Committee of Correspondence

Group of women at the Lincoln Memorial, n.d. Photograph by Alfred Wertheimer

The Committee of Correspondence was an American women's internationalist organization that started in New York City in 1952 and disbanded in 1969. A group of women active in internationalist voluntary clubs and professional fields created the Committee as an offshoot of the National Council of Women. The Committee established itself as an independent non-profit organization shortly after it began. Oriented toward anti-communism, the organization convened its first meeting in 1952 to answer the question, "what steps should be taken to rally the women of the free world to counteract communist propaganda?" However, its anti-communism was not conservative McCarthyism. It was among mid-century initiatives designed to counteract the perceived threat of international communism by promoting democratic, putatively American values in foreign countries. Over time, the Committee evolved into a communications network that aimed to bring women's clubs around the world into closer contact. The Committee sought to make an impact on a diverse international network of clubwomen and professionals. Its efforts promoted cooperation across national borders and encouraged the development of women's non-governmental organizations affiliated with the United Nations.

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