Archibald E. Roberts (1915-2005) was a retired lieutenant colonel and founder of the Committee to Restore the Constitution. The collection consists of Roberts' correspondence, speeches, and writings as well as numerous boxes of printed and audio-visual propaganda from Robert's personal collection.
Archibald E. Roberts (1915-2005) was a retired lieutenant colonel and founder of the Committee to Restore the Constitution. He was born in Cheboygan, Michigan. Roberts was educated at the Command and General Staff College, the Armed Forces Information School, the Airborne School, and the Medical Field Service School. Roberts, an ex-paratrooper, served with the 11th Airborne Division, the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, the 101st Airborne Division, and the 3rd Infantry Division as an Army information officer.
While under the command of General Edwin A. Walker in Augsburg, Germany, 1959-1960, Roberts served as a special projects officer. He wrote and directed the 24th Infantry Division “Pro Blue” troop information program which became the central issue in the 1962 Senate “military muzzling” investigations. He was relieved of active duty by order of the Secretary of the Army, Cyrus R. Vance, on May 7, 1962, following a speech before the Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington, D.C.
Roberts became a successful litigant against the Secretary of the Army and other Pentagon officials in a law suit involving freedom of speech and military personnel. Roberts recovered pay, allowances, and reinstatement to active duty. He voluntarily retired in 1965.
Roberts established the Committee to Restore the Constitution, a non-profit Colorado corporation, in Fort Collins, and served as its director. He helped establish affiliate committees in New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, and other places. He addressed joint sessions of the Alabama and Mississippi state legislatures and testified before many state committees. He conferred with many state office holders on issues of regional government and land control.
Roberts was an active public speaker on such topics as the United Nations, bussing, world government, and the economic problems facing the United States. He is the author of Victory Denied, The Anatomy of a Revolution, PEACE, by the Wonderful People Who Brought You Korea and Vietnam, and other works on the United Nations and world government. Roberts was the recipient of numerous awards including Noteworthy American, 1978 from the Historical Preservations of America, and the Liberty Award, 1976, from the Congress of Freedom.
The collection consists of Roberts' correspondence, speeches, and writings as well as numerous boxes of printed and audio-visual propaganda from Robert's personal collection.
The initial accession includes correspondence, speeches, writings, tape recordings, and miscellaneous documents.
Outgoing correspondence includes personal correspondence from 1953-1965, and correspondence related to the Committee to Restore the Constitution from 1965-1976. Incoming correspondence covers the period from 1953-1974. Major correspondents include: Gordon Allott, Jane Thompson (Arizona Women for Constitutional Government), Frazer Arnold, Billy James Hargis (Christian Crusade), Myron C. Fagan (Cinema Educational Guild, Inc.), Craighill, Aiello, Gasch & Craighill, Pedro A. del Valle (Defenders of the Constitution, Inc.), George B. Fowler, Charles Hallberg, Liberty Lobby, Corliss C. Moseley, National Economic Council, Inc., New Yorkers for the Constitution, Inc., Jack Poorbaugh, Strom Thurmond, George Wallace, and Women for Constitutional Government.
Roberts writings include drafts of mailings and supplements as well as some published works. There is also a container of tape recordings including Land Control Laws-Do They Cancel Your Private Property Rights? and Regional Government, a speech before the Indiana State Legislature.
Miscellaneous documents include but are not limited to transcripts of the Committee to Restore the Constitution's Action Line Broadcast, mailing lists, and financial statements. There are also two folders of material related to General Edwin A. Walker.
Accession Up 611.M: audiovisual materials including Regionalism, a video presentation on a non-vhs tape.
Accession 85.406x.M / Up 126 includes cassette tapes and video recordings of Archibald Roberts discussing the Federal Reserve system, May 23, 1984.
Accession 00.014.M / Up 097 includes a video cassette copy of Real Genius with a letter addressed to Roberts wrapped around it, and carefully placed inside the packaging for an antiquated computer program as well as collected conservative publications.
Accession Up 120.M includes envelopes containing audio cassettes in the Dr. Beter Audio Letter series as well as reel to reels and miscellaneous conservative publications.
Accession 12.032.M includes audio tapes, pamphlets, and miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession Up 612.M includes audio tapes and miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession 85.387x.M / Up 121 includes audio tapes and miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession 98.026.M / Up 886 includes audio tapes and miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession Up 609.M includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession 81.26.M / Up 610 includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession Up 613.M includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession Up 617.M includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession Up 693.M includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession 85.384x.M / Up 122 includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession 85.407x.M / Up 123 includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession 85.409x.M / Up 608 includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession 85.411x.M / Up 699 includes miscellaneous conservative mailings.
Accession 89.02.M / Up 606 includes collected conservative publications.
Accession 90.66.M. / Up 699 includes collected conservative serial publications and pamphlets.
[Identification of item], Archibald Roberts collection, Ax 824, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.
The original accession is arranged into the following series: Correspondence, Speeches, Writings, Publications, and Miscellaneous. Subsequent accessions have little to no intellectual or physical arrangement. Any arrangement may have derived from the records' creators or custodians. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.
Committee to Restore the Constitution--Records and correspondence.
Finding aid prepared by Austin Munsell and Kira B. Homo.