The Congress of American Women was an American women's rights organization. It was founded in New York on March 8 (International Women's Day) 1946 following a 1945 feminist conference in Paris. Its primary organizer was Elinor S. Gimbel (wife of Louis S. Gimbel, Jr., grandson of Adam Gimbel of Gimbels department store). It was affiliated with the Soviet sponsored organization Women's International Democratic Federation. In 1948 the organization was accused of being a communist front organization by the House Un-American Activities Committee and was forced to register as a "subversive" organization. The organization was finally dissolved in 1950. Author Eleanor Flexner was appointed executive director in 1946. Among its other members were anthropologist Gene Weltfish, aviator Jacqueline Coc