Subgroup VI. Campaign Files, 1960-92, n.d. (8.8 l.f.)

Records in this subgroup contain files of campaigns for the Ohio State House (1968, 1970, 1972) and Senate (1964, 1966, 1974) as well as for U.S. Congress (1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990). These campaign files, compiled by the Congressman and staff members are arranged in three series: 1. Campaign Files for Ohio House and Senate; 2. Campaign Files for U.S. Congress; and, 3. Audio-Visual Campaign Files.

Series 1. Campaign Files for Ohio House and Senate, 1960-77, n.d. (1.6 l.f.)

Consisting of one alphabetical subject file and covering all campaigns for state government (1964-74), this series also includes the Treasurer’s record from Pease’s campaign for State Senate in 1974. Oberlin College Archivist William E. Bigglestone, who served as the Treasurer, compiled these latter records.

Series 2. Campaign Files for U.S. Congress, 1974-92 (6.8 l.f.)

Contains campaign files maintained by Congressman Pease and his staff, including records located in Washington, D.C., together with files located in the state. The files are arranged in subseries by campaign, beginning with the 1976 campaign and ending with files from the aborted 1992 campaign. Some overlap exists between campaigns. Files are arranged alphabetically by subject for each campaign; and, they include information on campaign strategy, political issues, advertising, volunteers, fund raising, and finances.

Series 3. Audio-Visual Campaign Files, 1974-88, n.d. (0.4 l.f.)

Includes cassette and reel-to-reel audio recordings of campaign advertisements and appearances, and one videotape (U-matic), undated. Audio-visual material covers campaigns for State Senate and U.S. Congress.

Subgroup VII. J. William Goold Addition, 1975-92, n.d. (10.2 l.f.)

Accessioned under 2003/002, this lot of papers, from the files of Pease legislative assistant J. William Goold, constitutes a significant addition to the congressional collection, in that new, weighty historical documentation is provided in areas not covered by the original Pease accession. Most prominent among these areas are the files relating to the 1978 U.S. Trade Bill with Uganda, which Pease, as a freshman congressman, spearheaded and sponsored. The Goold addition also includes a small number of files from Pease’s time in the Ohio Statehouse and a much larger collection of papers from Pease’s sixteen years in the U.S. House of Representatives. (This series material follows Subgroup II through VI.) While care was taken to remain as faithful as possible to the original organizational system, the accession arrived in a state entirely compatible with neither the original Pease accession nor archive user expectations. Therefore, the Goold addition has been organized into three record series: 1. Files Relating to Pease’s Service in the Ohio Statehouse; 2. Files Relating to Pease’s U.S. Trade Bill with Uganda; and, 3. General U.S. Congressional Files (Non-Uganda Business).

Series 1. Files Relating to Pease’s Service in the Ohio Statehouse, 1975-76, n.d. (0.2 l.f.)

This very small group of files details Pease’s record of voting and support for legislative issues during the 106th through the 111th sessions of the Ohio General Assembly, as well as speeches from this time and his service in the Ohio Senate. The documents on voting record and support for legislation are in list form, providing summaries with just a bit of detail on each of the legislative bills that Pease supported. One listing focuses exclusively on legislation to benefit Ohio’s minorities. The three speeches in this series were given to organized groups in Pease’s district, such as the Medina County Democratic Party and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio. Two of the three are unfortunately undated, but each provides an idea of how Pease related to his liberal democratic constituency and where Pease stood on legislative issues. His interests in education, integrity in public service, and minority issues are represented here, demonstrating early attention to areas that would later shape his congressional career. While certainly interesting in their own right, these records do not cover the breadth of Pease’s work in the Ohio Statehouse, and more comprehensive holdings can be found in the main body of the Don J. Pease papers, received in 1992.

Series 2. Files Relating to Pease’s U.S. Trade Bill with Uganda, 1971-80, n.d. (3.6 l.f.)

The files relating to Don Pease’s proposed, and eventually legislated, bill banning trade with Uganda are among the richest topics found in the William Goold accession. This file details the process of creating the bill during the 95th Congress. The files are arranged topically and thereunder chronologically. Included are background files on the humanitarian situation in Uganda under Idi Amin’s dictatorship and Pease’s staff’s research into the controversial dictator, Pease’s first efforts to encourage private U.S. coffee companies to boycott Ugandan coffee (Uganda’s major export at the time), and the comprehensive role of Pease and his staff in marshalling the legislation for a complete ban on imports from, and exports to, Uganda. The series also includes files on the eventual effects of Pease’s bill: U.S. economic divestment from Uganda and Idi Amin’s eventual overthrow in April 1979. The series is divided into eight subseries: 1. Congressional Proceedings Relating to Trade Bill; 2. Correspondence Among Members of Congress; 3. Correspondence with Others; 4. External Activities Relating to Legislative Process; 5. Memoranda Among Staff; 6. Publicity and Press Files; 7. Printed Materials; and 8. Research Materials Relating to.

Subseries 1. Congressional Proceedings Relating to Trade Bill, 1977-79, n.d. (1.0 l.f.)

Files in this subseries detail the mechanics of the congressional process behind creating and passing the U.S. Trade Bill with Uganda. Contained within are U.S. House and Senate bills, as well as documents from the hearings and mark-up sessions surrounding the bills, information about the involvement of other members of Congress, Congressional Record files, and documents from a concurrent debate about U.S. foreign aid.

Subseries 2. Correspondence Among Members of Congress, 1977-79 (0.2 l.f.)

Correspondence in this subseries is arranged topically and thereunder chronologically. Letters of support for Pease’s legislation, communications about the coffee trade which was so important to Amin’s government, letters expressing members of Congress’ opinions on a trade embargo with Uganda, and comments on the legislation after it was passed, are all represented here.

Subseries 3. Correspondence with Others, 1977-79 (0.4 l.f.)

The subseries is arranged topically and thereunder chronologically. Letters from academic institutions, the presidential administration of Jimmy Carter, constituents of the 13th Congressional District of Ohio, the national press, U.S. coffee companies, and non-constituent individuals and organized groups make up the bulk of the files. Also included are letters commenting on the legislation and its effects after it became law.

Subseries 4. External Activities Relating to Legislative Process, 1977-79 (0.2 l.f.)

These files were primarily generated from outside groups involved with the question of action on trade policy in Uganda. The Committee on Uganda (an NGO), the Jimmy Carter presidential administration, and the United Nations are all represented, as well as files generated by groups concerned with foreign missionaries based in Uganda.

Subseries 5. Memoranda Among Staff, 1977-79, n.d. (0.2 l.f.)

Notes and memos written between staff members in Don J. Pease’s Washington office provide an inside view into the process of marshalling support for the trade bill with Uganda. Sorted chronologically, they provide a running commentary on the trade ban efforts within Congress, as well as information about the growing crisis in Uganda.

Subseries 6. Publicity and Press Files, 1972-79 (0.4 l.f.)

Newspaper and newswire clippings provide a chronological account of the complexities of the U.S. relationship with Uganda prior to, during, and after the U.S. trade ban with the African nation. Included are stories about human rights atrocities in the nation, accounts of the importance of the U.S. coffee trade to Idi Amin’s government, information about further American involvement in Uganda (such as providing equipment and luxuries to the Amin regime), articles detailing Pease’s role in passing the trade ban legislation, and finally, pieces detailing the effects of the trade ban and the eventual downfall of Idi Amin’s government. In addition, Pease’s news releases to the press and his constituents during this time provide his account and opinion of events. Lastly, an article titled “Change in East Africa,” co-authored by Pease and William Goold, was distributed to various foreign policy journals; the article and the dialogue surrounding it are contained in this subseries.

Subseries 7. Printed Materials, 1971-79 (0.4 l.f.)

Published materials are held in this subseries, including many publications generated by the coffee industry, information about neighboring Rwanda and development plans for Uganda, and published U.S. House and Senate hearing records.

Subseries 8. Research Materials Relating to, 1972-80, n.d. (0.8 l.f.)

This subseries houses information gathered by the staff of Don J. Pease to facilitate the writing and passing of his Uganda legislation. Information about Ugandan atrocities, the feasibility and reliability of boycott as a tool of regime change, information on the national and international coffee trade, Uganda’s economy, and the effects of the Uganda legislation reside here.

Series 3. General U.S. Congressional Files (Non-Uganda Business), 1976-92, n.d. (6.4 l.f.)

The third and largest record series contains files related to Pease’s sixteen years in the U.S. House of Representatives that are not represented in his interactions with the Uganda trade bill. It houses a wide variety of information in its ten subseries: 1. Miscellaneous Congressional Files; 2. Correspondence Among Members of Congress; 3. Correspondence with Others; 4. Memoranda Among Staff; 5. Economic Development Files; 6. Working Files on Congressional Matters; 7. Congressional Coalition Files; 8. Publicity and Press Files; 9. Printed Materials; and, 10. Non-textual Holdings.

Subseries 1. Miscellaneous Congressional Files, 1976-92, n.d. (0.8 l.f.)

The first subseries contains such items of interest as a biographical file on Pease (including honors bestowed upon him in 1988 by Oberlin College), campaign materials spanning his entire tenure in Congress, articles, position papers and speeches written and/or delivered by Pease, the Congressman’s voting record, and legislative bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Pease. It also contains administrative files such as office expenditures and mailing records, contacts, and research materials.

Subseries 2. Correspondence Among Members of Congress, 1980-92 (0.2 l.f.)

Files in this series are arranged chronologically. The letters between House and Senate members detail many of the legislative issues with which Pease dealt during his tenure in the House of Representatives.

Subseries 3. Correspondence with Others, 1978-91, n.d. (0.6 l.f.)

This subseries contains communications with two presidential administrations (those of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, Senior), extensive constituent correspondence, and letters to and from organized groups, the press, and the Ohio state government, touching upon all of the legislative issues with which Pease worked.

Subseries 4. Memoranda Among Staff, 1979-91, n.d. (0.6 l.f.)

The fourth subseries provides an important view into the inside of the legislative, research, constituent service, and electoral processes with which Pease’s Washington office were involved. Arranged chronologically, the files span from Pease’s first term in Congress until his retirement, and often contain information and opinions presented nowhere else.

Subseries 5. Economic Development Files, 1977-92, n.d. (0.5 l.f.)

This subseries comprises Pease’s efforts to provide for economic growth both within his own district and on a national level. Included are a national budget proposal offered by Pease to compete with Reagan’s plan for FY 1982, and details on several regional economic development conferences sponsored by Pease throughout the 13th Congressional District.

Subseries 6. Working Files on Congressional Matters, 1976-91, n.d. (1.25 l.f.)

This subseries highlights legislative issues upon which Pease worked. His efforts involving black lung legislation, campaign finance reform, foreign agent legislation, human rights, the Iranian Assets Resolution and Iranian hostages, judicial tenure, a Medivac relocation to Lorain County, issues of Third World debt, and worker’s compensation are all included here.

Subseries 7. Congressional Coalition Files, 1977-91, n.d. (0.4 l.f.)

This subseries holds files relating to congressional coalitions with which Pease was involved. Mailings and briefings, newsletters, meeting notes and position papers from the Conference of Great Lakes Congressmen, the Northwest Midwest Congressional Coalition, and the Northeast Ohio Area Wide Coordinating Agency, detail Pease’s involvement with these diverse teams.

Subseries 8. Publicity and Press Files, 1976-92, n.d. (0.6 l.f.)

This subseries includes newspaper clippings on all matter of congressional issues with which Pease was involved, the articles ranging from merely informative to supportive or critical of Pease and his policies. News releases from throughout Pease’s career, sent to the press and to his 13th Congressional District, provide an inside source of information on Pease’s legislative activities.

Subseries 9. Printed Materials, 1978-90 (0.1 l.f.)

A small group of printed materials comprise this ninth subseries. Included is a 1978 published congressional document on air traffic controllers, a 1990 study of child labor commissioned by Pease, and a 1986 survey of voter attitudes throughout the 13th Congressional District of Ohio.

Subseries 10. Non-textual Holdings, 1986, n.d. (1.35 l.f.)

Photographs and videotapes form the final subseries of non-textual holdings. The photographs are unfortunately unidentified and undated, although Pease is identifiable in one, and an outdoor view of Wellington, Ohio is featured in another. The videotapes are of the Labor Rights Conference of March 6, 1986, of which Pease was a participant.

Subgroup VIII. Professional and Political Retirement Files, 1991-2003, n.d. (0.6 l.f.)

This small group of files (acc. #2000/96) document Don J. Pease’s activities after his retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. Included are many files from the political campaigns and electoral politics courses he taught in the Department of Politics at Oberlin College, as well as a number of general files dating through 2003. They are organized into two series: 1. Teaching Files Relating to Oberlin College; and, 2. General Files.

Series 1. Teaching Files Relating to Oberlin College, 1992-2000, n.d. (0.4 l.f.)

These files, kept as aides for teaching several courses in the Politics Department at Oberlin College, include research materials, class reading materials, and lecture notes for courses on elections and electioneering. One file also contains a folder of recommendations written mostly for students by Pease.

Series 2. General Files, 1991-2003 (0.2 l.f.)

These files contain clippings, some correspondence, and speeches dating from after Pease’s retirement. The clippings in large part focus upon Pease’s 1992 retirement, with later obituaries collected after his death in 2002. The correspondence file contains letters to and from the Oberlin College Archives, detailing the donation of the Pease papers, as well as correspondence regarding Pease’s retirement and his time as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Politics at Oberlin. The collection of seventeen speeches given by Pease to 13th District audiences range from a retirement announcement for local interest groups to a 1999 statement on the President Bill Clinton impeachment proceedings. The series as a whole provides a glimpse into Pease’s decision to retire from the U.S. House of Representatives and the subsequent activities of the retired Congressman upon return to his beloved hometown of Oberlin.

Accessioned under 2010/024, these materials from Pease assistant J. William Goold provide additional depth to the later years of Pease’s time in Congress. Though not focused on any particular legislative effort, the papers mainly relate to Pease’s drive to eliminate the worst forms of child labor around the world. It contains speeches by both Pease and Goold on the subject, as well as newspaper clippings, correspondence, research materials, and Congressional records documenting the later years of Pease’s work. This subgroup represents a relatively small part of the newest accession from Goold, due to the decision to split the accession along chronological lines, with Pease’s retirement from Congress in 1992 marking the division between Subgroup 9 and 10. Files in Supgroup 9 are arranged in five record series: 1. Don Pease Speeches and Writings; 2. Bill Goold Speeches and Writings; 3. Topical Printed Media; 4. Legislative Records; and 5. Third Party Organizations.

Series 1. Subject Files (0.8 l.f.)

This series constitutes the entirety of Subgroup 9, due to the relatively small quantity of materials it holds. Centered around Pease’s efforts against child labor, the documents show pieces of legislation such as the Child Labor Exploitation Prevention Act of 1987 and the Child Labor Deterrence Act of 1989 that would Bill Goold’s work in the 1990s. An extensive collection of articles and newspaper clippings, collected by Pease and Goold, shows a growing public awareness of child labor issues through the 1980s, while both Pease and Goold contribute to this discourse with articles written in an array of magazines and newspapers. The series also contains correspondence of several varieties. Memoranda within Pease’s Congressional office address particular pieces of legislation, and the strategy for successfully challenging the problems of child labor. Letters between Goold and staff members in other offices show how Pease attempted to implement these ideas within Congress. Finally, correspondence with a number of non-governmental organizations, such as the National Consumers League, demonstrates the early importance of links between government and nonprofit efforts to combat child labor.

Subgroup X. – Files from the Career of J. William Goold (Inspired by the Work of Don Pease) (12.95 l.f.)

This subgroup constitutes the second, and larger part of the 2010 accretion from Pease’s assistant, J. William Goold. After Pease’s retirement from Congress in 1992, Goold went on to work as a legislative assistant in the offices of several other members of Congress, namely, Representative George Brown of California, Representative Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, and Representative Rush Holt of New Jersey. In addition, he served as the Staff Director of the House Progressive Caucus. Outside of the government, Goold also worked as a Senior Advisor for Policy and Planning Coordination in the International Affairs Department of the AFL-CIO and Solidarity Center. The files included here document Goold’s continued work on issues inspired by Pease’s career, primarily in the area of international child labor and worker rights. Goold developed significant expertise in these areas, and through his contacts and work with a broad range of organizations not only in the United States, but also internationally, became a key organizer of child and worker rights initiatives. Through his position on Congressional staffs, he was able to influence and advocate for major pieces of legislation, while also actively gaining more public attention and stirring public anger at violations of human rights. Due to the quantity of material, a different organizational method was used for this subgroup, with papers organized around three record series: 1. Papers Relating to Child Labor Issues; 2. Papers Relating to Worker Rights; and 3. Papers Relating to the Work of the International Labor Organization.

The struggle against illegal child labor is one of the most pervasive elements of Goold’s work both inside and outside of Congress. The materials in this series document the evolution of efforts to combat child labor around the world. Senator Tom Harkin, mirroring Pease’s earlier legislative attempts, introduced the Child Labor Deterrence Act in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999, in order to prohibit the importation of products produced by child labor. Collaboration between Senator Harkin and Representative Sanders, mediated in part by Goold, resulted in the successful insertion of an amendment into a Treasury/Postal Appropriations bill in 1999 that created such a prohibition through the definitive interpretation of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. Despite such legislative successes, these materials also document the difficulties of pushing federal agencies to enforce these labor and trade regulations. Later initiatives focus on the elimination of the worst forms of child labor, with particular attention to the cocoa industry in west Africa. Extensive correspondence and documentation concerning non-governmental initiatives to combat child labor demonstrates the close connection that Goold negotiated between his roles and efforts in the legislative and nonprofit spheres. This series is composed of seven subseries: 1. McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, 2. Harkin-Engel Protocol on the Worst Forms of Child Labor in the Cocoa and Chocolate Industry, 3. Bonded Child Labor Elimination Act/Treasury and Postal Appropriations Act of 1999, 4. Other Legislative Efforts, 5. Executive Initiatives and Involvement, 6. Non-Governmental Initiatives and Involvement, and 7. Subject Files.

Subseries 1. McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program

This subseries documents the successful passage of legislation to create an international food program for child, with the belief that nutrition and education provide a foundation for the elimination of child labor. Goold’s records, especially correspondence and memoranda within and amongst Congressional offices, document the background of this legislation, as well as its changing fortunes in the prelude to eventual passage.

Subseries 2. Harkin-Engel Protocol on the Worst Forms of Child Labor in the Cocoa and Chocolate Industry

This subseries contains materials related to child labor in the cocoa industry of West Africa. Notes, research materials, and news articles show growing public knowledge of the problem, while extensive correspondence between Goold and a variety of non-governmental organizations reveals the origins of an innovative effort to eliminate child labor in this industry through non-legislative means. Senator Harkin utilized the possibility of Congressional action against the cocoa industry to spur corporations to sign this protocol, sponsored and witnessed by Harkin and by Representative Eliot Engel of New York. The protocol itself is included in these files, but does not mark the end of the record, since further articles and correspondence from the following years document both the successes and failures of the measure.

Subseries 3. Bonded Child Labor Elimination Act/Treasury and Postal Appropriations Act of 1999

This subseries contains documents related to the joint effort by Representative Sanders and Senator Harkin to definitively ban the importation of goods produced by child labor, through clarification of a clause in the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 regarding involuntary labor. After multiple failures to achieve passage of the Child Labor Deterrence Act, Goold helped to develop a new legislative strategy. This involved an annual Treasury and Postal Appropriations bill which contained an unpopular pay raise for Congress, and which Congressional leadership thus wanted to rush to passage with minimal debate. Correspondence details efforts to reach out to key Congressmen in order to assure that an amendment to the bill with the child labor clause would be accepted. This initial step was successful, and Goold then coordinated an effort to ensure that the final bill produced by a joint House/Senate committee would contain the necessary language about child labor. A variety of publications and news clippings document the legislative process, as well as the degree to which this bill became viewed as a major victory for the child rights movement.

Subseries 4. Other Legislative Efforts

This subseries holds materials related to the diverse range of other legislative efforts that Goold developed and advocated for during his years working in Congress following Don Pease’s retirement. Some of these are unsuccessful measures, such as the introduction of the Child Labor Deterrence Act in 1993, 1994, and 1997, or the Worst Forms of Child Labor Deterrence Act of 2002. Others had greater significance, such as the ratification of International Labor Organization Convention #182, concerning the prohibition of child labor. Aside from particular pieces of legislation, the files also address a resolution supporting the Global March Against Child Labor, and the planning of a Capitol Hill Forum on Abusive Child Labor in 1999. The nature of the materials varies, with official documents, such as the individual pieces of legislation, being supplemented by handwritten notes and correspondence.

Subseries 5. Executive Initiatives and Involvement

Though Goold’s work was almost entirely in the legislative and nonprofit spheres, he exchanged information and ideas with various executive agencies and departments concerning child labor. This subseries contains letters, telegrams, and memoranda related to international child labor received by Goold from executive agencies, as well as correspondence, reports, and other notes concerning independent initiatives developed within these agencies. Extensive State Department cables from American embassies around the world document child labor conditions in a variety of countries, and are supplemented by reports from the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. The majority of the papers in this subseries concern Executive Order 13126, issued by President Bill Clinton on June 12, 1999, which formally prohibited all parts of the United States Government from procuring any goods produced with child labor. Though Senator Harkin and Goold nominally supported this executive initiative, much of the correspondence from the period following the order demonstrates Goold’s frustration with how the order was carried out. The release of a mandated list of prohibited goods was delayed multiple times, and when announced, listed almost exclusively agricultural products from Burma. Goold believed this to be the result of a political arrangement with India that undermined the intent of the order.

Subseries 6. NGO Initiatives and Involvement

This subseries includes papers concerning the work of non-governmental organizations on the issue of child labor, and documents the fluid relationship that Bill Goold maintained with such organizations. Though a portion of the latest J. William Goold accession relates to efforts of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to address child labor, all ILO documents are separated into their own series. Though this subseries is thus artificially divided, it still provides extensive correspondence, memoranda, and articles that detail the efforts of such diverse organizations as the Global March Against Child Labor, the Child Labor Coalition, the World Bank, and the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center to combat exploitative child labor. One particular figure is prominent in this subseries, Kailash Satyarthi, the founder of the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude, and a personal friend of Goold’s. Satyarthi’s work freeing child slaves in India brought numerous assaults, efforts at imprisonment, and death threats, and these records show Goold’s continual attempts to bring Congressional pressure to bear on the Indian government to guarantee Satyarthi’s freedom and safety.

Subseries 7. Subject Files

This subseries contains research materials maintained by J. William Goold as background for his legislative and nonprofit work. The original organization of the files is largely maintained, with individual countries and suspect industries as the main units of organization. Pakistan and India receive particular attention, as well the use of children in combat and the sex tourism, toy, silk, and surgical instrument industries. Individual subject files vary in their composition, but most are based on news articles, reports produced by governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations, press releases, and notes.

This series constitutes the second major portion of the 2010 J. William Goold accretion. As a legislative staffer generally responsible for issues of trade, human rights, and international affairs, Goold coordinated and spearheaded a broad range of initiatives to address worker rights issues around the world. This series highlights the diversity of these efforts across both time and space. The nascent North American Free Trade Agreement was a dominant labor issue close to home in the early 1990s, and Goold worked to preserve environmental and labor guarantees in the treaty. Further afield, Goold advanced legislation to prevent the importation of textiles and apparel produced in Burma and to commend the work of the Labor Attache Corps abroad. These records highlight the close links that Goold maintained with non-governmental organizations, with colleagues from groups such as the AFL-CIO, Free the Slaves, and Human Rights Watch helping to shape both proposed legislation and the political strategies surrounding them.

Subseries 1. Instructional Materials

This subseries demonstrates Goold’s interest in pursuing worker rights and trade issues not only in legislation and union work, but also through education. It contains three teaching guides for worker rights and trade issues, one as a reference guide, one for teachers, and one for students. These basic educational materials show approaches for bringing the topic into the classroom and making it meaningful for students. Goold developed the materials through consultations with Don Pease while Pease taught as a visiting faculty member at Oberlin College, and used them for workshops with trade unionists, activists, business groups, and Congressional staffs.

Subseries 2. Event Records

Goold was directly involved in the organization and execution of a number of events that addressed the connections between worker rights, human rights, and international trade, events that are documented in this subseries. One prominent event is Senator Harkin’s 1999 trip to investigate work conditions in China’s export industries, with extensive documentation of Goold’s role in the research and planning processes. Goold was an invited speaker and participant in a number of conferences, seminars, and forums, generally speaking about legislative perspectives on worker rights issues. A theme that runs through many of these events is the desire to bring together NGOs, legislators, and also industry representatives, as in the 1996 Fashion Forum organized by the Department of Labor. The materials within the subseries include correspondence, itineraries, and reports written in the wake of events.

Subseries 3. Speeches and Statements

This subseries includes speeches and public statements concerning worker rights from Goold, the Congressmen under whom he worked, and such prominent political figures as then-President Bill Clinton and then-Vice President Al Gore. Included is the text of the speeches, and research material and drafts that were used to craft the speeches. Though all materials within this subseries fall under the rubric of speeches and statements, they vary in their nature. Goold delivered speeches to organizations such as the League of Women Voters, and assisted Bernie Sanders in developing speeches concerning the relationship between labor and the new global economy. In contrast, his inclusion of public statements concerning worker rights by Clinton and Gore was for research purposes, maintaining awareness of the stances articulated by these key figures.

Subseries 4. Reports

This subseries contains a number of reports produced both by the US government and by non-governmental organizations that address the business and policy aspects of worker rights issues both in the US and abroad. Many are linked to issues addressed in other parts of the collection, such as a State Department report on human rights practices in China, used by Goold in preparation for Senator Harkin’s trip to China (detailed in Subseries 2). The reports demonstrate Goold’s interest in keeping abreast of developments around the world, with slavery in Niger and maquiladora labor in El Salvador receiving particular attention. US labor practices are also critically examined, with organizations such as Human Rights Watch criticizing the state of freedom of association.

Subseries 5. Materials Related to Policy and Legislation

This subseries constitutes the largest portion of materials related to worker rights, related to the legislative process and also to the formulation of governmental policy more broadly. Many pieces of legislation that Goold developed are distinct in their aims and nature, ranging from a bill to ban the import of textiles from Burma to a bill to establish a labor negotiator in the office of the US Trade Representative. However, Goold also perceived individual bills as interlocking parts of larger initiatives, such as the global anti-sweatshop campaign. Two major issues receive particular attention within these materials. First, the increasing use of the Alien Tort Claims Act of 1789 for litigation against corporations that allegedly supported human rights abuses abroad came under fire from both business interests and some think tanks. Goold documented and observed this struggle, which had crucial potential ramifications for the ability of sweatshop workers and forced laborers to bring suit against major corporations in US court. Second, Goold watched with alarm as many US trade laws, even those that he helped develop, were broken or flaunted. He kept many files concerning enforcement, and the failure thereof, and this problem presents a continuing thread of attention throughout the records. As a consequence, Goold also documented the efforts of government below the federal level to account for worker rights in trade practices, with many cities passing ordinances to prohibit sweatshop-produced goods from being purchased with city funds.

Subseries 6. Non-Governmental Initiatives

This subseries includes materials related to the non-governmental organizations with interests in the area of worker rights, and the initiatives that these groups pursued. Prominent among them is the AFL-CIO and its Solidarity Center, where Goold helped to coordinate projects around the world with his legislative efforts and with opportunities for federal funding. The records, primarily including correspondence and legal case files, show Goold’s interest in using the Solidarity Center as an avenue for the development of new service and apprenticeship programs to parallel existing programs like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, with labor issues as the central issue to be addressed. A large portion of the materials in the subseries document the work of Charlie Kernaghan and the National Labor Committee, a small NGO that sought to bring public attention to worker rights abuses perpetrated by major corporations. Kernaghan was responsible for the public humiliation of Kathy Lee Gifford, a television host whose line of clothing he alleged was made with sweatshop labor in Honduras. Goold maintained correspondence with the National Labor Committee, and kept extensive background information on the group and its campaigns.

Subseries 7. Subject Files

This subseries contains research materials maintained by Goold as background for his legislative and nonprofit work. Included is a list of what Goold perceived as core worker rights and laws protecting them, background on intellectual property issues and environmental safeguards in trade agreements, corporate codes of conduct, human trafficking and slavery, forced labor, and a controversial Smithsonian Museum exhibit on sweatshop labor. The types of materials vary, but they primarily consist of newspaper articles and correspondence.

This series contains records that Goold maintained concerning the International Labor Organization (ILO), a body related to the United Nations. Though Goold himself did not work for the ILO as he did for the AFL-CIO, he accumulated a number of ILO publications, as well as background materials about the organization in the form of correspondence, reports, press releases, and copies of ILO conventions and documents. Though both Series 1 and Series 2 contain documents from non-governmental organizations, the Oberlin College Archives staff decided that the ILO records were significant and distinct enough to warrant a separate series.

Subseries 1. Printed Matter

This subseries contains brochures, booklets, reports, and other publications printed by the ILO. These documents cover a significant time span, from as early as 1989 when Bill Goold still worked as a member of Pease’s Congressional staff, to 2002, long after Pease’s retirement. Though the materials are similar in format, they address a number of different issues, from child labor in particular countries to the development of new ILO conventions.

Subseries 2. Subject Files

This subseries constitutes the remainder and majority of Series 3, holding an array of reports, press releases, clippings, ILO declarations and conventions, and other background materials. The most significant portion of the subseries focuses on one particular ILO project, the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). Goold tracked the development of this program through the early part of the 1990s, maintaining background and research materials on how the largest international labor organization addressed this key issue of his legislative work.