Box 17

Rudd collection

Documents collected by Ernest Rudd, Department of Sociology, constituting two key collections. The first is in a folder marked ‘May 1968’ containing approx. 63 items, many of which can also be found in the ‘Internal Documents’ folder of Box 14 (as noted in each case). Rudd’s May 1968 collection is nonetheless digitised and will be available here in its entirety, in part to preserve the integrity of this quite comprehensive collection, and also as there is some variation between the contents of the two folders, with many of the documents here including some helpful annotations.

The box also contains a complete set of transcripts of the Tribunal of Enquiry’s oral hearings conducted 27th-31st May, and 5th June 1968. The hearings involved a total of 41 individual cross examinations, detailed in two tables of contents (alphabetical by surname and by page range), and the list below includes the following details for each: the page range in the transcripts, the name of the witness, the reference number of any written statement(s) they submitted to the Tribunal (all located in Box 9), and their department and/or occupation as far as has been ascertained to date.

May 1968 folder

  • 13.03 Dean of Students’ letter regarding disciplinary procedures, freedom of speech and protest in wake of disruption of talk by Enoch Powell, MP (see also earlier short memo of 04.03.68 in this folder, recirculated 21.05.68; a further copy is in Box 16/1968).
  • 07.05 A clean copy of the ‘Indictment’ read out at the Inch meeting (see also annotated version in Box 9/ Ref 4).
  • 07.05 ‘Oppose Chemical and Biological Warfare’, leaflet distributed around campus following the Inch protest (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 1a).
  • 10.05 ‘Incidents at Wivenhoe House, 7th May 1968’, Registrar’s account of the Inch protest, and announcement of the three rustications (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 5).
  • 10.05 ‘A Statement’ (Andy Mack on the Porton protest and debate).
  • 10.05 ‘The Porton Down Affair’  (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 3).
  • 10.05 ‘The Porton Down Affair: Phase II’ (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 9).
  • 11.05 ‘Press Statement’ (newly-elected Student Press Officer Rick Coates) on demand for reinstatement (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 11).
  • Document (drafted 11-12.05) calling for moratorium and dialogue also circulated around campus and at Monday’s General Meeting, signed by Joan Busfield, Herbie Butterfield, and Dorothy Smith (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 16b).
  • 12.05 ‘Incidents at Wivenhoe House, 7th May 1968’ reproducing Registrar’s account, expressing concern about over-simplification, the facts and principles assumed, and offering an alternative perspective on the events; signed by Peter Wexler of the Language Centre, Stanley Mitchell of the Literature Dept., Joan Busfield from the Dept. of Sociology, and Chris Mullins in the Dept. of Physics (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 16c).
  • 12.05 Staff letter to VC protests rustication and calls for Committee of Enquiry (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 15).
  • 13.05 Registrar’s notice of extraordinary meeting of General Assembly, requisitioned by members of the University for Monday 20th May to hear Sloman’s report on the rustications, and to debate positions around current attempts to maintain discipline and formulate a Code of Conduct. The same day Sloman announces a special meeting of Senate for 15th May, and passes all responsibility onto that body.
  • 13.05 Update on actions: ‘You May Think Nothing Has Been Happening Over The Weekend – You’re Wrong’ (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 16d).
  • 13.05 Sociology Department Meeting minutes: all business deferred to allow discussion of the crisis; meeting adjourned in time for members to attend the General Meeting at 11.30am.

General Meetings, 13th May 1968

  • Busfield, Butterfield and Smith’s call for a moratorium and dialogue, possibly also considered (alongside rebuttal of Registrar’s ‘Incidents at Wivenhoe House’ and the staff letter to the VC of the 12th) at Department Meeting of Sociology, Monday 13th (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 16b).
  • Resolutions passed by the General Meeting of 11.30am (a more complete copy with the Thompson proposals and annotations is in Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 18).
  • Copy of statement read to Monday 13th meeting outlining case against the Vice Chancellor (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 25).
  • Motions passed by the General Meeting of 6.30pm (annotated copy in Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 22).
  • Letter to staff from Stanley Mitchell, Dept. of Literature, requesting participation in moratorium voted for by a fringe meeting of ‘between twenty and thirty’ members of staff.
  • An undated note on the use of CS gas (developed at Porton Down) by French riot police on student protestors in Paris.
  • ‘To all scientists – chemists as well as physicists: Galileo’s Last Speech’ soliloquy from Brecht’s Life of Galieleo.
  • 13.05 Professor Peter Townsend’s announcement of the resolutions passed by the Sociology Department Meeting in the morning and presented to the Vice Chancellor; possibly circulated at the 6.30pm General Meeting the same day (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 17).

  • 14.05 (11am) Lecturers B Reddy (Economics) and Antony Barker (Government) call for early, informal and unofficial meeting (2.30pm the same day), effectively to bring forward proposed May 20th General Assembly (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 28).
  • 14.05 Memo to Senate from Liberals Keith Ives and Brian Downie in advance of meeting called by VC for Wednesday 15th, outlining principal student grievances and reassuring that the overwhelming majority of students reject attempts to make political capital out of the situation on the part of ‘extremists’; nonetheless, Senate is warned the extremists will gain some traction if their meeting doesn’t take students’ concerns seriously.
  • 14.05 Resolution passed overwhelmingly by staff members backing proposals associated with Paul Thompson and agreed at the General Meeting and the Sociology Department Meeting the previous day (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 38).
  • 14.05 Peter Townsend memo to Sociology staff to reschedule any classes missed because of the suspension of normal teaching activities.

Free University, 14th May 1968

  • 15.05 Two letters to members of Senate, with cover note from Ian Brodie, in advance of meeting Wednesday 15th. One is an apology from Brodie to Madame Sloman and reassurance that demonstrators are committed to non-violent methods; the other is legal advice from a local firm of solicitors suggesting a possible breach of natural justice in the handling of the three rustications (the latter also in Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 40).
  • 15.05 Memo from Senate meeting announcing formulation of a Committee of Enquiry, broadly along the lines of the Thompson proposals.

Free University, 15th May 1968

  • 16.05 [dated ‘18’ but definitely seems to be a typo] transcript from BBC Today: Jean Goodman reports on late Senate meeting last night and no real progress (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 42).
  • 16.05 Statement from reconvened Senate meeting issued Thursday lunchtime (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 43; there are numerous other copies elsewhere in the archive, including Keith Ives’ own annotated copy in Box 18A).
  • 16.05 Resolutions passed at meeting of students and staff demanding reinstatement or an open meeting of Senate the following morning to discuss the matter (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 45).
  • 17.05 Free University resolutions interpreting Registrar’s notification of the day’s Senate proceedings as intending full and unequivocal reinstatement, unless members of the University are informed otherwise before the next scheduled meeting of the Free University at 2pm the following Monday, 20th. Document subsequently (e.g. in The Observer the coming weekend) referred to as students’ ‘ultimatum’ to Senate (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 45).
  • 17.05 Statement from Registrar noting that, with the two further special meetings of Senate that day, the three rusticated students were effectively reinstated by default; calls for no further action until next scheduled meeting of Wednesday 22nd (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 46).
  • 17.05 University press release on reinstatement and Committee of Enquiry (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 47).
  • 18.05 Notice of Committee of Enquiry meeting Monday 20th, including establishing of member credentials (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 49).
  • 20.05 BBC Look East transcript: Tony Scase interviews Rick Coates and Albert Sloman (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 53).
  • 20.05 Registrar’s notice that the General Assembly called for that evening has been cancelled on the request of those who had initially requisitioned it.
  • 20.05 General Meeting motion calling for a General Assembly for the evening of Tuesday 21st (‘Carried overwhelmingly’).
  • 20.05 General Meeting motion (Keith Ives) calling on Butler and Alport to substantiate their allegations of CP infiltration, and for the University to assess their suitability for office (Box 14/Internal Documents Refs 52, 58a).
  • 20.05 Senate instructions to Committee of Enquiry – permission to appoint Counsel or subcommittee, and instruction to clarify how principle of freedom of speech (in para 2 of 16th May Senate Statement) bears upon the case (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 50).
  • 20.05 Registrar’s notifications of exams proceeding as scheduled (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 51).
  • 20.05 Dept. of Sociology notice of evening staff meeting from Peter Townsend.
  • 20.05 Three resolutions from meeting of Sociology staff circulated to students: to reschedule missed classes; that Townsend will discuss the difficulties experienced by students due to the recent disruption, both with their examiners, and with any students who have been affected.
  • 20.05 Invitation to staff to attend an informal meeting early afternoon the next day, to discuss how to proceed with examinations; signed by 8 members of staff, majority from the Dept. of Literature.
  • 21.05 BBC South east Regional News transcript: announces exams as scheduled, and demands for clearing records, as well as pressure on Alport and Butler (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 58a)
  • 21.05 BBC Today transcript, Tony Scase asks Sloman if he’s going to resign; Sloman keeps the conversation squarely on the question of freedom of speech, while reasserting his (and the University’s) liberal credentials.
  • 21.05 Circular from Committee of Enquiry Chair Keith Trace announcing Tribunal of Enquiry formation, procedures and membership, and canvassing for submissions of written evidence (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 56).
  • 21.05 Copy of disciplinary structures of the University, revised March 1968 in the wake of Powell protest and recirculated with Tribunal call for submissions (nb Box 16/Campus Events includes motion of no confidence in these revised regulations, predating the May events).
  • 21.05 Recirculated copy of Dean of Students Alasdair MacIntyre’s short memo of March 4th on the Powell protest and discipline in the University (also in Box 16/1968).
  • 21.05 Motion passed by meeting of Comparative Studies CFY students rejecting all Senate directives, and especially those concerned with the scheduling and nature of examinations (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 55).
  • 21.05 (7pm) GM motions for consideration from Dorothy Smith on participatory government of University, and from Mike Gonzales on the powers of the General Assembly and student representation on Senate and in Department (Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 55).
  • 22.05 Brief note ‘distributed through pigeonholes’ reminding readers that, in accordance with the previous week’s General Assembly motion, the meeting of Senate that afternoon would be an open one (copy of the memo, with a note on the swift response, in Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 59).
  • 22.05 Resolution passed by third-year students meeting asking all departments to discuss with their students ways to limit the damage to exam performance arising from the recent disruption, suggesting either lowering the weighting of examinations, or else moderating up or down the relative weighting of exams and coursework (compare proposals in Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 58)
  • 24.05 Memo from Acting Dean of Social Studies Lipsey reaffirming commitment to exams as usual, and graded in line with published rules of assessment; extenuating circumstances would need to be taken into account, however, and for finalists and MA students who performed substantially worse than expected, the option for an oral re-examination would be available.
  • 31.05 ‘Why We Will Not Take C.F.Y. Comparative Studies Progress Exams’: leaflet circulated in response to decision to amend exam questions in light of a rumoured leak. (Copy also in Box 15/Disturbances; on leaks and re-writes see also Jean Blondel’s note in Box 14/Internal Documents Ref 63).
  • 11.06 Circular from Keith Trace confirming receipt of the Tribunal of Enquiry’s report the previous day, and soliciting statements of dis/agreement with three principles to do with the notion of free speech (copy, along with Tribunal Report and Committee of Enquiry materials on free speech all in Box 8).
  • 21.10 Memo/working paper proposing reforms to University’s Committee structure in context of the establishment of the Senate Group on Student Representation and the extraordinary General Assembly called to discuss its work on 24.10.68. Current practices almost guaranteed to arouse maximum suspicion and distrust in terms of perceived lack of transparency, openness, and inclusivity. Uses case of recent Senate decision on disciplinary structures as an example, and outlines key questions for meeting; signed Max Atkinson, Ernest Rudd, Adrian Sinfield, John Thomas, Keith Trace (see also Box 13/SGSR, Box 16/Campus events, and Box 15/Disturbances especially, inc. Hughes’ submission).

Note also the following document on the LSE occupations of January 1969, which may be read alongside similar ones in Boxes 15 and 16 as indicated below:

  • ‘What Lies Behind LSE?’ (27.01.69) unattributed document detailing disturbances of past months at a number of campuses and Art Schools in Britain, representing hypocritically ‘democratic’ Vice Chancellors as lined up with/by both coercive state apparatuses (‘special branch’), and the more ideological ‘press barons’ (on LSE see also Box 15/Revolutions, and Box 16/Campus Events, under ‘Essex Students’ Council, local and national student politics’).
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Tribunal of Enquiry hearings transcripts

pp./Name/Written sub(s) Ref #/Department/Position

There are also two draft tables of contents for the transcripts:

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