June 2018
LECTURE WITH
DR. STEPHEN WALT
2
HIDDEN TREASURES
FROM THE STACKS
3-5
FREE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT FOR
EDCUATORS
4
Inside This Issue
Upcoming Events
Unless noted, all events
are held at the
National Archives
400 W. Pershing Road
Kansas City, MO 64108
SEPT. 2 - FACILITY
CLOSED FOR LABOR
DAY HOLIDAY
SEPT. 10 - 6:00 P.M.
AUTHOR LECTURE: THE
KU KLUX KLAN IN
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS
BY TIM RIVES
SEPT. 11 - RESARCH
ROOMS CLOSED
SEPT. 12 - 6:30 P.M.
EVENING LECTURE: CAN
AMERICA HAVE A
SUCCESSFUL FOREIGN
POLICY?*
*DENOTES ACTIVITY IS
OFFSITE.
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September 2019
Upcoming Facility Reminders
Monday, September 2 - Labor Day Holiday - facility closed.
Wednesday, September 11 - Research rooms closed.
Monday, October 14 - Columbus Day Holiday - facility closed.
Tim Rives to Discuss The Klu Klux Klan in Kansas City, Kansas
On Tuesday, September 10 at 6:00 p.m., the National Archives will host author Tim Rives
who will discuss his book The Ku Klux Klan of Kansas City, Kansas. This program will take
place at the National Archives, 400 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO. Reservations
are requested for this free program.
The Ku Klux Klan kicked off a
nationwide revival in 1921 and
took Kansas City, Kansas, by
storm. The majority white
population--alarmed by the
influx of immigrants, Catholics
and Jews--joined the Klan in
thousands. The Klan held picnics,
drawing crowds of 25,000
people and parades up
Minnesota Avenue with thousands
of Klansmen, electric lights and
robed horses. They also
intimidated African Americans,
vandalized Catholic cemeteries
and censored "offensive" books
from public library shelves. Its
members fed a political machine,
electing more than one hundred
Klansmen to local offices, from
the district attorney to the mayor.
Rives shares this troubled and
little-known story, where the men
of the Klan's inner circle ruled the
city for nearly thirty years.
Copies of Rives’s book will be
available for purchase and
signing. Requests for ADA
accommodations must be
received five business days in
advance.
Are you connected to the National Archives at Kansas City?
We encourage our patrons to use electronic mail and social media to connect with us. Our Facebook
address is www.facebook.com/nationalarchiveskansascity. In addition, you can find us on Instagram
@kansascity.archives or tweet us via Twitter @KCArchives or #KCArchives.
All information about upcoming events and programs is emailed to patrons through our electronic
mailing list. If we do not have your eddress on file, please send an email with your preferred eddress
to [email protected] or call 816-268-8000.
By providing your eddress, you grant the National Archives at Kansas City permission to send you
information about special events, and programs. Per the Privacy Act of 1974, we will not share your
personal information with third parties.
27th Annual Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann Lecture at Park University:
Dr. Stephen Walt to Present Can American Still Have a Successful Foreign Policy?
On Thursday, September 12 at 6:30 p.m., the National Archives in partnership with Park University, will host
Dr. Stephen Walt who will present a lecture titled Can America Still Have a Successful Foreign Policy? This program will
take place in the Jenkin and Barbara David Theater at Park University, 8700 NW River Park Drive, Parkville, MO.
Reservations are requested for this free program.
Walt’s presentation will be the focus of
the 27
th
annual Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann
Lecture. Walt is the Robert and Renée
Belfer Professor of International Affairs
in the John F. Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard University.
Walt’s lecture will examine how U.S.
foreign policy veered off-course and
what must be done to get it back. He
will explain the sources of recent foreign
policy failures and offer an alternative
grand strategy that would be better for
the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Walt was appointed to his current
position in 1999, and he also served as
academic dean of the Kennedy School
of Government from 2002-06. In
addition, he has been a contributing
editor of Foreign Policy magazine since
2009 and serves as co-editor of the Cornell Studies in Security Affairs. In 2005, Walt was elected as a fellow into the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he received the International Studies Association’s Distinguished Senior
Scholar award in 2014. His latest book, The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of
U.S. Primacy, was published in 2018.
The Hauptmann lecture series is named in honor of the late Park University professor emeritus of political science and
public administration, Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D. Hauptmann taught at Park for more than 50 years, and launched the
University’s first graduate degree program in 1982. In 2001, Park’s School for Public Affairs was renamed the
Hauptmann School of Public Affairs in honor of this remarkable educator. The Hauptmann Lecture brings outstanding
scholars to the Kansas City area to address topics related to Hauptmann’s three areas of study: international politics,
public administration and democracy. This program is presented in partnership with Park University and the International
Relations Council.
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Hidden Treasures from the Stack
Apocalypse Cow
Few figures in the history of the American film industry enjoyed careers as successful and iconic as Marlon Brando, Jr.
The winner of two Oscars for Best Actor and nominated for six additional Academy Awards, Brando was legendary for
his brand of “method acting.” Though Brando made a name in such films as A Streetcar Named Desire, The Godfather,
and Apocalypse Now - he also pursued, and failed spectacularly - in a completely different type of venture: cattleman.
Marlon Brando, Jr. began his career in acting in New York in 1944. Brando’s talent led to a quick rise on Broadway,
with his 1947 debut in the play A Streetcar Named Desire cementing his place as a rising star. As his acting career took
off, Brando looked for secure investments for his earnings, and in 1948 purchased the first cattle for a herd in
Nebraska. Brando’s parents moved to a property Marlon, Jr. had purchased in Custer County, Nebraska, which he
named Penny Poke Ranch. Marlon Brando, Sr. was placed in charge of his son’s Nebraska investments, and was given
power of attorney to manage the cattle business.
Penny Poke Ranch, Inc. was founded to serve as a capital gains tax haven. Marlon sent his acting earnings to his father,
who funneled the cash through Penny Poke Ranch, Inc. to purchase cattle. Starting in 1949, the cattle were ranged on
rented land owned by Black Ranches Inc. The Brandos paid a per head fee for their cattle at the Black Ranches, who in
turn were contracted to ensure for their care.
From a financial perspective, Black Ranches, Inc. fared poorly and Marlon Brando, Sr. responded by increasing his
involvement with the business. With Black Ranches, Inc. strapped for cash, the Brandos forked over $37,814.16 to cover
winter feed expenses. Still unable to meet costs, Black Ranches, Inc. took out two separate mortgages from Marlon
Brando, Jr., one for $40,742.41 in 1952, and another for $36,761.01 in 1953. Meanwhile, Marlon Brando, Sr. served
as president and general manager of Black Ranches from April 1952 until he was relieved of these duties in April
1953.
At this point, Marlon Brando, Jr.’s money was all that kept the business from failing as he provided advances to the
ranch to cover expenses. His investment in the cattle business had grown to the point that in 1952 the Brandos had
1,047 head of cattle on Black Ranch land. The land was overstocked with other cattle in addition to Marlon’s MB
branded cattle. Feed bills exceeded cash flow, and despite the wealthy benefactor, Black Ranches, Inc. was forced to
file for bankruptcy in 1955. The Brandos appealed some of the rulings of the bankruptcy court, and the legal battle
went to the Eighth Circuit of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals.
The records from the Eighth Circuit Court reveal an opposite trajectory when compared to Brando’s sky-rocketing movie
career. Exhibits filed in the case show Brando’s film income in 1952 as $135,114.38. At the same time he had a net
loss of $58,615.77 with the ranch. His film income was $161,292.57 in 1953, $197, 451.57 in 1954, $201,000 in
1955, and finally $304,000 in 1956. This correlates with the highest point of his film career: Marlon Brando, Jr. was
nominated for Best Actor in 1952, 1953 and 1954, finally winning his first Oscar in 1955 for his leading role in On the
Waterfront. Meanwhile, his investments proved disastrous, losing him hundreds of thousands in the cattle business.
Marlon Brando, Jr. claimed he did not know all his father had done with his money, and though the court proceedings
did award him over $100,000, he still claimed that his father’s mismanagement of his money cost him a fortune.
The appeals case file for the Black Ranches, Inc. is part of the holdings of the National Archives at Kansas City, as cases
#17,990, 17,991, 17,992, and 17,993 from the series Briefs and Appendices, 1891-1975. (NAID 5899821)
The National Archives at Kansas City is home to most of the accessioned Court of Appeals records in the National
Archives, with appeals records from 1891 through the mid-1990s. For more information about court records visit the
National Archives Catalog.
(Images continued on next page.)
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Above: A page from the U.S. Court of Appeals volume that indicates Brando’s costs regarding the ranch. Record Group 276:
Records of the U.S. Courts of Appeals, 1891-1992; Briefs and Appendices, 1891-1975. National Archives Identifier 5899821.
Above: A page from the U.S. Court of Appeals volume that indicates Brando’s costs regarding the ranch. Record Group 276:
Records of the U.S. Courts of Appeals, 1891-1992; Briefs and Appendices, 1891-1975. National Archives Identifier 5899821.
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GENERAL INFORMATION: The National Archives is open Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed on weekends and Federal holidays. Hours are subject to
change due to special programs and weather.
The National Archives is located at 400 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, Missouri,
64108. The National Archives at Kansas City is home to historical records dating from the
1820s to the 1990s created or received by Federal agencies in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. For more information, call 816-268
us @KCArchives or #KCArchives. Find and follow us on Instagram at: kansascity.archives.
Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalarchiveskansascity.
Free Professional Development Opportunities for Educators
Penpals from the Past: American Indian Schools in the United States
Wednesday, September 25 at 7:00 p.m. - Eastern Daylight Time
Schools for Native American children and youth have existed since before the Revolutionary War. Although
encouraged by the U.S. Government, schools between 1776 and 1879 were run primarily by religious institutions and,
as a result, are not usually represented in National Archives holdings. In this webinar, we will learn about Indian
Boarding and Day School records created primarily after 1879 by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and see some
examples of class schedules and student work from then until today. This webinar is part of our Native American
professional development series. Each program features new resources for locating and using Federal records related to
American Indians and Alaska Natives. Registration is required.
An Introduction to Docs Teach
Wednesday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m. - Eastern Daylight Time
Join us for an introduction to DocsTeach.org, the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives.
Discover how to find primary sources for teaching history and civics topics. Explore the 12 different document-based
activity tools and learn how, with a free DocsTeach.org account, you can create your own activities or modify existing
activities to share with your students. This webinar is suitable for all educators. Registration is required.
Native Communities and the Vote: Teaching about American Indian Voting Rights through Documents
Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. - Eastern Daylight Time
Join us and learn how to incorporate primary sources related to American Indian voting rights into your lesson plans.
We will share activities and resources from the National Archives, and explore how to include discussions of evolving
rights over time as relating to Native Communities and the right to participate in federal elections. Registration is
required.
Teaching the Bill of Rights
Thursday, December 12 at 7:00 p.m. - Eastern Daylight Time
Get ready for Bill of Rights Day (December 15) by exploring resources from the National Archives for teaching the Bill
of Rights in your classroom. Discover primary sources that show the Bill of Rights in action on DocsTeach.org, check out
lesson plans and the Congress Creates the Bill of Rights app from the Center for Legislative Archives, and learn about
our free distance learning programs on the Bill of Rights. This webinar is suitable for all educators. Registration is
required.
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