TheLen

Below is a paper I wrote in the Fall 2003 for Bob Beisner about the usefulness of the internet for historical research. Like the internet, the format is not exactly traditional, but he found it entertaining.

“… but Dr. Brown, there’s so much information on the internet!”

“I know, Gordon, but most of it isn’t the information that you need for my paper”

“What do you mean? Information is information … right?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, um…”

“Ok, did the Holocaust happen?”

“Yes!”

“You don’t have any doubts at all?”

“Nope!”

“That’s good. Because you shouldn’t. But, even though the Holocaust is an historical fact, there are websites on the internet that claim it never happened. An inattentive student could find those sites and decide that what his or her teacher said about World War II was wrong because of the websites. After all, it IS information. And that’s why I discourage students from relying on the internet for research.”

“Understandable, but I have enough sense to question the sources I use and not just blindly accept something because it’s in type. And there is a ton of historical documents and analysis online. Professors have told me to read documents at the Cold War International History Project and FRUS websites instead of waiting for them to be available on paper.”

“True, but I think those sites are the exceptions that prove the rule. And even though those are both good sites, they only cover a limited number of topics.”

“But the peace movements played a significant role in US history, especially during WWI, WWII and the Cold War, and I think useful, historical websites like those, and a couple others I know of, will have better sources on the War Resisters League than the really basic stuff in the books I’ve found in the library. The only thing in the library directly, specifically related to the WRL is Ed Hedemann’s War Resisters League Organizers’ Manual. Other than this primary source, the WRL is just a side story in everything I’ve read so far and I expect to find some really interesting and useful websites that focus on the WRL.”

“Have you checked through the academic journals?”

“Yes. There was even less information in those than the few books I did find.”

“What about the other libraries? You know you can get books and journals through the consortium, right?”

“Yes. But no dice. Of course, if I could travel around the country and go to every library, interview surviving members, and read all the documents in all the scattered, tiny archives, I’m sure I’d have better luck.”

“You’ve really had that much trouble at the library?”

“Yuppers. That’s why I was hoping that you would make an exception and let me use internet sources in this paper.”

“Well, Gordon, you do know how to talk. I’ll give you that. Chasing me around for the past hour or so certainly proves how strongly you feel about this.”

“I hoped it would.”

“Well, I’ll give you a chance, but there are strings.”

“Strings?”

“Yes. I’ll let you use internet sources, but only after you’ve convinced me of their usefulness.”

“I thought I just did that?”

“No, it’ll take more than your filibuster to change my mind. But, you earned a chance. You will need to give me an annotated bibliography of the websites you would use on the project – examining both the academic credentials of the websites and their usefulness (compared to the books you have so far) as research sources for this project – and meet me to discuss your overall evaluation of the internet as a scholarly resource, admitting both strengths and weaknesses. Then, if your conclusions and websites are convincing and solid, you may use the internet. However, if you run into the problems I anticipate, you will still have to meet the source requirements for the assignments as well as writing the bibliography and meeting with me.”

“Thanks! Get ready to change your mind!”

“That guy has so much confidence…I hope it doesn’t make him crazy with work by the end of the semester. And who knows, maybe he will be able to change my mind.”

Annotated WRL Internet Bibliography

Gordon “The Yellow Dart”[1] Simonett

Google — http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=war+resisters+league

There was very little difference between the basic and advanced[2] searches in Google. I was able to remove non-English sites from the list, but there were still hundreds of sites, maybe even thousands. I had neither the patience nor the time to go through them all. But, of the sites I did examine, only a few were truly useful and those are examined separately below. Most of the sites my search returned were recent news stories. The WRL is still alive and well and has been pretty vocal since the 9-11 attacks – and, as you’d expect, downright noisy since the Iraq war started. But, since my paper examines the WRL and Korea, recent news stories, while interesting, are not relevant. However, for someone writing contemporary history, these reports would be very useful.

“Googling” for the WRL also pulled up websites for various WRL chapters and info on war tax resistance. But again, these were all fairly recent and were informative rather than historical. However, these sites would be incredibly useful for someone attempting to do “original” research on the WRL because they provide the names and contact information for individuals and organizations currently connected with WRL.[3] With this information available online, much of the preliminary legwork of oral history is easily taken care of – allowing the researcher to focus on background and contextual information before interviewing.

Google also directed me to websites of other protest groups, such as Grandmothers for Peace [4] and lists of links to even more protest groups.[5] Such sites, while not useful for my project, would be very useful to someone attempting to place the WRL within the larger American peace movement.

By listing book reviews and bibliographies, Google also directed me to some recently published books, such as The War Resisters League and Gandhian Nonviolence in America, 1915-1963 by Scott H. Bennett not available at the library.[6]

http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/peace/DG026-050/DG040WRL.html http://www.iisg.nl/archives/html/w/10773401.html

These are links to finding aids for the WRL collection in the Swarthmore College Peace Collection and the WRI (War Resisters International) at the Institute of Social History, Netherlands. Despite these sites’ uselessness for my project, they would be invaluable to someone when preparing to do archival research on the WRL. Finding aids are available online for many other archives and they enable a researcher to conveniently plan his or her research strategy (up to and including duration) long before arriving at the archive. These sites do have a slight relevance to my project because each includes a basic, but still detailed, history of the organization and by examining these histories in tandem, a more complete picture of WRL is available through the internet because it is essentially the American outgrowth of WRI.

http://www.wri-irg.org/wrihist.htm

This site is an encyclopedia entry on War Resisters International discussing history and development. It would be useful for understanding the roots of WRL and for putting the organization into a larger context. However, this site does not include citations or new information and therefore is a far from ideal source. Its most useful application for academic research would be giving a researcher background information on the organization, enabling a more focused, informed research strategy.

http://www.warresisters.org/

The homepage of WRL contains a wealth of information on the current incarnation of the organization and slightly less information on its history. However, WRL’s homepage includes more varied information on peace movements and a more detailed movement history than other websites. Summing up overarching ideals, the site’s delineation of principles writes that “the pacifist does not deny conflict exists, but we believe nonviolence achieves social change with the least injustice and suffering.” Combined with the movement history at the website, the statement of principles emphasizes stresses the consistency of the movement, its methods and goals. The history is a thorough, but still basic, rundown of the movement and its role in larger American conflicts, including WWI, WWII, civil rights, women’s movement, VN, disarmament, civil defense, assistance (advice and support)to war resisters. Despite the comparative richness on this online history, even Wittner’s basic account in Rebel’s Against War is more complete.

Not surprisingly, this site had links to other sites and sources on the peace movement including WRL’s journal, the Nonviolent Activist.[7] One article, “It Started with Lysistrata”[8] is uniquely useful because it examines the specific role of women in peace movements. However, as an historical source for a research project, this article is questionable because the author, Judith Mahoney Pasternak, provides neither citations nor information on her academic credentials beyond a note that she has “covered women’s issues for over 20 years.” Although this essay is not an ideal source, it is still useful because of its unique perspective on the global peace movement. Also useful, primarily in the initial stages of research, are the book reviews published in the Nonviolent Activist including on titled, “Understanding Terror” by Bill Weinberg.[9] Examining two recent books on terrorism, Jonathan Barker’s The No-Nonsense Guide to Terrorism (2003) and Lee Griffith’s The War on Terrorism and the Terror of God this traditional book review offers researchers basic information about new sources. I did not see any major quality differences between this book review and other, more academic, reviews.

Complementing the contact information available elsewhere on the internet, WRL provides information on various local chapters through a link on the homepage: http://www.warresisters.org/wrl_locals.htm. This information would be particularly useful for a researcher hoping to interview members for an oral history on the movement.

http://home.snafu.de/mkgandhi/english.htm[10]

Complementing WRL’s declaration of principles is a website with information on Gandhi and the text of Manifesto Against Conscription and the Military System. This information is relevant to a focused study of the WRL because the movement was profoundly influenced by Gandhi and his theories of nonviolent resistance. Also, WRL (as one would expect, given the name) is vehemently opposed to conscription and this site permits a researcher to place this anti-draft stance in a slightly larger context.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/mimi/hrs3-1.htm

This website contains an official report on nuclear opposition. Tracing protest evolution, this history places WRL in the larger nuclear pacifism context, complementing the above discussion of draft opposition. This history is more usable than many of the other histories I found while doing this preliminary research because its many Park Service authors[11] included very thorough footnotes with citations and references to useful resources otherwise unmentioned (either online or at the library)

http://foia.fbi.gov/adc.htm

The Freedom of Information Act has made many documents and other, formerly hidden, information available to researchers and the above is a link to information on the American Deserters Committee including a reference to WRL as providing assistance and aid to deserters. It is the only reference to WRL throughout the FOIA website(s).

http://www.nps.gov/whho/pageant/nctrees/1941-1953/

This is an history of the National Christmas Tree between 1941 and 1953 written by Laura Schiavo, of the National Park Service. Although at first glance this site seems useless, there is an amusing gem about WRL in the 1949 section. Using the “find” feature (this site was listed under a Google search) I found this reference to 1949 WRL activities: “Ten men dressed in Santa Claus costumes, representing the Committee for Amnesty, War Resisters League, Peacemakers, and the Central Committee of Conscientious Objectors, picketed the White House seeking amnesty for conscientious objectors. [Washington Post, December 25, 1949.]” This reference is useful because, in my opinion, the Post’s index is not as complete as the New York Times’ and this reference directed me to information that I would not have found otherwise.

http://www.gwu.edu/%7Ensarchiv/index.html (National Security Archive)

http://wwics.si.edu/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=topics.home (Cold War International History Project)

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/ (Foreign Relations of the United States)

These sites contain many historical documents as well as very academic historical analysis and were my best hope for concrete academic information on the internet. But, none of these sites had any information on WRL. They may have more information on the peace movement as a whole, but since that is what I was hoping to avoid by using the internet, I didn’t check very closely. However, given past experience with these websites, I stand behind my earlier conclusion that there is worthwhile historical information on the internet. These and other primary source sites (SHAFR offers a very comprehensive list of links[12]) would be priceless to someone studying the more “traditional” elements of foreign policy, especially at the governmental level.

http://80-www.jstor.org.proxyau.wrlc.org/search/8dd55340.10711544510/1-10?configsortorder=SCORE&frame=noframe&dpi=3&config=jstor (J Stor, need to access through a participating institution)

http://80-muse.jhu.edu.proxyau.wrlc.org/search/pia.cgi (Project Muse, need to access through a participating institution)

These journal “clearinghouses” have searchable archives of various academic journals and although they did not have any references about WRL *only*, they did have many articles and reviews relating to peace history with reference to WRL. These sources would be very useful in finding books in the library since title searches are always more effective than subject searches. Also, they enable a student to access journal articles unavailable elsewhere. These sites are invaluable, irregardless of the historical topic being researched.

“Did you get my bibliography, Dr. Brown?”

“Yes and thanks Gordon. I’m impressed you got it done so quickly. And I’m amazed at how thorough you were. Not everybody will footnote an annotated bibliography.”

“Well, I had to make sure I did all I could to convince you that there is valuable historical information on the internet. But at the same time, I had to make sure that I would have time to do more “traditional” research if I didn’t manage to convince you. ”

“Smart, Gordon, very smart. So, when do you want to talk about what you found?”

“Can we do it now? I’m running out of time to get everything done before the end of the semester.”

“Sure, I’m not too far ahead of you either. So, where do you stand now on the historical-research-on-the-internet question?”

“Well, and I hate to admit it, but I understand your argument much better now. There’s a lot of garbage out there. However, there are some gems if you have the patience to find them. The organization homepage is crucial to understanding where the WRL stands now as well as how it views its own history. Also, the links to Nonviolent Activist articles and archives provide an alternative to more traditional sources.”

“Very true and I was also very impressed with how you acknowledged the weaknesses of those sources although I would have liked to have seen a deeper analysis of the bias and agenda behind the links and information on WRL’s homepage as well as the other histories you examined, such as the National Park Service and WRI accounts.”

“You’re right. That would have been smart, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t realize how agenda colored the different histories. That is why I didn’t really trust the sites that didn’t offer citations.”

“Very good. I wouldn’t have to ban the internet if all students had your sense.”

“That’s a good sign. Additionally, the vast variety of websites related to American peace movements, pacifism and the like provide many different perspectives on the movement that are missing in many of the books I’ve read. Those books only examine the major groups and while I understand why the authors had to limit their discussion that way, the alternative perspectives available online are a nice complement. If only because they prevent a sort of ‘ivory tower’ tone to research.”

“How so?”

“If people insist on only studying the so-called ‘major’ groups, they miss the dialogue between small and large, national and local movements that had a major impact on how the ‘major’ movements evolved. After all, history doesn’t happen in a vacuum.”

“Very true. Anything else?”

“Well, I don’t feel incompetent for not being able to find sources at the library. There is really very little substantial information on the WRL available. Most of what I found were either press releases and announcements or references to WRL within larger discussions. While those are useful, there just doesn’t seem to be any of sources that I hoped to find, either online or in the library.”

“That is a problem, but perhaps you’ve found your calling. Go off to grad school and write that comprehensive history that you needed — fill that void in the scholarship!”

“Perhaps, but why don’t I concentrate on getting through this semester first?”

“Good plan. So, any last thoughts, arguments, or recommendations regarding internet research?”

“Of course. First of all, the topic being researched is crucial. If I had been writing on governmental policy, the Cold War International History Project, FRUS, National Security Archive, etc. would have been priceless resources. And they’re most accessible online. Some of the most recent FRUS volumes still haven’t made it to the library, but the entire text is available online. Also, the Cold War International History project and the National Security Archives have most of their holding online and for students who can’t physically *go* to their brick and mortar locations, the internet is the only option because most libraries don’t carry all of their publications. Jstor and Project Muse are vital for finding journal articles and book reviews unavailable at the library. Also, the text at these sites is exactly the same – up to and including the pagination – as what appeared in the paper journal.”

“All very good points. Anything else?”

“Just one other thing. Although there were very few usable historical sources for my topic, there were many sites and references that would add color and interest to a paper or could be used very effectively in the introduction or conclusion of a paper. So, my basic conclusion is that the internet is inconsistently useful for scholarly research. Depending on the topic, entire arguments could be researched and credibly supported on the internet. However, for most topics, the internet is most useful in planning a research strategy, whether limited to a local library or ranging across the country for interviews and archival work, and for finding amusing “color” anecdotes that may not have made it into the final drafts of more traditional sources. So, what do you think?”

“Well, you’ve proven that I’m both right and wrong for prohibiting internet research. So many students don’t analyze their sources as you do and many would blindly accept the citation-less histories. However, you have pointed out many incredibly useful and valid internet sources. What do you think?”

“Me? Honestly, I think you should let people use internet sources, but they need to clear them with you first. That way, you know they’ve at least thought a bit before using a source. You could also give students a list of sites that you think are most useful and suggest they limit their research to those sites. That way, thoughtful students can use the internet and expand their research horizons while lazy ones will probably decide that it’s easier to just use the library to do their research.”

“Wow, Gordon, you’ve really thought about this haven’t you?”

“Yes, it’s starting to haunt me while I sleep.”

“Well, we don’t want that. I should probably settle it for you, huh?”

“That would be nice.”

“Ok, here’s what we’ll do. First, I’m going to include your suggestions in the rest of my classes and allow supervised use of the internet for research. And, secondly, you may use anything you found, or will find, that you think fits my requirements for your paper. And feel free to shift your topic to make best use of the available sources.”

“Thank you so much! My paper will be worlds better now. I found some really interesting stuff and I also have some really good ideas of where to look in the library.”

“Excellent. Just make sure that you continue to critically evaluate the sources that you use and you should be in great shape. I look forward to reading your final paper.”

“I look forward to being done.”