K. Ross Toole Archives
The Mike Mansfield Papers: Series Notes
Series VI: House: General Correspondence, 1942-1952 (6 linear ft.)
This relatively brief series serves as a catchall for information from Mansfield's House years that did not logically fit anywhere else in the files. The information contained here might best be described as documentary rather than substantive. Many of the boxes include up to sixty folders that consist of little more than a single letter or two relating to the folder's subject. Several boxes contain nothing more than constituent requests for government publications while others contain information on organizations, advertising for campaigns, federal policies, and press releases. More specifically, the series contains numerous requests for Agricultural Yearbooks from Montanans. Boxes Five, Six, and Seven include only a chronological sequence of such requests stretching from 1947 to 1954. The bulk of the letters come from individual Montana farmers and ranchers, though a number of interest groups and universities also ask for Yearbooks. The primary value of these boxes is a strong picture of the state of agriculture in Montana during this period and the wide range of farms and ranches scattered across the Big Sky. Their letterhead provides an informal survey and chronicle of farming in this era. Another box includes only information on newspapers in the state. Most of these files are focused on ensuring Mansfield wide campaign advertising coverage in Montana and generally contain two letters: one from Mansfield's office inquiring about advertising deadlines and rates and a reply from the individual newspapers with the information. The Organization and General boxes contain more varied documents including letters soliciting Mansfield's membership, newspaper clippings, reports from interest groups, constituent letters regarding specific policies or legislation, and articles Mansfield authored for publication. Of particular interest are the organizations that Mansfield belonged to and letters relating to his activities in those groups. Of note are the American Legion, the Marine Corps League, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He was solicited by organizations ranging from the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick to the National Farmers' Union to the Sidewalk Cowboys Association of America. The letters provide an indicator of the coalition of interests that supported Mansfield, in particular labor, Catholic, veterans, and Irish organizations. In the General box there are also files that cover specific appointments for judges, international trade treaties, dams, political action committees, the Red Cross, and the problems with unsliced bread during World War II. The boxes with newspaper and radio station information offer and excellent view of media in Montana in the 1940s and 1950s and proof of the importance of newspapers state-wide. The remainder of the series is an odd assortment of letters from constituents, federal agencies, newspaper clippings, copies hearings before Congressional Committees, and requests for interviews.
The organization is typical of a series titled General Correspondence. Within specific subject headings it is fairly easy to locate information, for example tracking campaign advertising in newspapers. The series itself lacks an overall structure beyond vague subject headings; actual folder names probably provide the best source for locating specific information.
See a sample document from this series: House Representative Jeanette Rankin's 1941 bill that would have prevented the United States from joining World War II.
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Last Updated: 07 June 2002.