The Allan L. Rock papers consist primarily of materials from the various court cases in which Rock was involved in the 1970's. The collection includes transcripts of hearings, submissions to various courts, and correspondence regarding the cases. Also included are transcripts and correspondence from several cases similar to Rock's, some of which directly benefited from the 1976 Rock decision. This collection presents some early and significant decisions about gay rights and is valuable in research about gay rights, especially surrounding issues of national security. The collection is divided into five main series: Correspondence, Intelligence Files, Litigation, Press and Topical Files.
The Correspondence series includes one folder of personal correspondence, which is primarily letters written to a 1968 love interest. The Press folder contains various letters and responses--from the obscene to the mundane -- to articles written about Rock. The primary portion of the Correspondence series is made up of letters separated from the litigation files which recount decisions and court actions. These are divide into two sub-series: non- Rock related cases and Rock. The non-Rock cases include all correspondence which came into Rock's possession from the cases of Dubbs, Fultun, Gayer, Kovalich, Preston, and Tabler. The Rock correspondence consists of 5 folders of material, is organized chronologically, and includes all correspondence between Rock and those involved in his litigation process. The Correspondence series provides a thorough chronological account of all legal actions and documents Rock's reactions to each of the cases.
The Intelligence Files series contains all files provided to Rock from the Air Force, Army, Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO), FBI, Industrial Security Clearance Review Offices (ISCRO), Navy and the U.S. Civil Service Commission. The files date from 1960 through the 1970s. Rock's original organization of this material was largely preserved, since the materials often contain multiple dates (of the request and of the original investigation).
The Litigation series contains all briefs, filings and other legal documentation of cases, all of which involve questions of the rights of homosexual individuals to hold security clearance. The series begins with the sub-series of Non-Rock Related Cases. These include cases brought by Julie Dubbs, John Napier Eaves, Roy Lee Fultun, Richard Gayer, Jean Kovalich, Elisha Stroud Marsh, Warren Gene Preston, Jack Schwarz, Oliver W. Sipple, the Society for Individual Rights, Otis Francis Tabler and Bennington Wentworth. The largest amount of material is available from the Kovalich case, which includes all legal documents and several depositions. Her case is perhaps the most interesting because of her standing as a supervisor within the Department of Defense itself. When she admitted her homosexuality, she was demoted. Eventually, she won her case. The Wentworth and Tabler cases also contain large amounts of material.
The Rock sub-series of the Litigation files consists of 1 linear foot of material. It is organized primarily by case and by chronology within each case. The folders of legal documents and briefs are supplemented by nine bound transcripts and testimonies, all labeled and dated. This sub-series consists of all legal documents for each of the cases in which Rock was involved: Rock v. CIA, Rock v. Department of Defense, and Rock v. State of California.
The Press series is organized into clippings and articles, and press releases. Both of these sub-series contain non-Rock and Rock related divisions, and all material is organized chronologically. The Non- Rock related press clippings and articles are especially interesting for the context they provide, documenting one view of homosexuality in America in the 1970s. These folders contain information about various state decisions on the legalization of homosexual activity, as well as information about the 1973 decision by the American Psychiatric Association which declared that homosexuality was no longer considered a mental disorder.
The Topical Files include an unpublished book manuscript written by Rock in 1978 called In the National Interest. This manuscript details Rock's experiences in the court system and provides his perspective on the actions and decisions of the Department of Defense. This honest account is well researched and provides more than just a re-telling of the events already detailed in the correspondence and litigation files. It includes background information about homosexuality in general, and history about homosexuals' treatment by the Department of Defense.