Sidney Scott papers.

Sidney (Sid) Wilfred Scott (1900-1970) was a writer, editor, and co-founder of the Communist Party of New Zealand. Born in Crawley, Sussex, his family immigrated to New Zealand in 1910, settling in Onehunga where his father continued to work as a grocer, his occupation in England.

Scott and his brother Reg were founding members of the Auckland Branch of the New Zealand Communist Party (CPNZ), which held its first meeting in April 1921. He remained a member of the Party until the crushing of the Hungarian uprising by the Soviet Union in 1956. His opposition to that event led to his resignation and subsequent suspension from the CPNZ. From 1956 to his death on 17 September 1970 he wrote articles and gave talks on political issues from an anti-Communist standpoint, though he remained devoted to humanist principles.

During the early years of the Vietnam War, he defended U.S. policies, writing letters to the New Zealand Herald using his own name, and under the pseudonym S. Wilford. His autobiography, Rebel in a wrong cause, was published in 1960.

Scott became totally blind (from glaucoma) in 1942 at the height of his career as organising-secretary of the Communist Party; but he continued his political activities which included writing for the journal In print, and the editorship of the People's Voice, released from its banning order in 1943, and the New Zealand Labour Review.

The papers in this collection date mainly from Scott's post-Communist period, but there are some exceptions noted in the inventory.

Further information: Kerry Taylor. 'Scott, Sidney Wilfred', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 11-Feb-2014. URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/biographies/4s15/scott-sidney-wilfred