The enclosed reports, in outline form, together with the resolutions passed by the National Board of Directors, give a fairly accurate picture of the meeting of the Board.
Since most of the discussion revolved around an extension of the remarks in the various reports and was incorporated into the resolutions passed, it will not be necessary to present a verbatim report of the meeting.
Two reports were not prepared in outline form beforehand—Pete Seeger’s introductory report and Boots Casetta’s report on the People’s Songs Bulletin.
Pete’s report included a brief recapitulation of People’s Songs work over the past three years, pointing up the major accomplishments such as the Hootenanies, recordings, branch organization, the Bulletin, the Songbook, the Convention and the election campaign.
The major shortcomings outlined by Pete are the continued lack of activity in the labor movement, the still tremendous limitations of audience and participation imposed by monopoly control of the main channels of communication, and the neglect of the whole question of affiliations to and from People’s Songs.
The job today, according to Pete, falls into two main categories: 1) The continued production and servicing work which People’s Songs has been doing through the Bulletin, songbooks, bookings, tours, etc., and 2) The expansion of a program which will begin to transform the passive audience into active participants through a program of workshop activities nationally in the various People’s Songs branches.
SOURCE Minutes of the “Meeting of National Board of Directors of People’s Songs,” December 18, 1948, New York, copy held by R. Cohen.
The Bulletin report dealt primarily with a history of the Bulletin to date, and an analysis of its shortcomings in content, form and personnel. The major portion of the new ideas concerning the Bulletin is contained in the resolution passed on setting up the new People’s Songs Bulletin.