Research: Military: They Also Served
They Also Served --- Series Descriptions
Other Records
A4284. Hospital Staff Draft Status Classification and Recruit Screening Files, 1941-1945. 1 cu. ft.
Arrangement: By broad topic; therein hospital staff files are alphabetical by location of hospital.
In addition to its normal duties of promoting mental health in the State of New York, the Department of Mental Hygiene assisted the State with various wartime mental health-related tasks during World War II; primarily, it conducted psychological screening of recruits for the Selective Service.As with several other State agencies, the department's war work was conducted in conjunction with and under the auspices of the War Council, which coordinated all of New York's home front activities. The Department of Mental Hygiene provided over 40% of the total psychiatric personnel at the military's induction stations who conducted brief questioning sessions with each recruit to determine if he was a possible psychological liability. From this session, a further background check would be completed on recruits suspected of having psychological problems, including consulting with other State agencies to ascertain if a recruit had ever been hospitalized for a previous mental condition. During the war over 450,000 men were examined and 3,200 identified as probable liabilities. In addition to screening recruits, the department also transferred three institutions with a total of over 5,000 beds to the Army for use as general facilities. The department also undertook to educate the public to meet the strain of the war by providing lectures and radio talks to air raid warden and defense groups. It also produced several well-received pamphlets on citizen morale.
This series contains correspondence and memoranda between staff relating to the department's efforts to prevent its hospital personnel from being drafted by classifying them as essential to operations. Also found are records detailing the department's work screening recruits for the Selective Service, which was part of its task in promoting mental health. These records discuss policy considerations such as confidentiality and screening criteria including serious delinquency, perverted sexuality, and a family history of serious mental conditions. The inability of certain institutions to safeguard confidential information is also frankly discussed.
Finding aids: Folder list.
A3083. Petitions from the Bronx Coordinating Committee for Child Care,ca. 1944. 1 cu. ft.
The Coordinating Committee circulated these petitions requesting the governor to establish adequate child care facilities in New York City. The petitions are on standard printed forms and are signed by residents of Bronx County.
A4392. Home Front Goals Promotion and Instruction Audio-Visual Materials, ca. 1942-1944. 5.2 cu. ft.
Much of the War Council's work focused on informing the general public on home front war goals and providing instruction on the methods to achieve them. This series contains audio-visual materials including filmstrips, black-and-white photographs, slides, posters, and phonograph records employed to this end.Included are posters, including billboard size posters, from the War Transportation Committee promoting driver safety and automobile conservation; color slides demonstrating home canning; a filmstrip from the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense entitled "Battle Strategy for the Home Front"; a filmstrip on home safety; black- and-white photographs of diverse War Council activities; phonograph recordings, including one of Lieutenant Governor Charles Poletti speaking on discrimination in employment, one on civil defense ("When Bombs Fall"), and one explaining the Block Plan; and an organizational chart of the War Council's Division of War Records and its organizational relationship with the State Education Department's Division of Archives and History.
A4322. Abbot Low Moffat's Advisory Correspondence, 1941-1943. 1.5 cu. ft.
Arrangement:Alphabetical by subject.
Abbot Low Moffat was an assemblyman from New York City (15th District) from 1929 to 1943. From 1938 to 1939, he served as the chair of the Ways and Means Committee. From 1941-1943, he also served on the War Council. This series contains correspondence between Moffat, War Council officials, and others involved in State war work relating to many War Council activities which Moffat helped oversee, including agricultural aid, child care, civil defense, anti-discrimination work, housing problems, rationing, salvage, and war transportation.
Finding aids: Folder list.
A3091. War Information Publications File, 1941-1945. 5.5 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by topic or agency publishing material.
This series consists of printed annual and special reports, handbooks, pamphlets, posters and training materials issued by State and federal agencies involved in the homefront effort. The publications provide civilians with information on numerous war related issues and deal with a wide range of social and economic issues relating to war efforts underway. Among the subjects included are civil defense; commerce; discrimination in employment; economics; education; emergency medical training; health and nutrition; job recruitment; labor; nursing; physical education; rationing; and war training.
Finding aids: Item list.
A4289. Citizen Assistance and Preparation Films, 1942-1943. 1 cu. ft.
This series contains five black-and-white, 16 mm films produced by the Department of Health singly or in conjunction with the New York State War Council. These films explain the programs of the Health Department or War Council which offered aid or advice to citizens. With these films, these government bodies hoped to alleviate citizens' concerns about wartime disruptions of their lives and to boost efficiency and productivity. A description of each film follows.
What of Your Child?(approximately 200 feet or 4 minutes) explains the program of the War Council's Committee on Child Care: who is eligible, what risks are avoided by enrolling a child in the program, what activities and age groups are involved. The film starts with Governor Thomas E. Dewey explaining that because of the great need for labor, women, including mothers, must work, and therefore child care has been set up to facilitate this. This film includes many shots of children at play.
Quit Worrying! (approximately 200 feet or 4 minutes) explains the New York State Children's Bureau and the obstetric services which can be obtained through the bureau for the wives of military personnel. It explains who is eligible for its programs and details the benefits available. The beginning and end of the film feature flags, music, and people of various European backgrounds engaged in work and leisure activities.
Fighters in White (approximately 400 feet or 8 minutes) opens with shots of Hitler, Nazis, and swastika flags with a voice-over stating "How well they know what they fight against."This is followed by scenes of children playing and the voice-over states, "Well too they know the things they fight for!"The film then discusses air raid wardens and the War Council's Emergency Medical Service. It describes in detail the involvement of doctors, nurses, and the coordination of volunteers who will prevent casualties from bombings through the Emergency Medical Service, with the middle part of the film explaining the organization's hierarchy.
Four Point Safety Home (approximately 600 feet or 12 minutes) details accidents in the home and how they can be prevented, and discusses cost and frequency of specific types of accidents.
Local Health Problems in War Industry Areas (approximately 400 feet or 8 minutes) discusses health problems in Seneca County when a new ordnance depot brings a great number of temporary workers to the area, placing a strain on housing and water supplies. The Department of Health tested local wells for purity, trucked in pure water where needed, constructed new outhouses, arranged for temporary housing, and brought in nurses to tend to health care needs.
A4299. Photographs of War Council Agency Activities, ca. 1942- 1945. 2.2 cu. ft.
Arrangement: By subject.
This series contains over 300 black-and-white photographs (most 8 x 10) taken to document the activities of, and the individuals who worked for, the War Council.Photographs depict child care institutions, Chinese labor (as part of the Farm Manpower Service), the Emergency Food Commission, the Home Accident Prevention program, migrant labor camps, the Physical Fitness Office, publicity activities, salvage collection, U.S. Cadet Nurses, victory gardens, the War Bond program, and War Council officers and personnel.
Finding aids: Folder list.
A4292. History of Westchester County Defense and War Councils, 1940-1945. 0.8 cu. ft.(4 volumes)
Arrangement: Numerical by volume number.
The four bound volumes which comprise this series are, according to the foreword, condensed from the 31-volume complete version kept in the Office of the Westchester County Clerk, County Court House, in White Plains, New York. These volumes were presented to the New York State War Council in 1946. The condensed version and the larger complete history were compiled to document the efforts of this local War Council.
Volume 1 details the activities and sub-organizations of the Westchester County War Council including the health and sanitation committee; women's participation in the war effort; child care; nursing recruitment; community health; war transportation; civilian mobilization; industrial production; welfare committee; civilian protection; rationing boards; salvage drives; and war stamps and bonds.Names of specific programs, participants, and often a chronology of activities can be found for these organizations. Volume 2 contains bulletins (May 1941-January 1942), special orders (May 1942-May 1945), and general orders (May 1942-May 1945). Volume 3 contains regulations (May 1942-August 1944). Volume 4 contains circulars (May 1942-May 1945).All were issued by the Westchester County Office of Civilian Protection and concerned civil defense and civilian mobilization issues. The circulars also contain information issued from the federal government on interpretations of regulations.
Indexes:Within Volume 1 is a complete index to the full history.
A4365. Scrapbooks, 1941-1942. 1.5 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Chronological.
This series contains resolutions, Official Bulletins, correspondence, and booklets documenting events and actions taken by the Council of Defense and the War Council which were collected to document the work of these organizations. Many, if not all, of the documents found in this series duplicate records in other War Council series.
A4344. Organizational History Research File, 1941-1944. 1 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Arranged by agency or topic.
This series contains records from a wide array of War Council agencies detailing major events in the agencies' formation, the execution of their duties, or appointment of officers. They were apparently culled or collected from other records to document significant aspects of the council's history. Document types include monthly reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, resolutions, programs, pamphlets, sample forms, and memoranda-of-understanding. Agencies or subjects represented in this series include: child care; New York State Division of Commerce; New York State Department of Health; New York State Department of Labor; Discrimination in Employment Committee; Farm Manpower Service; fire protection; Housing Division; labor safety program; Mutual Aid Water Supply; nutrition; New York State Employment Service; Office of Civilian Mobilization; physical fitness; police reports; production; rationing; salvage; State Traffic Commission; transportation; victory gardens; vocational training; War Information Service; War Training Program; and War Emergency Dispensation Act.
