Biography: Morris L. Ernst, 1977
A Guide to the Collection of Oral History Interviews at Indiana University
Bloomington
Finding aid prepared by the staff of the Center for
the Study of History and Memory with a grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities Division of Preservation and Access, 2000-2002
Overview of the Collection
Repository
Indiana University Center for Documentary Research and Practice
Indiana University
Franklin Hall 0030B
601 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: 812/855-2856
Fax: 812/855-0002
E-mail: ohrc@indiana.edu
https://cdrp.mediaschool.indiana.edu
Creator
Indiana University Center for Documentary Research and Practice
TitleBiography: Morris L. Ernst, 1977
Project No.
ohrc022
Interviews
1 interview. Audiotapes, transcripts, and collateral
materials.
Physical Location
Interviews are housed in Franklin Hall, Room 0030B. Copies of interview transcripts are also held by the IU Libraries University
Archives.
Contact archives@indiana.edu for more information. For other locations housing the interviews
from this project, please contact the Center for Documentary Research and Practice office.
Language
Materials are in English
Abstract
Malcolm A. Hoffman discusses his relationship with Morris L. Ernst, best known for his defense in the censorship case against
Ulysses by James Joyce.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains one interview, lasting thirty minutes. The interview contains 1 reels and a typed transcription of
twelve pages.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Oral history interviews conducted by the Indiana University Center for the
Study of History and Memory from 1968 to the present, with particular focus on the
history of twentieth-century America and the Midwest.
Usage Restrictions
The archive of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice at Indiana University is open
to the use of researchers. Copies of transcript pages are available only when such copies
are permitted by the deed of gift. Scholars must honor any
restrictions the interviewee placed on the use of the interview. Since some of our earlier
(pre-computer) transcripts do not exist in final form, any editing marks in a transcript
(deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked. Audio files may not be copied for
patrons unless the deed of gift permits it, and a transcript is unavailable for that
interview. The same rules of use that apply to a transcript apply to the audio interview.
Interviews may not be reproduced in full for any public use, but excerpted quotes may be
used as long as researchers fully cite the data in their research, including accession
number, interview date, interviewee's and interviewer's name, and page(s).
Preferred Citation
[interviewee first name last name] interview, by [interviewer first name last
name], [interview date(s)], [call number], [project name], Center for Documentary Research and Practice, Indiana University,
Bloomington, [page number(s) or tape
number and side if no transcript; if digital audio and no transcript, cite time when quote occurs].
Interview List
Interviewee
Hoffman, Malcolm A.
October 26,
1977
Call Number
77-032
Physical Description
12 pages; 1 reel, 1 7/8 ips, 30 minutes; no
index
Interviewer
Stevens, Kenneth R.
Access Status
Open
Scope and Content Note
Malcolm A. Hoffman discusses his recollections of the attorney
Morris L. Ernst, born August 23, 1888, died May 1976, who was most famous for
his defense of the censorship case against
Ulyssesby James Joyce. Hoffman discusses Ernst's
physical characteristics and mannerisms. He mentions that despite Hoffman's
work in co-founding the American Civil Liberties Union and his anti-censorship
stance, he was accused of being a spy for J. Edgar Hoover. Ernst was the
representative of Rafael Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic who was
accused of murdering Jesús María Galindez. Ernst also represented Frank
Costello, a New York organized crime boss arrested for tax evasion. Because
Hoffman knew Ernst later in his career, he did not have a lot to say about the
Ulysses case, although he did mention Ernst's
autobiographies
The Best as Yet and
My Love Affair With the Law as good sources for
information about the
Ulysses case. Hoffman
finally touches upon his perceptions of Ernst's views on the definition of
pornography and its relationship to First Amendment rights.
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Keywords
-
-
Corporation Names
- American Civil Liberties Union
-
-
Geographic Names
- New York, New York
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-
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Personal Names
- Baldwin, Roger
- Cerf, Bennett
- Costello, Frank
- Galindez, Jesús María
- Hoover, J. Edgar
- Joyce, James
- Trujillo, Rafael
- Woolsey, John M.
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Subjects
-
The Best as Yet
- censorship
- First Amendment legislation
-
My Love Affair With the Law
- organized crime
- pornography
- trial strategy
-
Ulysses
