Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training (Conference) (1969 : University of South Carolina)

Academic conference convened under the direction of Richard L. Walker and Darrel W. Lundquist.

From the description of Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training records, 1966-1972. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754866060

Historical Note

Richard L. Walker, director of the Institute of International Studies at the University of South Carolina, in 1966 conceived the idea of a conference at which veterans of leadership training schools of the Communist International and of communist parties in the Soviet Union, China and other countries might discuss and compare their experiences. The idea was approved by university officials and funding secured from the Carthage Foundation. Darrel W. Lundquist was selected as project manager for the conference, working under the general supervision of Walker. The process of selecting and inviting potential conference participants began in 1967. More than 200 potential participants were identified and considered. In addition to former communists who had gone through communist cadre training programs, these included academic experts on comparative communist systems and even a few active communists. Many candidates were contacted and responded through correspondence or by granting interviews to Lundquist, who traveled extensively for this purpose. Some who could not attend submitted written accounts of their experiences.

The conference, under the title Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training, was finally held on the University of South Carolina campus at Columbia from September 9 to 13, 1969. Thirty-two participants attended, of whom twenty-one had had personal experience as students in communist party schools in the Soviet Union, China, Poland, Hungary, North Korea, Cuba, Germany, France, Italy or the United States, while eleven were noted academic authorities on communism. Conference proceedings included both general sessions and smaller discussion group sessions. Plans were made to edit some of the conference talks and other papers submitted for publication. Efforts to arrange publication continued until at least 1972, but were never realized.

The conference records were deposited at the Heritage Foundation, from whence they were acquired by the Hoover Institution in 2011.

From the guide to the Half a Century of Communist Cadre Training records, 1966-1972, (Hoover Institution Archives)