Permanent URL: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/vt150j254
Committee to Defend America By Aiding the Allies Records, 1940-1942: Finding Aid
MC011
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65 Olden Street
Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA
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Fax: 609-258-3385
mudd@princeton.edu
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Published in 1997
©2006 Princeton University Library
Summary Information
- Creator:
- Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies.
- Title and dates:
- Committee to Defend America By Aiding the Allies Records, 1940-1942
- Abstract:
- The Records of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies (CDAAA) document the Committee to Defend America from its inception in May 1940 to its official dissolution in October 1942. In January, 1942 CDAAA merged with the Council for Democracy to form Citizens for Victory: To Win the War, To Win the Peace. The Committee to Defend America was a propaganda organization that worked to persuade the American public that the United States should supply the Allies with as much material and financial aid as possible in order to keep the United States out of the war. During its year and a half tenure the Committee successfully garnered support from across the country and from other parts of the world.
- Size:
- 17.1 linear feet (39 boxes, and 1 oversize folder)
- Call number:
- MC011
- Location:
- Princeton University Library. Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.
Public Policy Papers.
Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA - Language(s) of material:
- English.
- Storage note:
- This collection is stored onsite at the Mudd Manuscript Library.
History of the Committee to Defend America By Aiding the Allies
The Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies was a propaganda organization formed in May, 1940 by William Allen White of the Kansas City Emporia Gazette and Clark M. Eichelberger of the League of Nations Association. White and Eichelberger envisioned the Committee as a means of determining and molding public opinion throughout the country regarding the United States' position on aid to the Allied cause. Upon formation the Committee's concern was only to “Aid the Allies.” However, throughout its tenure the Committee adopted several concrete goals: the sale of destroyers to Great Britain; the release by the U.S. government of Flying Fortresses, pursuit planes, and mosquito boats to Great Britain; the passage of the Lend-Lease Bill in Congress; the use of convoys to safely escort Allied supplies; and the revision of the 1935 Neutrality Act to arm U.S. ships for defense against Axis attacks. At no time did the Committee ever ask for a declaration of war, although by October 1941, with the sinking of the destroyer “Reuben James”, committee policy did recognize that active participation in the war was quickly becoming inevitable.
White and Eichelberger organized the Committee through a telegram sent out under White's name asking a group of people for their support of the Committee. The response was quick and positive, and during the next few days support from across the country poured in forming the basis of the National Committee of the organization with William Allen White as the chair and Clark Eichelberger as the executive director. White served as the National Committee Chair from May 1940 to January 1941 when he resigned due to ill-health and age, as well as disagreements within the Committee on policy matters. After White's resignation Ernest W. Gibson became the Committee Chair until called to active duty in the spring of 1941. At this time Clark Eichelberger took over the position until the dissolution of the Committee in January 1942. The Executive Committee of the Committee to Defend America was formed with Hugh Moore as the chair and Frederick C. McKee as the treasurer. Other members of the Executive Committee were Thomas K. Finletter, Frank G. Boudreau, Lewis W. Douglas, all of New York City; and Mrs. Emmons Blaine of Chicago, Illinois. With the resignation of White the Committee made an effort to restructure itself and enlarge both the Executive Committee and the National Policy Committee in an effort to democratize the policy-making procedures of the Committee.
The National Committee headquarters operated out of the New York City office. Robert F. Duncan (Assistant to Clark Eichelberger, National Director) was in charge of running this office. Other regional headquarters were established in San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, Chapel Hill, NC, and eventually in Chicago, IL in order to more easily facilitate the organization and maintenance of the state and local chapters. In addition to a small paid staff in New York City, 4,350 people worked as volunteers at the National Headquarters. The National Headquarters Office was divided into the following divisions: Administrative Management; Executive Committee; National Committee; Fund Raising; State and Local Committees; Publicity; Radio and Speakers Bureau; Women's Division; College Division; Youth Division; and Labor Division.
Although the National Committee eventually grew to number approximately 600 members, the State and Local Chapters formed the backbone of the Committee to Defend America. State and Local Chapters were formed in every state, as well as in the U.S. Territories of Alaska, Hawaii and the Virgin Islands and in Canada. In addition to the State and Local Chapters other divisions and committees were formed for various sectors of the membership. These included the Historians Committee, Scientists Committee, Artists Committee, Writers Committee, Women's Division, Labor Division, College Division, and Youth Division. Most of the members of these various committees and divisions were members of their local chapters, but also participated in the more specialized committees. An “Americans in Britain” chapter was formed in England, and the Committee garnered support from people all over the world. The smaller, specialized committees which did not have their own division in the National Committee Office were supervised by the State and Local Committee Division or the Administrative Management as appropriate.
The Committee to Defend America supported itself through fund-raising activities and voluntary contributions from its membership. Contributions averaged $25.00 per individual, although one contribution was as large as $10,000.00, and the smallest was $.12 in food stamps. The Committee kept in touch with its membership through printed newsletters, flyers, pamphlets and newspaper advertisements, as well as through radio spots and rallies. The Women's Division sponsored song and poster contests in an effort to raise the visibility of the Committee to an even higher level. Buttons, stickers, matchbooks, and car plates were also made available to the general public to raise funds. In addition to Field Representatives sponsored by the State and Local Chapter Division, the Committee also sponsored well-known individuals to speak on behalf of the Committee's aims.
With the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese the Committee to Defend America acknowledged that its work had come to an end, at least in its present incarnation. Committee members agreed, though, that there was still work to be accomplished, specifically to prepare the United States for the peace to come after the war. The Committee to Defend America joined with the Council for Democracy to form Citizens for Victory: To Win the War, To Win the Peace. This organization was not as active nor as well known as the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies. By this time people were caught up with actual war work and could not be as easily persuaded to think about the future. Though the Committee to Defend America dissolved itself for all practicable purposes in January 1941, the official cessation did not occur until October 1942.
Description
Consists of files relating to the political, educational, and fund-raising activities of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies. Included are 1) correspondence (such as that of Roger S. Greene, associate director of the Committee), daily reports, and subject files of the Committee’s administrative management division at its national headquarters office in New York City; 2) executive committee correspondence and minutes; 3) state and local chapters material--correspondence, field representatives files, chapter records; 4) records of college, labor, and women’s divisions; 5) fund-raising files from the Committee’s NYC headquarters; and 6) published materials put out by the Committee, such as cartoons, Christmas cards, newsletters, pamphlets, press releases, radio transcripts, and speeches. Other Committee members who figure prominently in the collection are Ernest W. Gibson, national director until the spring of 1941; Hugh Moore, chairman of the executive committee; Frederick C. McKee, treasurer; and Robert F. Duncan, assistant to the national director.
Arrangement
Organized into the following series:
- Series 1: Administrative Management
- Subseries 1A: Correspondence
- Subseries 1B: Daily Reports
- Subseries 1C: Subject File
- Series 2: Executive Committee
- Subseries 2A: Correspondence
- Subseries 2B: Minutes
- Subseries 2C: National Committee
- Subseries 2D: National Policy Board
- Series 3: State and Local Chapters
- Subseries 3A: Administrative
- Subseries 3B: Correspondence
- Subseries 3C: Field Representatives
- Subseries 3D: Chapter Records
- Series 4: Divisions
- Subseries 4A: College Division
- Subseries 4B: Labor Division
- Subseries 4C: Women's Division
- Series 5: Fund Raising
- Subseries 5A: Correspondence
- Subseries 5B: Finance Committee
- Subseries 5C: Subject File
- Subseries 5D: Appeals
- Subseries 5E: Contributors
- Series 6: Publications
- Series 7: Oversize Materials
Access and Use
Access
Collection is open for research.
Restrictions on Use and Copyright Information
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Curator of the Public Policy Papers. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Acquisition and Appraisal
Provenance and Acquisition
Hugh Moore, owner of the Dixie Cup, Co. and Executive Chair of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies donated the records to the Princeton in 1968. Other materials added to the collection include New York City Chapter materials found in the Fight for Freedom Committee, Inc. collection, also at the Mudd Library.
Appraisal
An attempt has been made to organize the records of the Committee in a way that reflects as closely as possible the original order and the way in which the Committee used the records, or when this was not possible, arranging the records in as usable an order as possible. Due to the short-term life of the Committee combined with the extremely large amount of paper work produced within this time a great deal of duplication occurred, and the files were not always kept in a consistently ordered fashion. All divisions of the Committee to Defend America worked closely with each other, and the intermingling of materials reflects this. This is especially true of the Administrative Management, which oversaw all of the divisions of the Committee and this series contains material from all divisions.
Processors discarded almost all of the financial files including all bank deposits, ledgers, checks, vouchers, and receipts. Related financial material can be found in the following series: Series 1: Administrative Management, Daily Reports; Series 2: Executive Committee minutes; and in Series 6: Fund Raising. Other discarded materials include 25 card file drawers containing membership cards and contribution receipts, duplicate materials, materials published by organizations other than the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies and organizations with which the Committee merged.
Related Materials
Related Archival Material
The Hugh Moore Papers [MC153] contain several folders of material kept by Moore on the Committee to Defend America, including correspondence between members of the Executive Committee, newspaper clippings, and other related materials which reflect Moore's role in the Committee.
Processing and Other Information
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Melissa A. Johnson in May 1992. Finding aid written by Melissa A. Johnson in May 1992.
Descriptive Rules Used
Finding aid content adheres to that prescribed by Describing Archives: A Content Standard.
Encoding
Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD 2002 by Techbooks and Cristela García-Spitz on November 3, 2006.
Finding aid written in English.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies Records, Box and Folder Number; Public Policy Papers, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
Subject Headings
These materials have been indexed in the Princeton University Library online catalog using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.
- Corporations, Nonprofit -- United States -- 20th century.
- Lend-lease operations (1941-1945)
- Labor unions and foreign policy -- United States -- 20th century.
- United States -- Foreign relations -- 1933-1945.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Economic aspects.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Propaganda.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- United States -- Public opinion.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- War work -- United States.
- Correspondence.
- Daily reports.
- Publications.
- Records.
- Duncan, Robert F.
- Eichelberger, Clark M. (Clark Mell), 1896-1980.
- Gibson, Ernest W., 1901-1969.
- Greene, Roger Sherman, 1881-1941.
- McKee, Frederick C.
- Moore, Hugh, 1887-1972.
- White, William Allen, 1868-1944.
Browse other finding aids related to the following terms:
Contents List
Series 1: Administrative Management
Series Description
Series 1: Administrative Management: The Administrative Management division of the Committee to Defend America was in charge of the day-to-day work of the Committee at the New York City National Headquarters office, under the general daily supervision of Robert F. Duncan. Included in this series are four groups of correspondence: General Correspondence (1940 June-1941 December); Roger S. Greene's Correspondence files (1940 August-1941 December); Inter-Office Correspondence (1940 June-1942 May); and State and Local Chapter Correspondence (1940 December-1941 December). Also included are Daily Reports (1940 May-1941 July) and the Subject Files (1940 May-1941 December).
Subseries 1A: Correspondence
CORRESPONDENCE--General, (1940 May-1941 Dec)
The General Correspondence (1940 May-1941 Dec) contains correspondence from members of State and Local Chapters to the National Committee, and correspondence between members of the Administrative Management personnel. The latter includes Clark M. Eichelberger (National Director), Thomas Powers (who became National Director in 1941 when Ernest Gibson was called to active duty), Alex W. Burger (Technical Assistant for the National Committee), Robert F. Duncan (Assistant to the National Director), Alfreda Sill (Publicity Department), Roger S. Greene (Associate Director), and Frances Thomas [Mrs. Harrison Thomas] (Assistant to Clark M. Eichelberger and Director of the State and Local Chapter Division). In addition to correspondence there are memoranda related to individuals who wrote to, or called the Committee to Defend America. While these materials date from 1940 May to 1941 December, the bulk of the material dates from 1940 June to 1940 October. This material is arranged alphabetically by writer, and in reverse chronological order for each individual. Folders for individuals exist for the following people: Julian H. Barnes, Basil Brewer, Frederick C. McKee (Treasurer), Hugh Moore (Executive Chair), G.A. More (Minneapolis chapter), E.Guy Talbot (Director, West Coast Regional Office in San Francisco, CA), and William Allen White.
A-M, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 1 Barnes, Julian H.
Box 1 Brewer, Basil
Box 1 McKee, Frederick C., 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 1 M-Z, 1940 May-1942 Feb
Box 2 Moore, Hugh, 1940 May-1942 Feb
[4 folders]
Box 2 More, G.A.
[2 folders]
Box 2 Talbot, E. Guy, 1940 Oct-1941 Dec
Box 2 White, William Allen
Box 2 CORRESPONDENCE--Roger S. Greene, (1940 August-1941 December)
Roger S. Greene's correspondence (1940 August-1941 December) documents his position as Associate Director of the Committee which he held from 1940 August to 1941 December. As Associate Director Greene dealt with a variety of issues on both the national level and within the New York City Office. Greene often fielded questions regarding policy from members of the Committee and was involved in policy-making decisions. Individual folders exist for the following people: Esther Caukin Brunauer (American Association of University Women, member of National Policy Board), Lewis W. Douglas (Chair of the National Board of the Committee to Defend America), Livingston Hartley (Washington D.C. office of CDA), Frederick C. McKee (Treasurer CDA), Mrs. Jean Rushmore Patterson (Women's Division), Thomas L. Power (CDA Adm. Mgt.), Julian Randolph, Evarts Seelye Scudder, William Allen White (Chair, CDA), and P.L. Young. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by writer, and in reverse chronological order for each individual.
B-E
Box 3 Brunauer, Esther Caukin
Box 3 Douglas, Lewis W.
Box 3 F-M
Box 3 Hartley, Livingston, 1940 Nov-1941 Dec
[3 folders]
Box 3 McKee, Frederick C., 1940 Nov-1941 Jun
Box 3 Moore, Hugh, 1940 Dec-1941 Jul
Box 3 N-W
Box 4 Patterson, Mrs. Rushmore, 1940 Nov-1941 Apr
Box 4 Power, Thomas L., 1941 Feb-1941 Nov
Box 4 Randolph, Julian, 1940 Oct-1941 Apr
Box 4 Scudder, Evarts Seelye, 1940 Dec-1941 Apr
Box 4 White, William Allen, 1940 Nov-1941 Apr
Box 4 Y-Z
Box 5 Young, P.L., 1940 Aug-1941 Feb
Box 5 CORRESPONDENCE--Inter-Office, (1940 June-1942 May)
The Inter-Office Correspondence (1940 June-1942 May) consists of correspondence and memoranda between the employees of the Committee at the National Headquarters in New York City and the Washington D.C. office. Much of this relates to routine office matters, but there is also a great deal of information on the workings of the Committee in relation to policy decisions, goals of the Committee to Defend America, and committees that merged with the Committee, all showing how the Committee accomplished its goals. The material is arranged in reverse chronological order within the folders.
1940 Jun-1942 May
[20 folders]
Box 5 CORRESPONDENCE--State & Local Chapters, (1940 December-1941 December)
The State and Local Chapter Correspondence (1940 December-1941 December) contains correspondence between members of State and Local Chapters and personnel at National Headquarters, mainly with Roger S. Greene, but also with Thomas L. Power. The Chapter Records in Series 3 contain the bulk of the correspondence with State and Local Chapters, however this is carried on mainly with Mrs. Frances Harrison Thomas, in charge of the State and Local Chapter Division, whereas correspondence in this section is with other Committee personnel. Folders exist for the following individuals: Donald C. Blaisdell (Washington, D.C. office and Field Representative), William Emerson (Chair of the New England Regional Division of CDA), and Frank S. Goodwin (Chicago Chapter, CDA).
A
Box 5 B-Z
Box 6 Blaisdell, Donald C., 1940 Dec-1941 Jul
Box 6 Emerson, William, 1940 Dec-1941 Nov
Box 6 Goodwin, Frank S., 1941 Mar-1941 May
Box 6 Subseries 1B: Daily Reports, (1940 May-1941 July)
Subseries Description
The Daily Reports (1940 May-1941 July) present a day-to-day diary of the activities of the New York City National Headquarters Office. While not useful on their own, these files are extremely helpful in supplementing information about the Committee's activities during a specific time period. Also included in these reports are the current number of members of the National Committee, local chairs, volunteers, gifts/contributions received, and amount of published material sent out. The Daily Reports are arranged in chronological order by folder, and are in reverse chronological order within each folder.
1940 May-1940 Dec
[7 folders]
Box 7 1941 Jan-1941 Jul
[7 folders]
Box 7 Subseries 1C: Subject Files
Subseries Description
The Subject Files (1940 May-1941 December) consist of the working reference files used by the Administrative Management staff in the New York City National Headquarters office. They are arranged alphabetically by subject and are in chronological order within each folder. Topics covered include many organizations with which the Committee was sympathetic and sometimes cooperated, such as the American Committee for the Non-Participation in Japanese Aggression (of which Roger S. Greene was a member), the Council for Democracy, the Fight for Freedom Committee, and the Save the Children Foundation. Also included are folders on many isolationist organizations to which the Committee was opposed. A great deal of this material consists of informational pamphlets and bulletins, but there is also correspondence with members of these groups as well. In addition to subject files for other organizations there are subject files for specific phases and aspects of the Committee to Defend America's own work. These include some of the smaller specialized committees such as the Aviation Committee and the Artists' Committee. There are folders relating to the four main issues pursued by the Committee: the sale of Destroyers and other ships and planes; the passage of the Lend-Lease Act; the use of convoys; and the Revision of the 1935 Neutrality Act. The Administrative Management also created files to use as reference for fielding the innumerable questions asked by members regarding the Committee's views, what they could do as individuals to aid the Allies, and what was really occurring in Europe. The Committee sponsored at the behest of Frederick C. McKee (Treasurer), shortwave radio broadcasts from France aired on Station WRUL in Boston. The scripts, mostly in French, are located in Series 6: Publications–Radio Transcripts, but the correspondence and a report on the effectiveness of these broadcasts is included in the Subject File.
Advertisements
Reaction to, 1941 May
Box 7 Stop Hitler, Now!, 1940 Jun
Box 7 Agricultural Situation, 1941 Jan
Box 7 Amerasia, 1940 Nov-1941 Jan
Box 7 America First Committee
Correspondence, 1940 Dec-1941 Jul
Box 7 Memoranda, 1940 Oct-1940 Dec;undated
Box 7 Newpaper Clippings and Pamphlets
Box 7 American Committee for Defense of British Homes, 1940 Jul-1941 Aug
Box 7 American Committee for the Non-Participation in Japanese Aggression, 1941 Feb-1941 Mar
Box 7 American Defenders of Freedom, 1940 May-1941 Mar
Box 7 American Legion, 1940 Aug-1941 Sep
Box 7 American Overseas Defense Committee, 1941 Feb
Box 7 American Peace Mobilization, 1941 Mar
Box 7 American Volunteers/Foreign Enlistments, 1941 Mar
Box 7 Anti-Semitism – Congress: Rankin (Miss.) and Edelstein, 194[1] Jun
Box 7 Artists' Committee, 1940 Jul
Box 7 Aviation Committee, 1940 Jul-1941 Jun;undated
Box 7 British Empire and British Commonwealth, Composition of, 1941 Jan
Box 7 “Buy British”, 1940 Nov-1941 May
Box 7 Caskets, Purchase of (War Department), No Date
Box 7 Change of Committee Name, 1941 May-1941 Jun
Box 7 Clergymen, 1941 Jun
Box 7 Convention Plan, National, 1940 Dec
Box 7 Convoy Situation, 1941 Mar-1941 May
Box 7 Council for Democracy, 1941
Box 7 Council of One Thousand, 1940 Nov-1941 Mar
Box 7 Crank Letters, 1940 Jul-1941 Nov
Box 7 Destroyers, 1940 Jul
Box 8 Emergency basis, 1941 Apr
Box 8 Emergency powers of the President, 1940 Aug-1941 Jun
Box 8 Employees of CDAAA
Box 8 English Speaking Union, 1941 Feb
Box 8 Exporters: Steel and Iron Control Regulations, 1940 Nov-1941 Mar
Box 8 Facts About the Comm. to Defend America, 1940 Sep
Box 8 Far Eastern Situation, 1940 Dec-1941 Jun
Box 8 Fashion Show
Box 8 Federal Research, 1940 Nov-1940 Dec
Box 8 Field Workers
Box 8 Fight For Freedom Committee, 1941 Apr-1941 Jul
Box 8 Financial Reports, 1940 Jun-1942 Nov
Box 8 Flying Crusade, undated
Box 8 Food for Europe, 1940 Aug
Box 8 France Forever Committee
Box 8 Franco-American Meeting, 1940 Nov
Box 8 Fraudulent Post Cards, 1941 Mar-1941 Jun
Box 8 Freedom Rally [New York Chapter], 1941 Apr-1941 May
Box 8 French Radio Broadcasts Worldwide Broadcasting Foundation, WRUL
Correspondence, 1940 Jun-1941 Feb
Box 8 Report, undated
Box 8 Friends of Democracy (Kansas City, MO), 1941 Jan-1941 Jun
Box 8 Friends of the French Republic, Aims of the (Les Amis de la Democratic Francais), 1941 Jan
Box 8 Fur Workers Committee, 1940 Nov
Box 8 German-American Relief Committee, 1941 Mar
Box 8 Greek Relief, 1940 Nov-1940 Dec
Box 8 Harlem Committee, 1940[?] Aug
Box 8 Harriman-Wheeler Letter, 1941 Sep
Box 8 Harvard Group, American Defense, 1940 Nov-1941 Jul
Box 8 Hoover Plan for Feeding Five Democracies, 1941 Apr
Box 8 Iceland Situation, 1941 Jul
Box 8 International Coordination Council, No Date
Box 8 Irish Situation, 1940 Nov-1941 Jan
Box 8 Japan, Boycott, 1941 Apr
Box 8 Japan, Embargo on, 1940 Nov-1941 Apr
Box 8 Lend-Lease Bill H.R. 1776
General, 1941 Jan-1941 Apr
Box 8 Correspondence, A-Z, 1941 Feb-1941 Mar
Box 8 London Outpost of CDAAA, 1940 Nov
Box 8 Loyal Americans of German Descent, 1941 Apr-1941 Jul
Box 8 Mail, Digest of, 1940 Jun-1940 Jul
Box 8 Meetings and Broadcasts Scheduled, 1940 Sep-1941 Jan
Box 8 Negro Situation, 1940 Jun-1941 Jul
Correspondence
Box 8 Pamphlets and Clippings
Box 8 Neutrality Act, 1940 Nov-1941 Jun
Box 9 New Chapter Division, 1941 Feb-1941 Apr,undated
Box 9 Newsletter, Plan for Weekly, 1940 Jul
Box 9 New York Committee to Aid Britain by Reciprocal Trade, 1941 May
Box 9 News Service, William Allen White Committee, 1940 Aug
Box 9 Newsletter Plan for Weekely Washington
Box 9 No Foreign Wars Committee
Box 9 Offers of Assistance, 1941 Jan-1941 Jul
Box 9 Oil Shipments to Japan, 1941 May-1941 Jul
Box 9 Opposition Publicity Organization of CDAAA, no date
Box 9 Organizations in favor of Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies
Box 9 Peace Mobilization Conference, Chicago, IL, 1940 Aug-1940 Sep
Box 9 Petitions [Correspondence re], 1940 Nov-1941 Jun
Box 9 Plans for CDAAA, 1940 Oct
Box 9 Posters, 1941 Feb-1941 Apr
Box 9 President of U.S., Address to by Lewis W. Douglas and Mrs. J. Borden Harriman (1941 May 22), 1941 May-1941 Jun
Box 9 Promotional Material, Catalogue, 1940 Aug-1940 Dec
Box 9 Publicity Schedules, 1940 Aug-1940 Oct
Box 9 Registration for Fund-Raising, 1940 Jun
Box 9 Speakers Bureau, 1940 Jul
Box 9 Statement of Program [CDAAA], 1940 Jul-1940 Oct
Box 9 St. Lawrency Waterway Project, Niagra/Buffalo Committee, 1941 Mar-1941 Apr
Box 9 Save the Children Federation [Sir Robert Mayer], 1941 Jan-1941 Jun
Box 9 Scotland, American Medical Clubs of, 1940 Nov-1941 Jan
Box 9 Scottish Clans Evacuation Plan, Committee of the, 1941 Feb
Box 9 Scrap Metals, collection of, 1940 Aug-1941 Mar
Box 9 Student Defenders of Democracy, undated
Box 9 Suggestions, A-Z, 1940 Jun-1941 Jul
[5 folders]
Box 9 Suggestions Compilations, 1940 Jun
Box 10 Suggestions
Response to 1941 Feb Statement of Policy, 1941 Mar
Box 10 Response to 1941 May Statement of Policy, 1941 May-1941 Jun
Box 10 Response to 1941 Sep Statement of Policy, 1941 Sep-1941 Oct
Box 10 United Americans [Orville McPherson, National Chair], 1941 Feb-1941 May
Box 10 War Referendum Ludlow Agreement, 1941 Jun-1941 Jul
Box 10 Wheeler, Senator Burton K., 1940 Aug-1941 May
Box 10 White, William A., Letters and telegrams, 1940 May-1940 Sep
Box 10 Writers Committee, 1941 Jan
Box 10 Women United, 1941 Apr
Box 10 Young America, 1941 Apr
Box 10 Series 2: Executive Committee, (1940 June-1942 Jan)
Series Description
Series 2: Executive Committee (1940 June-1942 Jan) contains material relating to the Executive Committee of the Committee to Defend America as well as the National Committee and the National Policy Board. All material in this series is arranged chronologically. The Executive Committee material consists of correspondence (1941 January-1941 April) and minutes (1940 June-1942 January) of the Executive Committee. The correspondence is not very extensive, but consists of memoranda and letters relating to the activities of the Executive Committee. The bulk of the material consists of the minutes of the Executive Committee from 1940 June through 1942 January. The minutes are complete, including all attachments, from 1940 June to 1941 July, but from 1941 August through 1942 January consist only of carbon copies of the recorded minutes. Attachments include budgets, memoranda, correspondence referred to in the minutes, and other related materials.
The National Committee material (1940 May-1941 June) contains two subseries: lists of members and correspondence; and invitations to serve as members of the National Committee. The National Policy Board materials (1940 June-1941 December) contain four subseries: lists of members and correspondence; invitations to serve; minutes of National Policy Board meetings; and correspondence. Neither the National Committee nor the National Policy Board files document fully the activities of these two committees.
Subseries 2A: Correspondence
Correspondence, 1941 Jan-1941 Apr
Box 10 Subseries 2B: Minutes
Minutes, 1940 Jun-1942 Jan
[10 folders]
Subseries 2C: National Committee
Members, 1940 May-1941 Jan
Box 11 Invitation to serve, 1940 Oct-1941 Jun
Box 11 Subseries 2D: National Policy Board
Members, 1940 Aug-1941 Mar
Box 11 Invitations to serve, 1941 Feb-1941 Jun
Box 11 Minutes, 1940 Sep-1941 Mar
Box 11 Correspondence, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 11 Series 3: State and Local Chapters
Series Description
Series 3: State and Local Chapters makes up the largest series of the collection. As noted the State and Local Chapters were the strength of the Committee. Each chapter, or, rather, the head of each chapter, was overseen by Frances Thomas [Mrs. Harrison Thomas] from the National Headquarters Office in New York City. Mrs. Thomas and her staff maintained an extensive correspondence with the chapters giving advice on how chapters should be organized and maintained, dealt with specific problems as they arose, and also explained Committee policy decisions to members. In essence, Mrs. Thomas played the role of liaison between the State and Local Chapters and the Executive Committee, the National Committee, National Policy Committee, and the Administrative Management in New York City. There is correspondence between State and Local Chapters and Committee staff in almost every series. Rather than bringing it all together the correspondence has been kept with the division to which the members wrote. Thus, there is correspondence in the following locations: Series 1: Administrative Management–Correspondence (all sections) and Subject File–Suggestions; Series 6: Fund Raising–Correspondence (State and Local Chapters), Finance Committee (Chapter Correspondence), and Contributors (Correspondence). The State and Local Chapters series is broken down into four subseries: Administrative; Correspondence; Field Representatives; and State and Local Chapter Records.
Subseries 3A: Administrative, (1940 October-1941 April)
Subseries Description
The Administrative subseries (1940 October-1941 April) contains information on the organization of chapters as of 1941 April and the status of chapters (1940 Oct-1940 Nov) as directed by the National Headquarters office in New York City. It also contains questionnaires filled out by State and Local Chapters regarding their formation, membership and views on the Committee. This material is arranged in chronological order.
Chapter Organization, 1941 Apr
Box 11 Status of Chapters, 1940 Oct-1940 Nov
Box 11 Questionnaires [#1-39]
[2 folders]
Box 11 Subseries 3B: Correspondence, (1941 October-1942 May)
Subseries Description
The Correspondence subseries (1941 October-1942 May) consists of Mrs. Thomas' correspondence with members of the Administrative Management staff and other personnel of the Committee to Defend America. The correspondence is arranged in chronological order. Mrs. Thomas remained with the organization after the formation of Citizens for Victory, and correspondence from this period is included here.
Thomas, Frances [Mrs. Harrison Thomas], 1941 Oct-1942 May
Box 11 Subseries 3C: Field Representatives, (1940 July-1942 June)
Subseries Description
The subseries titled Field Representatives (1940 July-1942 June) contains files on members of the Committee to Defend America who traveled across the country to different chapters helping in the formation of chapters as well as aiding chapters in working out problems, fund-raising, and educating chapter members on issues of importance to the Committee. Some Field Representatives travelled from the East Coast to other parts of the country, while some Field Representatives only traveled within their own area. Donald C. Blaisdell, who later served in the U.S. Department of State, was the Washington D.C. representative for the Committee and traveled throughout the east and the south. Theodore Smith, an M.I.T. professor travelled during the summer over the entire country. Smith's reports written back to the New York Office, mostly to Mrs. Thomas and also to Clark Eichelberger are extremely detailed, well-written, and reflect Smith's sense of humor quite well. Marie F. McGuire, from Minnesota traveled throughout the midwestern states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa; and A.C. Winters spent time working in Detroit, MI as well as other areas in the midwest. Washington Platt, of Syracuse, NY, E. Fred Cullen, and Mather Elliot also traveled through various sections of the country. Field Representative who are not represented in this subseries include Martha Boswell from Georgia and Benjamin Merritt of Princeton, NJ. Correspondence with Field Representatives can also be found in Series 1: Administrative Management (General Correspondence and Roger S. Greene Correspondence) and in this Series in the State and Local Chapter Records in each representative's respective state. The files are arranged alphabetically according to the Field Representative's last name, and are arranged chronologically within those files.
Blaisdell, Donald C., 1940 Nov-1941 Feb
Box 11 Cullen, E. Fred, 1941 Jun-1941 Jul
Box 11 Elliot, Mather, 1941 Nov-1942 Feb
Box 11 Goodwin, Frank S., 1941 Apr-1941 May
Box 11 McGuire, Marie F., 1941 Feb-1941 Nov
[2 folders]
Box 11 Platt, Washington, 1941 May-1941 Jun
Box 11 Smith, Theodore, 1940 Jul-1941 Mar
[2 folders]
Box 11 Winters, A.C., 1941 Oct-1942 Jun
[3 folders]
Box 12 Subseries 3D: Chapter Records
Subseries Description
The State and Local Chapter Records are grouped according to state, then by city or region, and chronologically within each city or region. Often the Chapter Records include Citizens for Victory materials dating beyond December 1941. Material relating to the regional offices of the National Committee is included within the State and Local Chapter Records of the following chapters: San Francisco, CA [Pacific/West Coast Headquarters, E. Guy Talbot, Chair]; Atlanta, GA [Southern Zone, Armand May as Chair]; Chicago, IL [Midwest Headquarters; Adlai Stevenson, and subsequently, John A. Morrison, Chair]; Boston, MA [New England Headquarters, William Emerson, Chair]; and Chapel Hill, NC [Frank S. Goodwin [or Frank P. Graham?, Chair]. The New York City Chapter was extremely active in the work of the Committee, although at times took a much more progressive attitude toward issues than Committee policy dictated. Many problems arose because of this, and the New York City Chapter eventually officially merged with the New York City Fight for Freedom Chapter as a result of these disagreements. At the end of this series are the records of chapters in the then U.S. Territories of Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as chapters Canada and Europe. For the most part the members or correspondents are U.S. citizens living outside of the country. Many chapters published newsletters for their members; some of these can be found in Series 6: Publications subseries Newsletters.
Alabama
Birmingham, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 12 Mobile, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 12 Montgomery, 1941 Jan-1941 May
Box 12 Sheffield, 1940 Oct-1942 Jul
Box 12 Tuscaloosa, 1941 Aug-1941 Oct
Box 12 Arizona
Phoenix, 1940 Jun-1942 Jan
Box 12 Tucson, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
Box 12 Arkansas
Clarksville, 1940 Jun-1941 Sep
Box 12 Marianna, 1941 Apr-1941 Oct
Box 12 California
Anaheim, 1940 Aug-1942 Jan
Box 12 Arcadia, 1940 Aug-1941 Sep
Box 12 Auburn, 1941 Jan-1941 Oct
Box 12 Berkeley, 1940 Jul-1942 Mar
Box 12 Buellton, 1941 Feb-1941 Aug
Box 12 Chico, 1940 Jun-1941 Sep
Box 12 Claremont, 1940 Jun-1941 Jan
Box 12 California
Box 12 Fillmore, 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 12 Fresno, 1940 Sep-1941 Oct
Box 12 Gardena, 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 12 La Jolla, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 12 Long Beach, 1940 Jun-1941 Jul
Box 12 Los Angeles, 1940 May-1941 Dec
[6 folder]
Box 12 Los Gatos, 1940 Jul-1941 Oct
Box 13 Oakland, 1940 Aug-1940 Dec
Box 13 Ojai, 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 13 Palo Alto, 1940 Jun-1942 Mar
Box 13 Pasadena, 1940 Jun-1942 Jan
(2 folders)
Box 13 San Diego, 1940 Jun-1942 May
Box 13 San Francisco, 1940 May-1942 May
[12 folders]
Box 13 Santa Barbara, 1940 Jun-1942 May
(3 folders)
Box 14 Santa Monica, 1940 Jun-1942 Jan
Box 14 Colorado
Colorado Branch, Report of Office Activities, 1941 Jan-1941 Mar
Box 14 Colorado Springs, 1940 Jul-1942 Jan
Box 14 Denver, 1940 May-1942 Jul
[6 folders]
Box 14 Pueblo, 1940 Aug-1941 Nov
Box 14 Connecticut
Box 14 Bridgeport, 1941 May-1941 Dec
Box 14 Bristol, 1940 Dec-1942 Jul
Box 14 Brookfield, 1940 Sep-1941 Dec
Box 14 Darien, 1940 Jun-1942 Apr
Box 14 Greenwich, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 14 Hartford, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
[3 folders]
Box 14 New Canaan, 1940 Jun-1942 Mar
Box 14 New Haven, 1940 May-1942 Jul
[4 folders]
Box 15 Newtown, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
Box 15 Norwalk, 1940 Jun-1941 Oct
Box 15 Salisbury, 1940 Oct-1942 Apr
Box 15 Sharon, 1940 Sep-1941 Nov
Box 15 Stamford, 1940 Dec-1941 Nov
Box 15 Waterbury, 1940 Jun-1942 Apr
Box 15 Delaware
Dover, 1940 Jun-1942 Mar
Box 15 Newark, 1940 Jun-1941 Oct
Box 15 District of Columbia, 1940 May-1942 Jan
(3 folders)
Box 15 Florida
Bradenton, 1940 Sep-1941 Oct
Box 15 Gainesville, 1940 Oct-1942 Jan
Box 15 Homestead, 1940 Jul-1941 Apr
Box 15 Jacksonville, 1940 Jun-1942 Jan
[2 folders]
Box 15 Miami, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
[4 folders]
Box 15 Orlando, 1940 Aug-1942 Jun
[2 folders]
Box 16 Palatka, 1940 Nov-1941 Dec
Box 16 Sarasota, 1940 Aug-1941 Dec
Box 16 St. Petersburg, 1940 Sep-1941 Jun
Box 16 Tallahassee, 1940 Jul-1941 Dec
Box 16 Tampa, 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 16 Winter Park, 1941 Nov
Box 16 Georgia
Albany, 1940 Oct-1941 Nov
Box 16 Athens, 1940 May-1941 Nov
Box 16 Atlanta, 1940 Jun-1942 May
[4 folders]
Box 16 Augusta, 1940 Aug-1942 Jun
Box 16 Brunswick, 1940 Dec-1941 Oct
Box 16 La Grange, 1940 Nov-1942 Jan
Box 16 Milledgeville, 1940 Jun-1941 Oct
Box 16 Monroe, 1941 Feb-1941 Oct
Box 16 Savannah, 1940 Nov-1941 Oct
Box 16 Thomaston, 1940 Dec-1941 Nov
Box 16 Armand May, Southern Zone Chair, 1940 Sep-1942 Jan
[5 folders]
Box 16 Idaho
Boise, 1940 Jun-1941 Jan
Box 16 Illinois
Alton, 1941 May-1941 Sep
Box 17 Bloomington, 1940 May-1940 Oct
Box 17 Chicago, 1940 May-1941 Dec
[4 folders]
Box 17 DuPage County, 1940 Jul-1941 Jun
Box 17 East St. Louis, 1940 Oct-1941 Dec
Box 17 Evanston, 1940 Aug-1942 Jan
Box 17 Freeport, 1941 May-1941 Dec
Box 17 Glen Ellyn, 1941 Sep-1941 Nov
Box 17 Lake Forest, 1940 Dec-1940 Dec
Box 17 Madison, 1941 Nov
Box 17 Moline, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 17 Rockford, 1940 Aug-1941 Nov
Box 17 Springfield, 1940 Jun-1941 Oct
Box 17 Urbana, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 17 Winnetka, 1940 Sep-1941 Dec
Box 17 Indiana
Bloomington, 1940 May-1941 Mar
Box 17 Crawfordsville, 1940 Jul-1940 Nov
Box 17 Fort Wayne, 1940 Jun-1942 Apr
Box 17 Gary, 1940 Jun-1940 Nov
Box 17 Hammond, 1942 Jan
Box 17 Indianapolis, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
[3 folders]
Box 17 South Bend, 1940 Jun-1941 Oct
Box 17 Iowa
Avoca, 1942 Jun
Box 17 Audubon, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 17 Council Bluffs, 1940 Sep-1942 Dec
Box 17 Des Moines, 1940 Jun-1942 May
[2 folders]
Box 17 Forest City, 1940 Jun-1942 Jun
Box 17 Orange City, 1940 Jun-1942 Jun
Box 17 Red Oak, 1940 Dec-1942 Jun
Box 17 Kansas
Hutchinson, 1940 Aug-1941 Dec
Box 18 Kansas City, 1940 Aug-1941 Apr
Box 18 Pittsburg, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 18 Salina, 1940 Jun-1942 Jun
Box 18 Wichita, 1940 Jul-1941 Nov
Box 18 Kentucky
Auburn, 1940 Nov-1941 Dec
Box 18 Bardstown, 1940 Sep-1941 Dec
Box 18 Cromwell, 1941 Mar-1942 May
Box 18 Lexington, 1940 Jul-1941 Nov
Box 18 Louisville, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 18 Paducah, 1941 Mar-1941 Nov
Box 18 Louisiana
Baton Rouge, 1940 Dec-1941 Dec
Box 18 New Orleans, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
[3 folders]
Box 18 Maine, 1940 May-1942 Jan
[2 folders]
Box 18 Maryland
Baltimore, 1940 May-1941 Dec
[3 folders]
Box 18 Massachusetts
State Records, 1940 May-1942 Jun
[2 folders]
Box 18 Boston, 1940 May-1942 Mar
[6 folders]
Box 19 Irene Armstrong, 1941 Jul-1942 Jan
Box 19 Michigan
Ann Arbor, 1940 May-1941 Nov
[2 folders]
Box 19 Birmingham, 1940 Jul-1941 May
Box 19 Detroit, 1940 May-1942 Apr
[2 folders]
Box 19 Grand Rapids, 1940 Dec-1942 Jan
Box 19 Kalamazoo, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
Box 19 Lakeview, 1940 Aug-1941 Mar
Box 19 Lansing, 1940 Sep-1942 Jan
Box 19 Milford, 1940 Dec-1941 Mar
Box 19 Muskegon, 1940 May-1941 Feb
Box 19 Saginaw, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
Box 19 Ypsilanti, 1941 Mar
Box 19 Minnesota
Albert Lea, 1940 Oct-1941 Jun
Box 19 Deluth, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 19 Minneapolis, 1940 Jul-1941 Aug
[2 folders]
Box 19 St. Paul, 1940 Jun-1942 Mar
Box 20 Waseca, 1940 Aug-1942 Jan
Box 20 Mississippi
Jackson, 1940 Aug-1941 May
Box 20 Mc Comb, 1942 Apr-1942 Jun
Box 20 Picayune, 1940 May-1941 Aug
Box 20 Rosedale, 1940 Aug-1942 Jan
Box 20 Vicksburg, 1941 Feb-1941 Jul
Box 20 Missouri
Bonne Terre, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 20 Carthage, 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 20 Columbia, 1940 Aug-1941 Aug
Box 20 Kansas City, 1940 May-1942 Mar
[2 folders]
Box 20 Kansas City, Junior Committee, 1940 Aug
Box 20 Neosho, 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 20 Springfield, 1941 May-1941 Oct
Box 20 St. Joseph, 1940 Aug-1941 Mar
Box 20 St. Louis, 1940 May-1942 Mar
[2 folders]
Box 20 Montana
Great Falls, 1940 Sep-1941 Feb
Box 20 Helena, 1941 Mar-1942 Jun
Box 20 Nebraska
Geneva, 1940 Jun-1942 Jun
Box 20 Lincoln, 1941 Feb-1942 Feb
Box 20 Omaha, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 20 Ord, 1940 Oct-1942 Mar
Box 20 Waterloo, 1941 Feb-1941 Apr
Box 20 Nevada
Reno, 1940 Jun-1941 Jul
Box 20 New Hampshire
State, 1940 May-1941 Aug
Box 20 Concord, 1940 Aug-1942 Jan
Box 20 New Jersey
Asbury Park, 1940 Jun-1941 Jun
Box 21 Atlantic City, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
[2 folders]
Box 21 Elizabeth, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 21 Englewood, 1940 May-1942 Feb
[2 folders]
Box 21 Freehold, 1941 Mar-1942 Feb
Box 21 Glen Ridge, 1941 Oct
Box 21 Jersey City, 1940 Jun-1941 Sep
Box 21 Montclair, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 21 Morris County, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 21 Newark, 1940 Jul-1942 Jul
Box 21 Paterson, 1940 May-1942 Feb
Box 21 Plainfield, 1941 May-1942 Jun
Box 21 Princeton, 1940 Aug-1942 Feb
[2 folders]
Box 21 Ridgefield Park, 1940 Jul-1942 Jun
Box 21 Rumson, 1941 Jun-1941 Sep
Box 21 Trenton, 1940 May-1941 Nov
Box 21 Vineland, 1940 Nov-1942 May
Box 21 West Essex County [Caldwell and Roseland], 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 21 New Mexico
Albuquerque, 1940 Aug-1941 Aug
Box 21 Santa Fe, 1940 Jun-1941 Sep
Box 21 New York
Albany, 1940 Jun-1942 Jul
Box 21 Ballston Spa, 1940 Jun-1942 Mar
Box 21 Binghamton, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
[2 folders]
Box 21 Bronxville, 1940 Sep-1941 May
Box 22 Brooklyn, 1941 Apr-1941 Nov
Box 22 Buffalo, 1940 Jun-1942 Apr
[2 folders]
Box 22 Cedarhurst, Long Island, 1940 Jun-1942 Jan
Box 22 Cornwall, 1940 Jun-1941 Feb
Box 22 Elmira, 1940 Sep-1941 Dec
Box 22 Essex County, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
[2 folders]
Box 22 Geneva, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
Box 22 Glens Falls, 1940 Jun-1941 Jun
Box 22 Goshen, 1940 Jun-1942 Jul
Box 22 Great Neck, Long Island, 1940 Aug-1941 Jul
Box 22 Hamilton, 1940 Jun-1940 Oct
Box 22 Ithaca, 1940 Jun-1942 May
[2 folders]
Box 22 Katonah, 1940 Sep-1941 Sep
Box 22 Lake Placid, 1940 Jul-1942 Jun
Box 22 Millbrook, 1940 Dec-1941 Sep
Box 22 Mount Vernon, 1941 Aug-1942 Apr
Box 22 Nassau County, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
[2 folders]
Box 22 New York City
Box 22 Minutes, 1940 May-1940 Jun
Box 22 Correspondence
Box 22 1940 May-1940 Jun
[3 folders]
Box 22 1940 Jul-1941 May
[7 folders]
Box 23 New York Youth Division, 1940 Jun-1940 Oct
Box 23 Northeast Dutchess County, 1940 Jul-1942 Feb
Box 23 Ossining, 1940 Jul-1941 Nov
Box 23 Oyster Bay, Long Island, 1940 Nov-1941 Dec
Box 23 Peekskill, 1941 Sep-1941 Dec
Box 23 Port Washington, 1940 Sep-1941 Nov
Box 23 Poughkeepsie, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 23 Rochester, 1940 May-1941 May
[2 folders]
Box 23 Rockville Center, 1940 Dec-1941 Aug
Box 23 Saratoga Springs, 1941 May-1941 Oct
Box 23 Scarborough, 1941 Sep-1942 Feb
Box 23 Schenectady, 1940 May-1942 Feb
Box 23 Syracuse, 1940 Jun-1942 Jun
Box 23 Utica, 1940 Jul-1941 Aug
Box 23 Warwick, 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 23 Westchester County, 1941 Oct-1942 Apr
Box 23 Woodstock, 1940 Jul-1941 Dec
Box 23 North Carolina
Andrews, 1940 Jun
Box 24 Asheville, 1940 Aug-1942 Feb
Box 24 Brevard, 1940 Sep-1941 Oct
Box 24 Burlington, 1940 Jun
Box 24 Chapel Hill, 1940 May-1942 Oct
[4 folders]
Box 24 Charlotte, 1941 Feb-1941 Jun
Box 24 Davidson, 1941 Aug
Box 24 Durham, 1940 Jun-1940 Nov
Box 24 Goldsboro, 1940 Oct-1941 Jun
Box 24 Greensboro, 1940 Jun-1942 Jan
Box 24 Hendersonville, 1940 Dec-1941 Jan
Box 24 Lenoir, 1941 Feb
Box 24 Lincolnton, 1940 Aug-1940 Nov
Box 24 Raleigh, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 24 Roanoke Rapids, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
Box 24 Spray, 1941 Sep-1941 Nov
Box 24 Tryon, 1940 Sep-1941 Jul
Box 24 Warrenton, 1940 Aug-1941 Dec
Box 24 Wilmington, 1940 Jun-1941 Jun
Box 24 Winston-Salem, 1940 Aug
Box 24 North Dakota
Fargo, 1941 Oct-1941 Nov
Box 24 Lisbon, 1941 Jan-1941 Apr
Box 24 Ohio
Akron, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 24 Canton, 1940 Oct-1941 Mar
Box 24 Cincinnati, 1940 Jun-1941 Jun
[2 folders]
Box 24 Cleveland,
1940 May-1941 Feb
[3 folders]
Box 24 1941 Mar-1942 Jun
[3 folders]
Box 25 Columbus, 1940 Jun-1942 May
Box 25 Dayton, 1940 Aug-1942 May
Box 25 Oberlin, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 25 Oxford, 1940 May-1941 Dec
Box 25 Ohio Toledo, 1940 Jun-1942 Feb
Box 25 Washington Court House, 1940 Sep-1942 Jun
Box 25 Youngstown, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 25 Oklahoma
Edmond, 1940 Jun-1941 Jun
Box 25 El Reno, 1940 Sep-1941 Apr
Box 25 Oklahoma City, 1940 Jul-1942 Jan
Box 25 Pryor, 1940 Jun-1942 Apr
Box 25 Stillwell, 1940 Nov-1942 Mar
Box 25 Tulsa, 1940 Jun-1941 Oct
Box 25 Oregon
Bend, 1941 Jul-1941 Oct
Box 25 Burns, 1941 May-1941 Jul
Box 25 Medford, 1940 Sep-1941 Apr
Box 25 Portland, 1940 May-1941 Nov
[4 folders]
Box 25 Pennsylvania
Allentown, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 26 Bethlemen, 1940 Oct-1941 Aug
Box 26 Doyleston, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 26 Erie, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 26 Hazelton, 1940 Jun-1941 Jun
Box 26 Lancaster, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 26 Philadelphia, 1940 May-1941 Apr
[2 folders]
Box 26 Pittsburgh, 1940 May-1942 Jan
[2 folders]
Box 26 Titusville, 1940 Jul-1941 Oct
Box 26 Rhode Island
Bristol, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 26 Providence, 1940 May-1941 Feb
Box 26 South Carolina
Ashepoo, 1940 Jun-1941 Feb
Box 26 Beaufort, 1940 Aug-1941 Sep
Box 26 Charleston, 1940 Jun-1941 Apr
Box 26 Columbia, 1940 May-1942 Jan
Box 26 Hartsville, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 26 Spartanburg, 1940 Jun-1940 Jul
Box 26 South Dakota
Chamberlain, 1940 Jun-1941 Jun
Box 26 Huron, 1941 Dec-1942 Mar
Box 26 Rapid City, 1941 Apr-1941 Nov
Box 26 Sioux Falls, 1940 Jun-1942 May
Box 26 State Committee, 1941 Dec-1942 Apr
Box 26 Tennessee
Bristol, 1940 Jun-1941 Mar
Box 26 Memphis, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
Box 26 Nashville, 1940 May-1942 May
Box 26 Texas
Austin, 1940 Aug-1942 Mar
Box 27 Dallas, 1940 Jun-1942 Mar
Box 27 Houston, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
Box 27 Laredo, 1940 Jun-1941 Jul
Box 27 Paris, 1940 Oct-1941 May
Box 27 Waco, 1942 May-1942 Jun
Box 27 Utah
Logan, 1940 Oct-1941 Sep
Box 27 Provo, 1941 Feb-1941 Mar
Box 27 Salt Lake City, 1940 Jun-1942 Jan
Box 27 Vermont
State Committee, 1940 May-1942 Apr
[2 folders]
Box 27 Virginia
Amherst, 1940 Aug-1942 Apr
Box 27 Arlington County, 1940 Jun-1941 Oct
Box 27 Fairfax, 1940 Jul-1941 Sep
Box 27 Lynchburg, 1940 Aug-1941 Jun
Box 27 Richmond, 1940 May-1941 Nov
[2 folders]
Box 27 Shipman, 1941 Jan-1941 Sep
Box 27 Upperville, 1940 Sep-1941 May
Box 27 Zanoni, 1940 Oct-1941 Sep
Box 27 Washington
Aberdeen, 1941 Jan-1942 Jun
Box 27 Olympia, 1940 Sep-1941 May
Box 27 Seattle, 1940 Jun-1942 May
[2 folders]
Box 27 Spokane, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
Box 27 Tacoma, 1940 May-1941 Oct
Box 27 West Virginia
Mount Hope, 1940 Jun-1941 Sep
Box 27 Wheeling, 1940 May-1941 Aug
Box 27 Wisconsin
Appleton, 1941 Jan
Box 28 Kenosha, 1940 Jul-1941 Aug
Box 28 Madison, 1940 Jul-1942 Jun
Box 28 Milwaukee, 1940 May-1942 Apr
[2 folders]
Box 28 Ripon, 1940 Sep-1941 Dec
Box 28 Sauk City, 1940 Aug-1941 May
Box 28 Wyoming
Cheyenne, 1940 Jun-1942 Mar
Box 28 Hanna, 1940 Oct-1941 Sep
Box 28 Rawlins, 1940 Aug-1941 May
Box 28 International/Foreign
Alaska
Anchorage, 1940 Aug-1941 Sep
Box 28 Argentina
Buenos Aires, 1941 Mar-1942 Jan
Box 28 Canada
Montreal, 1940 Jun-1940 Nov
Box 28 Hawaii
Honolulu, 1940 Sep-1942 May
Box 28 Philippine Islands
Manila, 1940 Sep-1941 Dec
Box 28 Virgin Islands
St. Croix, 1940 Aug-1942 Jun
Box 28 St. Thomas, 1940 Jun-1940 Dec
Box 28 Europe
U.S. citizens, living in -Geneva, Switzerland; England; Montreal, Canada, 1940 May-1941 Feb
Box 28 Series 4: Divisions
Series Description
Series 4: Divisions contain the records of the College Division, the Labor Division, and the Women's Division of the Committee to Defend America as kept by the New York City office. The materials are arranged in chronological order within each file.
Subseries 4A: College Division, (1940 June-1941 June)
Subseries Description
The College Division (1940 June-1941 June) was supervised by Frances Harrison Thomas but run by Gilmore Stott. Each school presumably kept its own records and the records present are only partial. Included here are files on the conference at Union College in Schenectady, NY; correspondence; field trips taken by Stott; a notebook containing lists of chapters and a partial list of members; a group of plans, proposals and reports on the activities of the College Division; and material on related student groups including those opposed and in favor of the Committee to Defend America. The College Division was active from the fall of 1940 through the spring of 1941, but with the summer months became inactive and never quite got reorganized in the fall of 1941. A newsletter was published by the College Division, Crisis!, and existing copies can be found in Series 6: Publications, subseries Newsletters. The College Division also maintained a newspaper clipping file that is a valuable supplement to its records. The two folders are located in Series 6: Publications, Newspaper Clippings.
Conference, Colleges in Defense of Democracy, 1941 Mar-1941 Apr
Box 28 Correspondence, 1940 Sep-1941 Aug
Box 28 Field Trips
Gilmore Stott, 1940 Oct
Box 28 Notebooks, 1940 Sep-1940 Dec
Box 28 Form Lettters, 1941 Mar;undated
Box 28 Notebook, Active Chapters, undated
Box 28 Plans, Proposals and Reports, 1940 Aug-1941 Jun;undated
Box 28 Related Student Groups
Box 28 Subseries 4B: Labor Division, (1940 May-1941 October)
Subseries Description
The Labor Division (1940 May-1941 October) was organized by the Committee with the recognition that the working man and woman [though to the Committee it was perceived to be mainly men] formed a very important segment of the U.S. public. The Committee contacted labor leaders across the country in an effort to include them in their work, and to better reflect the needs of the working force. These materials include correspondence (1940 May-1941 October) between Committee personnel and labor leaders. Other materials can be found in Series 1: Administrative Management–Correspondence–General and Roger S. Greene, and Series 6: Publications–Newspaper Clippings–Labor Division.
Correspondence, 1940 May-1941 Oct
[3 folders]
Box 29 Subseries 4C: Women's Division, (1940 Jun-1941 Jun)
Subseries Description
Women's Division (1940 Jun-1941 Jun) consists of two folders of correspondence and related materials attached to the correspondence. These materials are arranged chronologically. The Women's Division was formed in June 1940 at the insistence of Mrs. Jean Rushmore Patterson, the first chair of the Women's Division. This division was never thought very viable by the National Committee or Executive Committee, and was viewed as more of a headache than anything else. Other materials related to the Women's Division can be found in Series 1: Administrative Management in the General Correspondence, the Inter-Office Correspondence, and in the correspondence of Roger S. Greene under Jean Patterson's name, as well as in the Daily Reports where there was usually an entry for the Women's Division. The Women's Division published a newsletter, Alert!, copies of which are located in Series 6: Publications under Newsletters. The Women's Division sponsored a song contest and a poster contest; musical scores for the winning songs are located in Series 6: Publications, and the winning poster is located in Series 7: Oversize Materials.
Correspondence, 1940 Jun-1941 Jun
[2 folders]
Box 29 Series 5: Fund Raising, (1940 May-1942 February)
Series Description
Series 5: Fund Raising (1940 May-1942 February) consists of the New York City Committee headquarters files for fund raising across the country. The Fund Raising division was responsible for designing and implementing appeals to the general public as well as various selected groups in order to raise money for the Committee to Defend America's operations. The John Price Jones Corporation played an integral part in identifying selected groups of people for the Committee to target, as well as advising the Committee on financial and fund raising matters. Fund Raising was organized with the Treasurer (Frederick C. McKee) in charge and under him was the Executive Finance Committee of three members (Thomas K. Finletter, subsequently Ellsworth Bunker, Chair). The Executive Finance Committee oversaw the Auditors (Haskin & Sells, Co.), the Comptroller (M. Areskog), and the Technical Assistant (Caleb Coffin). The Finance Committee was a smaller division within the Fund Raising division that oversaw the running of the division and was in charge of writing appeal letters and recruiting people, mostly prominent businessmen from across the country, to help raise funds. In addition there were committees for Local Committee Support, the National Finance Committee, the National Commerce and Industry Committee, and the Women's Finance Committee. Members of these committees also served in other capacities with the Committee. The series is grouped into five subseries: Correspondence; Finance Committee; Subject File; Appeals; and Contributors.
Subseries 5A: Correspondence
Subseries Description
The Correspondence consists of two smaller groups: Inter-Office (1940 June-1941 August) correspondence between personnel of the Fund Raising division as well as with personnel from other divisions of the New York City Office; and correspondence with State and Local Chapters (1940 June-1941 December) regarding fund raising activities by chapters on both the national level and the local level.
Inter-Office, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
[2 folders]
Box 29 State & Local Chapters
Box 29 A-Z, 1940 Jun-1941 Dec
[2 folders]
Box 29 Subseries 5B: Finance Committee, (1940 September-1941 December)
Subseries Description
The Finance Committee (1940 September-1941 December) subseries is also broken down into smaller groupings. The two main groups are: Correspondence (1940 November-1941 December) arranged alphabetically by author and then chronologically; Chapter Correspondence (1941 January-1941 June) arranged by state. In addition there are folders on appeal letters and the United Americans, an organization that merged with the Committee to Defend America with debts to be paid. These debts were resolved through contributions brought in through the Fund Raising department.
Correspondence, 1940 Nov-1941 Dec
Box 29 A-M
[4 folders]
Box 29 N-Z
[3 folders]
Box 29 Chapter Correspondence
Box 30 Arizona-Washington, 1941 Jan-1941 Jun
Box 30 Bunker Appeal Letter
Box 30 Response, 1941 Jun
Box 30 National Finance Committee, Suggestions to
Box 30 United Americans, 1941 Apr
Box 30 “Workers”, 1940 Sep-1941 May
Box 30 Subseries 5C: Subject File, (1940 June-1941 July, and undated)
Subseries Description
The Subject File (1940 June-1941 July, and undated) contains files, arranged alphabetically by topic and chronologically within, relating to the Fund Raising division. Those files pertinent to the organization of Fund Raising include: Financial reports and summaries (1940 October-1941 July) and Fundraising Plans (1940 July-1941 Jan), both of which present an overview of the Committee's financial situation and fund raising plans. The file, Star Spangled Ball, documents a fund raising ball sponsored by the Committee to Defend American in December 1940.
Advertisements
Box 30 “Convoy Now”, 1941 May-1941 Jun
Box 30 Sherwood, Robert [“Stop Hitler, Now!”], 1940 Jun-1940 Jul
Box 30 Financial Reports and Summaries, 1940 Oct-1941 Jul
Box 30 Gifts in Kind, Offered, 1940 Jun;undated
Box 30 National Match Company, 1940 Sep-1941 Mar
Box 30 Organization Chart, 1940 Jun
Box 30 Plans, Fundraising, 1940 Jul-1941 Jan
Box 30 Promotional Offers, A-Z, 1940 Jun-1940 Sep
Box 30 Star Spangled Ball, 1940 Oct-1941 Feb
Box 30 Suggestions to Members, 1941 May
Box 30 Subseries 5D: Appeals, (1940 June-1941 November)
Subseries Description
The subseries, Appeals (1940 June-1941 November), includes copies of the 92 appeal letters sent out to the public, and a subject file specific to the appeal letters. The Committee tried to target as many sectors of the public as possible through its appeals. They sponsored a mailing to doctors and dentists, to businessmen, to people from the southern states, individuals working in commerce and industry, and to corporations. As a result many people received letters of appeal from the Committee, sometimes many letters of appeal. This caused some to complain that the Committee did not keep track of who it sent its appeals to and this lack of attention angered many, especially since the Committee was also asking individuals to contribute money to their local chapters as well.
Letters, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
[3 folders]
Nos. 1-92
Box 30 Subject File
Box 30 Breckenridge, Colonel
Box 30 Henry, 1940 Oct-1940 Nov
Box 30 Commerce & Industry
Box 30 Committee, 1940 Jun
Box 30 Corporations, 1940 Sep
Box 30 Coudert, Frederic R., Letter, 1940 Aug
Box 30 Doctors' & Dentists'
Box 30 Appeal Letter [no.8], 1940 Jul-1940 Sep
Box 30 Duplication of Financial
Box 30 Appeals, 1940 Jul-1940 Aug
Box 30 Mail Appeal Analysis, 1940 Sep-1940 Oct
Box 30 McKee, Frederick C. Appeal
Box 30 Letters, 1940 Sep-1941 Feb
Box 30 Moore, Hugh Appeal
Box 30 Letter, 1941 Feb-1941 Mar
Box 30 New England, 1940 Aug-1940 Nov
Box 30 Southern Appeal Letter, 1941 Apr
Box 30 White, William A., Proposed
Box 30 Appeal Letters, 1940 Oct
Box 30 Subseries 5E: Contributors, (1940 May-1942 February)
Subseries Description
The subseries, Contributors (1940 May-1942 February), contains analyses of contributions (1940 May-1941 Jan), lists of individuals who contributed (1940 May-1942 Feb), and correspondence from contributors (1940 May-1942 Jan), all arranged chronologically.
Memoranda to State and Local Chapters, undated
Box 30 Analysis of Contributions, 1940 May-1941 Jan
Box 30 Lists
1940 Jun-1941 May
[14 folders]
Box 31 1941 June-1942 Feb
[6 folders]
Box 32 Correspondence
1940 May-1940 Sept
[7 folders]
Box 32 1940 Oct-1942 Jan
[10 folders]
Box 33 Series 6: Publications
Series Description
Series 6: Publications (1940 May-1942 Aug) consists of published materials put out by the Committee to Defend America and by Citizens for Victory. Publications are divided into the following types and are arranged chronologically when dates are given: Cartoons; Chapter Mailings; Christmas Cards; Flyers; Invitations; Membership Cards; Musical Scores; Newsletters; Newspaper Advertisements; Newspaper Clippings; Pamphlets; Petitions; Postcards; Press Releases; Programs; Radio Transcripts; Reprints; Speeches; Statements of Policy; Stickers; and Subscription List Forms. The Newsletters are further arranged by National Newsletters, State and Local, College Division and Women's Division. The Press Releases include general releases by the Committee, copies of a syndicated column sponsored by the Committee called “It Makes Sense”, and the press releases of the National Labor Division of the Committee.
CARTOONS, 1940-1941
Box 33 CHAPTER MAILINGS
1940 May-1940 Oct
[6 folders]
Box 33 1940 Nov-1942 Aug
[21 folders]
Box 34 CHRISTMAS CARDS, 1940-1941
Box 34 FLYERS, 1940 Jun-1941 Nov
[3 folders]
Box 34 INVITATIONS, 1940 Nov-1941 Apr
Box 34 MEMBERSHIP CARDS, 1941
Box 34 MISCELLANEOUS, 1940, undated
Box 34 MUSICAL SCORES
Box 34 Song Contest Winners
Box 34 NEWSLETTERS
Box 34 National
Box 34 Headquarters Letters, 1941 Aug-1942 Jan
(nos. 1-19)
Box 34 News From the Outpost
Box 34 Progress Bulletin, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
[2 folders]
(nos. 1-29)
Box 34 Washington Office Information Letter, 1941 Jan-1941 Dec
[3 folders]
(nos. 1-50)
Box 35 State and Local
Box 35 Midwest Committee to Defend American News Bulletin, 1941 Jul
Box 35 New York
Box 35 Essex County Newsletter, 1941 Jun-1942 Jun
Box 35 New York City, F.Y.I., 1940 Jul-1941 Jan
Box 35 College Division
Box 35 Crisis!, 1941 Jan-1941 Jun
(nos. 1-6)
Box 35 Women's Division
Box 35 Alert!, 1941 Mar
(nos. 3-4)
Box 35 NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS
Box 35 College Division
[2 folders]
Box 35 Roger S. Greene
Box 35 A-Z, 1940-1941
[2 folders]
Box 35 chronological, 1940 Nov-1941 Jun
Box 35 Labor Division, 1940 Jul-1941 Mar; undated
Box 35 PAMPHLETS
Box 35 General
Box 35 1940 Jun-1940 Dec
[4 folders]
Box 35 1941 Jan-1941 Nov
[6 folders]
Box 36 PETITIONS, 1940 May-1941 May
Box 36 POSTCARDS, 1940 Oct-1941 Jun
Box 36 PRESS RELEASES
Box 36 General
[7 folders]
Box 36 1940 Nov-1942 Sep
[15 folders]
Box 37 “It Makes Sense” [syndicated column], 1941 Jul-1941 Dec
(nos. 1-22)
Box 37 National Labor Division, 1941 Jul-1942 Oct
[4 folders]
Box 37 PROGRAMS
Box 37 Star Spangled Ball, 1940 Dec
Box 37 RADIO TRANSCRIPTS
Box 37 General, 1940 Sep-1941 Nov
Box 37 French Radio Broadcasts
Box 38 Worldwide Broadcasting Foundation, WRUL, 1940 Jun-1941 Aug
[11 folders]
Box 38 REPRINTS, 1940 Jun-1941 Jul
[2 folders]
Box 38 SPEECHES, 1940-1941
Box 38 STATEMENTS OF POLICY, 1940 Nov-1942 Feb
Box 38 STICKERS
Box 38 SUBSCRIPTION LIST FORM, 1941 May
Box 38 Series 7: Oversize Materials
Series Description
Series 7: Oversize Materials contains posters and newspaper advertisements published by the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies.
Oversize Materials
Cabinet 1, Drawer 4
Permanent URL: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/vt150j254