Papers of Harold R. Christoffel, first president of the United Automobile Workers, Local 248 at Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company in West Allis, Wisconsin, from 1937 to 1945. The collection includes early Local 248 union materials, including a history of the union to 1946 written by Christoffel, grievances and rulings, and scrapbooks of newspaper clippings documenting the major Local 248 strikes against Allis-Chalmers in 1941 and 1946-1947. Christoffel was indicted for and eventually convicted of perjury after stating in front of the House Education and Labor Committee that he was not a Communist in hearings conducted to investigate the Local 248 strike of 1946-1947. The major focus of the collection centers on the activities of the Harold Christoffel Defense Committee, formed to garner support and funding for Christoffel's defense against perjury charges. These papers include correspondence, donation receipts, testimonies and statements from prosecution and defense witnesses, and newspaper clippings documenting the trial. Significant members of the House Education and Labor Committee include freshmen representatives John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. The collection also includes personal papers from Christoffel's time in the army and in prison, as well as biographical and research material. The documents consist primarily of subject files, correspondence, scrapbooks, and newspaper clippings.
