Guide to Federal Records

Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs [WDGS/WDSS]


(Record Group 165)
1860-1952 (bulk 1888-1948)

Overview of Records Locations

Table of Contents

  • 165.1 Administrative History
  • 165.2 Records of the Office of the Chief of Staff (OCS) 1903-47
  • 165.3 Records of the Personnel Division (G-1) 1919-49
  • 165.4 Records of the Military Intelligence Division (MID, G-2) 1900-50
    • 165.4.1 General records
    • 165.4.2 Records of the Plant Protection Section
    • 165.4.3 Records of the Office of the Chief Military Censor
    • 165.4.4 Records of the Propaganda Branch
    • 165.4.5 Records of the Training Branch
    • 165.4.6 General records of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS)
    • 165.4.7 Records of the Captured Personnel and Materiel Branch, MIS
    • 165.4.8 Records of the Foreign Liaison Branch, MIS
    • 165.4.9 Records of other MIS branches
    • 165.4.10 Records of MIS field offices
    • 165.4.11 Records of the Army Security Agency--War Department Traffic Security Board
    • 165.4.12 Records of the Office of the Executive for Personnel and Administration--Personnel Branch
    • 165.4.13 Records of the Intelligence Group
    • 165.4.14 Records of the Training Group
    • 165.4.15 Records of the Security Group
  • 165.5 Records of the Organization and Training Division (G-3) 1902-47
  • 165.6 Records of the Supply Division (G-4) 1914-47
    • 165.6.1 General records
    • 165.6.2 Records of the Purchase, Storage, and Traffic Division
    • 165.6.3 Records of the Current Supply Branch--External Relations Section
    • 165.6.4 Records of the Plans and Policy Office
    • 165.6.5 Records of the Service Group--Installations Branch
    • 165.6.6 Records of the Supply Group
    • 165.6.7 Records of the Procurement Group
  • 165.7 Records of the Army War College (AWC) and the War College Division (WCD)
    1900-48
  • 165.8 Records of the War Plans Division 1910-42
    • 165.8.1 General records
    • 165.8.2 Records of the Service and Information Branch
    • 165.8.3 Records of the Morale Branch
    • 165.8.4 Records of the Education and Recreation Branch
  • 165.9 Records of the Operations Division (OPD) 1923-48
  • 165.10 Records of the Budget Division 1941-49
  • 165.11 Records of the Civil Affairs Division (CAD) 1942-52
    • 165.11.1 General records
    • 165.11.2 Records of the Personnel and Training Branch
    • 165.11.3 Records of the Policy and Government Branch
    • 165.11.4 Records of the Information Branch
    • 165.11.5 Records of the Civil Affairs Holding and Staging Area (Presidio of Monterey, CA)
  • 165.12 Records of the Legislative and Liaison Division 1936-48
  • 165.13 Records of the Research and Development Division 1940-47
  • 165.14 Records of the Information and Education Division 1941-45
  • 165.15 Records of the Public Information Division 1921-51
  • 165.16 Records of the Special Planning Division 1943-46
  • 165.17 Records of the War Department Manpower Board (Gasser Board)
    1943-47
  • 165.18 Records of Discontinued Boards 1888-1922
    • 165.18.1 Records of the Board of Ordnance and Fortifications
    • 165.18.2 Records of the Board of General Officers
    • 165.18.3 Records of the National Land Defense Board
  • 165.19 Records of the United States Army Forces in Central Canada 1943-45
  • 165.20 Cartographic Records (General) 1917-19, 1943-45
  • 165.21 Sound Recordings (General) 1945-47
  • 165.22 Still Pictures (General) 1860-1947

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165.1 Administrative History

Established: General Staff, in the War Department, effective August 15, 1903, by an act of February 14, 1903 (32 Stat. 830), replacing the Provisional General Staff and the Headquarters of the Army. Special Staff, in the War Department, effective March 9, 1942, by Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942.

Predecessor Agencies:

In the War Department:

  • Headquarters of the Army (1821-1903)
  • Provisional General Staff (1903)
Functions: Prepared plans for national defense and wartime mobilization. Investigated and reported on army efficiency and preparedness. Provided advice to the Secretary of War, the War Department, and the officer corps of the army. Exercised general supervision over the army.

Abolished: By the National Security Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 495), July 26, 1947, which abolished the War Department and replaced it with a Department of the Army in the National Military Establishment, later the Department of Defense.

Successor Agencies: General and Special Staffs, United States Army (1947-50); Army Staff (1950- ).

Finding Aids: Harry W. John and Olive K. Liebman, comps., "Preliminary Inventory of the Textual Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs," NM 84 (June 1967); supplement in National Archives microfiche edition of preliminary inventories.

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

Related Records:
Records of the Office of the Secretary of War, RG 107.
Records of the Headquarters of the Army, RG 108.
Records of the Army Staff, RG 319.

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165.2 Records of the Office of the Chief of Staff (OCS)
1903-47

History: Headquarters of the Army, constituting the centralized staff functions vested in the personal staff of the Commanding General of the Army, established by an act of March 2, 1821 (3 Stat. 615). War Department General Staff, headed by a Chief of Staff, to supersede the Headquarters of the Army, established, effective August 15, 1903, by General Order 15, Headquarters of the Army, February 18, 1903, confirming provisions of an act reorganizing the army (32 Stat. 830), February 14, 1903. An interim Provisional General Staff developed a permanent organization for, and assigned duties to, the WDGS and its divisions. Statement of permanent organization and functions promulgated as General Order 120, Headquarters of the Army, August 14, 1903.

Services of Supply (SOS) established in the War Department, effective March 9, 1942, by Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942, implementing the reorganization of the army mandated by EO 9082, February 28, 1942, with responsibility for administering the War Department Special Staff, a collective designation initially applied by Circular 59 to disparate organizations performing specialized functions for the Chief of Staff. SOS redesignated Army Service Forces (ASF) by General Order 14, War Department, March 12, 1943. ASF abolished, effective June 11, 1946, by Circular 138, War Department, May 14, 1946, pursuant to EO 9722, May 13, 1946.

In implementation of the provisions of the National Security Act of 1947 abolishing the War Department and establishing the Department of the Army (see 165.1), WDGS and WDSS redesignated General Staff, United States Army, and Special Staff, United States Army, by Circular 225, War Department, August 16, 1947. Confirmed and made immediately effective by Circular 1, Department of the Army, September 18, 1947. Term "Army Staff" adopted as the collective name for all organizations responsible to the Chief of Staff, United States Army, by the Army Organization Act of 1950 (64 Stat. 263), June 28, 1950, as confirmed by General Order 97, Department of the Army, November 13, 1951.

Textual Records: Reports of the Provisional General Staff, with indexes, June-August 1903. General correspondence, 1903-47, with indexes, 1906-47. Security-classified general correspondence, 1942-47. Records of conferences of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combined Chiefs of Staff, 1939-47. Correspondence with the White House, including cables, 1939-46. Office files of Gens. J. Lawton Collins, 1942-46, and O.L. Nelson, 1938-46. Radiograms, 1942. Records relating to the proposed Department of National Defense, 1943-46. Reports containing personnel and materiel statistics, 1917-45. Records relating to the return of U.S. prisoners of war (Project Eversharp), 1945-46.

Microfilm Publications: M995.

Related Records: Records of the immediate Office of the Chief of Staff in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.3 Records of the Personnel Division (G-1)
1919-49

History: First and Third Divisions, Provisional General Staff, established by memorandum of Maj. Gen. Samuel H.M. Young, President of the War College Board and Chief of Staff-designate, May 28, 1903, with First Division responsible for the appointment, assignment, promotion, decoration, and training of officers of all arms except the technical and special arms, which were assigned to Third Division. Became First and Third Divisions, WDGS, August 15, 1903. First and Third Divisions abolished in WDGS reorganization pursuant to memorandum of the Chief of Staff, June 27, 1908, confirmed by General Order 128, War Department, August 12, 1908, with personnel functions to newly established First Section. In subsequent WDGS reorganization pursuant to memorandum of the Chief of Staff, September 26, 1910, First Section abolished, with training functions to newly established War College Division (see 165.7), and all other personnel functions to immediate Office of the Chief of Staff. Promotion and assignment functions transferred to newly established Executive Division, with all other personnel functions to newly established Operations Division, WDGS, by General Order 14, War Department, February 9, 1918. Executive Division personnel functions transferred to Operations Division by General Order 80, War Department, August 26, 1918. Operations Division personnel functions transferred to newly established Personnel Division (G-1), in WDGS reorganization pursuant to General Order 41, War Department, August 16, 1921. Personnel Division (G-1) redesignated Personnel and Administration Division, effective June 11, 1946, by Circular 138, War Department, May 14, 1946. Further redesignated Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1, Personnel, effective March 1, 1950, by Circular 12, Department of the Army, February 28, 1950, as confirmed by Special Regulation 10-5-1, Department of the Army, April 11, 1950. Abolished, with functions transferred to newly established Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, effective January 3, 1956, by General Order 70, Department of the Army, December 27, 1955, as confirmed by Change 13 to Special Regulation 10-5-1 (April 11, 1950), Department of the Army, December 27, 1955.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1, Personnel; Records of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel; and Records of the Office of the Director of the Women's Army Corps, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.3.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1921-48. Correspondence and reports relating to the selective service program (Project Induction) and to Women's Army Corps activities (Project WAC), 1942-46. Mobilization action file, 1942-46. Top secret general correspondence, 1943-47. Statistical studies, reports, and correspondence of the office of the division executive, 1943-47.

Maps (35 items): Collected and compiled by the Central Statistical Branch (G-1), showing administrative boundaries of the U.S. Army and the location and strength of regular army units, 1919-47.

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165.3.2 Records of subordinate units

Textual Records: General correspondence of the Career Management Group, 1946-47. Security-classified general correspondence, 1942- 46, and historical and background files, 1942-49, of the Director of the Women's Army Corps.

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165.4 Records of the Military Intelligence Division (MID, G-2)
1900-50

History: Military Information Division established in Miscellaneous Branch of the Adjutant General's Office, 1886, with responsibility for collecting information on U.S. and foreign armies. Separated from Miscellaneous Branch, with retained division status, by order of the Secretary of War, April 12, 1889. Acquired responsibility for supervising army military attaches by a War Department circular of April 19, 1889. Responsibilities expanded by General Order 23, War Department, March 18, 1892, to include issuing military maps and other informational publications and acting as liaison between the Office of the Secretary of War and state militias.

Transferred to WDGS, effective August 15, 1903, by an order of the Secretary of War, August 8, 1903. Designated WDGS Second Division by a memorandum of the Chief of Staff, August 15, 1903, with responsibility for collecting, arranging, and publishing military information, including that on foreign armies; administering the army military attache system; maintaining the War Department Library; preparing war maps; and preparing campaign histories. Second Division abolished in WDGS reorganization pursuant to memorandum of the Chief of Staff, June 27, 1908, confirmed by General Order 128, War Department, August 12, 1908, with military information functions to Military Information Committee in newly established Second Section. In subsequent WDGS reorganization pursuant to memorandum of the Chief of Staff, September 26, 1910, Second Section abolished, with functions of Military Information Committee to newly established War College Division (see 165.7), where they were vested in Committee on Military Information, which continued also to be known as the Military Information Committee, and for appropriation purposes was designated the Military Information Section.

Redesignated Military Intelligence Section by a memorandum of the Chief of Staff, April 28, 1917, confirmed by Change 7 to Manual of the War College Division, May 3, 1917. Further redesignated Military Intelligence Branch and assigned to newly established Executive Division, WDGS, by General Order 14, War Department, February 9, 1918. Executive Division abolished and Military Intelligence Branch redesignated Military Intelligence Division, by General Order 80, War Department, August 26, 1918. G-2 designator assigned to MID in WDGS reorganization pursuant to General Order 41, War Department, August 16, 1921. War map function, exercised by Geographic Section of MID Operations Branch, transferred to Office of the Chief of Engineers, 1939. Military Intelligence Service established as MID operating arm, effective March 9, 1942, by Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942. G-2 designator deleted from MID name, effective June 11, 1946, by Circular 138, War Department, May 14, 1946.

Intelligence Division established by consolidation of MID and Military Intelligence Service, by WDGS Circular 5-2, War Department, April 19, 1947. Redesignated Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, Intelligence, effective March 1, 1950, by Circular 12, Department of the Army, February 28, 1950, confirmed by Special Regulation 10-5-1, Department of the Army, April 11, 1950. Redesignated Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, by General Order 70, Department of the Army, December 27, 1955. Redesignated Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence by Change 3 to Army Regulation 10-5 (May 22, 1957), Department of the Army, July 10, 1958. Elevated to deputy chief of staff level by Army Regulation 10-5, Department of the Army, May 5, 1961. Redesignated Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, May 1, 1987.

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165.4.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence ("MID Files"), 1917-41 (1,810 ft.), with name, subject, organization, and geographical indexes. Registers of communications received from military attaches ("Dispatch Lists"), 1900-44. General correspondence, 1941-48. English-language translations of foreign intelligence documents, 1919-47, with indexes. Correspondence relating to personnel investigations ("PF" file), 1917-41, with name index. "Regional file" of intelligence reports, 1933-44. Intelligence Library publications ("P" file), 1940-45. Records of the Office of the U.S. Military Attache, London, relating to the transmission of messages between Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the President of the United States (PRIME-POTUS), 1942-47. Issuances of the Military Intelligence Research Service, Pacific, 1943-44.

Microfilm Publications: M1194, M1216, M1271, M1440, M1443, M1445, M1446, M1488, M1497.

Maps: Compiled by the Military Intelligence Division (G-2) and its predecessors, including maps of Africa, Mexico, Burma, Central America, Japan, Korea, and the United States, 1914-46 (240 items); World War II annotated situation maps showing U.S. Army operations in Central Europe, North Africa, and Italy, and air operations in Europe, 1942-44 (544 items); and strategic maps of South Central Europe, Southwestern Europe, China, the Soviet Union, and Southeast Asia, 1943-44 (144 items).

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff. Record copies of publications of the Military Intelligence Division in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government.

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165.4.2 Records of the Plant Protection Section

Textual Records: Records of the headquarters office, consisting of general correspondence, 1918-19; correspondence relating to defense plants, 1917-19, and security investigations, 1917-18; and correspondence of the section chief, 1917-18. Correspondence, most with name and subject indexes, of the following district offices: District Office No. 2 (Boston, MA), 1918 (in Boston); District Office No. 3 (New Haven, CT), 1918-19 (in Boston); District Office No. 4 (New York, NY), 1917-19 (in New York); District Office No. 6 (Philadelphia, PA), 1917-19 (in Philadelphia); District Office No. 7 (Pittsburgh, PA), 1918-19 (in Philadelphia); District Office No. 9 (Cincinnati, OH), 1918- 19 (in Philadelphia); District Office No. 10 (Atlanta, GA), 1918- 19 (in Atlanta); District Office No. 11 (Chicago, IL), 1918-19 (in Chicago); District Office No. 13 (Portland, OR), 1918-19 (in Seattle); District Office No. 14 (Los Angeles, CA), 1917-19 (in Los Angeles); and District Office No. 15 (Baltimore, MD), 1918-19 (in Philadelphia).

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165.4.3 Records of the Office of the Chief Military Censor

Textual Records: Records relating to press censorship, 1917-19. Records relating to postal censorship at Key West, FL, and other cities in the Southern Department, 1918-19; postal censorship at San Francisco, CA, 1917-19; and postal and press censorship in Seattle, WA, 1918-19. General correspondence and other records of the Chief Military Censor as Chief, Division of Pictures, Committee on Public Information, 1917-18.

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165.4.4 Records of the Propaganda Branch

Textual Records: Reports and other records relating to psychological warfare and propaganda, 1939-46.

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165.4.5 Records of the Training Branch

Textual Records: Correspondence of the Language Section relative to the compilation of a Russian-English dictionary, 1941-45. Training records of the Far East Intelligence School, 1944-45.

Related Records: Records of the Defense Language Institute in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.4.6 General records of the Military Intelligence Service
(MIS)

Textual Records: Security-classified correspondence of the Joint Intelligence Collection Agency, 1943-45. Records of the Miami, FL, Branch Office, n.d.; and the New York, NY, Branch Office, n.d.

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165.4.7 Records of the Captured Personnel and Materiel Branch,
MIS

Textual Records: Interrogation reports, directives, and other records relating to captured personnel and materiel, 1940-46. Interrogation reports and correspondence on prisoners of war ("MIS-Y"), 1943-45, with card index.

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165.4.8 Records of the Foreign Liaison Branch, MIS

Textual Records: Subject correspondence, 1943-45. Alsos Mission reports and correspondence, 1944-45, relating to the progress of German scientists in nuclear physics.

Related Records: Motion picture relating to the Alsos Mission in Records of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.4.9 Records of other MIS branches

Textual Records: Data cards maintained by the Who's Who Branch on German army, air force, and SS officers, 1939-45. Geographical and subject correspondence and other records of the Central European Branch, 1919-44; Eastern European Branch, 1935-44; Far East Branch, 1926-46; Latin American Branch, 1940-46; North American Branch, 1940-46; United States Branch, 1941-45; and Political Branch, 1941-44. Subject correspondence of the Visa and Passport Control Branch, 1941-46. General correspondence of the Washington Liaison Branch, 1941-46.

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165.4.10 Records of MIS field offices

Textual Records: Security-classified correspondence of the San Francisco Branch Office, 1941-45. Records, 1942-44, of the Miami Beach Branch Office, consisting of correspondence; counterintelligence files; files of various Women's Army Corps (WAC) detachments; reports of the War Department Intelligence Collection Committee, and the Combined Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee of the Combined Intelligence Committee of the Combined Chiefs of Staff; administrative files; and a publications file. Correspondence and other records of the New York Branch Office, 1942-44.

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165.4.11 Records of the Army Security Agency--War Department
Traffic Security Board

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1941-45. Correspondence, minutes, and reports of the War Department Traffic Security Board, 1942-44. Daily activity reports, 1943-44.

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165.4.12 Records of the Office of the Executive for Personnel and
Administration--Personnel Branch

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1941-45. Subject correspondence, minutes, and reports, 1942-44. Daily activity reports, 1943-44.

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165.4.13 Records of the Intelligence Group

Textual Records: Correspondence, 1943-47. Requests for intelligence information received, 1943-49.

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165.4.14 Records of the Training Group

Textual Records: Records of the Military Intelligence Training Center, Camp Ritchie, MD, consisting of issuances, 1942-46; and records relating to training, 1942-46, with an index. Records relating to the operation of language schools, 1943-49.

Related Records: Records of the U.S. Army Intelligence School; and Records of the Defense Language Institute, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.4.15 Records of the Security Group

Textual Records: Correspondence relating to regrading and security-classification, 1942-50.

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165.5 Records of the Organization and Training Division (G-3)
1902-47

History: First and Third Divisions, Provisional General Staff, established by a memorandum of Maj. Gen. Samuel H.M. Young, President of the War College Board and Chief of Staff-designate, May 28, 1903, with First Division responsible for organization and training matters affecting all arms except the technical and special arms, which were assigned to Third Division. Became First and Third Divisions, WDGS, August 15, 1903.

First and Third Divisions abolished in WDGS reorganization pursuant to memorandum of the Chief of Staff, June 27, 1908, confirmed by General Order 128, War Department, August 12, 1908, with organization and training functions transferred to newly established First Section. In subsequent WDGS reorganization pursuant to memorandum of the Chief of Staff, September 26, 1910, First Section abolished, with organization and training functions transferred to newly established War College Division (WCD, see 165.7), where by a memorandum of the Chief of the WCD, September 26, 1910, organization functions were assigned to the War Plans Committee. WCD organization functions assigned to Organization and Equipment Committee, War Policy Section, and training functions to Training and Instruction Section by January 1918. WCD abolished by General Order 14, War Department, February 9, 1918, with organization and training functions to newly established War Plans Division (WPD, see 165.8). WPD organization functions assigned to War Plans Branch and training functions to Training and Instruction Branch by General Order 80, War Department, August 26, 1918.

Operations and Training Division (G-3) established in WDGS reorganization pursuant to General Order 41, War Department, August 16, 1921, as confirmed by Office Memorandum 1, Office of the Chief of Staff, September 21, 1921. New division assumed WPD War Plans Branch organization functions, WPD Training and Instruction Branch training functions, and functions of abolished Operations Division relating to setting of personnel and equipment priorities. Redesignated Organization and Training Division (G-3), effective March 9, 1942, by Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942, with operations functions transferred to WPD. Abolished by Circular 12, Department of the Army, February 28, 1950, with functions to newly established Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Operations. (For a history of successor organizations, see Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Operations; and Records of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.)

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165.5.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1939-47. Mobilization plans correspondence, 1942-47. Organization records, 1920-30. Annual reports, G-3, 1920-38. Histories of the general staff, 1902-19, 1929.

Maps (1,374 items): Organization and Training Division (G-3) maps collected and compiled by the Army War College, the U.S. Military Academy, and the Command and General Staff School and its predecessors, 1910-45. See also 165.19.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Operations; and Records of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.5.2 Records of subordinate units

Textual Records: General correspondence of the Commissioned Personnel Branch, 1918-20; and correspondence with departments, posts, and other organizations, 1918-21. General correspondence of the Inventions Section, 1918-21, with record cards and index; and correspondence relating to inventions, 1918-21. Correspondence of the Civil Defense Branch relating to the State Guard, 1940-42; and correspondence and reports of the War Department Civil Defense Mission to England, 1941. General correspondence, 1919-24, and educational bulletins and publications, 1922-24, of the Advisory Board; and records of the Conference on Training Youth, November 1923.

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165.6 Records of the Supply Division (G-4)
1914-47

History: Storage and Traffic Service, WDGS, established by General Order 167, War Department, December 28, 1917, to supervise transport of troops and supplies and storage of supplies. Purchasing Service, WDGS, established by General Order 5, War Department, January 11, 1918, to supervise procurement of supplies. Redesignated respectively Storage and Traffic Division and Purchase and Supply Division by General Order 14, War Department, February 9, 1918. Consolidated to form Purchase, Storage, and Traffic Division (PS&TD) by General Order 36, War Department, April 16, 1918. Transportation Service established in PS&TD, March 11, 1919. Made a separate WDGS organization by General Order 54, War Department, April 21, 1919.

PS&TD and Traffic Service abolished in the army reorganization pursuant to General Order 42, War Department, July 14, 1920, confirming the National Defense Act of 1920 (41 Stat. 766), June 4, 1920, with most operational responsibilities to Office of the Quartermaster General. Supply and transport planning functions and certain operational functions retained by WDGS, and subsequently assigned to newly established Supply Division (G-4) by General Order 41, War Department, August 16, 1921. Operational functions of Supply Division (G-4) to newly established Services of Supply, effective March 9, 1942, by Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942. Supply Division (G-4) redesignated Service, Supply, and Procurement Division, effective June 11, 1946, by Circular 138, War Department, May 14, 1946. (For a history of predecessor organizations, see Records of the Supply Division and its predecessors and Records of the Transportation Division, in RG 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General. For a history of successor organizations, see Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, Logistics, and Records of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.)

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165.6.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1921-46 (336 ft.), with indexes. Office files of Lt. Gen. Leroy Lutes, G-4, 1944-47. Transcripts of bilateral military staff conversations, 1944-45.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, Logistics; and Records of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.6.2 Records of the Purchase, Storage, and Traffic Division

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1918-20 (213 ft.), with indexes. Correspondence of Gen. Hugh S. Johnson, Director of Purchases and Supplies, 1918, and other officials, 1918-20. Issuances, 1918-19. Records relating to War Department sales organizations and offices, 1919. News clippings relating to salvage sales, accumulated by the Military Intelligence Division, 1921.

Related Records: Records of the Supply Division and its predecessors; and Records of the Transportation Division, in RG 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General.

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165.6.3 Records of the Current Supply Branch--External Relations
Section

Textual Records: Records relating to post-World War I surplus equipment claims and sales, 1917-20. Correspondence and other records of the Special Representative of the Secretary of War, 1917-19. Reports of the Renting, Requisitions, and Claims Service in France and Germany, December 1918.

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165.6.4 Records of the Plans and Policy Office

Textual Records: Records of the Management Branch relating to War Department reorganization and armed services unification, 1939- 47. Records of the Planning Branch relating to disposition and utilization of military supplies and equipment in overseas theaters of operations, 1942-47. Records of the Programs Branch relating to the postwar army supply program, 1944-47.

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165.6.5 Records of the Service Group--Installations Branch

Textual Records: Correspondence relating to harbor and coastal defense, 1914-46. Reports and correspondence relating to construction, utilization, and disposal of army installations, 1944-47.

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165.6.6 Records of the Supply Group

Textual Records: Minutes of G-4 staff meetings, 1943-46. Reports of G-4 branch conferences, 1944-46. General correspondence of the Supply Control Branch, 1946; and minutes of its Surplus Property Clearance Committee, 1945-46. Security-classified correspondence and reports of the Storage Branch relating to storage facilities of the Caribbean Defense Command, 1946-47. Security-classified correspondence and reports of the International Branch relating to Chinese officer training, 1946; and formerly security- classified correspondence relating to lend-lease materiel, 1944-46.

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165.6.7 Records of the Procurement Group

Textual Records: Correspondence and reports of the Procurement Planning Branch relating to the production of aircraft supplies, 1940-47. Reports and correspondence of the Standards Branch relating to specifications for military equipment and supplies, 1927-47, including joint army-navy and army-air force specifications.

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165.7 Records of the Army War College (AWC) and the War College
Division (WCD)
1900-48

History: Army War College (AWC) established at Washington Barracks, DC, under jurisdiction of War College Board, by General Order 155, Headquarters of the Army, November 27, 1901, to study general staff functions and to serve as a temporary general staff. Placed under jurisdiction of Chief of Staff upon establishment of WDGS, August 15, 1903. Incorporated into newly established War College Division (WCD), WDGS, with WCD Chief as AWC President, by two memorandums of the Chief of Staff, September 26, 1910, confirmed by General Order 68, War Department, May 26, 1911. WCD abolished and AWC transferred to newly established War Plans Division (WPD, see 165.8), with WPD Chief as AWC President, by General Order 14, War Department, February 9, 1918. AWC separated from WPD, redesignated General Staff College, and placed immediately under Chief of Staff, by General Order 99, War Department, August 7, 1919. AWC designation restored by General Order 40, War Department, August 15, 1921. Classes suspended, 1940-50. Reactivated at Fort Leavenworth, KS, effective January 25, 1950, by General Order 4, Department of the Army, February 1, 1950. Transferred to Carlisle Barracks, PA, effective April 15, 1951, by General Order 41, Department of the Army, June 6, 1951. Redesignated U.S. Army War College, and placed under jurisdiction of Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations, effective July 1, 1960, by General Order 19, Department of the Army, June 16, 1960.

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165.7.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1903-20, with indexes and record cards. Correspondence and reports of the War College Board, 1902-3, with indexes. Minutes of the War College Board, 1902-3. Intelligence journals, 1903-10. Monographs and problem reports, 1906-9. Instructional material, 1912-40. Issuances, 1917-45. Record cards to Department of Justice ("DJ") reports, July-November 1917.

Microfilm Publications: M912, M1023.

Related Records: Records of the U.S. Army War College in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

Maps: Enclosures to general correspondence, 1903-20 (303 items).

Architectural Drawings: Enclosures to general correspondence, 1903-20 (925 items).

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165.7.2 Records of the Historical Section

History: Historical Branch organized in War College Division, WDGS, subsequent to WCD establishment, September 26, 1910. Transferred from abolished WCD to newly established War Plans Division (see 165.8), in WDGS reorganization pursuant to General Order 14, War Department, February 9, 1918. Transferred to Army War College and redesignated Historical Section by General Order 41, War Department, August 16, 1921. Incorporated into Historical Division, a WDSS organization, May 1947. (For a history of the Historical Division and successor organizations, see Records of the United States Army Center of Military History, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.)

Textual Records: Records relating to the history of the War Department, 1900-41 (237 ft.). British, French, German, and Italian records relating to World War I, 1917-19, with indexes. Microfilm copy of calendar cards of documents selected from the records of the American Expeditionary Forces, World War I, 1917- 19 (36 rolls). Records relating to wartime government economic programs, 1918-19. Reference information file ("Thomas File"), 1918-48, with card indexes.

Related Records: Records of the United States Army Center of Military History in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.8 Records of the War Plans Division
1910-42

History: Established in WDGS by General Order 14, War Department, February 9, 1918, assuming responsibility for war plans, organization, training, and historical records management formerly assigned to abolished War College Division (see 165.7). Organization and training functions transferred to Operations and Training Division (G-3), by General Order 41, War Department, August 16, 1921 (see 165.5). Acquired operational responsibilities from abolished Operations and Training Division (G-3) in army reorganization of March 9, 1942, pursuant to Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942. Redesignated Operations Division by a letter of the Secretary of War to major army staffs and commands (AG 020, 3-20-42, MB-F-M), March 23, 1942, confirmed by Circular 107, War Department, April 11, 1942. See 165.9.

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165.8.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1920-42, with indexes. Formerly top secret correspondence relating to mobilization plans ("Color & Quickfire"), 1922-42. Correspondence of general headquarters, 1941-42. Correspondence of the Joint Army-Navy Board, 1910-42.

Microfilm Publications: M1080.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Operations; and Records of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.8.2 Records of the Service and Information Branch

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1919-20. Correspondence relating to employment of veterans, 1919-20. Progress reports, 1919. Field reports, 1919-20. General and employment correspondence of the Eastern, Central, and Western Districts of the Employment Section, 1919-20. Records of the Field Service Section, 1919-20. Correspondence and completed questionnaires of the Federal Works and Aid Section and its predecessor, the Public Works Branch, 1919.

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165.8.3 Records of the Morale Branch

Textual Records: General subject correspondence, 1918-21. Correspondence relating to morale at army installations, 1917-20. Organizational correspondence, 1918-21. Reports received from morale offices, 1918-21. Corps area morale reports, 1920-21. Completed questionnaires on conditions at posts, 1918-21.

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165.8.4 Records of the Education and Recreation Branch

Textual Records: Correspondence, 1918-20. Records of the Commission on Training Camp Activities, including general correspondence, 1917-20, with indexes; correspondence of its Athletic Division, 1917-19; and correspondence, weekly reports, and bulletins of its Department of Dramatic Activities, 1918-19. Records of the Committee on Education and Special Training, including correspondence, 1918-19; and records of Students' Army Training Corps units, 1918-19 (250 ft.).

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165.9 Records of the Operations Division (OPD)
1923-48

History: Established as successor to War Plans Division (see 165.8), 1942. Redesignated Plans and Operations Division by Circular 138, War Department, May 14, 1946, with responsibility for developing all strategic and operational plans for the army, and making recommendations on joint service planning. Redesignated Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Operations, by Circular 12, Department of the Army, February 28, 1950, acquiring organization and training policy development functions formerly exercised by abolished Organization and Training Division, G-3 (see 165.5). Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Operations, abolished, effective January 3, 1956, by General Order 70, Department of the Army, December 27, 1955, with functions transferred to Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations. (For a history of successor organizations, see Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Operations; and Records of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.)

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165.9.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1942-45 (596 ft.), with an index. Correspondence, with indexes, relating to American- British-Canadian organizational planning and general combat operations ("ABC" file), 1940-48. Declassified correspondence relating to operations and mobilization planning, 1941-46. Pearl Harbor investigation records, 1941-46. Security-classified microfilm copy of OPD secret message file, 1941-47 (451 rolls). Formerly top secret incoming and outgoing messages, 1942-46. Organizational data and minutes of meetings of the Aeronautical Board, 1923-48. Completed cases of the Joint Communication Board and the Combined Communication Board, 1942-47.

Maps: Bound daily order of battle maps for Sicily and Italy, 1943-45 (660 items).

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3, Operations; and Records of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.9.2 Records of the Pan-American Group

Textual Records: Records, 1941-47, including reports and correspondence relating to the Central and South American airport development program, 1940-45. Transcripts of staff conversations relating to the defense of the Western Hemisphere, 1945.

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165.10 Records of the Budget Division
1941-49

History: Budget and Legislative Planning Branch established in Office of the Chief of Staff by a memorandum of the Secretary of War (AG 321.19, 2-3-31, Misc. F-M), February 4, 1931, assuming budgetary functions formerly performed by Supply Division (G-4, see 165.6) and legislative functions formerly performed by Legislation Branch, OCS. Made responsible chiefly for preparing and defending War Department budget. Abolished, effective March 9, 1942, by Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942, with legislative functions to Legislative and Liaison Division (see 165.12), and budgetary functions to Services of Supply, where they were assigned to Budget and Financial Administration Division, established by General Order 2, SOS, March 17, 1942, and redesignated Fiscal Division by General Order 4, SOS, April 9, 1942, with War Department budget preparation functions assigned to Budget Branch. Fiscal Division consolidated with Office of the Chief of Finance, Army Service Forces, by Circular 30, ASF, May 15, 1943, to form Office of the Fiscal Director, with Budget Branch redesignated Budget Division. Budget preparation functions transferred to Office of the Chief of Staff by General Order 37, War Department, July 7, 1943, and assigned to newly established Budget Division, designated a WDSS organization, effective June 11, 1946, by Circular 138, War Department, May 14, 1946. Consolidated with WDSS Manpower Board (formerly War Department Manpower Board, see 165.17), OCS Central Statistical Office, and OCS Management Office to form Office of the Army Comptroller, under Deputy Chief of Staff, by Circular 2, Department of the Army, January 2, 1948. (For a history of successor organizations, see Records of the Office of the Comptroller of the Army, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.)

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1942-47. Budget legislation records, 1942-45. Records of the Budget Estimates Group, fiscal years 1942-49 (121 ft.). Records of the Financial Administrative Policy Group, including correspondence and reports relating to apportionment of War Department funds, 1942-44, and correspondence and accounting reports relating to foreign and defense aid, fiscal years 1941-49. Records of the Funds Allocation Group, 1942-49.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Comptroller of the Army in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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165.11 Records of the Civil Affairs Division (CAD)
1942-52

History: Established as a WDSS organization by a memorandum (AG 014.1, 2-27-43, OB-S-E) of the Secretary of War to Col. John H.F. Haskell, March 1, 1943, naming him Acting Chief of CAD. Confirmed by Memorandum No. W10-1-43 (AG 020, 4-29-43, OB-C-F-MP-H), War Department, May 4, 1943. CAD responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. military policy regarding the administration of captured and liberated countries.

Personnel and functions of CAD transferred to Army Staff (Plans and Operations Division, Intelligence Division, and Historical Section), to Adjutant General's Office, and to Budget Group and Office of the Food Administrator for Occupied Countries in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (OASA), by Staff Administrative Circulars 5-9.1 through 5-9.4, Office of the Chief of Staff, March 28-April 19, 1949, and memorandums of the Deputy Chief, CAD, to CAD Staff Administrative Office, July 11 and 14, 1949. CAD formally abolished, effective July 15, 1949, by a memorandum of the Vice Chief of Staff to the Chief of CAD, the Army Comptroller, and the Adjutant General, July 8, 1949, with remaining functions transferred to Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army.

OASA functions relating to occupied areas transferred to Office of the Under Secretary of the Army (OUSA), by General Order 43, Department of the Army, August 29, 1949. OUSA redesignated Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army by General Order 17, Department of the Army, with occupied areas functions consolidated to form OASA Office for Occupied Areas.

Office for Occupied Areas abolished, with functions transferred to Army Staff and assigned to newly established Office of the Chief of Civil Affairs and Military Government (OCCAMG), effective April 13, 1952, by General Order 37, Department of the Army, April 14, 1952. OCCAMG made responsible to Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations (ODCSMO) by General Order 70, Department of the Army, December 27, 1955.

OCCAMG redesignated Office of the Chief of Civil Affairs, effective May 15, 1959, by General Order 19, Department of the Army, May 25, 1959. Abolished, effective May 1, 1962, by General Order 20, Department of the Army, April 26, 1962, with functions transferred to immediate ODCSMO, where they were consolidated with civil defense functions of General Operations Division of General Operations Directorate to form Civil Affairs and Civil Defense Directorate, May 1, 1962.

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165.11.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1943-49 (199 ft.), with indexes (204 ft.). Incoming and outgoing messages, 1942-49. Transcripts of teletype conversations, 1946-49. Records of the U.S. Army member of the Combined Civil Affairs Committee, 1942-49.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Chief of Civil Affairs in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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 165.11.2 Records of the Personnel and Training Branch

Textual Records: Records accumulated by Overseas Consultants, Inc., in connection with an industrial reparations survey of Japan, 1947.

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 165.11.3 Records of the Policy and Government Branch

Textual Records: Policy and planning correspondence, 1943-47.

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 165.11.4 Records of the Information Branch

Textual Records: Reports, 1943-47. Geographical surveys of Germany prepared by the University of Michigan, 1944. Messages, 1944-48, and correspondence, 1944-52, relating to the International Refugee Organization (IRO), and its Preparatory Commission, and to refugees.

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 165.11.5 Records of the Civil Affairs Holding and Staging Area
(Presidio of Monterey, CA)

Textual Records: Organizational history, 1944-45. Policy file, 1944-45. Training Section exhibits, 1945.

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 165.12 Records of the Legislative and Liaison Division
1936-48

History: Legislation Branch established in Office of the Chief of Staff (OCS), ca. September 1921. Branch functions consolidated with budget functions of Supply Division (G-4, see 165.10), to form Budget and Legislative Planning Branch (BLPB), OCS, by a memorandum of the Secretary of War (AG 321.19, 2-3-31, Misc. F- M), February 4, 1931. BLPB abolished, effective March 9, 1942, by Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942, with budgetary functions to Services of Supply (see 165.10), and legislative functions to newly established Legislative and Liaison Division (LLD), designated a WDSS organization, with responsibility, as defined by letter of the Adjutant General (AG 321.11, 6-8-42, MB- F-PS-M), July 10, 1942, for preparing and reviewing legislation, and maintaining liaison with Congress and with the Work Projects Administration and the Federal Works Agency regarding defense- related projects. Acquired Legislative Branch, WDGS Personnel and Administration Division (see 165.3), by memorandum, Personnel and Administration Division to Deputy Chief of Staff, August 25, 1946.

LLD removed from Special Staff, U.S. Army, and transferred to Office of the Chief of Information, OCS, by Circular 342, Department of the Army, November 1, 1948. Separated from Office of the Chief of Information and redesignated Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison, effective March 1, 1950, by Circular 12, Department of the Army, February 28, 1950. Transferred to Office of the Secretary of the Army by General Order 15, Department of the Army, February 17, 1955.

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 165.12.1 General records

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1944-48. Records relating to universal military training, 1944-48; the national defense program, 1946-47; Congressional investigations of War Department activities, 1942-48, with indexes; and legislation affecting the War Department, 1943-46.

Related Records: Records of the Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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 165.12.2 Records of the Federal Agencies Branch

Textual Records: Project files of the Works Progress Administration and its successor (1939), the Work Projects Administration, 1936-42. Federal Works Agency project files, 1940-46. Airport development project files, 1940-42.

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 165.13 Records of the Research and Development Division
1940-47

History: New Developments Division established as a WDSS organization by Circular 267, War Department, October 25, 1943, with responsibility for coordinating weapons and equipment research and development activities. Redesignated Research and Development Division, effective June 11, 1946, by Circular 138, War Department, May 14, 1946. Abolished by Circular 73, Department of the Army, December 19, 1947, with functions transferred to Service, Supply, and Procurement Division (SSPD), and assigned to newly established Research and Development Group (RDG).

RDG redesignated Research and Development Division pursuant to redesignation of Logistics Division (formerly SSPD) as Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4, effective March 1, 1950, by Circular 12, Department of the Army, February 28, 1950. (For a history of successor organizations, see Records of the Research and Development Division in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.)

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1943-47, with indexes. Office files and correspondence of divisional officials, 1942-46. Office file of the army representative on the National Inventors Council, 1940-45.

Related Records: Records of the Research and Development Division in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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 165.14 Records of the Information and Education Division
1941-45

History: Morale Division established in the Adjutant General's Office by an internal memorandum, July 22, 1940. Transferred to Office of the Chief of Staff (OCS) and redesignated Morale Branch by General Order 2, War Department, April 14, 1941. Redesignated Special Services Branch by General Order 5, War Department, January 20, 1942, and transferred to Services of Supply (SOS), effective March 9, 1942, pursuant to Circular 59, War Department, March 2, 1942. Redesignated Special Service Division by General Order 24, SOS, July 20, 1942. Assigned to Office of the Director of Personnel by Circular 30, Army Service Forces (ASF), May 15, 1943. Information and Education Branches transferred to Office of the Director of Military Training by Administrative Memorandum S- 65, ASF, October 14, 1943, with Special Service Division (redesignated Special Services Division, November 8, 1943) retaining responsibility for army exchange, athletic and recreational, and motion picture services. Information and Education Branches consolidated in Office of the Director of Military Training to form Army Information and Education Division, headed by a Director for Morale Services, October 1943. Transferred to Office of the Director of Personnel and redesignated Morale Services Division by Administrative Memorandum S-86, ASF, November 10, 1943. Further redesignated Information and Education Division by Circular 256, ASF, August 9, 1945. Transferred to OCS, designated a WDSS organization, and assigned to newly established Office of the Director of Information, by a memorandum of the Deputy Chief of Staff, September 26, 1945. (For a history of successor organizations, see Records of the Office of the Chief of Information, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.)

Textual Records: Microfilm copy of completed questionnaires relating to the morale of military personnel, 1941-45 (44 rolls).

Related Records: Records of the Special Services Division in RG 160, Records of Headquarters Army Service Forces. Records of the Troop Information Division in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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 165.15 Records of the Public Information Division
1921-51

History: Press relations unit organized in Military Intelligence Division (MID), G-2, subsequent to MID establishment in WDGS reorganization under General Order 80, War Department, August 26, 1918. Consolidated with News Clipping Bureau, MI/3, by Memorandum 12, MID, February 16, 1922, to form MI/3 (Press Relations), redesignated Press Branch by Memorandum 21, MID, August 21, 1926. Press Branch incorporated into newly established Public Relations Branch (PRB) by Memorandum 4, MID, April 4, 1929. PRB transferred to Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff by Circular 81, War Department, July 30, 1940. Transferred to Office of the Secretary of War and redesignated War Department Bureau of Public Relations, by General Order 2, War Department, February 2, 1941. Returned to WDGS by a memorandum of the Deputy Chief of Staff, September 26, 1945. Redesignated Public Relations Division and made a WDSS organization as part of the War Department reorganization, effective June 11, 1946, under Circular 183, War Department, May 14, 1946. Redesignated Public Information Division, 1947. Incorporated into Office of the Director of Information, effective March 1, 1950, by Circular 12, Department of the Army, February 28, 1950.

Related Records: Records of the Public Information Division in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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 165.15.1 General records

Textual Records: Formerly top secret correspondence, 1944-46. Correspondence relating to War Department organization and functions, 1947-48.

Sound Recordings: Combat operations in World War II, foreign language recordings used in Axis propaganda, and occupation activities in both Europe and the Pacific, 1942-51 (1,256 items).

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 165.15.2 Records of the Administrative Branch

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1939-46.

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 165.15.3 Records of the News Branch

Textual Records: Radio and motion picture scripts, 1942-46. Wire service bulletins, 1947-49. Press and radio news digests, 1940- 48, and releases, 1921-47. Card register of public opinion recorded in various news media, 1940-49.

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 165.16 Records of the Special Planning Division
1943-46

History: Project Planning Division established, April 1943, in Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Service Commands, Army Service Forces (ASF), as result of a letter of the Chief of Staff, April 14, 1943, requesting that ASF organize a unit responsible for military and industrial demobilization planning, and planning for the postwar military establishment. Transferred to Office of the Chief of Staff, redesignated Special Planning Division, and made a WDSS organization, by letter of the Secretary of War to the Director of the Special Planning Division, July 22, 1943. Industrial demobilization functions transferred, effective September 21, 1945, to Office of the Under Secretary of War, and assigned to Industrial Activities Division, established by Circular 279, War Department, September 15, 1945. Special Planning Division abolished, effective June 11, 1946, by Circular 138, War Department, May 14, 1946, with functions dispersed among WDGS organizations.

Textual Records: General correspondence, 1943-46, with indexes.

Related Records: Records of the Industrial Activities Division in RG 107, Records of the Office of the Secretary of War.

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 165.17 Records of the War Department Manpower Board (Gasser
Board
1943-47

History: Established by a memorandum (W600-27-43) of the Secretary of War, March 11, 1943, under the presidency of Maj. Gen. Lorenzo D. Gasser, with responsibility for ensuring adequate staffing of army organizations and installations. Assumed additional responsibility of studying use of civilian personnel in North African and European theaters of operations, 1944. Redesignated Manpower Board, Special Staff, U.S. Army, by Circular 225, War Department, August 16, 1947; made effective September 18, 1947, by Circular 1, Department of the Army, September 18, 1947. Incorporated with WDSS Budget Division and Office of the Chief of Staff Central Statistical Office and Management Office into newly established Office of the Army Controller (OAC) by Circular 2, Department of the Army, January 2, 1948. Redesignated Manpower Group and assigned to Management Division, OAC, 1948.

Textual Records: Reports of manpower surveys, 1943-45. Reports relating to civilian and military personnel ceilings, 1943-44. General correspondence, 1943-47, with indexes. Personnel allotment vouchers, 1944-47. Inventory and appraisal forms, 1944-46.

Related Records: Correspondence of the Manpower Group, 1948, in the Management Division in the Office of the Comptroller of the Army, in RG 319, Records of the Army Staff.

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 165.18 Records of Discontinued Boards
1888-1922

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 165.18.1 Records of the Board of Ordnance and Fortifications

Textual Records: Minutes, reports, and correspondence (100 ft.), with indexes, 1888-1919.

Engineering Plans : Plans and specifications of U.S. Army ordnance proposed by the Board of Ordnance and Fortification, 1888-1904 (1,200 items).

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 165.18.2 Records of the Board of General Officers

Textual Records: Reports, 1922, recommending officers to be retained or retired from active duty after January 1, 1923.

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 165.18.3 Records of the National Land Defense Board

Maps (162 items): Photoprocessed and annotated maps relating to the Panama Canal Zone and U.S. military reservations, 1907-15.

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 165.19 Records of the United States Army Forces in Central Canada
1943-45

History: The "Crimson Project" was established by the War Department on July 27, 1942, to construct and operate air bases and auxiliary installations in Central Canada, Baffin Island, Labrador, and the regions north of these areas. On March 9, 1943, the Crimson Project was divided. The Eastern Sector, responsible for activities in Baffin Island and Labrador, was assigned to the North Atlantic Division of the Air Transport Command. The Western Sector remained under the direct control of the War Department General Staff, and on July 1, 1943, it was renamed the United States Army Forces in Central Canada (USAFCC). USAFCC, classified by the War Department as a "theater of operations" for administrative purposes, included Army air installations in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, the district of Keewatin, and the areas directly north as far as the North Pole. On October 1, 1945, the command was discontinued.

Textual Records: Record set of issuances, 1943-45.

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 165.20 Cartographic Records (General)
1917-19, 1943-45

Maps : Color relief maps showing the order of battle in World War II theaters of operations, 1943-45 (11,300 items).

Aerial Photographs : France and Germany in World War I, 1917-19 (1,100 items).

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 165.21 Sound Recordings (General)
1945-47

Testimony before the Woodrum Committee on Compulsory Military Training, 1945; and addresses, press conferences, and interviews concerning the postwar defense program, 1945-47 (37 items).

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 165.22 Still Pictures (General)
1860-1947

Photographs: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861- 70, by Andrew J. Russell, Alexander Gardner, and George Barnard (A, B, C, SB, SC, JT; 6,804 images). Indian Wars and the western frontier, 1860-1918 (FF, P, PF, PS, AI, MH, MM, MS, WHC; 1,888 images). Spanish-American War, 1898-1900, and Cuban intervention, 1908 (SW, SWS, SWR, SS, IWN, PCW, RRC; 2,940 images). Philippine Insurrection and activities in the Philippines, 1899-1905, 1925 (PW, AB, UMM, MC; 556 images). China's Boxer Rebellion, 1900-1 (CR, 600 images). Russo-Japanese War, 1904-5 (RJ, RJC; 87 images). Mexican Punitive Expedition, 1914-17 (MP, UM, CB, CM; 1,755 images). World War I and postwar occupation of Germany, 1914-21 (WW, NYT, EI, WAR, GG, BCT, AEF, K, BW, BO, WIT, RA, GB, GK, AO, BC; 73,951 images). World War II and postwar period, 1942-47 (HE, BBL, JA, TX, WA, WS; 196 images).

U.S. and foreign artillery, 1877-95 (ORD, 190 images). U.S. Army exhibits and displays, 1876, 1893 (EP, EC; 160 images). Personal collection of Brig. Gen. Frederick King Ward, 1899-1922 (FKW, 1,300 images). Forts in Hawaii, 1909, 1914-29 (HHD, 420 images). Ordnance manufacturing, 1917-19 (EO, 804 images). Aircraft, n.d. (XA, 15 images). Canada, 1889-90 (CPM, 62 images). Mexico, 1904- 11 (MR, 1,510 images). Japanese, German, and Russian military equipment, 1921-46 (MID, 2,310 images). Foreign military maneuvers, 1901, 1909, 1923 (MA, JAM, CAM, LZ, CAP; 232 images).

Stereoscopic Photographs: Civil War military activities and installations, including some by Sam Cooley, 1861- 65 (S, 321 images). Foreign scenes, 1867-1900 (FS, 859 images). U.S. scenes, 1865-1905 (XS, 393 images).

Aerial Oblique Photographs: Airfields in Mexico, 1930-35 (APM, 26 images). German and Allied positions along the Belgian coast, 1917 (BEA, 8 images).

Panoramic Photographs: Camps and military units in the United States and Europe, 1917-21 (PP, PPO; 174 images). Russia, Italy, Poland, and Austria, 1915-26 (ARC, 11 images). U.S. Army units, forts, and airfields, 1936-38 (PX, 140 images).

Lantern Slides: Life of Abraham Lincoln, ca. 1910 (JM, 88 images). German military activities, 1917-19, 1939-41 (GS, 101 images).

Postcards: French buildings, illustrating damage in World War I, 1918 (FC, 165 images). German naval vessels and military activities, 1914-18 (GP, GPC, GPO; 95 images).

Color Lithographs: U.S. Army uniforms from 1774 to 1908, by H.A. Ogden, 1909 (HOA, HOB, HOC; 195 images).

Lithographs: U.S. war industries, by Joseph Pennell, 1916-18 (LIT, LIH; 56 images).

Watercolor Sketches: Civil war scenes, by Herbert E. Valentine, 1861-65 (HV, 26 images).

Microfilm Publications: T251.


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.

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