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Finding Aids to Individual Collections in the Archive of Folk Culture
THE WORLD WAR II RUMOR PROJECT COLLECTION
AFC 1945/001
Library of Congress, Washington DC
March 1995
SUMMARY
The World War II Rumor Project was coordinated under the auspices of the
Office of War Information (OWI), Special Services Administration, which
was established to achieve a coordinated governmental war-information program.
The project created a collection of manuscripts, including some graphics.
The program aimed to promote an intelligent understanding of the status
and progress of the war effort, war policies, activities, and the aims
of the United States government.
This project has two distinct components. The first component involved
field representatives of various federal agencies who sent OWI manuscripts,
or written reports, which they collected from individuals or "correspondents." The
second component involved materials that were rumors, jokes, and anecdotes
about the war from high school and college students collected by teachers.
Access and Reproduction: Viewing access to the collection
is unrestricted. Duplication of the materials may be governed by copyright
and other restrictions.
Key Subjects: armies; Churchill, Winston, Sir, 1874-1965;
college students; high school teachers; Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945; navies;
public opinion; Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945; rumor;
student activities; war and education; war propaganda; wit and humor; World
War, 1939-1945; Afro-Americans; Jews; Japanese; Germans
Languages and Dialects: English
Physical Description:
Manuscripts
10 boxes (141 folders)
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The World War II Rumor Project Collection contains the manuscript materials
from the Office of War Information (OWI). The OWI was established by an
Executive order on June 13, 1942, for the purpose of achieving a coordinated
governmental war-information program. The information program was designed
to promote an informed and intelligent understanding of the status and
progress of the war effort, war policies, activities, and aims of the United
States government. All functions of the Office of Facts and Figures and
of the Office of Government Reports, and parts of the functions and related
records of two other agencies were transferred to the OWI.
For the World War II Rumor Project, field representatives collected information
from community-based correspondents and sent duplicate or triplicate copies
of reports of the correspondents to Dr. Eugene Horowitz at the Bureau of
Public Inquiries of the OWI. The reports listed rumors and anecdotes that
were compiled by Dr. Horowitz and William H. Webber in the alphabetized
order by states and by subjects.
This collection has two distinct components. The first component involved
field representatives of various federal agencies in the United States
instructed to enlist individuals in their communities who were willing
to write down rumors and send them to the field representatives. These
individuals or "correspondents" included dentists, beauty shop operators,
policemen, proprietors, and librarians who had access to rumors in their
communities.
The second component involved rumors, jokes, and anecdotes about the
war from high school and college students collected by teachers. Correspondence
within the folders indicates that some teachers removed some rumors or
jokes in order to "show the best of their pupils." Within the documents,
race designations vary. For one school, correspondence indicates that students
were not asked to identify their race due to local tensions. However, the
papers were taken up in order, and the teacher later added a designation
as to the race of the student. The designations for African-American students
appear as "Negro," "N," "Colored," "Col," or "C." Designations for white
students appear as "White" or "W."
Graphics appear in the following folders:
Folder 114
Folder 118
Folder 122
Folder 123
Folder 127
The materials are divided into five series. Series I consists of administrative
information about this project. The correspondence is in chronological
order. Series II concerns the administrative information about local rumor-control
projects and correspondence. Series III includes the reports of rumors
gathered by correspondents, sent in by field representatives. Series IV
contains rumors from correspondents and field representatives. They are
arranged in broad topical categories as originally classified by Dr. Horowitz
of the OWI. Series V includes the rumors, jokes, and anecdotes from high
school and college students collected and submitted by teachers.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SERIES
SERIES I
Location |
Contents |
Folder 1 |
Rumor Control Project Documents - various editions |
Folder 2 |
Administrative Information and Correspondence, January-March, 1942 |
Folder 3 |
Administrative Information and Correspondence, April-June, 1942 |
Folder 4 |
Administrative Information and Correspondence, July-August, 1942 |
Folder 5 |
Administrative Information and Correspondence, September-December,
1942 |
Folder 6 |
Diagrams of Rumor and Rumor Control |
Folder 7 |
Graphics and Articles |
Folder 8 |
Radio Broadcast "War Information and Military Security" |
SERIES II
Location |
Contents |
Folder 9 |
Memoranda on Rumors and Rumor Control Groups: Various Drafts |
Folder 10 |
Memoranda on Rumors and Rumor Control Groups: Various Drafts |
Folder 11 |
Memoranda on Rumors and Rumor Control Groups: Dr. Horowitz's File |
Folder 12 |
Correspondents and Rumor Analysis |
Folder 13 |
Rumor Analysis on Several Topics, including compilations of rumors
received |
Folder 14 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Rumor Collectors |
Folder 15 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Correspondence and Internal Documents |
Folder 16 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Introduction Letter and Questionnaire |
SERIES III
Location |
Contents |
Folder 17 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Alabama |
Folder 18 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Arizona |
Folder 19 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Arkansas |
Folder 20 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: California |
Folder 21 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Colorado |
Folder 22 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Connecticut |
Folder 23 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Florida |
Folder 24 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Georgia |
Folder 25 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Idaho |
Folder 26 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Illinois |
Folder 27 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Indiana |
Folder 28 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Iowa |
Folder 29 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Kansas |
Folder 30 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Kentucky |
Folder 31 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Louisiana |
Folder 32 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Maine |
Folder 33 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Massachusetts |
Folder 34 |
Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety: Documents and Correspondence |
Folder 35 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Michigan |
Folder 36 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Minnesota |
Folder 37 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Missouri |
Folder 38 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Montana |
Folder 39 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Nebraska |
Folder 40 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: New Jersey |
Folder 41 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: New Mexico |
Folder 42 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: New York |
Folder 43 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: North Carolina |
Folder 44 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: North Dakota |
Folder 45 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Ohio |
Folder 46 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Oklahoma |
Folder 47 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Oregon |
Folder 48 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Pennsylvania |
Folder 49 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Rhode Island |
Folder 50 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: South Carolina |
Folder 51 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Tennessee |
Folder 52 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Texas |
Folder 53 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Utah |
Folder 54 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Virginia |
Folder 55 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Washington (State) |
Folder 56 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Washington D. C. |
Folder 57 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: West Virginia |
Folder 58 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Wisconsin |
Folder 59 |
Local Rumor Control Projects: Wyoming |
SERIES IV
Classifications are as follows:
Location |
Contents |
Folder 60 |
Anti-British |
Folder 61 |
Armed Forces: Health |
Folder 62 |
Army-Navy Commissions |
Folder 63 |
Army-Navy Training |
Folder 64 |
Civilian Defense |
Folder 65 |
Civilian Front: Criticism of Government |
Folder 66 |
Civilian Front: Security and Treatment of Enemy Aliens |
Folder 67 |
Criticism of U.S. Government |
Folder 68 |
Defense Workers |
Folder 69 |
Defense Workers: Pay |
Folder 70 |
Discards as non-rumor |
Folder 71 |
Economic Front: War Bonds and Stamps |
Folder 72 |
Farmers |
Folder 73 |
Government Information: Policy and Practice |
Folder 74 |
Inflation |
Folder 75 |
Labor Relations and Union Activities |
Folder 76 |
Military: High commands |
Folder 77 |
Military: Movement of troops |
Folder 78 |
Military: Woman Auxiliaries |
Folder 79 |
Military Losses: Human Combatants |
Folder 80 |
Military Losses: Prisoners |
Folder 81 |
Military Losses: Warships |
Folder 82 |
Military Officers |
Folder 83 |
Military Organization: General |
Folder 84 |
Military Recruitment (Military Selective Service) |
Folder 85 |
Military Strategy: American Front |
Folder 86 |
Military Strategy: Far East Front |
Folder 87 |
Military Strategy: Russian Front |
Folder 88 |
Military Strategy: Second Front |
Folder 89 |
Military Strength |
Folder 90 |
Military Strength of the United States: Perceptions |
Folder 91 |
Military Tactics |
Folder 92 |
Miscellaneous (Permalife copies) |
Folder 93 |
Miscellaneous (Original copies) |
Folder 94 |
Morals |
Folder 95 |
Operations, Actual and Potential: In United States and along United
States Coast |
Folder 96 |
Operations: Aleutians |
Folder 97 |
Operations: Russian Front |
Folder 98 |
Post World-War |
Folder 99 |
Predictions of Duration |
Folder 100 |
Rationing: Miscellaneous (Permalife copies) |
Folder 101 |
Rationing: Miscellaneous (Original copies) |
Folder 102 |
Rationing: Rubber and tire rationing |
Folder 103 |
Rationing: Sugar |
Folder 104 |
Russia's Arms and War Effort (1) Favorable and neutral and (2) Unfavorable |
Folder 105 |
Social problems: General |
Folder 106 |
Social problems: Poverty and Unemployment |
Folder 107 |
Social Problems: Race discrimination |
Folder 108 |
Social Problems: Race Discrimination, other: Japanese, German |
Folder 109 |
Strategy: General |
Folder 110 |
War arms: General and Miscellaneous |
Folder 111 |
War causes |
Folder 112 |
War Production Management |
SERIES V
Location |
Contents |
Folder 113 |
Instruction sheet for High School and College Instructors |
Folder 114 |
Alabama. Parker High School, Birmingham |
Folder 115 |
Alabama. Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee. (Permalife copies) |
Folder 116 |
Alabama. Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee. (Original copies) |
Folder 117 |
Illinois. Du Sable High School, Chicago |
Folder 118 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 119 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 120 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 121 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 122 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 123 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 124 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 125 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 126 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 127 |
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago |
Folder 128 |
North Carolina. Washington High School, Raleigh |
Folder 129 |
Ohio. East High School, Columbus |
Folder 130 |
Ohio. East High School, Columbus |
Folder 131 |
Ohio. Dennison College, Granville |
Folder 132 |
Ohio. Wilberforce University, Wilberforce (Permalife copies) |
Folder 133 |
Ohio. Wilberforce University, Wilberforce (Original copies) |
Folder 134 |
Washington, D.C. Howard University |
Folder 135 |
West Virginia. Bluefield State Teachers College, Bluefield |
Folder 136 |
West Virginia. West Virginia State College, Institute |
Folder 137 |
Unknown High School |
Folder 138 |
Unknown High School |
Folder 139 |
Unknown High School |
Folder 140 |
Unknown School |
Folder 141 |
Unknown School |
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