New Deal and World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Office Files and Records of Federal Agencies (Module 24)
The centerpiece of this module is President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Office Files. Roosevelt’s Office Files constitute the heart and soul of the administrative record of the Roosevelt White House. They highlight the domestic and foreign concerns of the President and his administration. Roosevelt's policies, responses to crises, and plans for the future were all based on both classified and nonclassified information that he received and digested from all levels of government and the public. The office files represent the materials deemed especially important by the President on the basis of content and source. Major topics covered in the files are the Great Depression, the New Deal, America's involvement in World War II, the internal workings of the Roosevelt administration, and Roosevelt's personal leadership style.
Several additional collections round out this module. These collections are: FBI Reports of the Franklin D. Roosevelt White House; Civilian Conservation Corps Press Releases; Records of the Committee on Economic Security; Department of Treasury records; and a special set of documentary records on the Roosevelt Presidency covering 50 important episodes and themes of the Roosevelt presidency.
002166-035-0320 Huey Long, Louisiana Politics, and the Threat to the Presidency, Acknowledgement of letter with enclosed newspaper article entitled "The Liberal View"
Calls Huey P. Long "a dangerous influence in American public life." Refers to the "immorality" of Long's plan to redistribute wealth, in that such a plan "will inevitably encourage the hope that men and their families may live comfortably as the result of governmental gifts, rather than as the result of hard work."
002166-023-0386 Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, reception of various proposed administration initiatives in the South, including the Wage-Hours Bill
Calls the bill an act of discrimination against the South because of freight differential and cheaper cost of living in the South. Says the South needs to protect and grow industries because of anticipated increase in unemployed farm hands. Reports a growing feeling in South that the administration is becoming "indifferent" to its welfare. Includes views on the antilynching bill and concern over the growing recession.
002166-009-0032 Analysis of Japan's trend toward authoritative military control and military involvement in China
Discussion regarding Japan's formation of the Tripartite Alliance, increased concerns of the American government, and the pursuit of friendly relations between Japan and the United States.
002166-009-0150 Navy report to the Treasury Department on the Japanese oil situation
Discussion regarding Japan's oil reserves, oil and fuel suppliers, and oil needs in the event of a major war.
002166-020-0201 Commentary on the political, economic, and social advancement of women
Highlights Eleanor Roosevelt's views on women's role in home and workplace, family life, charitable and church activities, the arts, business, and politics.
002166-011-0116 FDR and Protection from Lynching, 1934-1945, forwarding of NAACP press release
Highlights include call for continued support of the Wagner- Costigan bill, request for president to end discrimination against African Americans in Civilian Conservation Corps camps, and efforts to end "lynch law."
002166-007-0453 Letter acknowledging a November 6 letter from Grew expressing his view that there is a "marked trend" on the part of the Japanese government toward improving relations with the United States, but that "we must not expect any rapid results"
Roosevelt's letter notes the adverse U.S. reaction toward the Soviet attack on Finland and predicts that "things might develop into such a feeling if the Japanese government were to fail to speak as civilized twentieth century human beings."