Archivist of the United States
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FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ARCHIVIST OF THE UNITED STATES ' 1934-1935 !vEEX THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ARCHIVIST OF THE UNITED STATES • For the Fiscal Year Ending June 30 1935 UNITED STATES GOVERNMEN1' PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1936 ·,?il "0 ~- '0' 0.. •r; "'(0 c. ,..,."' ':r rD z "'c;· :::> 0) CONTENTS ;:;- Page Q. ·Officers and staff ____ - ...... ________ .. ________________ .. __ .. ___ .. _.. ___ .. __ _ v ~· Letter of transmittaL .. _ ... _____ .. _... _ .. ________ .. ____________ .. _______ _ vii ~/ Report of the Archivist, 1934-35 .. ______ .. _.. _.... _________ .. ______ .. __ ...... _ 1 :&r'istorical statement........ _____ ----- __ ----- _________ .. ___________ _ 1 vThe National Archives Building ____________________________ ----- 5 The National Archives Act _______ --- __ ------- .. ____ --- _______ .. -- 9 Organization of staff __________ ............ _................ ___ .. _.......... _............ .. 12 Executive staff _________ -- .... - .. ---.... - ........ --- .. --------------- .. --- 13 Proft;s~ional. divi~io,n~- _.. __ .... _...... __ .. __ ...... __ .... ____ .... ________ .. ___ _ 14 AdmmrstratlVe drvrswns .. _______ -- __ -----.......... _____ .. __________ _ 18 PersonneL ___ .. _- _.. _...... _ .. - ........ - ------.................... -- -- -- .. - .......... - .. 19 vBuilding and equipment __ .... __ -------- ___ ------- __ .... _ .. _- __ .. --- .. 20 Preliminary survey of Federal archives--------------------------- 21 Studies in classification and cataloging ...... - ___ -- __ ........ __ .. _.... _.. -- .. _ 21 PuBLIOATION No. 1 Storage and preservation of films.~------------------------------ 21 Fiscal affairs ...... ___ .... __ .............................. _............ ___ .... _ .. __ .... _ .. _.... _ .. 22 Relations with other Federal agencies ...... _______________ .. _.. _____ -_ 23 Reports of Offices and Divisions __ .. _____ .... ___ .. ___ .. ______ .. _.. ________ _ 25 Office of the Director of Archival Service ________________________ _ 25 Division of Accessions .. __ .. ____ ...... _---- .... -------- ____ .... __ .......... -_ 27 Division of Classification _ .. __ .. ____ .. _ .. _______ .. __ .. ___ .. _.... ___ .. ___ .. 28 Division of Research_ ...... __ .... __ .......... _.......... _.. ____________ .... ____ .. 29 I Division of Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings_-· __ .... __ .. _.. ____ .. 29 I Office of the Executive Officer __ .. __ ...... ____ .. __ ...... ___ .... _ .. __ .... __ .. _.. 32 Division of Purchase and Supply ___ .. _.. ____ .. _____________ .. ______ .. 35 Division of Personnel and Pay RolL ____________________________ _ 35 Division of Finance and Accounts------------------------------- 36 Division of Photographic Reproduction and Research _____________ _ 37 Appendixes------------------------------------------------------- 39 Legislation concerning The National Archives and the National Archives Building, 1913-35 ________ ---------- ________________ _ 41 Report of the Advisory Committee on the National Archives Build- ing, 1930 ... ------------------------------------------------ 51 ··I:pcl,_!jl_'l1--------- --------------------------------------------------- 59 ILLUSTRATIONS The National Archives Building_ .. ____ .... __ .. _.. ___________ .. ______ Frontispiece The Exhibition HalL. ______________ ------- ______________ "_________ 6 The foyer on the Constitution Avenue side--------------------------- 8 A stairway near the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance---~---------------- 8 A view in the stacks.. ___ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ 9 One of the search rooms _____ .. _ _ __ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ 16 The control desk in the central search room.------------------------- 16 III .:;: rD z CJ 6' ::J "' ;;- n::r- (')•<' "'/ OFFICERS AND STAFF (As of January 2, 1936) GENERAL ADMINISTRATION nonl!lRT D. W. CoNNOR'-Archivist of the United States. DoRSElY w. HYDlll, JR.-Director of Archival Service. CoLLAS G. HARRJ:Sc-Elxecutive Officer. SoLoN J. BucK-Director of Publications. '.!'HAD PAGID-Administrative Secretary. MARC/US W. PRIOEl-Assistant Director of Archival Service. JAMES D. PRESTON-Assistant Administrative Secretnry. MARJORY B. TElRBELL-Secretary to the Archivist. PROFESSIONAL DIVISIONS Di'IJi.sion of Accessions-Thomas M. Owen, Jr., Chief. Division of Repalir and Preservation--Arthur E. Kimberly, Chief. Divisio1t of OZassificcttion-Roscoe R. Hill, Chief. Division of OataZoging-John R. Russell, Chief. Division of Reference-Nelson Vance Russell, Chief. Division of Resea1·oh-Percy S. Flippin, Chief. D'i-v·ision of Motion Piotu1·es and Sound Reoo1·dings-John G. Bradley, Ollie(. Division of the JJ'ederaZ Registe1·-Bernard R. Kennedy, Director. ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS Division of Purchase ana SuppZy-Frank P. Wilson, Chief. Divdsion of Pe1·sonneZ and Pay RoZZ-Allen F. Jones, Chief. Division of JJ"i.n,ance and Accounts-Allen F. Jones, Chief. Div.ision of Photographio Reprodu.ction and Resea1·chr-Vernon D. Tate, Chief. Di·V"lsion of the OentraZ Files-Virginia Wolfe, Chief. rr !' '·$: 0 0.. •('><= C) c. "',_,. ·::; (i) z '-' 6' ::J ' C) e;- n :f ~/ ' II LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL THE NATIONAL AHOHIVES, I Washmgtorn, D. 0., January 2, 1936. To the Oongress of the United States: In compliance with the provision o£ section 9 o£ the National : Archives Act (Public, No. 432, 73d Cong., approved June 19, 1934), I have the honor to submit the first annual report o£ the Archivist .o£ the United States, covering the fiscal year ending June 30, 1935. Respectfully, R. D. W. CoNNOR, Archivist. VII ,_.. ·::r (i) z '-' 6' FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ARCHIVIST ::J "';;;- OF THE UNITED STATES n ~-: (') ·. 'l'he "Act to establish a National Archives of the United States "'/: Government, and for other purposes" was approved on June 19, 1934. This act creates the Office of Archivist of the United States and provides that the Archivist shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. In accordance with this provision the President appointed an Archivist on October 1 10, 1934. .,I, 11 HISTORICAL STATEMENT ' The problem of the archives, 1774-1800.-Since this is the first report of an Archivist of the United States, it seems appropriate to introduce it with a brief history of the movement that led up to the creation of his Office. The erection of the National Archives Building and the establishment of The National Archives marked the consummation of a movement for the scientific preservation L and administration of the archives of the Government of the United i' I States that was launched more than a century ago. The problem of the proper care of the public archives arose even before the organization of the Government itself. At its first meeting, the First Continental Congress, in 177 4, conscious of the importance that posterity would attach to its proceedings, took the necessary steps to preserve the records of its deliberations and its actions. The result is :found today in the 490 bound volumes of records that constitute the archives of the United States from 1774 to 1789, and, but for their preservation, our knowledge of the period of our history that gave us independence and constitutional government would be very meager indeed. Before the permanent removal of ., the seat of government :from Philadel;phia to Washington, in 1800, ' these archives had no permanent ab1ding place and were ,:forced to keep up with the ;peregrinations of Congress :from city to city, much to the inconvemence of the Government and to the damage of the records. After the organization of the new Government under the Consti tutjon and its subsequent removal to Washington, the problem of the preservation of the archives became even more acute. 'l'hey in creased rapidly, not only in volume but also in value, and there was not a single building in the new Capital City in which they could be safely deposited. This fact was sharply emphasized in 1800, when a. fire destroyed a portion of the records of the War Department, and again in 1801, when the Treasury Department su:tfered a similar loss. A contemporary newspaper records that at the latter fire "the President of the United States was observed in the ranks for con- 1 2 FIRS'l.' ANNUAl, REPORT 01~ AROIIIVIST ·"'{ll·· FIRST ANNUAL HEPOR~~ OF ARCHIVIST 3 \:.c;; (L veying water." Beyond orderin . <= fires.and the extent of the into the causes of '"(0 t.he~e d~I~~l;es_tigations their security against conflagrations and the measures to be taken c. noTI~mediate action to remedy the 'te t~ the records, Congress took to guard the buildings and their contents from destruction or damage I ;:"' '~e.Arohives Act of 1810,...:_The flr~~ IOn. = by fire .." . In a special message to C?ngress of Dec~m'ber 1~, 1877, rv conditiOn, of the archives was tairen st st~ ~oward Improvipg the transm1ttmg the report of this comm1sswn, the President said: z on February 21, 1810 m hosiah Quincy, of Massa- "' ~p.usetts, dh~n The records of the Government constitute a most valuable collection for the 6' Ives th!3 appointment of a coin t. e of Representa ::J ?~e ~,n I~ouse country, whether we consider their pecuniary value or their historical im C) the an~Ient public records and mi~~ee" to mqmre ~nto the state of portance; and it becomes my duty to call your attention to the means suggested ;:;- authonty to consider whetl arc IVeo of the Umted States w'th for securing these valuable archives, as well as the· buildings in which they :7" :for a