David Miller Oral Histories on American Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War
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Abstract
David Miller (1908-1977) was a lawyer from the Bronx, New York, and a volunteer in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War. In the course of the war he conducted radio broadcasts from Albacete and Madrid for the Voice of Spain. While in Spain he trained at Madrigueras and Tarazona with Edward Lending (1912-2003), another Lincoln Brigade volunteer. Lending later served in the United States Army during World War II. Vincent Lossowski (1914- 1984) fought with the Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War and served with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in World War II, organizing anti-Nazi guerilla actions under the direction of General William Donovan. He had met Lending in Spain and they remained friends. The David Miller Oral Histories on American Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War consist of 13 audiocassettes, of two interviews conducted by David Miller with his friends and fellow veterans, Lending and Lossowski. The discussion focuses on how they came to join the International Brigades, their experiences in Spain, and their lives after they returned to the United States.
Biographical Note
David Miller (1908-1977), a lawyer from the Bronx, joined the Communist Party in 1932 and sailed for Spain in April 1938. In the course the war he conducted radio broadcasts from Albacete and Madrid for the Voice of Spain. While in Spain he trained at Madrigueras and Tarazona with Edward Lending. After returning from Spain he split form the Communist Party. He found himself in a state of tension with the leaders of the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB) and for a period was out of contact with the organization. He was close with Fredericka Martin and helped her with research and encouragement on her book about the American Medical Bureau's activities in Spain. He took a great interest in the VALB archive at Brandeis University and was in touch with the archivist Victor Berch. Miller was also a supporter of Israel and bonded in this area with fellow Vet Edward Lending. A dream of his was to visit Israel and record the life stories of the Spanish veterans living there; unfortunately he passed before this could occur.
Edward Isaac Lending (1912-2003) fought with the International Brigades in Spain and later served in the United States Army during World War II. After returning to the U.S. in December 1938, Lending became a member of the Executive Board of the Veterans of the Abraham Brigade (VALB).While Lending had been devoted to the Communist Party between 1935 and 1943, his disillusionment with policy dictated by Soviet Party leadership had been growing at least since the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 to the point where he completely severed ties with the Party in 1943. Around this time Lending also grew critical of the VALB organization for what he perceived to be its rigid political orthodoxy. Another effort to which Lending devoted much time and energy was raising awareness of Jewish participation in the Spanish Civil War. In this he found a partner in David Miller.
Vincent Lossowski (1914- 1984) fought with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War and served with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in World War II under the direction of General William Donovan helping to organize anti-Nazi guerrilla actions. He left the Army with the rank of captain in 1945 and was presented with the Legion of Merit. In the 1950s Lossowski was investigated by a Congressional Military Affairs Subcommittee because of his activities in Spain and his ongoing association with the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB). In his later years, Lossowski granted interviews and gave lectures to local college groups about the International Brigades and American participation in the Spanish Civil War. He remained an active member of VALB until his death in 1984 at the age of 70. He had met Lending in Spain and they remained friends.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in alphabetical order by the narrator's last name.
Scope and Contents
The David Miller Oral Histories on American Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War consist of two interviews conducted by David Miller in 1975 and 1976. Miller interviewed his friends and fellow veterans, Edward Lending and Vincent Lossowski. The interviews were conducted as part of a project initiated by Victor Berch, the archivist for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade (VALB) collection at Brandeis University, to record oral histories with as many International Brigades veterans as he could. The interviews focus on how Lending and Lossowski came to join the Lincoln Brigade, their experiences in Spain, and their experiences after they returned to the United States.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open to researchers.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA), were transferred to New York University in November 2000 by the ALBA Board of Governors. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. For more information, contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu or 212-998-2630.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; David Miller Oral Histories on American Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War; ALBA AUDIO 071; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection came to New York University in January 2001 as part of the original acquisition of Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives collections, formerly housed at Brandeis University. The accession numbers associated with this collection are 2001.212, 2001.213, and 1978.018.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Access to audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2021 are unknown. In May 2021, cassettes were moved from audio cabinet drawers into cassette boxes. New container numbers were created and cassettes were assigned to the appropriate top containers.
