Peggy Scoggin Holland oral history interview 2, 2005 July 26

Description

In this second interview, mortgage bank accountant Peggy Scoggin Holland defends her father Robert Scoggin, a former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Mrs. Holland begins by describing her father's work history, time in the Navy, and views on education. She then discusses Mr. Scoggin's appearances in the 1960s before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in the 1960s, which was conducting an investigation of the KKK for misappropriating funds. Mrs. Holland describes how she believes that he was treated unfairly by the committee and by the U.S. government, and that he was targeted because of his political beliefs and not financial wrongdoing. She also recounts how both her parents were disabled and the effect that had on their family and regular activities. Mrs. Holland then returns to the subject of the Un-American Activities Committee, which ultimately sent Mr. Scoggin to federal prison for nine months for contempt of court. She describes Mr. Scoggin's time in Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna, in Anthony, Texas, where he had to do manual labor in a work camp; then in a prison in Flagstaff, Arizona. Mrs. Holland talks about the KKK's lack of support for her family while her father was imprisoned, and about how other members of the organization tried to unseat him from his position after he was released. The interview concludes with Mrs. Holland describing the personalities of her brothers and father. Contrary to popular opinion, she characterizes her father as an intelligent, thoughtful, and non-violent person who believed that his work in the KKK would help fight the threat of communism in the U.S.