Papers of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Foundation the Papers
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Papers of The Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Foundation The papers were donated by Isador Lubin, w. Averell Harriman and Basil O'Connor. Quantity: 20 linear feet Restrictions: None Related Materials: Material relating to the Foundation will be found in the Papers of Isador Lubin, Basil O'Connor and Eleanor Roosevelt. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Foundation had its roots in the Roosevelt National Memorial Committee which was organized by Basil O'Connor in May 1945, at the request of Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, to consider a suitable memorial to the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Harry s. Truman agreed to serve as Honorary Chairman with Mr. O'Connor, the former president's law partner and executor of his estate as well as head of the Warm Springs Foundation, serving as temporary chairman. A planning committee of the Roosevelt National Memorial Committee was set up on May 3, to serve as a clearing house for ideas on a memorial. In the succeeding months two considerations emerged which would significantly impact any future Roosevelt memorial. The first was whether Roosevelt should be memorialized by a ''dead'' memorial i.e. a monument, statue, etc. or whether the Committee should memorialize the President "in a living, active, alive way.'' O'Connor favored the latter since he said that FDR had opposed such memorials for other people. The second was the need to establish a foundation. To this end, the O'Connor and Farber law firm reserved the name Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Foundation in New York State in mid-May 1945 to preclude any other group from using the terms ''Roosevelt,'' ''Memorial,'' or "Foundation. 11 The first meeting of the Roosevelt National Memorial Committee was held at the White House on September 5, 1945 under the aegis of President Truman. The agenda for the meeting was extensive, calling for discussion of 15 items including election of various officers, au~horization of an executive committee to study all proposals for a national memorial to FDR and consider the organization of a non-profit membership corporation, and discussion of fund-raising for a memorial. The committee did not get beyond discussion of item three. On a motion of Bernard Baruch, seconded by Admiral Leahy, the group (of 62) empowered Truman to appoint a five-man nominating committee to consider a new slate of officers as well as new additions to the committee. Truman appointed Harry Hopkins chairman assisted by Frances Perkis, Admiral Leahy, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., and Frank Walker. Mr. Hopkins presented a new slate of officers to President Truman on October l with George Allen, insurance man and former District of Columbia Commissioner as Chairman, Cordell Hull, Henry Wallace, Frances Perkins, and Marshall Field Vice Chairman, Joseph E. Davies, Secretary, Thomas J. Watson, Treasurer, Robert Sherwood, Chairman of the Executive Commit tee. On October 18, a complete executive committee was named with Sherwood and Rosenman assisted by George Allen, William L. Green, Philip Murray, Harry Hopkins, Admiral Leahy, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., Frances Perkins, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., and Frank Walker. -1- On November 2, following a meeting with President Truman of the Foundation's executive committee, the creation of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial Foundation was announced. President Truman served as honorary president and Eleanor Roosevelt as honorary chairman. George Allen was chosen president with Cordell Hull, Frances Perkins, Henry Wallace, and Marshall Field as vice presidents and Joseph E. Davies as secretary-treasurer. On November 18 Robert Sherwood, the executive director announced the aims of the Foundation. The Foundation was dedicated to the establishment of an educational program ''for advancing the ideals and purposes of the late President." Specifically, it planned to build a Franklin D. Roosevelt School of Human Relations in Washington, D.C. The school would not grant degrees but rather promote FDR's ideals and be a ''living memorial.'' The Foundation would also aid in collecting the public and private papers of Franklin D. Roosevelt and those associated with him for deposit in the Roosevelt Library. It also intended to present annual awards of merit to persons who did the most to promote the ideals and objectives of President Roosevelt. The Foundation did not indiacte how the school would be financed except that students would not pay tuition. Earlier in November, George Allen had announced that the Foundation would start a fund-raising dr1ve. In the last analysis, the failure to attract adequate sources of funding proved to be a major reason for the Foundation's lack of success. Although the Foundation's leaders were prominent personalities with close ties to the President, they were also extremely busy with their own careers and unable to devote the time necessary to get the organization off the ground. They failed to take advantage of the initial momentum following FDR's death to raise the capital necessary to support a permanent staff which could undertake programs of a vital organization. Consequently, in December 1949, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., George Allen's successsor, proposed the disbandment of the Foundation. The board of directors rejected this idea, and the Foundation continued to function on a limited basis. By 1952 the Foundation was practically moribund, with Mr. Isador Lubin acting as caretaker. The New York City and Washington, D.C. offices were closed by 1955. During its period of greates activity, the Foundation contributed to the observance of the anniversaries of Roosevelt's death and to the annual American Political Science Association awards. Most of its money went toward the Historical Data·Project, whose purpose was to assemble recollections by associates of FDR and to deposit them in the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. The program began in 1947, and letters were sent to some 250 persons asking them to write down their recollections or be interviewed by a member of the staff. The records in the Library contain responses from or interviews with 67 persons. -2- The Foundation was hampered in its interview program by lack of funds for research personnel. Nr. Isador Lubin tried to revitalize the Foundation by launching, in Nay 1954, the Freedom From Want study under the supervision of Eleanor N. Snyder. It was to examine and report on the urban population at substandard levels of living. Miss Snyder and the staff accumulated an impresssive amount a data, and she submitted a draft report in 1957 and an updated draft around 1960 which included data from the census of the state of New York for 1956. Neither study was published, and needless to say, the effort did not ''reinvigorate'' the Foundation. Consideration was again being given by the 1980s to disbanding the organization and turning over its resources, some $15,000, to the Roosevelt Library. However, the interest shown in President Roosevelt and his aims during the celebration of his centenary in 1982 prompted the leadership to stay in business and find ways to enliven the Foundation. New members were appointed and new programs undertaken. Meeanwhile, the Four Freedoms Foundation was also undergoing a renaissance. The two organizations merged in 1984 to form the Franklin D. Roosevelt/Four Freedoms Foundation. The new organization moved forward on several fronts: awarding grants to scholars each year to enable them to conduct research at the FOR Library; sponsoring conferences such as the recent symposium on Social Security, and supporting the Roosevelt Study Center in the province of Zeeland in The Netherlands. Finally, the Foundation maintained the ideal of the ''living" memorial by awarding medals annually to distinguished world figures whose actions demonstrate a commitment to the four freedoms described by President Roosevelt in his annual message to the Congress, January 6, 1941: freedom from speech, freedom of worship, fredom from want, and freedom from fear. -3- Series Description The collection is divided into three series as follows: Series I: Official Files -Containers 1-38. Arranged in accordance with-an-alpha/numeric file outline designed by Foundation personnel (see Appendix A to series description) The series covers the period 1945-54 with a few financial records from 1955 to 1972. The material includes minutes of meetings, membership lists, correspondence, financial records and newspaper clippings. The Historical Data Project File IV.A. boxed 177-28) contains mostly correspondence and clippings with a few personal recollections about FDR (see Appendix B). Series II: Personal Files -Containers 39-44. The files of ----------individualS connected with the administration of the Foundation including George Allen, Grace Tully, W. Averell Harriman (1 folder), Isador Lubin and Basil O'Connor. The inclusive dates are 1945-1982, with only a few scattered items after 1970. Each individual's files are arranged alphabetically and include correspondence, financial records and minutes of meetings. At the end of this series is an alphabetical file of newspaper clippings. Series III: ''Freedom From Want'' Files - Containers 45-50. The "Freedom From Want'' study of poverty in urban America was begun in 1954 and completed in late 1957 or early 1958. The study is based on statistics provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The statistics were collated by geographic area, family type, age and consumer units. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject. -4- Appendi:x;· A -5- FILE OUTINE June 22, 1950 I. 7ranklin D. Roosevelt Foundation II. D. 1, a, X: Certificate of Incorporation (l) Deposit Slips 1. Maryland (a) :Bank Statements 2. Illinois (4) Cancelled Checks (5) Reports of Cash on Deposit :s. :By-Laws (6) Miscellaneouo b, American Security & Trust Co. c. Trustees (1) Deposit Slips lo Meetings (2) Bank Statements a. Notice and Arrllllgemen ts (3) Duplicate Vouchers b, .Agenda· ( 4) Cancelled Checks c. Minutes . (5) Reports of Cash on Deposit d. Memoranda for Next Meeting (6) Miscellaneous c.