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  4. Harry S. Truman Papers Staff Member and Office Files: Stephen J. Spingarn Files

Harry S. Truman Papers Staff Member and Office Files: Stephen J. Spingarn Files

Dates: 1934-56

Assistant Attorney, U.S. Treasury Department, 1934-49; Special Assistant to the Attorney General, 1937-38; member, Codification Board, 1937-38; Treasury Representative, Interdepartmental War Legislative Committee, 1941-42; military service 1942-46; alternate treasury member, President's Temporary Commission on Employee Loyalty, 1946-47; Assistant General Counsel, Treasury Department, 1946-49; deputy director, Office of Contract Settlement, 1947-49; Assistant to Special Counsel of the President, 1949-50; Administrative Assistant to the President, 1950; commissioner, Federal Trade Commission, 1950-53; acting chairman, Federal Trade Commission, 1952-55.

See also Stephen J. Spingarn Oral History and Papers

[Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List]


ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Size: 4 linear feet.
Access: Open.
Copyright: President Truman donated his copyright interest in any of his writings in this collection to the people of the United States. In addition, documents prepared by United States government employees in the course of their official duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in documents which do not fall into these two categories is presumed to remain with the authors of the documents.
Processed by: Philip D. Laugerquist (1956). Reprocessed by Anita M. Smith (1993)

[ Top | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1908, September 1   Born, Bedford, New York.
1926-30   U.S. National Park Ranger, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.
1930   A.B., University of Arizona
1933   Admitted to Arizona State Bar
1934   L.L.B., University of Arizona
1934-49   Assistant Attorney, Treasury Department.
1937-38   Special Assistant to Attorney General; member, Codification Board.
1941-42   Treasury Representative, Interdepartmental War Legislation Committee.
1942-46   served in military.
1943-45   Commanding Officer, Fifth Army Counter Intelligence Corps.
1946-47   Alternate Treasury member, President's Temporary Commission on Employee Loyalty.
1946-49   Assistant General Counsel, Treasury Department.
1947   Admitted U.S. District Court and Court of Appeals, District of Columbia.
1947-49   Deputy Director, Office of Contract Settlement.
1949-50   Assistant to Special Counsel of the President.
1950   Administrative Assistant to the President.
1950-53   Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission.
1952-55   Acting Chairman, Federal Trade Commission.
1956   Member, Advice Committee, Democratic National Committee; Director, Special Activities, Democratic Vice Presidential Campaign.
1984, August 8   Died, Washington, DC
[ Top | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

This collection contains a moderate subject file reflecting the areas in which Stephen J. Spingarn was involved. Topic range from the Civil Aeronautics Board with its topics of Canadian air agreements with Colonial Airlines, an amendment to the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, the US-Mexican aviation relationship and the Foreign Air carriers permits.

These topics are documented through senate reports, correspondence, economic regulations revisions, press releases, memorandum, newspaper clippings hand-written notes, and printed pamphlets.

Another topic covered in this collection is the Defense Production Act of 1950. Its contents relate to inflation and stabilization, rent control, agricultural prices, the sale of commodity credit stock, housing credit, defense mobilization, taxes and appropriations for defense use, preliminary agency bills, Congressional hearings and proceedings, publicity, the Spencer-Maybank Bill, administrative provisions, price and wage control, consumer rationing, credit control, production and distribution, labor, violations and judicial aspects, the Deane Bill, and the Kunkel Bill.

This collection also has a small amount of documents referring to the National Defense--Alien and Immigration cases brought to the government's attention. These documents deal with topics as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Budget-Justice study for legislation to cover cases handled by Immigration bills, and a few individual cases. In the collection too is reference to the Natural Resources and Central Valley Administration. With a variety of documents such as memoranda, correspondence, legislative bills, newspaper clippings, press releases, pamphlets, charts and graphs a picture is painted in regards to the relationship between the Columbia Valley Administration (CVA) and the departments of Agriculture and Commerce.

This collection of documents touches topics as the Arrow Lakes Project, the development of the nation's river valleys, problems and programs of the Bonneville Power Administration, the Columbia Basin Project (Grand Coulee Dam), the provisions for liberal construction, the constitutionality of the Phases of Regional Planning, H.R. 427, the power of the Central Valley Administration (CVA) over obstructions to navigation, statutory schemes used to construct resource development projects, mining claims, bill to authorize compensation for strategic or critical minerals and metals for the prosecution of the war, and the taxation of mineral producing enterprises.

A small collection of memoranda, correspondence, senate bills, and press releases document the President's program in the 81st Congress regarding the Small Business Act. Within this section of the collection it defines the types of small business, the establishment of investment companies, guidelines for financial and technical assistance programs, the Small Business Loans Insurance Act of 1950, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), private investments, the proposal of the Small Business legislative program, the promotion of domestic and foreign commerce, the FDIC and the Comptroller of Currency's positions, and the reorganization plan Number 24 of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC).

This collection briefly touches the topic of social welfare in regards to the President's Committee on Religion and Welfare in the Armed Forces and the President's Divorce and Marriage Study.

An initial legal exploration of the general problems under the Defense Production Acto of 1950 entitled Title IV of the Defense Production Act of 1950: A Preliminary Analysis is also included in this part of the collection. As a preliminary this study makes suggestions and warnings of possible legal problems.

[ Top | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Container Nos.   Series
1-10   SUBJECT FILE, 1934-56
Correspondence, memoranda, newspaper clippings, senate bills, press releases, pamphlets, legislative bills, charts, graphs, regulation revisions, and a few hand-written notes. The collection is arranged alphabetically. The documents in this collection cover topics such as the Civil Aeronautics Board; the Defense Production Act of 1950; National Defense relating to Alien and Immigration cases; the Columbia Valley Administration; the President's program on Small Business; social welfare; transportation-communication-radio; and a preliminary legal exploration study of the Defense Production Acto of 1950.

[ Top | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]


FOLDER TITLE LIST

SUBJECT FILE, 1934-56

Box 1

  • Civil Aeronautics Board [1 of 3]
  • Civil Aeronautics Board [2 of 3]
  • Civil Aeronautics Board [3 of 3]
  • Civil Aeronautics Board--Emergency Board Report, August 31, 1950
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Drafts of Bill [1 of 2]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Drafts of Bill [2 of 2]

Box 2

  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume I [1 of 3]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume I [2 of 3]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume I [3 of 3]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume II [1 of 3]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume II [2 of 3]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume II [3 of 3]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume III [1 of 3]

Box 3

  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume III [2 of 3]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume III [3 of 3]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume IV [1 of 4, tabs 148-157]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume IV [2 of 4, tabs 158-168]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume IV [3 of 4, tabs 169-180]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume IV [4 of 4, tabs 181-193]

Box 4

  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume V [1 of 3, tabs 194-210]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume V [2 of 3, tabs 211-244]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume V [3 of 3, tabs 245-278]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume VI [1 of 4, tabs 279-299]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume VI [2 of 4, tabs 300-309]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume VI [3 of 4, tabs 310-344]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume VI [4 of 4, tabs 345-360]
  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Legislative History, Volume VII and VIII [empty]

Box 5

  • Defense Production Act of 1950--Speeches [drafts]
  • National Defense--Alien and Immigration Cases
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Authority]--Clippings [1 of 4]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Authority]--Clippings [2 of 4]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Authority]--Clippings [3 of 4]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Authority]--Clippings [4 of 4]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Authority]--General [1 of 3]

Box 6

  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Authority]--General [2 of 3]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Authority]--General [3 of 3]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]-- Interdepartmental Meetings
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]--Legislative Drafts [1 of 3]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]--Legislative Drafts [2 of 3]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]--Legislative Drafts [3 of 3]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]-- Legislative Drafts--Memoranda Regarding [1 of 3]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]-- Legislative Drafts--Memoranda Regarding [2 of 3]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]-- Legislative Drafts--Memoranda Regarding [3 of 3]

Box 7

  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]-- Printed Bills and Background Material [1 of 2]
  • Natural Resources--CVA [Columbia Valley Administration]-- Printed Bills and Background Material [2 of 2]
  • Natural Resources--[CVA] Columbia Valley Administration-- Published Materials [1 of 2]
  • Natural Resources--[CVA] Columbia Valley Administration-- Published Materials [2 of 2]
  • Natural Resources--[CVA] Columbia Valley Administration-- Treasury Department (Mr. Wilson) Memos
  • Natural Resources--Mining Claims, H.R. 834, 81st Congress [1 of 2]
  • Natural Resources--Mining Claims, H.R. 834, 81st Congress [2 of 2]

Box 8

  • Small Business--President's Program in the 81st Congress, Volumes I, II and III [1 of 6, tabs 1-20]
  • Small Business--President's Program in the 81st Congress, Volumes I, II and III [2 of 6, tabs 21-37]
  • Small Business--President's Program in the 81st Congress, Volumes I, II and III [3 of 6, tabs 38-61]
  • Small Business--President's Program in the 81st Congress, Volumes I, II and III [4 of 6, tabs 62-80]
  • Small Business--President's Program in the 81st Congress, Volumes I, II and III [5 of 6, tabs 81-108]

Box 9

  • Small Business--President's Program in the 81st Congress, Volumes I, II and III [6 of 6, tabs 109-144]
  • Small Business--File Number #1
  • Small Business--File Number #2
  • Small Business--File Number #3 [1 of 2]
  • Small Business--File Number #3 [2 of 2]
  • Small Business--File Duplicates [1 of 2]
  • Small Business--File Duplicates [2 of 2]

Box 10

  • Social Welfare--President's Committee on Religion and Welfare in the Armed Forces
  • Social Welfare--President's Divorce and Marriage Study
  • State Department Bulletins
  • Title IV of the Defense Production Act of 1950--A Preliminary Analysis [1 of 4, title page-tab I]
  • Title IV of the Defense Production Act of 1950--A Preliminary Analysis [2 of 4, tabs J-DV]
  • Title IV of the Defense Production Act of 1950--A Preliminary Analysis [3 of 4, tabs D, VI to part 4, III, IV]
  • Title IV of the Defense Production Act of 1950--A Preliminary Analysis [4 of 4, appendix]
  • Transportation--Communications--Radio

[ Top | Administrative Information | Biographical Sketch | Collection Description | Series Descriptions | Folder Title List ]