K. Ross Toole Archives
The Mike Mansfield Papers: Series Notes
Series V: House: Federal Agencies, 1943-1953 (34 linear ft.)
This series covers a variety of federal agencies during Mansfield's tenure in the House. The material provides an excellent sample of the range of concerns and interests that a member of Congress faces. The folders contain material as mundane as the delivery of Christmas packages to troops and as critical as the food situation in Germany in 1945 and trimming manpower from the Marine Corps. The bulk of the series focuses on relatively basic issues like individual deferments and discharges from the Army. The series contains information on the whole array of federal agencies, but the more visible and critical agencies receive more attention. As expected during this time period, the Army and Armed Forces files are extensive. They contain numerous letters from constituents on a variety of war-related topics. Most plead for emergency furloughs or deferments for friends or family members, hinting at the impact the war had on Montana families. There are also letters voicing concern over federal wartime policies like rationing and price supports for agriculture. Reports from various branches of the armed service appear throughout these folders. Besides deferments, there are numerous files concerning court martials, discharges, dependent benefits, and GI benefits. Reports and correspondence from the War Department, the State Department, the National Security Agency, and the Veteran's Administration round out these boxes. They address ROTC and training issues, prisoner of war exchanges, military contracts, and local draft boards.
Many other non-military agencies are also represented. Due to the extent of federal land in Montana and the importance of agriculture, the departments of the Interior and Agriculture figure prominently. The Federal Power Commission's proposal to import natural gas from Canada sparked controversy and elicited letters from around Montana. Small business owners seem particularly likely to voice concerns over federal agency policies. Their letters offer a nice survey of the range of small businesses in Montana in the late 1940s and the early 1950s. There are also letters between Mansfield and various agencies. Congressional hearings reports and copies of legislation are scattered throughout the series. Letters from congressional colleagues and interest groups accompany nearly every folder. The series also contains blueprints, photographs, copies of federal regulations, telegrams, press releases, and newspaper clippings.
The materials offer an excellent window on the complexity of the federal government. It also highlights the constant demands placed on members of Congress and the need for legislators to balance the demands of constituents with the demands of governing the nation. The series is arranged both chronologically and alphabetically. For example, the Armed Services occupy the first box in the series, followed by other agencies in alphabetical order, but the Army files for 1950-1952 reappear in box 60 near the end of the series. Overall the organization is relatively clear, but often boxes and folders contain overlapping information.
See sample documents from this series: Telegrams from Butte, Montana, miners begging for federal intervention during the violent 1946 miner's strike.
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Last Updated: 07 June 2002.