Search Help

How does this work?
There are many ways to search the collections of the Freedom Archives. Below is a brief guide that will help you conduct effective searches. Note, anytime you search for anything in the Freedom Archives, the first results that appear will be our digitized items. Information for items that have yet to be scanned or yet to be digitized can still be viewed, but only by clicking on the show link that will display the hidden (non-digitized) items. If you are interested in accessing these non-digitized materials, please email info@freedomarchives.org.
Exploring the Collections without the Search Bar
Under the heading Browse By Collection, you’ll notice most of the Freedom Archives’ major collections. These collections have an image as well as a short description of what you’ll find in that collection. Click on that image to instantly explore that specific collection.
Basic Searching
You can always type what you’re looking for into the search bar. Certain searches may generate hundreds of results, so sometimes it will help to use quotation marks to help narrow down your results. For instance, searching for the phrase Black Liberation will generate all of our holdings that contain the words Black and Liberation, while searching for “Black Liberation” (in quotation marks) will only generate our records that have those two words next to each other.
Advanced Searching
The Freedom Archives search site also understands Boolean search logic. Click on this link for a brief tutorial on how to use Boolean search logic. Our search function also understands “fuzzy searches.” Fuzzy searches utilize the (*) and will find matches even when users misspell words or enter in only partial words for the search. For example, searching for liber* will produce results for liberation/liberate/liberates/etc.
Keyword Searches
You’ll notice that under the heading KEYWORDS, there are a number of words, phrases or names that describe content. Sometimes these are also called “tags.” Clicking on these words is essentially the same as conducting a basic search.

Search Results

SLA Communiqué - 6/1/1974 SLA Communiqué - 6/1/1974
Date: 6/1/1974Call Number: KP 426Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: SLACollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
Tape received by KPFK about the SLA leaving the Bay Area and the shootout at Mel's Sporting Goods in Los Angeles. References May 17th police murder of SLA members.
Why was Patricia Hearst Kidnapped? Why was Patricia Hearst Kidnapped?
Publisher: The RealistDate: 2/1974Volume Number: FebruaryFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
This periodical is dedicated to the conspiracy that the SLA was colluding with the FBI and the CIA and uses many of Mae Brussell's conspiracy theories.
Is SLA's Cinque the First Black Lee Harvey Oswald? Is SLA's Cinque the First Black Lee Harvey Oswald?
Authors: Mae Brussell and Stephanie CaruanaDate: 4/19/1974Volume Number: 19-AprFormat: ArticleCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
This article includes an interview of Mae Brussell, a conspiracy researcher by writer Stephanie Caruana. Mae Brussell gives an explanation of why she believes that the Symbionese Liberation Army is a hoax by the C.I.A.
The War for Patty The War for Patty
Publisher: NewsweekDate: 5/27/1974Volume Number: 27-MayFormat: ArticleCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
This article by Newsweek recaps the Los Angeles shootout of six SLA members. It outlines the day of the shootout and predicts where Patty Hearst may have escaped to.
The Dragnet Spreads for Patty The Dragnet Spreads for Patty
Publisher: NewsweekDate: 6/3/1974Volume Number: 3-JunFormat: ArticleCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
This article by Newsweek is an overview of the aftermath of the SLA shootout in Los Angeles.
Apocalypse for the SLA: The Revolution was Televised Apocalypse for the SLA: The Revolution was Televised
Author: Tim FindleyPublisher: Rolling StoneDate: 6/20/1974Volume Number: 20-JunFormat: ArticleCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
This article was written in response to the May 17, 1974 shootings of six members of the SLA. It gives a biographical snippet of the six members who were killed, Patricia Hearst, and Bill & Emily Harris.