Emil Freed (June 25, 1901 - December 4, 1982) was a political activist and founder of the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research, an archive in Los Angeles.
[1] In August 1942, he asked to serve in the Volunteer Officer's Corp of the Selective Service System (SSS) as a machinist.
He was found guilty on three counts: failure to obey a court order, refusal to disperse, and disturbing the peace.
[1] During the McCarthy era, Freed collected pamphlets, films, papers and other documents that people were disposing of to distance themselves from Communist involvement.
In 1963, he founded of the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Olympic Boulevard in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles.
[6] The library contains books, pamphlets, films, tapes and individual and organizational papers on progressive, labor and social movements.