Oral History Interviews with
C. Girard Davidson
Attorney Tennessee Valley Authority, 1934-37; Bonneville Power Administration, Portland, Oregon, 1940-42, general counsel, 1943-46; consultant Office of Production Management, Washington, 1941-42; assistant general counsel, War Production Board, 1944-45; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, 1946-50; national Democratic elector, 1952; member of the Democratic National Committee from Oregon, 1956-63; chairman, National Democratic Committee on Natural Resources; chairman, Western States Democratic Conference, 1960-63; Member Oregon Educational Coordination Commission, 1972; Chairman, 1974-75; President Alaska Pacific Lumber Company, 1958-; Attorney, Portland, Oregon, 1950-.
Interview Transcripts
July 17 | & July 18, 1972
[Notices and Restrictions | Appendix | List of Subjects Discussed]
Notice
These are transcripts of tape-recorded interviews conducted for the Harry S. Truman Library. A draft of each transcript was edited by the interviewee but only minor emendations were made; therefore, the reader should remember that these are essentially transcripts of the spoken, rather than the written word.
Numbers appearing in square brackets (ex. [45]) within the transcript indicate the pagination in the original, hardcopy version of the oral history interview.
RESTRICTIONS
These oral history transcripts may be read, quoted from, cited, and reproduced for purposes of research. They may not be published in full except by permission of the Harry S. Truman Library.
See also C. Girard Davidson Papers
Appendix
Appendix Letter from C. Girard Davidson to Clark Clifford "Recommendations of The President's Committee on Civil Rights".
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List of Subjects Discussed
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Acheson, Dean, 85, 205, 206-207
Agricultural Adjustment Administration, 26
Alabama, 111, 112, 126
Alaska, 200-202
Allen, George, 79
American Government and Constitutional Law, 3
American Indian Society, 196
Americans for Democratic Action, 103-106, 114, 116, 117
Anderson, Clinton P., 163
Arco, Idaho, 180
Arizona, 38, 133
Armed forces, desegregation of, 120
Army Engineers, 12, 17, 18, 20, 21, 151, 169
-
- Atlanta, Georgia, 5
Atomic Energy Commission, 181
Balmer, Donald, 86
Barkley, Alben, 115, 119, 138, 211
Batt, William, Jr., 80, 83-84
Bean, Louie, 131
Bell, David, 74, 101, 102, 172
Bessey, Roy, 24
Biemiller, Andrew J., 109
Blair House, 204
Boise, Idaho, 178
Booneville Power Administration, 3-4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 89, 113, 144, 147, 157, 168, 169, 178, 181
Brannan, Charles, 63, 69, 70, 97, 141, 197, 198, 199
Bureau of Indian-Affairs, 38, 45, 96, 195-197, 198, 199, 200
Bureau of Land Management; 23, 91, 92
Bureau of Mines, 23, 91, 157
Bureau of Reclamation, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 89, 151, 165, 167, 168, 169
Butler, Paul, 84
Cain, Senator Harry, 117, 178
California, 124, 214
Capon Springs, West Virginia, 106
Carney, Byron, 109
Carson, Rachael, 85
Chapman, Oscar, 7, 34, 88, 93, 94, 134, 135, 136, 137, 155, 159, 161, 190-191
- and the Columbia Valley Authority, 156-158
as Secretary of the Interior, 161-166, 167
Chavez, Senator Dennis, 163
Chicago, Illinois, 212
Civil rights, 70-78, 98, 109-112, 202, 216
- and desegregation in Washington, D.C., 29-35, 37
and Executive Order #9980, 120
and Executive Order #9981, 120
the President's Committee on, 70, 74, 219-225
the President's message on, 70-78, 79
Civil Rights Committee of the Democratic National Committee, 85
Civil Rights Commission, 92
Clark, Tom, 11
Clawson, Marion, 91, 92
Clifford, Clark, 42, 43, 45, 47-48, 55-56, 59-60, 63, 67, 70, 73, 74, 81, 95, 98, 100, 141
Collier, John, 198
Columbia Valley Authority plan, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15-16, 18, 128, 147-155, 157-158, 159, 165, 167, 180, 183-184, 191, 192, 193
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 198, 199, 200
Concerns of a Conservative Democrat, 53-54
Congressional Record, 175
Corcoran, Thomas, 25-26
Corp of Engineers, 12, 17, 18, 20, 21, 151, 169
Council of Economic Advisors, 63
Coy, Wayne, 63-64, 68
Cromley, Ray, 141
Davis, California, 214
Davidson, C. Girard, 130, 141
- Bonneville Power Administration, as General Counsel for, 4, 6
as a civil libertarian, 27-35
and civil rights, 36-37, 70-78, 109-112
and the Columbia Valley Authority plan, 11-14, 15-16, 154, 158, 177-179
and Davidson and Davidson firm, 2-3
and the Democratic National Convention of 1948, 108-120
and Douglas, Helen Gahagan, 112-144
and Douglas, William O., 104-108
education of, 1-2
and the Eightieth Congress, 81-82
golf courses in Washington, D.C., desegregated by, 37
and Grand Coulee Dam, the dedication of, 130-131
and the Interior Department:
- as Assistant Secretary of, 4, 21-25
problems in coordinating the activities of, 88-93
resignation from, 158
as a possible Secretary of, 161
as a possible Under Secretary of, 161-164
Israel, the recognition of, discussed by, 64-67
Krug, Julius, discussed by, 132-136, 137-140
and Lafayette, Louisiana, 1
and the Little Cabinet, 204-208
and the loyality, investigations, 49-52
and the McCarthy era, 39-40
and natural resources, 88
and the Presidential election Campaign of 1948, 124-129, 131-134
attends Southwestern Louisiana University, 1, 3
and the Steel Companies, 52-58, 60-61
Sterling Fellowship, received by, 2
and Taylor Glen, 128-129
as a teacher, 3
and the Tennessee Valley Authority, 2, 10, 25, 26-27, 28
and Truman, Harry S., 101-103, 208-210
attends Tulane University, 2
and the United States Housing Authority, 3
and the Wardman Park Group, 48-49, 52, 58-60, 61-64, 67-75
and Washington, D.C. segregation problems, 29-35, 37
and the Virgin Islands, 203-204
attends Yale University, 2
Davidson and Davidson firm, 2-3
Dawson, Donald, 39, 43, 47
Democratic Advisory Council, 84,,85
Democratic National Committee, 80, 83, 85, 132, 133
- Research Division of, 80, 83, 87
Democratic National Convention of 1948, 108-120
Dewey, Thomas, 61, 81, 123. 124, 127
District Commissioners of Washington, D.C., 29, 30, 32
Douglas, William 0., as a possible candidate for Vice-President, 104-108
Dreyer, Philip, 83
Dworshak, Senator Henry C., 151, 152, 153, 175, 176
Eightieth Congress, 81-82, 98, 122
Eisenhower, Dwight D., 104, 177, 215
Ewing, Oscar, 44, 58, 62, 63, 69-70, 80, 93, 95, 100, 195
Executive Order #9980, 120
Executive Order #9981, 120
Fair Employment Practices Commission, 120
Falck, Edward, 6
Federal Bureau of Investigation, 40, 41, 47, 48
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 184
Federal Security Agency, 62, 96, 195
Fish and Wildlife Service, 89
Florida, 112
Fly, James Lawrence, 3, 27
Foreign Policy Committee of the Democratic National Committee, 85
Forrestel, James V., 51, 137, 210
Fortas, Abe, 6, 9, 14, 26, 106-107, 108
Fortas, Carol, 106
Fowler, Henry, 143
France, 145, 146
Gardner, Warner, 7; 22, 23, 156, 197
General Services Administration, 37
Geological Survey, 91, 157
Germany:
Goldschmit, Arthur C. "Tex", 6
Goldwater, Barry, 124
Goldy, Daniel L., 70, 115
Graham, Philip, 33, 34
Grand Coulee Dam, 102, 130-131, 168, 169, 209
Grange, 193
Great Smoky Mountain National Park, 37
Greek-Turkish aid bill, 82
Green, Senator Theodore Francis, 163
Gruening, Senator Ernest, 117
Guam, 204
Hanford, Washington, 181
Hastie, Governor William, 203
Hatch Act, 123
Hawaii, 201-202
Health, Education, and Welfare, 96, 97
Henderson, Leon, 104
Hess, Henry, 107
Hess, Leland, 107
Hoeber, Johannes, 83
Hoover Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, 185
Housing Authority of the United States, 3, 10, 29
Housing, Education, and Welfare, 62, 197
Humphrey, Hubert, 104, 109
Humphrey-Biemiller civil rights plank, 109-110
Ickes, Harold, 6, 7-8, 9-10, 13, 14, 19, 22, 88, 134, 155-156, 159, 160, 168, 198
Idaho, 16, 100, 128, 130, 151, 152, 175, 176, 177, 180
Idaho Power Company, 151, 180
Inaugural Address of 1949 and Point IV, 140-143
Indian Affairs, Bureau of, 38, 45, 96, 195-197, 198, 199, 200
Indians, 96-97
Interior Department, 10, 13, 19, 20, 24-25, 46, 49, 52, 96, 101, 130, 142, 147, 149, 151, 185, 186, 187, 196, 199, 208, 216
- Chapman, Oscar, as Secretary of, 161-166, 167
decentralization of, 155-157
problems in coordinating activities of, 88-93
Iron and Steel News, 55
Israel, 98
- a discussion of the recognition of, 64-67
Italy and fascism, 145-146
Jackson, Senator Henry M., 163, 175
Johnson, Lyndon B., 84, 124, 137
Jones, Jesse, 8
Justice Department, 26
Kalispell, Montana, 101
Kaltenborn, H.V., 132
Kefauver, Senator Estes, 211, 212, 213
Kennedy, John F., 85, 86, 213
Kentucky, 138
Kentucky Public Service Commission, 5
Key West, Florida, 210
Keyserling, Leon, 3, 63
Kingsley, David, 59
Kingsley, J. Donald, 63, 70, 95, 96
Knoxville, Tennessee, 2
Korean War, 158-159
Krooth, David, 3
Krug, Julius A., 5, 6, 7, 14-15, 22, 23, 31, 34, 38, 47, 48, 58, 88, 130, 147, 148, 153-154, 155, 159, 165, 166, 168, 180, 188-190, 191, 197
Lafayette, Louisiana, 1, 3
Land Management, Bureau of, 23, 91-92
Langlie, Arthur B., 176-177
Latourette, Howard Fenton, 107
Lemann, Monte M., 25-26
Lewis and Clark College, 86
Lilienthal, David, 180-181
Little Cabinet, 204-208
Lloyd, David D., 84
"The Lobby Which Can't Be Beat," 21
Long, Huey, 3
Los Angeles, California, 86
Louisiana, 126
Lovett, Robert A., 65
McCarthy, Senator Joseph R., 39
McGovern, Senator George, 117
McGrath, J. Howard, 62-63, 64, 68, 70, 80, 81
McKay, Douglas, 176
Magnuson, Senator Walter G., 11, 163, 175
Margolis, Harriet, 115
Marshall, George C., 65, 66, 137, 204
Marshall plan, 82, 216
Martin, Billy, 3
Mason Guy, 30
Mexico, 38, 133
Miller, Bert Henry, 153
Mines, Bureau of, 23, 91, 157
Mississippi, 111, 112, 126, 151
Missouri River Basin, 16
Missouri Valley Authority, 16, 17-18, 19, 148, 184
Mitchell, Hugh Burnton, 154
Montana, 16
Morgenthau, Henry, Jr., and Germany, 143-145
Morgenthau plan, 143-145
Morse, David A., 51, 59, 63
Morse, Senator Wayne L., 70, 163, 164, 191
Munoz-Marin, Luis, 202-203
Murphy, Charles S., 59, 63, 67, 74, 100, 101, 102, 148, 154, 172
Muscle Shoals, Tennessee, 152
Myer, Dillon, 198-199
Nash, Philleo, 37-38
National Capital Parks, 29-30, 32, 37
National Farmers Union, 164
National Park Service, 23
National Rehabilitation Administration, 26
National Renaissance Party, 145
National Resources Committee of the Democratic National Committee, 85-86
National Student Federations of America, 28
Neuberger, Richard, 170
Nevada, 177
New Deal, 25, 152
New Orleans, Louisiana, 26
New York, 127
New York Post, 44
Nichols, John, 198
Niles, David K., 37-38
Nixon, Richard M., 67
Norrell, Congressman W. F., 96
Norris, George, 152
Office of Production Management, 5
O'Mahoney, Senator Joseph C., 91, 159, 160-161
Oregon, 16, 100, 107, 109, 123-124, 125, 130, 131, 133, 175, 176, 192, 193, 194, 212, 214
Pacific Northwest, 147, 200
Pacific Northwest Field Committee, 24, 178
Patton, James, 164
Pearl Harbor, 5
Pearson, Drew, 136
Philadelphia, 109
Phillips, Cabell, 68, 69, 100
Pick, General Lewis A., 17, 18
Pick-Sloan Plan, 17, 18
Pinero, Governor Jesus T., 202, 203
Pitman, Vail, 177
Point IV, 140-143, 216
Portland Oregon, 3, 5, 6, 9, 24, 29, 178, 214
Presidential campaign of 1948, 122-129, 131-134
Presidential campaign of 1952, 211-213, 214-215
President's Committee on Civil Rights, 70, 74
President's Loyalty Program, 46
President's Message on Civil Rights, 70-79
President's Temporary Commission on Employee Loyalty, 49
Public Papers of the President, 172
Public Works Committee, 151
Puerto, Rico, 202-203
Puget Sound Power and Light Company, 4, 8, 169, 170
Raver, Dr. Paul, 11, 13, 14, 168
Rayburn, Sam, 84, 119
Reagan, Ronald Wilson, 117
Reclamation, Bureau of, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 89, 91, 151, 165, 167, 168, 169, 185
Reconstruction Finance Corporation, 8, 54
Research Division of the Democratic National Committee, 80, 83, 87
"Resources for the People," 85, 86
Reuther, Walter, 56
Richardson, Seth, 45
Richberg, Donald, 26
Robins, Charles A., 177
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 85
Roosevelt, Franklin D., 5, 63, 94, 95, 112, 124, 144, 184, 186
Rosenman, Samuel I., 79, 98
Samoa, 204S
Senborn, John Carfield, 176
Sawyer, Charles, 51, 52, 53-54, 56, 57
Schwellenback, Lewis B., 51
Searles, Richard, 166
Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 200-201
Security and Exchange Commission, 26
Seymour, Walton, 89
"Should the President Call Congress Back," 98-100
Skinner, Carlton, 138
Smith, A1, 112
Snyder, John W., 51, 210
Social Security, 184
South Carolina, 126
Southwestern Louisiana University, 1, 3
Sparkman, Senator John, 213
Spokane, Washington, 178
Stainback, Ingram, 201
State Department, 142
States Rights Party, 125
Sterling Fellowship, 2
Stevenson, Adlai, 84, 211, 212, 213
Straus, Michael, 13, 15, 167, 170, 174
Sweetland, Monroe, 104, 194
Swider, Joseph, 2
Taft, Robert A., 101
Taylor, Glen, 126, 128-129, 175-176
Tennessee Valley Authority, 2, 3, 8, 10, 14-15, 19, 25, 26-27, 28, 89, 138, 147, 148, 149, 152, 153, 157, 170, 184
Thorp, Willard, 141
Thurmond, J. Strom,, 125, 126
Thurston, John, 59, 63, 68, 70
Times-Herald, 46
"To Secure These Rights," 72, 77
Tobin, Maurice T., 51
Truman, Harry S., 30, 32-33, 34, 38, 51, 52, 56-57, 58, 61, 65, 94, 95, 116, 130, 163-164, 165, 186, 201, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216
- and civil rights, 35-36, 70-79, 110
and Columbia Valley Authority plan, 148, 149, 150, 172-173
and Davidson, C. Girard, 208-210
and the acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, 117-120
and the Inaugural address of 1949, 140-143
June 1948 trip and, 100-102
and the Presidential campaign of 1948, 122-129, 131-134
and natural resources, 87
Truman Doctrine, 82
Truman Library, 98, 152, 194
Truman Presidency, 68, 69, 100
Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2, 28
Turnip Day Speech, 117-120
Tyroler, Charles, 86
Unger, Paul, 115
United States Housing Authority, 3, 10, 29
University of California, 100
Vanech, A. Devitt, 49
Vassar, 28
Vietnam, 83
Virgin Islands, 203-204
Wall Street Journal, 141
Wallace, Henry A., 124, 125, 127, 128, 175
Wallgren, Senator Monrad C., 159-160, 210
War Production Board, 6, 144, 157
Wardman Park Group, 48-49, 52, 58-60, 61-64, 79-81, 100
- and civil rights, 67-75
motives for creation of, 93-98
Warne, Bill, 164, 165, 200
Warren, Earl, 214
Washington, 16, 100, 130, 133, 175, 176, 177
Washington, D.C.:
- and desegregation of golf courses in, 37
and desegregation of swimming pools in, 29-35
Washington Post, 33, 46
Wechsler, James H., 44
Western States Democratic Conference, 84
Wheeling, West Virginia, 39
White, Compton, 176
Whittington, William Madison, 151
Williamsburg, 210
Wilson Dam, 152
Wolf, Alfred, 89
Wolfsohn, Joel, 91
Wright, Fielding, 126
Yale Law School, 2, 25
Young, Gordon R., 30
Young, John Russell, 30
Zimmerman, William A., 197
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