House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials Collection
Scope and Contents
The House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials is a series within the much larger collection of E.C. Gathings. Because of the size of the larger collection, this series is treated as a collection. The House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials Collection is comprised of 5 series: Committee Investigation, Committee Hearings, Committee Findings, Correspondence, and Committee Organization. The Committee Investigation series has the following five subseries: Procedures and Investigative Notes, Reference Materials, Research, Evidence, Investigative Reports, and Correspondence. The Committee Hearings series has the following four subseries: Hearing Rules and Schedules, Witnesses, Exhibits, and Statements. The Committee Findings series has the following three subseries: Reports, Speeches, and Distribution of Findings. The Correspondence subseries has the following nine subseries: Government, Attorneys, Media, Schools and Universities, Organizations, Petitions, Individuals, Alcohol and Tobacco Advertisement Protest, and Letters Sent. The Committee Organization has the following five subseries: Committee Resolution, Employees, Memorandums, Reports, and Expense Vouchers.
Dates
- 1951 - 1953
Creator
- Gathings, E. C. (Creator, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This manuscript collection consists of physical materials. This collection has not been digitized. This collection is open for research use only in the Reading Room. It is not available for request through Interlibrary Loan. Please contact the archive via email (archives@astate.edu) at least a week in advance of your arrival to ensure the availability of the material
E. C. Gathings
Ezekiel Candler “Took” Gathings (1903-1979) was born in Prairie, Mississippi on November 10, 1903. He attended public school at Earle, Arkansas and received his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1929. Gathings moved to West Memphis in 1932 to practice law and in 1935 was elected to the State Senate. In 1938 he was elected from the First Congressional District of Arkansas to the United States House of Representatives where he served until 1969. Gathings died May 2, 1979 while making a presentation to the West Memphis Port Authority. According to his obituary printed in the Jonesboro Sun, “Gathings died as he had lived, to serve the people of his home area.”
E.C. (Took) Gathings served on several key House Committees. These committees included the Military Affairs Committee during World War II, World War Veterans, Claims, Irrigation and Reclamation, Census, Immigration and Naturalization, and finally in 1944 he became part of the Agriculture Committee. During his tenure on the Agriculture Committee he served as chairman of several key subcommittees, including the Subcommittee on Cotton; and the Subcommittee on Equipment, Supplies, and Manpower; and the Subcommittee on Rice.
Gathings’ achievements included the sponsorship and passage of legislation to build bridges across the Mississippi River at West Memphis and at Helena. He was responsible for the fish hatchery at Corning, numerous flood control projects for the First Congressional District, and price support programs for cotton and rice. He fought for the establishment of the Blytheville Army Air Base during World War II, and for reactivation of the base in 1952-54.
The House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials was also known as the Gathings Committee. This committee was formed in 1951 and began investigating in 1952. E.C. Gathings, as Chair of this committee, was concerned that the contents of comic books and pocket sized paperback books would corrupt the youth of the nation and lead to an increase in the number of rapes and violent crimes committed. The Committee report was published in 1953 and called for censorship. No laws were implemented as a result of this investigation.
Extent
6.67 Linear Feet (This series is made up of 167 folders contained within 16 document cases.)
Language
English
Overview
This collection is a series in the E.C. "Took" Gathings Collection. This series contains research, artifacts, and correspondence related to the House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials that was chaired by Congressman E.C. Gathings in 1951. From 1951-1953 the House Select Committee investigated alleged pornography in "Pocket Sized Books," advertisements sent through the United States Postal Service, and the content of television, movies, radio, and magazines.
Contained within this collection is the organization of the Select Committee, investigative procedures, hearing schedules, lists of witnesses and their testimony, subpeonas, reference material, artifacts, lists of books to be banned, and correspondence with organizations, individuals, and government angencies.
Arrangement
This series is arranged as a collection as it is part of the much larger collection of E.C. "Took" Gathings.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
E.C. Gathings turned part of his collection over to Arkansas State University (Jonesboro) after he left Congress and the remainder of the collection was given to the University after his death in 1979.
Accruals
No further additions to this collection are expected.
Physical Description
This collection consists of physical materials and has not been digitized.
- Advertisers
- Advertising
- Advertising -- Brewing industry
- Advertising -- Cigarettes
- Advertising -- Self-regulation
- Advertising -- Sex-oriented businesses
- Advertising -- Tobacco
- Advertising -- Underwear
- Advertising and women
- Advertising, Direct-mail
- Advertising, Magazine
- Advertising, Newspaper
- Advertising-Alcohol
- American Bar Association. Committee on Governmental Litigation (Correspondent)
- American Book Publishers Council (Publisher)
- American Legion. Annual National Convention (Correspondent)
- American Library Association (Consultant)
- American Library Association. Headquarters Library (Contributor)
- Arco Publishing (Publisher)
- Arco Publishing Company (Publisher)
- Arts -- Censorship
- Avon pocket-sized books
- Banning, Margaret Culkin, 1891-1982 (Interviewee)
- Bantam Books (Firm) (Publisher)
- Censorship
- Censorship -- Fiction
- Censorship -- United States
- Censorship in literature
- Child pornography
- Child pornography -- Law and legislation
- Child pornography -- United States
- Children and erotica
- Children and pornography
- Communism
- Communism -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Communism and Christianity -- Catholic Church -- History -- 20th century
- Communism and culture
- Communism and families
- Communism and liberty
- Communism and literature
- Communism and mass media
- Communism and motion pictures
- Communism and religion
- Communism and sex
- Communism and society
- Communism in literature
- Control (Psychology) -- Religious aspects
- Correspondence
- Curtis Publishing Company (Publisher)
- De Voto, Bernard, 1897-1955 (Publishing director)
- Deceptive advertising
- Dixon, Peter, (Radio writer) (Author of screenplay, etc.)
- Erotica
- Erotica in literature
- Fawcett Publications, Inc (Publisher)
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of speech -- United States -- Juvenile literature
- Freedom of speech in literature
- Freedom of the press
- Gay erotica
- Lesbian erotica
- Libraries -- Censorship
- Libraries and communism
- Manila Bay (Philippines)
- Michigan State Police (Correspondent)
- Michigan. Department of Michigan State Police (Correspondent)
- Michigan. Department of State Police. Community Services Section. Juvenile Unit (Correspondent)
- Miller, Henry, 1891-1980 (Author)
- Miller, Henry, 1891-1980. (Author)
- Monaghan, George P. (Interviewee)
- Motion pictures -- Censorship
- Mystery Writers of America (Correspondent)
- National Civil Liberties Bureau (U.S.) (Correspondent)
- National Congress of Parents and Teachers. Convention (Correspondent)
- National PTA (U.S.) (Correspondent)
- Nationalism and communism
- New Jersey. Division of State Police (Correspondent)
- New York (State). Department of State Police (Correspondent)
- New York (State). Division of State Police (Correspondent)
- New York State Police (Correspondent)
- Patri, Angelo, 1876-1965 (Author)
- Pocket Books romance
- Pocket Star Books (Publisher)
- Pocket Star Books true crime
- Pocket Star books mystery
- Pornography
- Pornography -- Law and legislation
- Pornography -- Law and legislation -- United States
- Pornography -- Law and legislation -- United States
- Pornography -- Religious aspects
- Pornography -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
- Pornography -- Social aspects
- Pornography -- Social aspects -- United States
- Pornography in literature
- Pornography in popular culture
- Prohibited books
- Radio -- Censorship
- Self-control -- Religious aspects
- Self-control -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
- Sex -- Social aspects
- Sex in mass media
- Shapiro, Max (Contributor)
- Television -- Censorship
- United States. Auditor for Post-Office Department (Interviewee)
- United States. Bureau of Customs (Contributor)
- United States. Bureau of Post Office Operations (Interviewee)
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities (Contributor)
- United States. Congress. House. Special Committee on Un-American Activities (1934) (Creator)
- United States. Congress. House. Special Committee on Un-American Activities (1938-1944) (Contributor)
- United States. General Post Office (Interviewee)
- United States. Post Office Department (Interviewee)
- Woman's Christian Temperance Union (Correspondent)
- Women and erotica
- Women--Societies and Clubs
- Youth -- Books and reading -- Censorship
- Youth -- Books and reading -- Censorship
- Youth and erotica
Creator
- Gathings, E. C. (Creator, Person)
Source
- Burton, H. Ralph (Collaborator, Person)
- Pratt, Charles Thomas, 1879-1966 (Person)
- Kugelmass, J. Alvin (Collaborator, Person)
- Davis, Clifford, Jr. (Collaborator, Person)
- Hoover, J. Edgar (John Edgar), 1895-1972 (Contributor, Person)
- Title
- House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials Finding Aid
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Flora Smith
- Date
- 2018-12-17
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Archives & Special Collections - Dean B. Ellis Library Repository
Arkansas State University
Dean B. Ellis Library
P.O. Box 2040
State University AR 72467 United States
870-972-2960
870-972-3199 (Fax)
archives@astate.edu