National Archives at Boston

Record Groups 103 - 188


Record Group 103
Records of the Farm Credit Administration

Administrative History
The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) was established March 27, 1933, as an independent agency to consolidate the functions of various Federal agencies concerned with agricultural credit. It established production credit corporations and created banks for cooperatives as a source of credit for farmers. From 1939 to 1953, the FCA was part of the Department of Agriculture but again became an independent agency thereafter. The Administration supervises and coordinates the activities of the Farm Credit System, a cooperative association of Federal land banks, intermediate credit banks, and other institutions financing farmers, ranchers, rural homeowners, owners of farm-related businesses, commercial fishermen, and of banks for cooperatives making loans of all kinds to agricultural and marine cooperatives. The System was created to provide dependable and adequate credit in response to the Great Depression and farm crisis of the 1930's. See RG 96 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1934-49
Volume: 33 cubic feet

Records of the Surplus Property Division, Federal Farm Mortgage Corporation, 1936-49. The records relate to disposal of tracts of agricultural and forest land in the New England States under the Surplus Property Act of 1944. (Federal land banks functioned as agents for the Farm Credit Administration in these proceedings.) The tracts sold were often located on military installations (such as radio range stations and training camps). Included are appraisal reports, correspondence, lists of the legal descriptions of tracts and the names of their former owners, and title opinions.

Records of the Aroostook Production Credit Association, 1934-42. The records document loans to potato farmers in Aroostook County, Maine, and consist of case files including correspondence, credit analyses, foreclosure and bankruptcy data, loan agreements, and property inspection reports.

Finding Aids
Daniel T. Goggin, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Farm Credit Administration, NC 28 (1963).

Restrictions
Access to some loan case files may be restricted because of personal privacy concerns.

Record Group 111
Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Administrative History
The Signal Corps, administered by the Chief Signal Officer, was provisionally established by War Department General Order 73 of March 24, 1863.

Records Description
Dates: 1942-45
Volume: less than 1 cubic foot

Records of the Boston Signal Depot. The records document office procedures and organization, and the procurement, storage and issuance of signal supplies and equipment. The records are general correspondence.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Record Group 112
Records of the Office of the Surgeon General (Army)

Administrative History
The Office of the Surgeon General was established by an act of April 14, 1818. The office is the headquarters of the Army Medical Department, whose mission is to maintain the health of the Army and conserve its fighting strength. Components of the Office include the Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Veterinary Corps, Medical Service Corps, Army Nurse Corps, and Army Medical Specialist Corps.

Records Description
Dates: 1950-62
Volume: 1 cubic foot

Records of the U.S. Army Hospital, Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and Murphy Army Hospital, Waltham, Massachusetts. The records document hospital administration and operation and consist of general orders, organizational planning files, and reports.

Finding Aids
List of folder titles.

Record Group 114
Records of the Natural Resources Conservation Service

Administrative History
The Soil Conservation Service was established in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1935, replacing the Soil Erosion Service which had been established in 1933, and acquiring duties from other Government agencies. In 1937, it began to provide technical and other assistance to farmers in soil conservation districts organized under State laws. In 1938, the SCS was given responsibility for farm forestry programs; in 1944, it was given responsibility for assisting in water conservation programs; and in 1952, it was authorized to assume the soil survey previously run by other USDA units. The SCS conducted soil and snow surveys, river basin surveys, investigations, and watershed and flood control activities; assisted local groups in planning and developing land and water resources; and provided technical help to landowners and operators participating in USDA's agricultural conservation, cropland conversion, and cropland adjustment programs.

In 1935, regional offices had been established to supervise conservation work in large geographic areas, and in 1938-39 area offices were created to assist the regional offices. State offices replaced area offices in 1942. Regional offices were discontinued in 1954, and the SCS then relied on State offices to give technical and administrative supervision to local units.

The Soil Conservation Service was abolished pursuant to a 1994 act that reorganized the Department of Agriculture. Its functions were acquired by the newly established Natural Resources Conservation Service, whose mission--performed through a system of regional offices--is to provide technical and financial assistance to land users and government units with the aim of sustaining agricultural activities and protecting natural resources. See RG 48, RG 57, RG 77, RG 90, RG 145, RG 382, and RG 414 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1940-67
Volume: 2 cubic feet

Records of the Northeastern Resources Committee, River Basins Division, 1957-67. The committee consisted of representatives of the New England State governors and several Federal agencies. Its work was a pioneering effort at Federal-State-local-private coordination in the conservation, development, and use of water and related land resources in New England. There is some documentation of the closely related Inter-Agency Committee on Water Resources (IACWR), an all-Federal organization. The records consist of general correspondence, minutes of meetings, and various annual, quarterly, and periodic reports.

Records of the Civilian Conservation Corps camp, Poultney, Vermont, 1940-42. The records document camp activities, and include correspondence, memorandums, minutes, reports, and schedules of classes.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.
Entry 170 in Guy A. Lee and Freeland F. Penney, comps., Preliminary Checklist of the Records of the Soil Conservation Service, 1928-1943, PC 52 (1947).

Record Group 118
Records of U.S. Attorneys

Administrative History
The Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789, made provision for U.S. attorneys and marshals who are appointed by the President and have functioned under the general supervision of the Department of Justice since its creation in 1870.

U.S. attorneys investigate violations of Federal criminal laws, present evidence to grand juries, prosecute Federal criminal cases, and serve as the Federal Government's attorney in civil litigation in which the United States is involved or has an interest. U.S. marshals execute and serve writs, processes, and orders issued by U.S. courts, U.S. commissioners or magistrates, and commissions. They also notify the Department of Justice of defiance of Federal authority. See RG 21 and RG 276 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1866-1976
Volume: 106 cubic feet

Records of U.S. attorneys for:
  • Connecticut, 1947-60;
  • Maine, 1866-1945;
  • Massachusetts, 1928-76;
  • New Hampshire, 1903-66;
  • Rhode Island, 1943-65;
  • Vermont, 1909-67.
Records relate to bribery, civil rights, conspiracy, draft evasion, fraud, internal revenue and firearms laws, and school desegregation. They are primarily precedent case files including attorneys' work papers, copies of papers filed in Federal court (see RG 21 for the originals), correspondence with the Department of Justice and other Government agencies, investigative reports, newspaper clippings, and trial notes.
Nontextual records include photographs and other exhibit material.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Related Microfilm Publications
M699, Letters Sent by the Department of Justice: General and Miscellaneous, 1818-1904;
M700, Letters Sent by the Department of Justice Concerning Judiciary Expenses, 1849-1884.

Restrictions
Access to some investigative case files may be restricted because of law enforcement needs or personal privacy concerns.

Record Group 119
Records of National Youth Administration

Administrative History
The National Youth Administration (NYA) was established within the Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration by an Executive order of June 26, 1935. In 1939, it was transferred to the new Federal Security Agency, and in 1942 was moved to the War Manpower Administration. By the end of 1944, it had been liquidated under authority of an act of July 12, 1943.

The NYA conducted two major employment-training programs for needy young people between the ages of 16 and 24. The agency was headed by an administrator, who determined basic policies with the assistance of an advisory committee appointed by the President. Operations in the field were directed by a network of regional, State, and area offices, assisted at each level by advisory committees. See RG 69 and RG 211 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1935-43
Volume: 6 cubic feet

Records of the Massachusetts State office and the Boston regional office. The records relate to project work and the vocational training program, facilities and supplies, meetings and conferences, pay and personnel matters, and Boston regional director Gerald Barnes. Included are correspondence, publications and publicity materials, press clippings, and reports. Nontextual records include photographs.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.
Entry 331 in Virgil E. Baugh, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the National Youth Administration, NC 35 (1963).

Record Group 121
Records of the Public Buildings Service

Administrative History
Federal construction activities outside the District of Columbia were performed by individual agencies and, to some extent, by special commissions and officers appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury until 1853, when a Construction Branch was created in the Department of the Treasury. The Branch later became the Bureau of Construction in the Office of the Supervising Architect, and that office, in turn, was transferred in 1933 to the Public Buildings Branch of the Procurement Division. The Public Buildings Administration was created in the Federal Works Agency in 1939 by consolidating the Public Buildings Branch and the National Park Service's Branch of Buildings Management. The latter branch had inherited responsibilities for Federal construction in the District of Columbia from the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capitol.

An act of June 30, 1949, abolished the Public Buildings Administration and transferred its functions to the newly established General Services Administration (GSA). The Public Buildings Service was established December 11, 1949, by the Administrator of General Services to assume the functions once assigned to the Public Buildings Administration.

The Public Buildings Service designs, constructs, manages, maintains, and protects most Federally-owned and -leased buildings. It is also responsible for the acquisition, utilization, and custody of GSA real and related personal property. See RG 181, RG 269, RG 270, and RG 291 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1932-78
Volume: 70 cubic feet

Records of the Office of the Director of Regional Financial Management, 1943-76. The records are real property case files which document the disposal, through sale or donation, of Federal property in New England such as airfields, forts and other former military installations, hospitals, lighthouses, post offices, and other lands and buildings to State and local governments or private individuals. Included are correspondence, deeds, historical narratives, and reports of survey and title searches.
Nontextual records include occasional maps and photographs.

Records of the Operational Planning Staff, 1950-78. The records relate to acquisition and management of urban renewal sites and government buildings, including the Government Center, Boston, in New England cities. They contain socio-economic, historical, and environmental impact data. The records are construction planning files including appraisal reports, correspondence, and title documents.
Nontextual records include a few maps and photographs.

Records of the Boston Regional Office, 1932-46. The records relate to Boston coastal and harbor defenses, primarily at Gallop's Island and Fort Ruckman. They are nontextual records, including blueprints, drawings, and tracings.

Records of the Design and Construction Branch, 1950-67. The records relate to significant Federal buildings in New England, such as the Customs House, Providence, Rhode Island; the John F. Kennedy Federal Building, Boston, Massachusetts; and the Arsenal, Watertown, Massachusetts. The records also document border patrol stations, courthouses, customs houses, post offices, and parking facilities. They are nontextual records including architectural drawings and blueprints.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory including a list of sites.

Record Group 127
Records of the U.S. Marine Corps

Administrative History
The U.S. Marine Corps was created by an act of July 11, 1798, which authorized the Commandant of the Corps to appoint an adjutant, a paymaster, and a quartermaster. Around those three staff officers and the Commandant the branches of Marine Corps Headquarters developed. Although the Corps was at first subject to both Army and Navy regulations, an act of June 30, 1834, placed it under exclusive Department of the Navy control, except for units detached by Presidential order for Army service. A staff system in the Headquarters organization was begun in 1918 when the first of many sections and divisions was created in the Office of the Commandant. When Headquarters was reorganized along General Staff lines in 1952, the Division of Plans and Policies was abolished and its sections, G-1 through G-4, were elevated to divisional status under assistant chiefs of staff.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps is directly responsible to the Secretary of the Navy for all administrative and operational matters affecting the Corps. These include providing amphibious forces for service with the fleet in seizing and defending advanced naval bases, and conducting land operations essential to a naval campaign. Other duties include providing detachments to serve on naval ships and to protect property of naval activities. See RG 181 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1828-1938
Volume: 75 cubic feet

Records of the Marine Barracks at:
  • Boston, Massachusetts, 1828-1938;
  • New London, Connecticut, 1910-11;
  • Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1824-26, 1896-1908.
The records document activities at the barracks, and include correspondence, morning and day reports, descriptive lists, and orders.

Finding Aids
Entries 97-102, 104, and 115 in Fred G. Halley, comp., Preliminary Checklist of the Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1798-1944, PC 50 (1946).

Record Group 136
Records of the Agricultural Marketing Service

Administrative History
The Agricultural Marketing Service was established in the Department of Agriculture in 1939 to consolidate agricultural marketing and related activities such as collecting and interpreting agricultural statistics, performing market inspection and grading services, and establishing official grade standards for many farm products. Its predecessors included the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. The Service was discontinued in 1942 and its functions performed by other agencies. A new Agricultural Marketing Service was established in 1953 and was renamed the Consumer and Marketing Service between 1965 and 1972.

Records Description
Dates: 1934-40
Volume: less than 1 cubic foot

Records of the Boston Office, Licensing and Enforcement Section, Agricultural Adjustment Administration. The records document accounting and auditing activities, and include correspondence and reports.

Finding Aids
Entry 48 in Virgil E. Baugh, Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Agricultural Marketing Service, NC 118 (1965).

Record Group 145
Records of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service

Administrative History
The Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) had its beginnings in the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) established in the Department of Agriculture under the Adjustment Act of May 12, 1933. After numerous changes by statute and reorganizations by the Department of Agriculture, the ASCS was established on June 5, 1961.

The ASCS is the agency that administers commodity and related land use programs designed for voluntary production adjustment, resource protection, and price, market, and farm income stabilization.

Records Description
Dates: 1936-82
Volume: 3 cubic feet

Records of the Vermont State Office pertaining to Federal cost-sharing with farmers in a number of closely-related programs (e.g. Agricultural Conservation, Forestry Incentive, and Rural Environmental Assistance) to increase food production and make better use of soil, forage, water, and woodland resources. They are State and county handbooks.

Records of county agents, Newport County, Rhode Island, pertaining to work of the county agricultural agent, home demonstration agent, and 4-H Club agent. These agents were cooperative Federal employees whose mission was to teach and demonstrate sound practices in agriculture and home economics, and foster the general improvement and development of rural living. Records include correspondence, reports, transcripts of radio broadcasts, and a few news articles and press releases.

Record Group 147
Records of the Selective Service System

Administrative History
An Executive order of September 23, 1940, established the Selective Service System to provide an orderly, just, and democratic method of obtaining men for military and naval service. Except between December 5, 1942, and December 5, 1943, when it was placed under the jurisdiction of the War Manpower Commission, the System was responsible to the President.

The System operated through a director and national headquarters, regional boards, State headquarters, medical and registrant advisory boards, boards of appeal, and local boards. There was a local board for each county, and one for each unit of 30,000 people in urban areas. Through the local boards the System registered, classified, and selected for induction male citizens and aliens subject to service.

Records Description
Dates: 1940-47
Volume: 80 cubic feet

Records of various State headquarters. The records are:
  • DSS Form 1, "Registration Card," for individuals born in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, between April 28, 1877, and February 16, 1897 ("Fourth Registration");
  • DSS Form 301, "Application by Alien for Relief from Military Service" for all New England States except Massachusetts;
  • DSS Form 304, "Alien's Personal History and Statement" for all New England States except Massachusetts.
Among the documents accompanying these forms are military separation papers (War Dept. Form 5355), Selective Service System Questionnaires (DSS Form 40), and correspondence with the Immigration and Naturalization Service and State Selective Service officials.

Records of the Massachusetts State Headquarters, Boston, and Local Board #104, Turners Falls, Massachusetts. The records document board activities and include bulletins, circulars, and minute books.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.
Entry 61 in Richard G. Wood, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Selective Service System, 1940-1947, PI 27 (1951).

Record Group 155
Records of the Wage and Hour Division

Administrative History
The Public Contracts Division was created to administer the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act of June 30, 1936, which required Government supply contracts exceeding $10,000 to stipulate minimum wage, overtime pay, safety, and health standards. The Wage and Hour Division was established in the Department of Labor to administer the minimum wage, overtime compensation, equal pay, and child labor standards provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of June 25, 1938. The two divisions were consolidated in 1942, and their area of responsibility was expanded by subsequent legislation. For related records covering the World War II period, see RG 202.

Records Description
Dates: 1939-62
Volume: 154 cubic feet

Records of the Boston regional office. The records relate to investigations of business establishments to determine their compliance with wage-hour and public contract laws, and Federal enforcement of fair labor standards laws. They are samples of closed investigative and inspection case files, which include correspondence, exhibits such as payroll and accounting records, reports, transcripts of interviews with claimants, wage computation sheets, wage report summaries, and related data.

Finding Aids
List of investigative case files.
Entry 2 in Herbert J. Howitz, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Wage and Hour and Public Contracts Divisions, NC 77 (1964).

Record Group 156
Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance

Administrative History
The Ordnance Department was established as an independent bureau of the War Department by an act of May 14, 1812. It was responsible for the procurement and distribution of ordnance and equipment, the maintenance and repair of equipment, and the development and testing of new types of ordnance. The Department was abolished in 1962, and its functions were transferred to the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

Among the field establishments maintained by the Ordnance Department within the United States have been armories, arsenals, and ordnance depots, district offices, and plants. See RG 338 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1794-1962
Volume: 456 cubic feet

Records of the following facilities:
  • Boston Ordnance District, Massachusetts, 1918-20, 1936-52;
  • Bridgeport Ordnance District, Connecticut, 1918-19; 1929-32 ;
  • Champlain Arsenal, Vermont, 1828-65;
  • Kennebec Arsenal, Maine, 1831-1901;
  • Scituate Proving Ground, Massachusetts, 1918-21;
  • Springfield Armory, Massachusetts, 1794-1952;
  • Springfield Ordnance District, Massachusetts, 1947-50;
  • Watertown Arsenal, Massachusetts, 1820-1962;
  • other ordnance plants and foundries, 1882-1944.
The records document administrative matters involving the commanding officer and his staff; civilian and military personnel; inspections; expenditures; research, development and testing activities; shops, buildings, and laboratories; work accomplished by employees and contractors; and inventories of ordnance materials. They consist of general correspondence, historical summaries, publications, orders, pay and muster rolls, reports and returns, scrapbooks, and press clippings.
Nontextual records include photographs, architectural drawings, and a few site maps. Finding Aids
  • Draft inventory.
  • Entries 1185-1187, 1300-1321, 1350-1414, 1544, 1546, 1547, 1620-1624, 1654, 1659-1664,1668- 1670, and 1688 in Evelyn Wade and Garry D. Ryan, comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Textual Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance. Part II: Records of Ordnance Field Installations, NM 59 (1965).

Record Group 163
Records of the Selective Service System (World War I)

Administrative History
The Selective Service System, under the direction of the Office of the Provost Marshal General, was authorized by an act of May 18, 1917, to register and induct men into military service. Much of the management of the draft was left to the States, where local draft boards were established on the basis of 1 for every 30,000 people. These boards, appointed by the President on the recommendation of the State Governor, registered, classified, inducted, and delivered to mobilization camps men who were eligible for the draft. Legal and medical advisory boards assisted the local boards and registrants, and district boards were established to pass on occupational exemption claims and to hear appeals. The Office of the Provost Marshal General worked with local and district boards through Selective Service State Headquarters. Classification ceased shortly after the armistice in 1918, and by May 31, 1919, all Selective Service organizations were closed except the Office of the Provost Marshal General, which was abolished July 15, 1919.

Records Description
Dates: 1917-19
Volume: 85 cubic feet

Records of primarily local but some district boards relating to inductees, deserters, and delinquents, including appeals of New England district board decisions on agricultural and industrial exemptions. The records are correspondence, indexes, and lists.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Related Microfilm Publications
M1509, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (New England States only).

Record Group 165
Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs

Administrative History
A War Department General Staff was authorized by Congress on February 14, 1903, to include a Chief of Staff, a General Council, and three divisions, which, after frequent reorganizations, developed into the Personnel Division (G-1), the Military Intelligence Division (G-2), the Organization and Training Division (G-3), the Supply Division (G-4), and the War Plans Division (Operations Division after 1942). The General Staff was a separate and distinct staff organization with supervision over most military branches, both line and staff. Its duties were to prepare plans for national defense and mobilization of military forces in time of war, to investigate and report on questions affecting Army efficiency and preparedness, and to give professional aid to the Secretary of War, general officers, and other superior commanders.

Under provisions of the National Security Act of 1947, the War Department became the Department of the Army within the newly created National Military Establishment, which was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949. See RG 38 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1918-19
Volume: 12 cubic feet

Records of the Boston and New Haven district offices of the Plant Protection Section, Military Intelligence Division. The records document the work of the Military Department of the Northeast, which, along with other police and intelligence agencies, inspected plants and warehouses of companies producing goods for the war effort. There is documentation of alleged seditious behavior or pro-German sentiment among employees; anarchists; the International Workers of the World union; Bolshevik activity; and strikes and labor unrest. Also included are descriptions of the company's buildings and the goods and services it provided, and lists of employees and officials. The records are primarily correspondence.
Nontextual records include blueprints and plans.

Finding Aids
Entries 118-121 in Harry W. John and Olive K. Liebman, comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Textual Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, NM 84 (1967).

Record Group 181
Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments

Administrative History
Soon after its establishment in 1798, the Department of the Navy created navy yards and other fleet service shore establishments. A system of naval districts for the United States, its territories, and possessions was not formally established, however, until 1903. This system was supervised by the Bureau of Navigation until 1915 when it became the responsibility of the Chief of Naval Operations. By the end of World War II, the districts exercised almost complete military and administrative control over naval operations within their limits, including naval shipyards, stations, training stations, air installations, and advance bases. See RG 24, RG 71, and RG 127 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1811-1974
Volume: 2123 cubic feet

Records of the following facilities:
  • Connecticut:
    • U.S. Naval District Base, New London, 1917-19;
    • U.S. Navy Submarine Base, New London, 1940-52; 1956-61;
    • Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Construction, and Repair, Groton, 1958-68;
  • Maine:
    • Brunswick Naval Air Station, 1942-53;
  • Massachusetts:
    • Commandant and Assistant Chief of Staff, 1st Naval District, Boston, 1903-61;
    • Industrial Manager, 1st Naval District, Boston, 1951-65;
    • Public Works Officer, 1st Naval District, Boston, 1939-65;
    • Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, 1st Naval District, Boston, 1966-68;
    • Port Director, Boston, 1940-47;
    • Commander, Boston Navy Yard, 1815-1968;
    • South Weymouth Naval Air Station, 1944-53;
    • Squantum (Boston) Naval Reserve Aviation Base, 1930-43;
  • New Hampshire:
    • Commander, Portsmouth Naval Base, 1893-1966;
    • Commander, Portsmouth Navy Yard, 1815-1966;
    • U.S. Naval Prison, Portsmouth, 1908-40, 1961-74;
  • Rhode Island:
      U.S. Naval Base, Newport, 1956, 1966-72;
    • U.S. Naval Training Station, Newport, 1894-1952;
    • Naval Air Rework Facility, Quonset Point, 1941-73;
  • Miscellaneous naval activities in New England, 1941-68.
The records document naval activities in New England and the establishment of the United States as a major naval power. Many records relate to administration and operation of shipyards; construction, alteration, repair, outfitting, commissioning, and decommissioning of vessels; logistical support to fleet and shore activities; acquisition and disposal of real estate; and liaison with other navy activities. Included are command histories, correspondence, issuances, logbooks, reports, and other central files.
Nontextual records include drawings of ships, buildings, and materials at the Boston Navy Yard, 1856-92, and photographs of naval facilities in New England, 1939-70.

Finding Aids
  • Draft inventory.
  • Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments in the Regional Archives Part of Record Group 181, SL 58 (1991).
  • Richard G. Wood, comp., Preliminary Checklist of the Records of the Boston Navy Yard, 1811-1942, PC 40 (1946).
  • Entries 1-9, 60-132, 459-498, 716-718, and 796 in Harry Schwartz and Lee Saegesser, comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Textual Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments, NM 72 (1966).

Related Microfilm Publications
M89, Letters Received by the Secretary of the Navy From Commanding Officers of Squadrons, 1841-1886;
M118, History of the Boston Navy Yard, 1797-1874, by Commodore George H. Preble, U.S.N., 1875;
T1017, Historical Records of the Newport Naval Training Station, Rhode Island, 1883-1948;
T1023, Plans of Buildings and Machinery Erected in the Navy Yard, Boston, 1830-1840.

Restrictions
Access to some files or portions of documents may be restricted because of national security classification.

Record Group 187
Records of the National Resources Planning Board

Administrative History
The National Resources Planning Board (NRPB) was established in the Executive Office of the President by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1939. It inherited the functions of the National Planning Board of the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (created July 20, 1933) and its various successors. The NRPB and its predecessors planned public works, coordinated Federal planning relating to conservation and efficient use of national resources, and encouraged local, State, and regional planning. The NRPB was abolished by an act of June 26, 1943.

Records Description
Dates: 1934-43
Volume: 103 cubic feet

Records of Victor M. Cutter, chairman of the New England Regional Planning Commission. The records document projects financed through the Work Projects Administration and its predecessors. Included are administrative and general correspondence, administrative reference material, reports, and statistical and census data.
Nontextual records include graphs and maps.

Finding Aids
  • Draft inventory.
  • Entries 1, 2, and 6-9 in Virgil E. Baugh, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Regional Offices of the National Resources Planning Board, PI 64 (1954).

Record Group 188
Records of the Office of Price Administration

Administrative History
The Office of Price Administration (OPA) originated in the Price Stabilization and Consumer Protection Divisions of the Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense on May 29, 1940, and in their successor, the Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply, created in April 1941 and redesignated the Office of Price Administration by an Executive order of August 28, 1941. The OPA was given statutory recognition as an independent agency by the Emergency Price Control Act of January 30, 1942. Under this legislation the OPA attempted to stabilize prices and rents by establishing maximum prices for commodities (other than agricultural products which were under the control of the Secretary of Agriculture) and rents in defense areas. It also rationed scarce essential commodities and authorized subsidies for the production of some goods. Most of the price and rationing controls were lifted between August 1945 and November 1946. See RG 245 and RG 253 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1941-47
Volume: 210 cubic feet

Records of the Administrator, Region 1; Information Office;  Enforcement Division; Rationing Division; Price Division; Accounting Division; and selected local war price and rationing boards.The records relate to investigations of companies (case files), price levels, and rationing, and provide insight into the scope of OPA's activities and their impact on local life. Included are case files, correspondence, investigative and survey reports, price charts, and publicity materials.

Finding Aids
  • Entries 294-312 in Meyer H. Fishbein and Elaine C. Bennett, comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Accounting Department of the Office of Price Administration, PI 32 (1951).
  • Entries 987-1006, and 1349 in Fishbein, Walter Weinstein, and Albert W. Winthrop, comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Price Department of the Office of Price Administration, PI 95 (1956).
  • Entries 193-201, and 351 in Fishbein, et al., comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Rationing Department of the Office of Price Administration, PI 102 (1958).
  • Entries 137-143 in Betty R. Bucher, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Information Department of the Office of Price Administration, PI 119 (1959).
  • Entries 202-215 in Fishbein and Bucher, comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Office of Price Administration, PI 120 (1959).
Related Microfilm Publications
M164, Studies and Reports of the Office of Price Administration, 1941-1946.

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