At the end of World Revolutionary Propaganda: A Chicago Study by Harold D. Lasswell is an Appendix which describe the author’s network analysis methodology for his research on Socialist and Communist Political Party activities in Chicago. I’ve copied it out below as it is quite informative.
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Meetings, Demonstrations, Parades, and Social Gatherings of Communist Affiliated Organizations in Chicago
Time period covered by data 1919-34.
Area covered by data Chicago, Cook County, and Chicago Region.
I. SOURCES. The following sources were used in the collection of these data :
A. Official police records (Industrial Squad of Chicago) .
1. File of permits for parades and outdoor meetings, 1931-4.
2. File of reports of all meetings attended by the squad, 1931-4.
3. Record of arrests of radicals in Chicago, 1931-4.
4. File of leaflets, circulars, posters, and other advance notices of meetings, 1930-4.
B. News paper sources.
1. The New York Times, 1919 – 34.
2. The Chicago Daily News(from index in Daily News library), 1919-34.
3. The Chicago Tribune (from index in Chicago Tribune library), 1919-29; (from page by page survey of the newspaper), 1930-2.
4. The Chicago Defender, 1924-6, 1930-4. 5. The Daily Worker, 1930-4.
6. The Hunger Fighter, 1931-4.
II. FORM AND METHOD.
A. Form. The data on meetings, demonstrations, parades, and social gatherings in Chicago sponsored by Communist organizations were collected in the following form:
Type of gathering (e.g., meeting, demonstration, date, parade, or social gathering).
1. Place of meeting.
2. Reason or issue.
3. Name of organization or organizations sponsoring.
4. Number of persons present.
5. Account of violence, if any.
6. Number of persons arrested.
7. Number of persons injured. Number killed.
8. The names of the speakers.
9. Source of the above data.
B. Method.
This information was recorded on 6 x 4 slips of paper, a separate slip being used for each meeting and for each source. The slips were stapled together in cases where more than one report was given about a single meeting (e.g., when the same meeting was reported by the police, by the New York Times, and by the Daily Worker). In such cases the police reports of meetings were placed on top, and the newspaper reports behind, with the more radical publications, like the Daily Worker and the Hunger Fighter, toward the bottom. In some cases of important meetings there are as many reports of the meetings as there are sources. In other cases there are only one or two reports.
The slips were filed in chronological order according to the date on which the meeting was held. This file constitutes the demonstration file which is one of the basic sets of data for this study.
III. ANALYSIS.
The following types of analyses were made of the above data:
A. Analysis of number and types of gatherings per month, 1930-4.
Four categories were used in the classification of types of gathering:
1. Meetings defined as indoor gatherings.
2. Demonstrations defined as outdoor gatherings.
3. Parades street marches.
4. Socials including dances, parties, lectures, moving-picture showings, etc.
In some instances one occasion was classified in more than one way. The rules governing such double or triple entries
1. Parades. In the case of parades, the gathering held at the beginning of the parade (i.e., the point at which the parade formed) was recorded as a demonstration.
2. Parades In the case of parades, the gathering held at the end end of the parade was recorded as a “meeting” or as a “demonstration,” depending on whether it was held indoors or outdoors.
3. Parades. In some instances (notably hunger marches, May Day parades, and City Hall demonstrations) parades were started simultaneously in different parts of the city, merging downtown for a large parade through the Loop. In such instances each parade (including the parade through the Loop) was counted separately. Thus the case of the usual line of march (i.e., parades coming from the north, south, and west sides and parading through
the Loop) would be recorded as four parades.
4. Socials. In some cases meetings were held in connection with socials. In such instances a double record was made.
B. Place of meetings.
The place of meetings was coded as to census tract, census community area, relief district, and police district. This coding appears on each slip. The only record made from this information, however, is that of the number of gatherings occurring each month in each census tract in the city.
c. Issues in the name of which gatherings were called.
An analysis was made of the number and types of issues raised each month at meetings, demonstrations, etc. The major classifications of the types of issues are as follows :
1. Issues protesting unemployment.
2. Issues protesting relief administration.
3. Issues protesting evictions.
4. Issues demanding freedom of action.
5. Issues in the name of major political symbols (War, Im- perialism, Fascism, etc.) .
6. Issues in the name of special days (May Day, Lenin Me- morial, etc.).
7. Issues connected with party organization and activity (party conventions, conferences, etc.).
8. Issues making labor demands.
9. Issues in the name of institutions and groups (the church,
the Jews, the Negroes, etc.).
10. Issues in the name of consumer’s protection.
The number of issues falling under each classification were tallied by months for the years 1930-4. The following rules governed this procedure:
1. The issues recorded on all slips, regardless of source, were included in the analysis. Thus, for example, if the New York Times reported a parade “protesting against unemployment and the same parade was reported by the Communist press as “protesting against evictions,” both of these issues were recorded, the assumption being that since we have no criteria of selection and because of the scantiness of the data, it is most accurate to include all sources.
2. All issues reported by a single source were likewise included in the tabulation.
3. In order that a correlation could be validly run between the number of demonstrations per month and the degree of concentration of attention upon particular issues, a second tally
was made. In this second instance the issues were tallied for as many times as the gathering had been tabulated (cf. above in, A, rules governing double or triple entries of a single event) . Thus, for example, if a parade on “unemployment” had been recorded three times in the analysis of the number and types of gatherings e.g., as a demonstration (gathering at starting- point), as a parade, and as a meeting (indoor meeting at termination of parade) then the issue
“unemployment” would likewise be recorded three times under the month in which it happened to fall.
In addition to this analysis of issues, the following analyses were made:
1. Record of the types of issues raised at meetings held in different census tracts.
2. Record of the types of issues raised at meetings, according to the organization sponsoring the meeting.
D. Sponsoring organizations.
The following analyses were made with regard to sponsoring organizations:
1. Types of gatherings (meeting, demonstration, parade, or social gathering) held by each organization every month, 1930-4.
2. Types of issues (for classifications, cf. in, c, 1-10) pre- sented by each organization every month, 1930-4.
3. Meeting-places of each organization according to census
tract for the years 1930-4.
E. Number present.
A table was drawn up showing all estimates as to number present, listed as to source. The following sources were included :
1. Estimates of police (official).
2. Estimates of the Daily Worker (Communist).
3. Estimates of the Chicago Defender (Negro).
4. Estimates of the Chicago Tribune (city press).
5. Estimates of the Chicago Daily News (city press).
F. Speakers.
Record on each speaker appearing in the demonstration record showing date on which he spoke, the place, and the organization under whose sponsorship the meeting occurred.
Strikes
Time period covered by data 1919-34.
Area covered by data Chicago, Cook County, and the Chicago region.
I. SOURCES.
The following sources were used in the collection of these data:
A. United States Department of Labor.
1. Monthly Labor Review, Vols. 30-39.
2. List of Strikes in Chicago, submitted upon request by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
B. Illinois Department of Labor. Annual Reports (Nos. 2-
13), 1910-29.
C. Official police records (Industrial Squad of Chicago).
1. Reports of industrial disturbances (strike meetings, etc.)
attended by the squad, 1931-4.
2. Record of arrest of radicals in Chicago, 1931-4.
3. File of leaflets, bulletins, circulars, etc., distributed in connection with strikes.
D. Newspapers.
1. The New York Times, 1919-34.
2. The Chicago Tribune, 1930-2.
3. The Chicago Defender, 1924-6, 1930-4.
4. The Daily Worker, 1930-4.
II. FORM AND METHOD.
A. Form. The material on strikes in Chicago was collected in the following form:
Strike. Date.
1. Place (name of plant and address).
2. Issue.
3. Organization (union, local number, affiliation).
4. Number out on strike.
5. Account of violence.
6. Number arrested.
7. Number injured. Number killed.
8. How long out on strike. Result of strike.
9. Source of the above data.
B. Method.
This information, as in the case of meetings and demonstrations, was recorded on 6 x 4 slips, a separate slip being used for each strike and for each source. The slips were stapled together in cases where more than one re- port on a single strike was given (e.g., the same strike was reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the New York Times, and by the Daily Worker). In such cases, the U.S. Bureau reports were given preference and were placed on top.
The slips were filed in chronological order in accordance with the first date of the strike. The place where the strike took place (i.e., address of plant or factory) was coded according to census tract, census community area, and relief district.
III.
ANALYSIS.
A. Table showing the number of strikes called during each month, 1930-4.
B. Table showing number of strikers out in those strikes called each month, 1930-4.
c. Record of number of strikes each month occurring in each census tract of the city.
Group Complaints – through the Public Relations Bureau
Time period covered by data 1933-4.
Area covered by data Chicago and Cook County.
I. SOURCES.
The following sources were used in the collection of these data:
A. Weekly and monthly reports of the Public Relations Bureau of the IERC, 1933-4.
B. The individual records of complaints filed with the Public Relations Bureau of the IERC, January 1933 to September 1934-
II. FORM AND METHOD.
A. Weekly and monthly reports. The records of these reports contain the following information for 1933 :
1. Name (and local number) of organizations bringing complaints to the Bureau.
2. Number of complaints per week (or per month) per organization.
The records of these reports for 1934 contain the following information additional to that above:
3. Disposition of complaints. Disposition classified as follows: (a) referred to district office, (b) referred to district office after telephone conference, and (c) discussion and/or rejection with direct answer from PRB.
B. Individual records of complaints. From this source the following information was taken:
1. Date of complaint.
2. Name (and local number) of organization registering complaint
3. Address of complainant.
The address of complainant was coded according to census
tract, census community area, and relief district.
III. ANALYSIS.
A. Weekly and monthly reports.
1. Table showing the volume of complaints per month,
2. Table showing the number of complaints submitted each
month by every organization, 1933-4.
B. Individual records of complaints.
1. Table showing the volume of complaints per month, January 1933 to September 1934.
2. Table showing the number of complaints submitted by each organization per month, January 1933 to September I934
3. Table showing the number of complaints made each
month in each relief district, January 1933 to September 1934.
4. Record of the number of complaints each month coming from each census tract of the city.
Arrests of Radicals
Time period covered by data 1931-4.
Area covered by data Chicago.
I. SOURCE.
Arrest books kept by the Industrial Squad of Chicago, 1931-4.
II. FORM AND METHOD.
A. Form. The following information was recorded for each individual arrested:
1. Date arrested.
2. Address of arrested individual.
3. Sex and Age.
4. Nativity.
5. Occupation.
6. Marital status.
7. Police district in which arrest took place. Address of complainant if any. Address of arrest.
8. Charges.
9. Disposition of the case. Date tried. Name of presiding judge.
B. Method. A separate slip bearing the above information was made for each individual arrested. This slip was coded twice – once for the address of the individual, and once for the address of arrest.
III. ANALYSIS.
A. The analyses were made as follows (in each case according to the following classifications: American, Negro, Foreign-Born, Nationality Not Given, and Total) :
1. Table showing the number of arrests per month, 1931-4.
2. Table showing the sex distribution of the total number
arrested each year, 1931-4.
3. Table showing the age distribution (by ten-year intervals), of the total number arrested each year, 1931-4.
4. Table showing the distribution by age (as in 3) and sex of the total number arrested each year, 1931-4.
5. Table showing the distribution according to marital status of the total number arrested each year.
B. Table showing country of nativity, indicating number ar- rested and percentage which this number represents of the total population (in Chicago) of that nationality.
C. The following tables were made regarding persons arrested individually:
1. Nationality number and percentage.
2. Occupation.
D. The following tables were made regarding persons arrested in groups of from two to five persons :
1. Nationality number and percentage.
2. Occupation.
E. The following tables were made regarding persons arrested in groups of over five persons :
1. Nationality number and percentage.
2. Occupation.
F. Analysis of place of arrest.
1. According to police districts.
2. According to relief districts.
3. According to census tracts.
G. Analysis of home address of individual arrested.
1. According to police districts.
2. According to relief districts.
3. According to census tracts.
H. Analysis of disposition of cases. By years, 1931-4.
I. Analysis of presiding judges. By years, 1931-4.
Personnel
Time period covered by data 1919-34.
Area covered by data Chicago.
I. SOURCES.
The following sources were utilized in the collection of this material:
A. Official police sources.
Personnel records of the Industrial Squad on radical leaders in Chicago, 1930-4.
B. Public Relations Bureau of Illinois Emergency Relief Com-mission.
Correspondence and organization files.
C. Demonstration record.
D. Newspapers and periodicals.
1. The New York Times, 1919-34.
2. The Chicago Daily News, 1919-34.
3. The Chicago Tribune, 1919-34.
4. The Chicago Defender, 1924-6, 1930-4.
5. The Daily Worker, 1923-9 (in part), 1930-4 (complete).
6. The Hunger Fighter, 1931-4.
E. Books
1. American Labor Who’s Who, edited by Solon De Leon,
(New York, 1925) .
2. Elizabeth Billing: The Red Network (Chicago, 1934).
3. Joseph J. Mereto: The Red Conspiracy (New York, 1920).
4. Lucia R. Maxwell: The Red Juggernaut (Washington,D.C., 1932).
5. R. M. Whitney: Reds in America (New York, 1924).
II. FORM AND METHOD.
A. Official police sources.
The police personnel record contains the following type of information on individuals :
1. Name.
2. Address.
3. Date (year) when the individual first came to the attetion of the police.
4. Chronological list of party activities, including:
a. Speaking engagements.
b. Membership in organizations.
c. Positions of importance held in the party or in any party
organization. Membership on committees, etc.
d. Articles written for the Daily Worker, if any.
e. Other activities.
5. Dates arrested. For leaders who have been arrested at any time the following information is also available:
a. b.
c. Age.
d. Marital status.
6. Additional comments and information from various sources.
B. Public Relations Bureau.
The information available on the personnel of the movement at this source consists primarily of enlightening excerpts from correspondence with leaders of protest organizations and also comments of social workers and interviewers on particular leaders of these organizations with whom they have come in contact.
c. Demonstration record.
From the demonstration file we have compiled for every individual who has appeared at
any time as a speaker at a radical meeting in Chicago, a
chronological record of speaking engagements bearing the following information :
1. Date of meeting at which speaker performed.
2. Place where the meeting was held.
3. Organization under whose auspices the meeting was held.
From the newspapers, periodicals, and books listed above all possible information on any Chicago leaders has been carefully gleaned. As in the case of the other sources, the information is recorded on 6×4 slips with the source indicated and filed alphabetically under the name of the individual.
Evictions
Time period covered by data January 1932 to August 1933. Area covered by data Chicago.
I. SOURCE. Records of the Bailiff’s Office, City Hall,
II. FORM AND METHOD.
A. Form.
The following information was collected in the case of each eviction :
1. The date on which eviction occurred.
2. Name of individual evicted.
3. Address of eviction.
B. Method.
The above information was recorded on slips – one slip for each eviction case. These were coded as to address of the eviction according to census tract, community area, and relief district.
III. ANALYSIS. A record was made according to the number of evictions occurring in each month. Record was also made of evictions occurring each month in the various census tracts of the
