Ruth Brown, the head of the Bartlesville public library from 1919 to 1950, believed that the library should provide all kinds of materials for its patrons to read.

These included two journals that some people criticized as being “liberal” in philosophy, The Nation and The New Republic, and a few books on the people and government of Russia.

During most of Brown’s tenure at the Bartlesville library, Russia was part of the Soviet Union, which had been an ally of the United States during World War II. Consequently, many Americans – including Brown – became interested in learning about that part o...