Guide to Federal Records

General Records of the General Services Administration [GSA]


(Record Group 269)
1922-89, 1994

Overview of Records Locations

Table of Contents

  • 269.1 Administrative History
  • 269.2 General Records 1922-73 (bulk 1949-73)
  • 269.3 Records of the Office of Congressional Affairs 1952-56, 1970-73
  • 269.4 Records of the Office of General Counsel (OGC) 1941-69
  • 269.5 Records of the Committee Management Secretariat 1957-89 (bulk 1972-89)
  • 269.6 Records of the Office of Finance 1953-79
  • 269.7 Records of the Office of Budget 1950-65
  • 269.8 Records of Other Headquarters Organizations 1945-71
  • 269.9 Records Of Committees, Commissions, and Boards 1949-62
  • 269.10 Records Relating to the Disposition of Federal Property 1938-80
  • 269.11 Records of GSA Regional Offices 1940-80
    • 269.11.1 Records of GSA Region 1 (Boston, MA)
    • 269.11.2 Records of GSA Region 4 (Atlanta, GA)
    • 269.11.3 Records of GSA Region 7 (Fort Worth, TX)
    • 269.11.4 Records of GSA Region 9 (San Francisco, CA)
    • 269.11.5 Records of GSA Region 10 (Auburn, WA)
  • 269.12 Cartographic Records (General) 1960
  • 269.13 Motion Pictures (General) 1971
  • 269.14 Video Recordings (General) 1994

269.1 Administrative History

Established: As an independent agency, effective July 1, 1949, by the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (63 Stat. 379), June 30, 1949.

Predecessor Agencies:

  • Office of Contract Settlement (OCS, 1944)
  • OCS, Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion (1944-46)
  • Department of the Treasury (successor in function to OCS, 1946-49)
  • Bureau of Federal Supply, Department of the Treasury (1947-49)
  • Federal Works Agency (FWA, 1939-49)
  • National Archives Establishment (1934-49)
  • War Assets Administration, Office for Emergency Management (1946-49)

Functions: Administers, through a varying number of constituent services, federal property and related services, including procurement and distribution of supplies, construction and operation of buildings, utilization and disposal of property, management of the government automated data processing resources program, and management of transportation, traffic, and communications systems.

Finding Aids: William J. Lescure, comp., "Preliminary Inventory of the General Records of the General Services Administration," NC 102 (Apr. 1965); supplement in National Archives microfiche edition of preliminary inventories.

Security-Classified Records: This record group may include material that is security-classified.

Related Records:
Record copies of publications of the General Services Administration in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government.
Records of the Bureau of Public Roads, RG 30.
Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, RG 64.
Records of the Public Buildings Service, RG 121.
Records of the Federal Supply Service, RG 137.
General Records of the Federal Works Agency, RG 162.
Records of the Office of Contract Settlement, RG 246.
Records of the War Assets Administration, RG 270.
Records of the Federal Property Resources Service, RG 291.
Records of the Information Resources Management Service, RG 352.

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269.2 General Records
1922-73 (bulk 1949-73)

History: Federal records management, property management, and civilian supply functions represented by War Assets Administration, former Office of Contract Settlement, National Archives Establishment, Federal Works Agency, and Bureau of Federal Supply consolidated, 1949, to form GSA. See 269.1. For administrative histories of predecessor agencies, see RG 270, RG 246, RG 64, RG 162, and (for Bureau of Federal Supply) RG 137. Public Roads Administration, FWA, redesignated Bureau of Public Roads by Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, transferred to Department of Commerce by Reorganization Plan No. 7 of 1949, effective August 20, 1949. See RG 30. Functions of FWA Bureau of Community Facilities (see RG 162) dispersed by Reorganization Plans No. 15, 16, and 17 of 1950, effective May 24, 1950, among the Department of the Interior, Federal Security Agency, and Housing and Home Finance Agency. National Archives and Records Service, successor to National Archives Establishment by order of GSA Administrator, December 1, 1949, became National Archives and Records Administration, an independent agency, effective April 1, 1985, by the National Archives and Records Administration Act (98 Stat. 2280), October 19, 1984. See RG 64.

Textual Records: Central correspondence ("Administrator's General Subject File"), 1949-73 (410 ft.). General correspondence of the Office of Administration and its predecessors ("Records Relating to Financial and Administrative Management"), 1949-70. Issuances, issuance case files, and related correspondence, 1922-71.

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269.3 Records of the Office of Congressional Affairs
1952-56, 1970-73

Textual Records: Reading file relating to Congressional committees, 1952-56, maintained by the Office of the Special Assistant to the Administrator in charge of Congressional liaison, and its predecessors in the Office of General Counsel as follows: the Legislation and Regulations Division (1950-52), the Legislation and Liaison Division (1952-54), and the Office of the Congressional Liaison Officer (1954-56). Correspondence of the Office of Congressional Affairs, 1970-73.

Related Records: Additional records of the Office of General Counsel under 269.4.

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269.4 Records of the Office of General Counsel (OGC)
1941-69

Textual Records: General Counsel's reading file, October 1, 1960- December 31, 1969. Legislative reference file covering the 77th through the 84th Congress, 1941-56, maintained successively by OGC, Federal Works Agency (1941-49); and, in OGC, GSA, by the Legislation and Regulations Division (1949-52), the Legislation and Liaison Division (1952-54), and the Office of the Congressional Liaison Officer (1954-56). Records relating to the disposition of land held by the U.S. Soldiers' Home, Washington, DC, 1959-69, compiled from various sources by the Public Buildings Division.

Related Records: Additional records of the Office of General Counsel under 269.3. Records of the U.S. Soldiers' Home, RG 231.

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269.5 Records of the Committee Management Secretariat
1957-89 (bulk 1972-89)

Textual Records: Policy files, 1957-84. Annual reports, with related background material, 1972-84. Annual review files, 1972- 86. Agency case files, 1972-89.

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269.6 Records of the Office of Finance
1953-79

Textual Records: Formerly security-classified and unclassified reports on federal agency property inventories, 1953-78 (369 ft.). List of federal properties held by Department of Defense organizations, showing the type of jurisdiction (exclusive or concurrent) exercised over each property, June 1957. Issuances concerning accounting handbooks, compiled by the Central Control Division, 1960-79.

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269.7 Records of the Office of Budget
1950-65

Textual Records: Fiscal Year 1951-66 budget estimates and justifications, 1950-65.

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269.8 Records of Other Headquarters Organizations
1945-84

Textual Records: General records of the Systems and Procedures Division, 1949-61. Subject file of the Office of Management, 1945-59 (bulk 1949-56). General records of the Management Systems Staff, 1955-66. Records relating to employee salaries, 1953-71, maintained by the Compensation Division of the Office of Personnel. Records of the Information Security Oversight Office and its predecessor, the Interagency Classification Review Committee, 1972-84.

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269.9 Records Of Committees, Commissions, and Boards
1949-62

Textual Records: Reports and studies of the General Review Committee, chaired by Administrator of General Services Jess Larson ("Jess Larson's Management Survey Team File"), July 1949- June 1950. Records of the General Services Advisory Council, including records of regional advisory councils, 1950-62. Records concerning the work of the Committee on Judicial Review of the President's Conference on Administrative Procedures, 1953-54.

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269.10 Records Relating to the Disposition of Federal Property
1938-80

Textual Records: Records concerning the liquidation of Reconstruction Finance Corporation assets, 1938-80. General records and case files of the Farm Credit Administration relating to real property disposal, 1945-53.

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269.11 Records of GSA Regional Offices
1940-80

History: GSA organized into 10 regions, 1949, with jurisdictions and headquarters as follows:

Region Jurisdictions Headquarters
1 CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT Boston, MA
2 DE, NJ, NY, PA New York, NY
3 DC, MD, PR, VI, VA, WV Washington, DC
4 AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN Atlanta, GA
5 IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, WI Chicago, IL
6 IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD Kansas City, MO
7 AR, LA, OK, TX Dallas, TX
8 CO, NM, UT, WY Denver, CO
9 AZ, CA, HI, NV San Francisco, CA
10 AK, ID, MT, OR, WA Seattle, WA

Region 10 headquarters moved to Auburn, WA, 1961. Region 7 headquarters moved to Fort Worth, TX, 1966. PR and VA transferred from Region 3 to Region 2, and AZ transferred from Region 9 to Region 8, 1967.

GSA regional alignments were shifted to correspond to standard federal regions, 1972:

Region Jurisdictions Headquarters
1 CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT Boston, MA
2 NJ, NY, PR, VI New York, NY
3 DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV Washington, DC
4 AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN Atlanta, GA
5 IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI Chicago, IL
6 IA, KS, MO, NE Kansas City, MO
7 AR, LA, NM, OK, TX Fort Worth, TX
8 CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY Denver, CO
9 AZ, CA, HI, NV San Francisco, CA
10 AK, ID, OR, WA Auburn, WA

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269.11.1 Records of GSA Region 1 (Boston, MA)

Textual Records (in Boston): Real property disposal case files of the Real Property Division, including records created by the War Assets Administration, 1940-75.

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269.11.2 Records of GSA Region 4 (Atlanta, GA)

Textual Records (in Atlanta): Records of the Budget Division, Office of Administration, consisting of Fiscal Year 1973 budget estimates and justifications, May-August 1972.

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269.11.3 Records of GSA Region 7 (Fort Worth, TX)

Textual Records (in Fort Worth): Real property disposal case files of the Real Estate Division (1953-58) and its successor, the Real Property Division, 1953-64.

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269.11.4 Records of GSA Region 9 (San Francisco, CA)

Textual Records (in San Francisco): Organization files, 1950-64. Correspondence of the Office of the Regional Administrator relating to "Project Cristianitos," 1972-73. Records of the Regional Counsel relating to real property disposal cases, 1943- 59. Records of the Office of the Comptroller, including real property disposal and property management case files, administrative records, reports, and publications pertaining to the Basic Magnesium, Inc., Project, 1943-56; and to the HK-1 flying boat (Howard Hughes's Spruce Goose), 1958-63. Records relating to maintenance and repairs of President Richard M. Nixon's residence ("Western White House"), San Clemente, CA, 1969-80; and to expenses incurred by GSA in support of President Nixon and his staff ("Obligation Documents"), 1975-80.

Maps (in San Francisco): "Project Cristianitos," 1972- 73 (7 items). See also 269.12.

Architectural and Engineering Plans (in San Francisco): "Project Cristianitos," 1972-73 (31 items). See also 269.12.

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269.11.5 Records of GSA Region 10 (Auburn, WA)

Textual Records (in Seattle, except as noted): Records of the Regional Counsel, 1953-65. Select organizational files, 1949-63. Real property disposal case files for AK, ID, MT, OR, and WA, 1956-62. Emergency planning files of the regional office of the Federal Preparedness Agency, 1975-76. General correspondence of John D. Argetsinger, district engineer for the Community Facilities Service, Juneau, AK, 1949-50 (in Anchorage).

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269.12 Cartographic Records (General)
1960

Map: GSA administrative regions and headquarters, ca. 1960 (1 item).

See Maps under 269.11.4.
See Architectural and Engineering Plans under 269.11.4.

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269.13 Motion Pictures (General)
1971

Partners in Progress, documenting GSA efforts to use minority businesses for federal purchases, 1971 (1 reel). Clear Skies, Clean Air, documenting GSA experimental use of automobiles powered by natural gas, 1971 (1 reel).

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269.14 Video Recordings (General)
1994

African Burial Ground: An American Discovery, documenting the controversy surrounding the discovery of an African-American burial ground on the construction site of a Federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan in New York City, 1994 (2 items).


Bibliographic note: Web version based on Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
3 volumes, 2428 pages.

Ordering information

This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.


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