typescript with corrections and revisions - 1969
    2 folders
  • Typescript carbon, incomplete - 1969
  • Typescript, first draft. Titled: "Summary of Analysis of 1969 Census of Agriculture" - 1969
  • Typescript, incomplete carbon of final draft - 1969
  • Typescript, final draft. Titled: "The 1969 Census of Agriculture" - 1969
  • "The 1969 Census of Agriculture," by Erik Bert. Political Affairs, Vol. 54: no.3, March - 1975
  • Typescript - 1974
  • Series 2: NOTEBOOKS
  • Box 5:
  • Notebook A
    2 folders
  • Notebook B
  • Notebook C
    2 folders
  • Box 6:
  • Notebook D
    2 folders
  • Notebook E
  • Notebook F
    2 folders
  • Notebook G. Karl Marx's Selected Works
  • Box 7:
  • Notebook H
  • Notebook I
    2 folders
  • Notebook J
    2 folders
  • Notebook K
  • Box 8:
  • Notebook L
    2 folders
  • Notebook M
    2 folders
  • Notebook N
    2 folders
  • Box 9:
  • Notebook N
  • Notebook O
    2 folders
  • Notebook P
    2 folders
  • Notebook Q
    2 folders
  • Box 10:
  • Notebook R
    3 folders
  • Notebook S
    2 folders
  • Notebook T
  • Box 11:
  • Notebook T
    2 folders
  • Notebook U. Farmers in a Changing World
  • Notebook V. Marx on Agriculture
  • Notebook W. The South
    2 folders
  • Series 3: GENERAL SUBJECT FILES
  • Box 12:
  • Agricultural History - U.S. Incomplete early drafts
    5 folders
  • Box 13:
  • Agricultural History - U.S. Typescript
  • Agricultural History - U.S. Miscellaneous - 1969
  • Agricultural Land Policy
  • Agricultural Situation. Typescript - 1956
  • Agricultural Tenancy - 1971
  • Agriculture: Abroad - 1965-1971
  • Agriculture: Clippings - 1948-1979
  • Agriculture: Labor Force. Notes
  • Agriculture: Marxism. Notes
  • Agriculture: Montana Conference - 1975
    Including correspondence with Zane Zell
  • Agriculture: Plantation - 1966-1967
    Typescript
  • Box 14:
  • Agriculture: Plantation, undated
    Typescript with notes
  • Agriculture: Programs - 1963-1965
    Notes
  • Agriculture: Published miscellaneous items - 1929-1962
  • Agriculture: Socialism - 1975-1978
  • Agriculture: South - 1945-1969
    Notes
  • "The American Farm Crisis," by E. Bert. Political Affairs, Vol. 39: no.7, July - 1960
  • Analysis: Report of National Commission on Food Marketing - 1966
    First draft typescript
  • "Another Look at the TR Statement," by E. Bert. Political Affairs, Vol. 44: no.8, August - 1965
  • Bicentennial - 1973
    Including a letter from Herbert Aptheker
  • Big Business and Agriculture - 1962
    Notes
  • The Big Farmer Long-Range Program for Agriculture
    Typescript
  • Big Farms - 1965
    Notes
  • "The Big Food Chain Rip-Off, A Report to the [South Dakota] Farmers Union State Convention," by Homer Ayres, October - 1975
  • "Capital Requirements for Mechanization in Agriculture," by Robert J. Beiter, June - 1959
  • China - 1957-1971
    Printed material
  • Box 15:
  • Civil Rights Commission - 1962-1967
  • Clippings about Erik Bert - 1981
  • Commodity Credit Corp. (CCC) - 1961-1966
    Notes
  • Communist Party - Canada - 1971-1979
  • Communist Party - Farm Resolution - 1966
    Typescript
  • "La Concentration Capitaliste dans l"Agriculture des Etats-Unis," by E. Bert. Economie et Politique, September - 1962
  • Consumer Installment Credit - 1958
    Typescript
  • Consumer Installment Credit - 1958
    Typescript and notes
  • Cooperatives - 1958-1966
    Including a letter from Herbert Aptheker
  • Correspondence - 1941-1977
    Including letters from Herbert Aptheker, Lem Harris, and Gus Hall
  • Box 16:
  • "La Crise dans l'Agriculture," by E. Bert. Democratie Nouvelle, Vol. 14, October - 1960
  • Critiques (Typescripts): Engels, Frederick, "The Peasant Question in France and Germany" - 1952
  • Critiques (Typescripts): Lenin, Nikolay, Alliance of the Working Class and the Peasantry - 1959
  • Critiques (Typescripts): McElveen, Jackson V., "Family Farms in a Changing Economy" - 1957
  • Critiques (Typescripts): Mitrany, David, "Marx Against the Peasant"
  • Crop Sales. Notes
  • The Development of Agriculture in the United States - 1949
    Typescript with corrections
  • The Development of Capitalism in Agriculture - 1948
    Typescript with corrections
  • Election Leaflet - Farm - 1976
    Typescripts and notes
  • Exports - Food - 1962-1966
    Notes
  • Family Farm - 1959-1966
    Typescript and notes
  • Family Farm Policy, undated
    Notes
  • Farm: Ownership - 1960-1966
    Notes
  • Farm: Program correspondence - 1958
    Including a letter from Elmer A. Benson
  • Farm: Size - 1962-1966
    Notes
  • Box 17:
  • Farmers Educational Co-operative Union of America. Montana Division, undated
  • Farmers National Committee for Action - 1932-1935
  • Farmer's Union - 1963-1964
  • Farmer's Union - 1964-1965
  • Farmer's Union Convention - 1964
  • Food Stamp Survey - 1966-1967
  • The Further Development of Capitalism in U.S. Agriculture
    Typescript
  • German Communists on Agriculture - 1945-1968
  • Iowa Agriculture - 1960-1961
    Typescript and notes
  • Land: Price - 1963-1966
    Notes
  • Land: Public, undated
    Notes
  • Box 18:
  • Land: Reform - 1973-1979
  • "Die Landwirtschaftskrise in den USA," by E. Bert. Aus Der Internationalen Arbeiterbewegung, Vol. 21: no.105 - 1960
  • "Lenin on Agriculture"
    Typescript notes (2 folders)
  • "Lenin on Agriculture"
    Typescript with corrections and revisions
  • "Lenin on Agriculture": Published copy. Political Affairs, Vol. 40: no.8, August - 1961
  • Long Range Program for Agriculture - 1948
    Typescript
  • Long Range Program for Agriculture, October 25 - 1948
    Typescript of three articles
  • Box 19:
  • Machinery in Agriculture - 1946-1968
    Typescript and notes
  • Machinery in Agriculture, undated
    Typescript and notes
  • Marx, Karl: Agricultural Index
  • Marx, Karl: Capitalism in Agriculture
    Typescript
  • Marx, Karl: On Agriculture
    Notes
  • Minneapolis Report, May 28 - 1960
    Typescript
  • Box 20:
  • Minnesota Agriculture - 1956
    Typescript
  • Multiple Unit Farming
    Typescript and notes
  • National Negro Commission, May 19 - 1968
  • Negro Question
    Typescript
  • Non-Farm Income - 1964
    Notes
  • North Dakota Farm Size Trends - A Rebuttal, September 7 - 1949
    Typescript
  • Number of Farms. Perspective
  • Off-Farm Work and Income
    Notes
  • Optimum Farm Size
    Notes
  • Organizations - Farm
  • "Our Changing Farm Economy," by E. Bert. Political Affairs, Vol. 43: no.6, June - 1964
  • Outreach function - U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • Political Economy
    Class notes (2 folders)
  • Population - Farm - 1965-1966
  • Poverty - 1962-1968
  • President's Farm Message - 1962
    Typescript
  • Producers News: National Edition - 1933
  • Productivity - Agriculture - 1950-1966
    Typescript
  • Box 21:
  • Progressive Farmers of America and Progressive Farmers of Montana - 1926
  • Publications - Miscellaneous - 1918-1970
  • "Radical Farm Organizations and Periodicals in America, 1920-1960," by Lowell K. Dyson. Agricultural History, Vol. 45, April - 1971
  • Recreation - 1966
    Notes
  • "Reformism in Disguise," by E. Bert. Political Affairs, Vol. 49: no.1, January - 1970
  • Rent - 1963
    Farm real-estate notes
  • Resolution on Rural America - Communist Party - 1969
    Including a letter from Lem Harris
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: Agricultural Cooperation: Selected Readings. Martin Abrahamsen and Claud Scroggs, eds.
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: As You Sow. Walter Goldschmidt
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: Cooperative Communities at Work and Cooperative Living in Palestine. Henrik Infield
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: Forgotten Farmers. David Eugene Conrad - 1965
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: Lenin on the Agrarian Question. Ann Rochester
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: Mississippi Farmers, 1850-1860. Herbert Weaver
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: Policy Decisions for U.S. Agriculture. Marion Clawson. John Hopkins Press, Baltimore, Maryland - 1968
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: Readings on Agricultural Policy. O.B. Jesness, ed.
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: The Rise of Cotton Mills in the South. Broadus Mitchell. DaCapo Press, New York - 1968
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: The Tennessee Yeoman, 1840-1860. Blanche Henry Clark, October - 1942
  • Reviews by Erik Bert: Transforming Traditional Agriculture. Theodore W. Schultz. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut - 1964
  • Rural Development - 1964-1966
    Notes
  • Rural Electrification - 1962-1966
    Notes
  • Soviet Agriculture - 1961-1975
    Printed material
  • Box 22:
  • The Structure of Agriculture in the United States
    Typescript
  • "Tin Horns and Calico," by Henry Christman - 1945
    Typescript
  • United Farmers League - 1930-1934
  • U.S. Agriculture at Mid-Century - 1953
    Typescript with corrections and revisions
  • U.S. Agriculture at Mid-Century - 1953
    Typescript with corrections, revisions, and research
  • U.S. Agriculture at Mid-Century - 1954
    Typescript with corrections and revisions
  • Viability of the Family Farm
    Typescript and notes
  • "What the New Census Figures Mean to Agriculture," by H.L. Stewart. May 15 - 1961
  • Workers and Farmers Co-Operative Unity Alliance - 1931
  • Workers Library - Publications on Farming - 1932-1943
  • Series 4: PUBLISHED WRITINGS
  • Box 23:
  • "Die amerikanische Arbeiterklasse gegen den Wall Street - Neokolonialismus." Nationaler Befreiungskampf and Neokolonialismus, Akademie-Verlag, Berlin - 1962
  • "Eliminate Looseness and Imprecision." Political Affairs, Vol. 47: no.6, June - 1968
    pages 48-54
  • "Entwicklung and Struktur der Landwirtschaft in den USA." Wirtshafts Wissenschaft, Vol. 10: no.7, July - 1962
    pages 1085-1100
  • Box 24:
  • "Entwicklung and Struktur der Landwirtschaft in den USA." Wirtshafts Wissenschaft, Vol. 16: no.3, March - 1968
    pages 468-487
  • "The Further Development of Capitalism in United States Agriculture." The Communist, Vol. 22: no.7, July - 1941
    pages 62-634
  • "The Government and Agriculture." Political Affairs, Vol. 44: no.6, June - 1965
    pages 26-35
  • "Monopoly and Capitalist Society." Political Affairs, Vol. 45: no.5, May - 1966
    pages 57-61
  • "Myerson on Hamill's 'Socialism'." Political Affairs, Vol. 54: no.9, September - 1975
    pages 5-65
  • "The Nature of Small Business." Political Affairs, Vol. 44: no.11, November - 1965
    pages 51-60
  • "Notes on the Strength of American Capitalism." The Communist, Vol. 9: no.4, April - 1930
    pages 32-335
  • "The President's Farm Program." Political Affairs, Vol. 41: no.5, May - 1962
    pages 14-23
  • "Razvitie I struktura sel'skogo khoz aistva Soldinennykh Shtatov Ameriki." Ekonomika Sel'skogo Khoziaistva, Vol. 32: no.12, December - 1961
    pages 107-112
  • "The Trotskyite Species of Counterrevolution." Political Affairs, Vol. 68: no.5, May - 1979
    pages 48-56
  • "U.S. Agriculture and Tasks of the Communist Party." The Communist, Vol. 9: no.3, March - 1930
    pages 280-285
  • Series 5: BOOK REVIEWS
  • Box 24:
  • Family Farm Policy
  • Ackerman, Joseph and Harris, Marshall, eds. Family Farm Policy, University of Chicago Press, Chicago - 1947
  • "Family Farm Fantasy." Political Affairs, Vol. 27: no.10, November - 1948
    pages 103-104
  • Socialism
  • Harrington, Michael, Socialism, Saturday Review Press, New York - 1972
  • "Harrington's 'Socialism'." Political Affairs, Vol. 51: no.11, November - 1972
    pages 55-64
  • Church in a Marxist Society
  • Lochman, Jan Milic, Church in a Marxist Society, Harper and Row, New York - 1970
  • "The Road to Transcendental Marxism." Political Affairs, Vol. 49: no.12, December - 1970
    pages 57-64
  • Too Many Farmers
  • McMillen, Wheeler, Too Many Farmers, William Morrow and Co., New York - 1929
  • The Communist, Vol. 9: no.2, February - 1930
    pages 188-190
  • Progress, Coexistence and Intellectual Freedom
  • Sakharov, Andrei D., Progress, Coexistence and Intellectual Freedom, W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., New York - 1968
    with introduction, notes, and afterward by Harrison Salisbury
  • "Salisbury via Sakharov." Political Affairs, Vol. 48: no.11, November - 1969
    pages 57-64
  • The Theory of Business Enterprise
  • Veblen, Thorstein, The Theory of Business Enterprise, The New American Library
  • "Veblen on Capitalism." Political Affairs, Vol. 38: no.4, April - 1959
    pages 60-64

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.


Corporate Names:
Communist Party of America

Topics:
Agriculture
American newspapers
Communism and agriculture

Occupations:
Journalists

Genre/Form of Materials:
Periodicals

Title:
Daily world (Newspaper)
Farmers national weekly (Newspaper)
Producers news: national edition (Newspaper)

Browse:
English & American Literature
Writers Archive at Iowa
Journalists and Journalism