General Records of the Department of Justice [DOJ]
(Record Group 60)
1790-1989, 1991
Table of Contents
- 60.1 Administrative History
- 60.2 Records of the Office of the Attorney General 1790-1870
- 60.3 General Records of the Department of Justice 1849-1989 (bulk 1870-1981)
- 60.4 Records of Department of Justice Officials
1870-1979
- 60.4.1 Records of the Attorney General
- 60.4.2 Records of the Special Executive Assistant
- 60.4.3 Records of the Deputy Attorney General
- 60.4.4 Records of the Assistant Attorney General for the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission
- 60.4.5 Records of the Solicitor General
- 60.4.6 Records of the legal Counsel
- 60.4.7 Records of other officials
- 60.5 Records of the Administrative Division 1870-1939
- 60.6 Records of the Antitrust Division 1910-42
- 60.7 Records of the Patent Section, Civil Division 1942-51
- 60.8 Records of the Civil Rights Division 1928-87
- 60.9 Records of the Claims Division 1902-47
- 60.10 Records of the Criminal Division 1925-30, 1963, 1968-87
- 60.11 Records of the High Cost of Living Division 1917-21
- 60.12 Records of the Lands Division 1917-26, 1936-40
- 60.13 Records of the Tax Division 1961-75
- 60.14 Records of the War Division 1940-46
- 60.15 Records of Other Department of Justice Organizations 1918-27, 1930-43, 1964-88
- 60.16 Personnel Records
1844-1947
- 60.16.1 General records
- 60.16.2 Records relating to appointments and applications for appointment in the Department of Justice and in federal courts and judicial districts
- 60.16.3 Records relating to appointments and applications for appointment in the District of Columbia and in other federal departments and agencies
- 60.17 Records Relating to Special Investigations and Surveys
1908-86
- 60.17.1 Records of the Attorney General's Committee of Administrative Procedure (Acheson Committee)
- 60.17.2 Records of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee on Crime
- 60.17.3 Records of the Aircraft Investigation Office
- 60.17.4 Records of the Commission to Investigate the Title of the United States to Lands in the District of Columbia
- 60.17.5 Records relating to the Naval Oil Reserve ("Teapot Dome") Investigation
- 60.17.6 Records relating to the Attorney General's Patent Policy Survey
- 60.17.7 Records relating to the Pueblo Lands Board
- 60.17.8 Records of the Attorney General's Survey of Release Procedures
- 60.17.9 Records relating to the Attorney General's Task Force on Violent Crime
- 60.17.10 Records of the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography
- 60.18 Cartographic Records (General) 1890-1922
- 60.19 Motion Pictures (General)
- 60.20 Video Recordings (General)
- 60.21 Sound Recordings (General)
- 60.22 Still Pictures (General) 1991
Established: Effective July 1, 1870, by an act of June 22, 1870 (16 Stat. 162).
Predecessor Agencies:
- Office of the Attorney General (1789-1870)
Finding Aids: Marion Johnson, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the General Records of the Department of Justice, PI 194 (1981); updated version 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 Department of Justice in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government.
Records of the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement, RG 10.
Records of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, RG 65.
Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85.
Records of U.S. Attorneys and Marshals, RG 118.
Records of the Bureau of Prisons, RG 129.
Records of the Office of Alien Property, RG 131.
Records of the Drug Enforcement Administration, RG 170.
Records of the Bureau of War Risk Litigation, RG 190.
Records of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, RG 204.
Records of the Solicitor of the Treasury, RG 206.
Records of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, RG 423.
Records of Independent Counsels, RG 449.
Records of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, RG 460.
60.2 Records of the Office of the Attorney General
1790-1870
History: Established by the Judiciary Act (1 Stat. 73), September 24, 1789. Named to head the Justice Department upon its creation, 1870. See 60.1.
Textual Records: Legal opinions, 1790-1870. Land title opinions, 1841-70. Letters received, 1813-70, with registers, 1809-70. General letter books, 1818-70. Letters sent, 1793-1870. Instruction books, 1867-70. Reports to the President, 1853-58. Supreme Court case papers, ca. 1809-70. Accounting records, 1833- 70. Personal papers of attorneys general, 1832-68.
Microfilm Publications: M699, M701, T326, T412.
60.2.2 Records relating to California land claims
History: By terms of the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848 (9 Stat. 922), title to all public land in California passed from Mexico to the United States. By an act of March 3, 1851 (9 Stat. 631), a three-member Board of Commissioners was appointed to settle California land claims. The board completed its work in March 1856, after which time contested claims were litigated in federal courts.
Textual Records: Dockets, 1854-58. Case files, 1853-70. Transcripts of proceedings before the Board of Commissioners, 1851-56. Correspondence, 1853-70. Accounting records, 1851-70.
Photographs (105 images): Photographic exhibits of documents in the Mexican archives relating to certain land claims, n.d. See Also 60.22.
Related Records: Claims records of the Board of Commissioners in the Records of the Bureau of Land Management, RG 49.
Subject Access Terms: Hartman, Isaac; Jouan, Auguste.
60.2.3 Records of the Solicitor of the Court of Claims
History: Position of Solicitor established by an act of February 24, 1855 (10 Stat. 612). Abolished by act of June 25, 1868 (15 Stat. 75), and functions transferred to the Attorney General. Responsibility for representing the government before the Court of Claims has been exercised since 1937 by the Court of Claims Section, Claims Division.
Textual Records: Letters received, 1855-69. Letters sent, 1857- 62. Case files, 1855-70.
Related Records: Records of the Court of Claims Section (Justice), RG 205.
60.3 General Records of the Department of Justice
1849-1989 (bulk 1870-1981)
History: Established under the Attorney General by an act of June 22, 1870 (16 Stat. 162). To it were transferred the Solicitor of the Treasury, and law officers of the State and Navy Departments and the Bureau of Internal Revenue; and functions formerly vested in the Department of the Interior, including supervision of the accounts of U.S. attorneys and marshals, and control of the judiciary fund.
60.3.1 Dockets, lists, and opinions
Textual Records: Miscellaneous dockets, 1885-1925. Criminal case dockets for Wyoming and Arkansas, 1910-28. List of "closed bank cases," 1919-23. Letters requesting opinions, 1871-97. Opinion books, 1870-1934. Title opinion books, 1870-1937. Land title letter opinions, 1937.
Textual Records: Letters received from the President, Executive departments, Congress, judicial districts, state officials, and the general public ("Source-Chronological Files"), 1871-84 (312 ft.), with registers and indexes. Letters received and filed numerically by subject ("Year Files"), 1884-1904 (649 ft.), with registers and indexes. Letters received relating to judiciary accounts, 1849-89, with registers. Index to records relating to the administration of judicial districts, 1884-1912. Card indexes, 1886-1912. Letters received concerning the Columbian Exposition, 1893.
Maps (100 items): Exhibits and other enclosures to Year Files, 1884-1903. See Also 60.18.
Microfilm Publications: M940, M947, M970, M996, M1250, M1345.
Subject Access Terms: Bell telephone patent case; Chinese Exclusion Act; Civil Rights Act of 1875; Credit Mobilier; customs cases; Enforcement Act of 1870; Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871; neutrality legislation; peonage; polygamy; Reconstruction; Star Route manipulators; Walker, William; Whiskey Ring.
Textual Records: General and miscellaneous letter books, 1870- 1913 (74 ft.). Instruction books, 1870-1904. Letters concerning judiciary expenses, 1849-84; and internal revenue compromise cases, 1870-1903. Executive and congressional letter books, 1871- 1904. Telegrams, 1882-87. Letters concerning expositions, 1882- 1900; circuit and district court suits, 1889-1905; French spoliation claims, 1899-1902; and bankruptcy, 1904-5. Letters sent to judges and clerks, 1874-1904; and to marshals, 1918-19.
Microfilm Publications: M699-M703.
60.3.4 Central files and related records
Textual Records: Straight numerical files, 1904-74 (2,772 ft.). Classified subject files, 1914-43, 1945-65, 1968-71, 1974-89 (14,109 ft., including subject class 23, liquor violations, classes 26, 31, and 130, violations of the Dyer Act, Mann Act, and Federal Housing Act, and litigation case files concerning Nazi saboteurs and efforts to deport Harry Bridges). General index, 1928-51 (2,424 ft.). "Old Subject Index," 1918-76. "New Subject Index," 1930-81. Index to case files of individuals who renounced U.S. citizenship, 1942-60. Miscellaneous card indexes, 1908-21. Record slips, 1910- 67 (3,623 ft.). Microfilm copy of indexes, 1917-40 (344 rolls). Telegrams, 1930-53. Judicial district administration files, 1910- 69.
Maps (5,000 items): Enclosures to straight numerical files, 1904- 37 (1,000 items); and to classified subject files, 1908-49 (4,000 items). See Also 60.18.
Sound Recordings (592 items): English-language radio broadcasts from Berlin over German Radio Broadcasting Corp., 1941-45, by Herbert John Bergman, Douglas Chandler, Frederick Wilhelm Kaltenbach, and Robert Best, used during their trials, 1947-49. See Also 60.21.
Subject Access Terms: Anchorage Joint Operating Agreement; Red Cross; White Slave Act.
Textual Records: Administrative orders, circulars, and memorandums, 1856-1977. Records relating to a study of the use of federal force in strikes, race riots, and other internal disturbances ("Glasser File"), ca. 1938. Source material and drafts relating to the preparation of an administrative history of the DOJ during the Johnson Administration, 1963-68. Microfilm copy of evidence ("Pumpkin Papers") used in U.S. v. Alger Hiss, 1948-51 (5 rolls). Miscellaneous reference materials and working papers, 1870-1930. Planning, program, and budget files, 1965-70.
Microfilm Publications: M1491.
Photographs (263 images): Documents reproduced from the "Pumpkin Papers," and used in U.S. v. Alger Hiss, 1948-51. See Also 60.22.
60.4 Records of Department of Justice Officials
1870-1979
60.4.1 Records of the Attorney General
Textual Records: Confidential and semiofficial letters sent, 1877-1901. Reports and exhibits of judgments in circuit and district court cases, 1890-1914. Letters sent by the Attorney General's private secretary, 1895-1900.
60.4.2 Records of the Special Executive Assistant
Textual Records: Subject files, 1933-40. Speeches, 1933-39. Correspondence and other records relating to a conference on crime, 1934; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1935-39. "Decisions on Federal Rules of Civil Procedures," 1938-40. Miscellaneous records, 1924-39. Personal papers of department official Justin Miller, 1923-36; and Special Executive Assistant Gordon Dean, 1934-37.
60.4.3 Records of the Deputy Attorney General
Textual Records: Appointment files, Supreme Court Justices, ca. 1930-71. Endorsements, protests, and related papers concerning candidates for the Supreme Court, 1967-70. Federal judgeship candidates' files, 1960-72.
Related Records: Additional records relating to appointments under 60.17.
Subject Access Terms: Black, Hugo L.; Burton, Harold H.; Cardozo, Benjamin N.; Frankfurter, Felix; Goldberg, Arthur J.; Harlan, John M.; Jackson, Robert H.; Hinton, Sherman; Murphy, Frank; Rutledge, Wiley N.; Vinson, Fred M., Warren, Earl; Whittaker, Charles E.
60.4.4 Records of the Assistant Attorney General for the Spanish
Treaty Claims Commission
History: An Assistant Attorney General in charge of Spanish treaty claims was established by the act creating the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission (31 Stat. 877), March 2, 1901. The commission received and adjudicated claims of U.S. citizens against Spain resulting from the Spanish-American War. The Assistant Attorney General defended the claims, and the interests of the United States, before the commission. Upon submission of a final report, May 2, 1910, the commission ceased to exist.
Textual Records: Dockets, 1901-2. Order books, 1901-9. Record of pleadings, 1903-7. Record of proceedings, 1910. Correspondence with the Department of State, 1901-4. Letters received and sent by the Assistant Attorney General, 1901-10. Correspondence of special agent Maddin Summers, 1902-6. Letters received from attorneys and agents in Cuba and Spain, 1902-10. Lists of cases, 1902-9. Reference materials, 1870-1910. "Final Report of William Wallace Brown, Assistant Attorney General," 1910.
Subject Access Terms: Cuban insurrection; Fuller, William E.; Maine, U.S.S., destruction of; Taylor, Hannis.
60.4.5 Records of the Solicitor General
Textual Records: Letters sent, 1909-10. Desk file of Assistant Attorney General La Rue Brown, 1918.
Related Records: Record copies of publications of the Solicitor General and the Solicitor of the Treasury in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government.
60.4.6 Records of the Legal Counsel
Textual Records: Selected records relating to the John F. Kennedy assassination, 1963-78.
60.4.7 Records of other officials
Textual Records: Records of Special Assistant David D. Caldwell, 1894-1948. Subject files of executive assistants to the Attorney General relating to U.S. judicial districts, 1930-79.
60.5 Records of the Administrative Division
1870-1939
60.5.1 Records of the Chief Clerk
Textual Records: Administrative correspondence, 1882-1917.
60.5.2 Records of the Disbursing Clerk
Textual Records: Appropriation books, 1870-80, 1905-24. Payrolls, 1870-1907. Record of disbursements and appropriations, 1898-1907. Record of vouchers, 1872-79. Record of salary payments to court officials in Alaska, 1902-9. Quarterly and monthly accounts current, 1870-1907.
60.5.3 Records of the General Agent
History: Appointed in 1877 to administer funds for the prosecution of federal crimes, including violations of statutes concerning trade with Indians. By 1882, duties included conducting investigations, administering prisons and prisoners, and supervising federal agents and examiners. In 1895, became responsible for constructing and maintaining federal prisons. Departmental accounting functions centralized in the Division of Accounts, established under the General Agent, October 1, 1894. By order of the Attorney General, October 1, 1907, position of General Agent abolished, with functions divided among Chief Examiner, Superintendent of Prisons and Prisoners, and Division of Accounts. Offices of Chief Examiner and Superintendent of Prisons and Prisoners evolved into Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Prisons, respectively. Title "General Agent" revived in 1922 for the head of the Division of Accounts, which became the Accounts Branch, pursuant to DOJ Circular 4036, August 5, 1948.
Textual Records: Correspondence, 1877-1901, 1922-23. Letters to the Attorney General, 1882-93. Letters sent relating to prisoners ("The Criminal Record"), 1881-85. Miscellaneous letters sent, 1882-1907. Records relating to examiners, including instructions, 1882-1907, and reports and correspondence, 1877-1907. Letters from the general agent, 1904-7. Letters received concerning accounts of U.S. attorneys, 1883-86. Documents relating to post office contracts, 1878-82. Records concerning charges against U.S. marshals in Alabama, 1883; and against court officers, 1887- 89. Records relating to prisons, 1879-81, and prisoners, 1879-84, 1899-1906. Records of the Division of Accounts, including register of "leases approved," 1872-94; returns of fees and expenses of U.S. marshals, 1896-1912; letters sent to U.S. attorneys and marshals, 1896-1907; and reports, correspondence, and administrative files of the Examiners' Unit, 1907-34.
Photographs (41 images): U.S. penitentiaries in Atlanta, GA, and Leavenworth, KS, n.d. See Also 60.22.
Subject Access Terms: Albany Penitentiary; California State Prison; Cameron, Brewster; Detroit House of Correction; Kings County Penitentiary (NY); New York Insane Asylum; New York State Prison; Nightingale, J.W.; Onandaga County Jail (Syracuse, NY); Star Route fraud cases; Utah Penitentiary; Wiegard, E.B.
60.5.4 Records of the Statistical Section
Textual Records: Correspondence concerning submission of docket reports, 1932-34. Reports on judicial statistics, 1931-39.
60.6 Records of the Antitrust Division
1910-42
Textual Records: Records of Special Assistant to the Attorney General Blackburn Esterline, including commerce court case files, 1911-23; case files relating to interstate commerce, 1914-22; miscellaneous papers on interstate commerce cases, 1916-17; letter books, 1911-16, including a personal letter book, 1913-14; and a grand jury docket for the western district of New York, 1922-26. Miscellaneous case exhibits, 1910-39. Files of special assistant David D. L'Esperance, 1922-25, relating to the railway strike of 1922; and of special assistant R. McDonald Gray, 1938- 42, relating to an investigation of the Philadelphia baking industry.
Related Records: Record copies of publications of the Antitrust Division in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government.
60.7 Records of the Patent Section, Civil Division
1942-51
Textual Records: Claims files relating to patent interchange agreements, 1942-51, with index. Minutes of the British-American Joint Patent Interchange Committee, 1942-46. Subject files, 1942- 48.
Related Records: Records of the Joint British-American Patent Interchange Committee in RG 43, Records of International Conferences, Commissions, and Expositions. Records of the Interdepartmental Patent Interchange Committee in RG 353, Records of Interdepartmental and Intradepartmental Committees (State Department).
60.8 Records of the Civil Rights Division
1928-87
History: Established by order of the Attorney General, December 9, 1957. Enforces provisions of civil rights and voting rights statutes.
Textual Records: Records of Assistant Attorney General W. Wilson White, 1958-59; Acting Assistant Attorney General Joseph M.F. Ryan, Jr., 1958-60; Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall, 1961-65; Deputy Assistant Attorney General St. John Barrett, 1965-67; and Deputy Assistant Attorney General David L. Norman, 1969-73. Docket cards of the Criminal Section, 1969-87. Indexes to litigation case files, 1946-84; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission case files, 1979-80; and election law violation case files, 1928-72.
60.9 Records of the Claims Division
1902-47
60.9.1 Records relating to the defense of patent claims before
the War Claims Arbiter
History: Office of War Claims Arbiter established by an act of March 10, 1928 (45 Stat. 254), to determine fair compensation due German, Austrian, and Hungarian nationals whose patents or applications for patents had been seized during World War I by the Alien Property Custodian.
Textual Records: Minutes, memorandums, orders, and decisions, 1928-31. Letters to claimants' attorneys and others, 1928-30. Correspondence with the War and Navy Departments concerning patents, 1929-31. Correspondence concerning settlements, 1930-31, and policy questions, 1930; and with claimants' counsel, 1929-31. Requests for alien property custodian reports, 1928-29. Staff memorandums, 1929-31. Records relating to settlements and awards, 1929-31. Legal files and exhibits, 1928-31. Lists and other records concerning claimants' representatives, 1929. List of cases, 1928-29. Case files, 1928-31 (72 ft.).
Finding Aids: F. Hardee Allen and Thayer Boardman, comps., "Preliminary Checklist of the Records of the Claims Division of the Department of Justice, 1928-31, relating to the Defense of Patent Claims Before the War Claims Arbiter under the Settlement of the War Claims Act of 1928," PC 24 (1945).
Textual Records: Records of special assistant Howard W. Ameli, 1920-28. Files of special assistant W.S. Ward, 1918-35, relating primarily to U.S. v. J.L. Phillips et al. Files of attorney Brice Toole, ca. 1915-47, relating to the Albert Jensen German ships cases. Files of special assistant Alexander Holtzoff, 1920-30, relating to the Textile Allowance, C.P. Goerz American Optical Company, and Atlantic Communication Company cases. Files of attorney William W. Scott relating to the sale of surplus government supplies and equipment after World War I, 1929-32. Miscellaneous case records, 1902-25.
Related Records: Record copies of publications of the Assistant Attorney General for the Court of Claims in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government.
60.10 Records of the Criminal Division
1925-30, 1963, 1968-87
Textual Records: Indexes to litigation case files, 1930-87. Employee clearances index, 1940-85. Records of Special Assistant to the Attorney General Forrest A. Harness, relating primarily to the American Bond and Mortgage Company cases, 1925-30. Records relating to investigations of the Carter Warehouse and Billy Carter Gas Station, 1976-79.
60.10.2 Records of the General Litigation and Legal Advice
Section
Textual Records: Records relating to custody of the original photograph by Mary A. Moorman (November 22, 1963) of President John F. Kennedy's limousine and the "Grassy Knoll," Dallas, TX; and of sound recordings of the assassination (described below), during the House Select Committee on Assassinations investigation and while being analyzed by a scientific panel headed by Norman F. Ramsey, Harvard University, 1979-82.
Sound Recordings (26 items): Assassination of President Kennedy, consisting of Dallas Police Department Channel I and Channel II recordings, November 22, 1963 (15 items). Murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby, consisting of Dallas Police Department Channel II recordings (10 items) and radio station WFAA sound tape of the shooting (1 item), November 24, 1963. See Also 60.21.
60.10.3 Records of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section
Textual Records: Typescript of Joseph Valachi's handwritten autobiography, "The Real Thing," 1963.
60.10.4 Records of the Internal Security Section
Textual Records: Records of the Inter-Divisional Information Unit, including organizational records, 1968-76; correspondence, 1968-76; weekly summary incident reports, 1968-74; and subject files, 1969-76.
60.11 Records of the High Cost of Living Division
1917-21
History: Established 1919, pursuant to amendments to the Food Control Act (Lever Act) of 1917. Terminated 1921, after the Lever Act had been declared unconstitutional.
Textual Records: Letters sent, 1919-20. Memorandums, 1917-20. Lists of special assistants, 1920. Records relating to the validity of the Food Control Act, 1919-20; and to Food Control Act cases, 1920-21. Reports, 1919-20. Circulars, 1919-20. General correspondence, 1920. Minutes of meetings with businessmen, 1920. Press statements, 1919-20. Miscellaneous information file, 1919- 20. General office file of J.G. Weatherly, Special Food Control Accountant, 1919.
Finding Aids: F. Hardee Allen, comp., "Preliminary Checklist of the High Cost of Living Records of the Department of Justice," PC 11 (1943).
Subject Access Terms: Figg, Howard E.
60.11.2 Records relating to the District of Columbia
Textual Records: Correspondence of the Fair Price Committee, 1919-20. Minutes of the Fair Price Advisory Board, 1920. Meat campaign and price files, 1920. Commodity price file, 1920. Profiteering file, 1920. Letters sent concerning profiteering charges, 1920. Meat reports, 1920. Reports on prices, 1920.
60.12 Records of the Lands Division
1917-26, 1936-40
Textual Records: Office files of Assistant Attorney General Stephen W. Williams concerning land cases, 1917-26.
Related Records: Record copies of publications of the Land and Natural Resources Division in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government.
60.12.2 Records of the Birmingham, AL, Field Office
Textual Records (in Atlanta): Administrative file, reports, correspondence, and an attorney's file, 1936-40. Correspondence and other records concerning land acquisition for New Deal projects in Alabama ("Projects File"), 1936-40. Records concerning settlements of land purchases ("Settlements File"), and condemnations ("Condemnation File"), 1936-40. Records relating to proceeds of land sales ("Distribution File"), 1936- 40, and to the payment of taxes on land purchased by the government ("Tax File"), 1936-40. Forest Service and War Department case files, 1936-40. Final opinions, 1936-40. Index to cases, 1936-40. Bulletins, 1938-39.
60.13 Records of the Tax Division
1961-75
Textual Records: Records of Assistant Attorney General Louis Oberdorfer, 1961-75.
60.14 Records of the War Division
1940-46
History: Established by Attorney General's Order 2507, suppl. 14, May 19, 1942, to facilitate departmental work in areas of war planning, alien enemy control, and alien property control. Consisted initially of Special War Policies Unit (SWPU), Alien Enemy Control Unit, and Alien Property Unit, supplemented shortly thereafter by a War Frauds Unit. In reorganization of August 28, 1943, War Frauds Unit transferred to Criminal Division; SWPU abolished and functions transferred to Criminal Division, except for Emergency Advisory Committee for Political Defense (retained in Latin American Section), administration of Foreign Agents Registration Act (in Foreign Agents Registration Section), and federal-state relations work (in Federal-State Relations Section); and Economic Warfare Section created to handle newly assigned responsibility for collecting industrial information for the Office of Economic Warfare. Division abolished December 28, 1945.
60.14.1 General records of the Special War Policies Unit
History: Neutrality Laws Unit established in Office of the Attorney General, April 1940, and subsequently redesignated Special Defense Unit. Further redesignated SWPU and assigned to newly established War Division, 1942. Abolished in divisional reorganization of August 28, 1943, and superseded by Latin American, Alien Enemy Control, and Alien Property Sections.
Textual Records: Subject file, 1940-45. War policy miscellaneous file, 1940-46. Office files, 1940-44.
60.14.2 Records of the Latin American Section
History: Established as a partial successor to SWPU, August 28, 1943. Acted as the technical legal staff of U.S. representatives on the Emergency Advisory Committee for Political Defense (also known as the Inter-American Advisory Committee for Political Defense), an advisory body to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the American Republics. Terminated with War Division, December 28, 1945.
Textual Records: Reports and other records relating to the consultative visit to the United States, 1943-44. Country file, 1943-45 (384 ft.). Subject file, 1942-45 (555 ft.). Reference materials, 1940-45. Resolutions of the Emergency Advisory Committee for Political Defense, 1942-43. Administrative file, 1942-45. Records relating to the Inter-Departmental Security Service Committee, 1942-45.
Related Records: Records relating to the Inter-American Advisory Committee for Political Defense in RG 43, Records of International Conferences, Commissions, and Expositions. Committee reports, included with Pan American Union Governing Board minutes and Director General annual reports, in Columbus Memorial Library, Organization of American States, Washington, DC.
Subject Access Terms: De Caprilles, Miguel A.; Knapp, Lawrence A.; Sanders, William; Spaeth, Carl B.
60.14.3 Records of the Economic Warfare Section
History: Economic Warfare Unit established in Antitrust Division, 1942, to collect and disseminate information on enemy-controlled industrial operations. Transferred to War Division pursuant to DOJ reorganization, August 28, 1943, and redesignated Economic Warfare Section. Abolished June 30, 1945.
Textual Records: Central correspondence, 1940-44. Subject files, 1942-45 (94 ft.), including reports, intercepted messages, and copies of business records of foreign and domestic firms.
Subject Access Terms: Bata Shoe Company; I.G. Farben-industrie; International Business Machines; Mitsubishi Group; Mitsui Group; Sperry Gyroscope Company, Inc.; Universal Oil Products Company.
60.15 Records of Other Department of Justice Organizations
1918-27, 1930-43, 1964-88
60.15.1 Records of the War Emergency Division
History: Established informally to conduct DOJ wartime activities, including control of enemy aliens, trading, sabotage, treason and sedition, conscription, and protection of factories and communication facilities. Abolished May 31, 1919.
Textual Records: Dockets relating to Presidential warrants for the arrest of enemy aliens, 1918-19.
60.15.2 Records of the War Transactions Section
History: Established July 20, 1922, by order of the Attorney General, retroactive to May 22, 1922. Investigated and prosecuted alleged frauds committed against the United States in connection with war contracts. Abolished June 30, 1926.
Textual Records: Correspondence, 1922-24. Section historical report, 1923-24. Records of Director Paul Shipman Andrews, including an office file, 1924-25, and a case book, 1924. Legal files relating to the prosecution of war contract cases, 1923-25. Minutes and other records of the Joint Board of Survey, 1923-25. General records of the Quartermaster Survey Unit, 1923-25.
Related Records: Records of the War Transactions Board in RG 153, Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Army).
Subject Access Terms: Charleston Industrial Corporation, Nitro, WV; ordnance contracts.
60.15.3 Records of the Board of Parole
History: A board of parole established in each federal prison pursuant to the Parole Act (36 Stat. 819), June 25, 1910. Superseded by single Board of Parole pursuant to amendments to the Parole Act (46 Stat. 272), May 12, 1930. Abolished, with functions to U.S. Parole Commission, by an act of March 15, 1976 (90 Stat. 219).
Textual Records: Dockets of meetings, 1930-43.
Related Records: Records of boards of parole in RG 129, Records of the Bureau of Prisons.
60.15.4 Records of the Bureau of Prohibition
History: Prohibition Unit established in Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of the Treasury, 1919. Redesignated Bureau of Prohibition, effective April 1, 1927, by an act of March 3, 1927 (44 Stat. 1381).
By the Prohibition Reorganization Act of 1930 (46 Stat. 427), May 27, 1930, effective July 1, 1930, Bureau of Prohibition (Treasury) redesignated Bureau of Industrial Alcohol; and a new Bureau of Prohibition established in DOJ, to include Enforcement Division, transferred from Treasury.
Bureau of Prohibition abolished, effective March 2, 1934, by EO 6166, June 10, 1933, with investigative functions merged with those of Bureau of Investigation to form Division of Investigation, DOJ. Residual functions transferred to Bureau of Internal Revenue by EO 6639, March 10, 1934.
Textual Records: Dockets of ship seizures in prohibition cases, 1923-27. Letters sent to members of Congress, 1930-34.
Related Records: Records of the Narcotics Division, Bureau of Prohibition, in RG 170, Records of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Records of the Bureau of Investigation in RG 65, Records of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
60.15.5 Records of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys
Textual Records: Caseload tracking system, 1964-88 (800 microfiche).
Related Records: Records of U.S. Attorneys and Marshals, RG 118.
60.16 Personnel Records
1844-1947
Textual Records: Records of commissions transmitted, 1849-50. Bonds of clerks of U.S. courts, 1875-94. Miscellaneous letters received on appointment and disbursement matters, 1884-97. Letters sent, 1882-85. Appointment letter books, 1884-1934. Senate resolutions confirming appointments, 1884-1941. Correspondence, 1902-47. Letters and memorandums concerning appointments, 1920-25. Correspondence with the White House concerning appointment of judges and department employees, 1920- 40. Order books, 1860-1900. Copies of Executive orders relating to appointments, 1905-20. Orders and circulars, 1909-24. Registers of applications for appointment, 1853-57, 1871-1901. Lists of officials including judges, clerks of court, attorneys, and marshals, 1844-1910. Indexes to applications for positions, 1889-1909. Lists of appointees, 1907-13. Lists of endorsers of protesters against candidates for appointments, 1929-33. Card record of nomination and commissioning of Presidential appointees, 1936-41. Microfilm copy of card index (1789-1960) to U.S. marshals, n.d. (1 roll).
Microfilm Publications: T577.
Subject Access Terms: President's Commission on Economy and Efficiency (Taft Commission).
60.16.2 Records relating to appointments and applications for
appointment in the Department of Justice and in federal courts
and judicial districts
Textual Records: Appointment papers, 1850-1913 (53 ft.). Records relating to members of the Supreme Court, 1853-1932; and Supreme Court candidates, 1853-1924. Appointment files for positions in judicial districts, 1853-1933 (725 ft.); circuit court judges, 1855-1901; judges and personnel of the U.S. Court of Claims, 1855-1928; Circuit Court of Appeals, 1903-29; U.S. Customs Court, 1909-37; U.S. Commerce Court, 1910-13; and U.S. Court of Customs Appeals and U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, 1929-30. Endorsements and other records relating to appointment of judges of the Court of Private Land Claims, 1889-1901. Application files, 1891-1902. Commissions of deputy marshals, 1896-1937. Correspondence concerning appointments, 1921-35.
Microfilm Publications: M198, M224, M680, M681.
60.16.3 Records relating to appointments and applications for
appointment in the District of Columbia and in other federal
departments and agencies
Textual Records: Records relating to appointments to positions in the District of Columbia, including justice of the peace, 1888- 1907; commissioner of deeds, 1888-1943; notary public, 1888-1926; and trustee of reform schools, 1895-1938. Records relating to applications for positions on the Interstate Commerce Commission, 1904-10, and the Wickersham Commission, 1929; and in other departments and agencies, 1881-1932.
60.17 Records Relating to Special Investigations and Surveys
1908-86
60.17.1 Records of the Attorney General's Committee of
Administrative Procedure (Acheson Committee)
History: Appointed February 16, 1939, in response to a Presidential request, to examine procedural practices of administrative agencies that made decisions directly affecting private rights and property. Terminated upon submission of final report, 1941, published as Administrative Procedure in Government Agencies.
Textual Records: Subject file, 1939-40. Correspondence with departments and agencies, 1939-40. Records relating to administrative procedures in federal departments and agencies, 1939-40. Reference materials received from The Brookings Institution, 1939-40. General comments file, 1940. Transcripts of conferences, 1939; and public hearings, 1940. Monographs, 1940. Study of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, 1939-40. Progress reports, 1940.
Related Records: Final report published as S. Doc. 10, U.S. Senate, 77th Congress, 1st Session (Serial Set 10563).
60.17.2 Records of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee on
Crime
History: Established following a conference on crime held in December 1934. Studied issues relating to the criminal justice system and crime prevention, and acted as a clearinghouse for information on criminal questions.
Textual Records: General correspondence, 1934-37. Correspondence of the chairman, 1935-37. Subject file, 1934-38. Records relating to speeches, meetings, and programs, 1935-37. State information file, 1935-38. Reference file, 1934-38.
Finding Aids: Helen Beach, comp., "Preliminary Checklist of the Records of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee on Crime, 1934-38," PC 38 (1946).
60.17.3 Records of the Aircraft Investigation Office
History: Investigation of aircraft production initiated in 1918 at the request of the President. Conducted by Charles E. Hughes with DOJ cooperation.
Textual Records: General records, 1918-19. Transcripts of testimony, 1918. Office file of Assistant Attorney General William L. Frierson, 1918-19. Report of Committee on Aircraft Investigation, May 2, 1918. Reports on aircraft production, and aviation training and equipment, 1918. Transcripts of proceedings, Senate and House committees on military affairs, 1918. Third annual report, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, 1918. History of the Liberty airplane motor by the Packard Motor Company, 1918.
60.17.4 Records of the Commission to Investigate the Title of the
United States to Lands in the District of Columbia
History: Established by an act of May 30, 1908 (35 Stat. 543). Also known as the Commission on Government Lands in the District of Columbia. Terminated following submission of report, 1916.
Textual Records: Miscellaneous indexes, 1908-12, to maps, statutes, acts of Congress, streets, and general subjects.
Related Records: Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, RG 42.
60.17.5 Records relating to the Naval Oil Reserve ("Teapot Dome")
Investigation
Textual Records: Records of special counsels Atlee Pomerene, 1917-35, and Owen Roberts, 1924-35. Records relating to U.S. v. Pan American Petroleum Co., 1927-35. Government oil case files, 1927-35. File of attorney Owen Roberts, 1924-30.
Subject Access Terms: Blackmer, Harry M.; Buena Vista Hills, CA; Continental Trading Company of Canada; Dohney, Edward L.; Elk Hills, CA; Fall, Albert B.; Mammoth Oil Co.; Midwest Refining Co.; Richfield Oil Co.; Sinclair Crude Oil Purchasing Co.; Sinclair, Harry F.; Teapot Dome, WY.
60.17.6 Records relating to the Attorney General's Patent Policy
Survey
History: Initiated by a letter of February 5, 1943, from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Attorney General Francis Biddle. Objective was to determine need for a uniform policy with respect to ownership, use, and control of inventions made by employees of federal government contractors. Terminated 1947, following submission of final report, "Investigation of Government Patent Practices and Policies," issued in 1947.
Textual Records: Subject file, 1939-47. Reference material and supporting documents relating to patent policies and practices, 1942-46. Monographs, 1945-46. First report of the Attorney General, 1945.
60.17.7 Records relating to the Pueblo Lands Board
History: Established by an act of June 7, 1924 (43 Stat. 636) to investigate title disputes concerning lands of the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico.
Textual Records: Files of the Attorney General's representative, Charles H. Jennings, 1920-30.
60.17.8 Records of the Attorney General's Survey of Release
Procedures
History: Established as a Works Progress Administration project, 1935. Investigated federal and state policies concerning the probation, parole, and pardon of federal and state convicts. Terminated 1938.
Textual Records: Records of the administrative director, including correspondence, 1935-38; and reference material, 1936- 37. Records of the technical director, including correspondence, 1935-37; probation commentaries, 1936-37; and addresses and papers, 1935-37. State reports, 1936. Correspondence and other records concerning state parole and probation policies ("Parole File" and "Probation File"), 1935-37. Reference material, 1934- 37. Records concerning the Association of States Signatory to the Interstate Prison Compact, 1934-37.
Subject Access Terms: Bennett, James V.; Gill, Howard B.
60.17.9 Records relating to the Attorney General's Task Force on
Violent Crime
History: Appointed by the Attorney General, April 10, 1981, to recommend ways for the Federal Government to combat violent crime. Terminated following submission of final report, August 17, 1981.
Textual Records: Subject file, 1981. Chronological file, 1981 (298 ft.).
60.17.10 Records of the Attorney General's Commission on
Pornography
History: Established February 22, 1985, at the request of President Ronald Reagan, pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (86 Stat. 770), October 6, 1972. Last meeting held May 2, 1986. Final report issued, July 1986.
Textual Records: Transcripts of commission hearings, June 1985- May 1986. Citizens' mail, subject, and publicity files, 1985-86. Pornography surveys, 1985-86. Reports, 1986.
Charts (9 items, in Washington Area): Commission exhibits, 1985- 86. See Also 60.18.
Motion Pictures (8 reels): Exhibit items, consisting of examples of commercial pornographic films, submitted as supplementary material to testimony in public hearings before the commission in Los Angeles and Miami, 1985-86.
Video Recordings (15 items): Exhibit items and supplementary materials submitted with testimony in public hearings of the commission in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, 1985-86, including a compilation of excerpts from Hollywood feature films dealing with sex and violence and pornographic film clips from 1930 to the 1960s; a lecture presentation by behavioral consultant Frank O'Sanka on child abuse and pornography (July 25, 1985); a Florida television documentary, "Our Little Secret," examining pedophilia and child abuse; and examples of commercially available pornographic and erotic sex films.
Sound Recordings (6 items): Supplementary exhibit materials submitted with testimony in public hearings of the commission in Chicago, Miami, Memphis, and Scottsdale (AZ), 1985-86, including Frank O'Sanka discussing pornography as a cause of criminal acts (July 23, 1985); telephone conversations with a pedophile (September 12, 1985); Elizabeth Holland, pediatrician and member of the Memphis Child Abuse Committee, discussing the treatment of child victims of pornographers (1985); and examples of "Dial-A- Porn" telephone messages (1985-86). See Also 60.21.
Color Slides (103 images): Copies of commission documents and exhibits, prepared to permit simultaneous review, 1985-86. See Also 60.22.
60.18 Cartographic Records (General)
1890-1922
Maps (8 items): United States and its regions, showing railroad systems, oil company lands, and locations of oil refineries and pipelines, some bearing stamps identifying them as court case exhibits, 1911-14 (5 items). New York Harbor, showing sugar refineries, 1913 (1 item). Plan of a lock and dam on the Yamhill River, OR, 1915 (1 item). Plan of Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, DC, 1922 (1 item).
Graphs (2 items): Oil production graphs, 1890-1906.
See Maps under 60.3.2 and 60.3.4.See Charts under 60.17.10.
60.19 Motion Pictures (General)
See Under 60.17.10.
60.20 Video Recordings (General)
See Under 60.17.10.
60.21 Sound Recordings (General)
See Under 60.3.4, 60.10.2, and 60.17.10.
60.22 Still Pictures (General)
1991
Photographs: Attorneys general (1871-1991), including photographs of paintings and photographic portraits, 1991 (AG, 73 images).
See Photographs under 60.2.2, 60.3.5, and 60.5.3.
See Color Slides under 60.17.10.
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.
This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.
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