Civilian Agency Records

State Department and Foreign Affairs Records

Records of Interdepartmental and Intradepartmental Committees (State Department (RG 353)

Records of the Secretary of State's Staff Committee 1944-1947

During World War II more than 100 committees within the State Department dealt with numerous problems generated by that conflict and developed plans and programs for the postwar period. In late 1944 the Department established the Secretary's Staff Committee, giving it the authority to coordinate and direct these activities. By the terms of its establishing directive (Departmental Order 1301 of December 20, 1944), the Staff Committee replaced both the Policy Committee and the Committee on Postwar Programs, and, with the broadest jurisdiction of any departmental group, it became the final review and advisory body for foreign policy and international relations. Created to be "available for instant consultation with the Secretary," the Committee met at his call or, as was frequently the case, at that of the vice chairman. Its broad objective was to "advise and otherwise assist the Secretary in determining current and long range foreign policy...[based] on the full range and interests of the Department." Its composition was the Secretary of State as chairman, the Under Secretary (vice chairman), the Assistant Secretaries, the Legal Adviser, and the Special Assistant for International Organization and Security Affairs. Participation by others was by special invitation. The Committee was abolished by Departmental Announcement 575 of June 18, 1947.

The records of the Committee relate both to the formulation and to the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. The Committee was concerned with virtually every major aspect of the Nation's involvement with international political, economic, and social programs. Of particular interest are the records involving decisions, commitments, and activities related to the multinational conferences at Yalta, Dumbarton Oaks, San Francisco, Potsdam, and Bretton Woods; armistice negotiations and postwar relations with former eastern European belligerents; the surrender of Germany and Japan and subsequent demilitarization, occupation, and economic programs there; the European Economic Commission; and international monetary and economic arrangements.

Regular Committee members received an agenda and, in many instances, one or more subject matter documents in advance of each scheduled meeting. The documents were topical staff studies that informed each member of various views within the Department on the subject under consideration. Each document analyzed a topic by addressing it as a "Problem," by making applicable "Recommendations," and then presenting a relevant "Discussion." The minutes of meetings paraphrase discussions of agenda items and of additional unscheduled matters considered urgent business by the Committee. After the conclusion of a meeting, a Daily (designated "SC/R"), Weekly ("SC/W"), or Monthly ("SC/M") Summary of Action and Directives was issued. These reports summarized the Committee's decisions, directives, and recommendations and provided a permanent reference for the Department in formulating policy.

Several points should be emphasized about the use of the Committee's records. Most of the series are arranged chronologically and in numerical sequence. The Committee frequently held two meetings on the same day, and the minutes of these sessions were consecutively numbered. The subject matter documents were often revised, in which case the original identification number was retained and an alphabetical or numerical suffix was assigned. (For example, document No. SC-00 might be reissued as SC-00a or SC-00/1). Also, it should be noted that there is no index to the minutes of the Committee meetings.

There were 70 sessions with related agenda; such sessions were called on short notice to consider urgent business. Researchers should exercise caution in using the agenda as a topical guide to the business of the Committee. Rather, they should consult entries in the Index to Documents and Reports on a particular subject, obtain the date on which the topic was considered by the Committee from the heading on the first page of the specified report , and then refer to the minutes of the meeting for that specific day.

The records of the committee have been microfilmed as Microfilm Publication M1054 (Entries 370-374, 376-381)

Records of the European Neutrals Committee, 1945-46

The European Neutrals Committee (ENC) was formed in January 1945 to formulate a combined Anglo-American policy toward economic relations withand problems of European neutrals. The membership included the representatives of several U.S. Departments, including State, Treasury, and the Foreign Economic Administration, and two members from the British Embassy. Minutes of Meetings January 1945-February1946 (Entry 240)

Topics discussed at meetings included economic agreements, supplies, trade, and cooperation with the following neutrals: Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal,Turkey, and Tangier. Box 24

Records of the Executive Committee of Economic ForeignPolicy

The Executive Committee of Economic Foreign Policy (ECEFP) was established in April 1944, as an interdepartmental group, to function as the primary planning and coordinating body for economic policy. The ECEFP studied issues involved in economic warfare, anticipated the economic programs connected with Germany in the postwar period, and took steps to initiate plans which would operated effectively after the defeat of the Axis. It considered from time to time such matters as modification of wartime financial controls over foreign assets. It had, for example, considered the possibility of continuing the Proclaimed List after the surrender of Germany as a method of economic supervision of Axis friends.

The ECEFP assumed control for the special committee of the Division of Commercial Policy and directed the preparation of proposals for the international trade organization. The Committee was terminated at the end of 1949. Files Concerning Interdepartmental Committees Related to the ECEEP February 9, 1944-August 3, 1949 (Entry 202)

Box 76. File labeled "5.19F. Interdivisional Committee on Reparation, Restitution, and Property Rights" This file covers the period February-September 1944. Also file labeled "Proposed Subcommittee of the ECEEP on Post-hostilities Control over Foreign Property." This proposal made by S. J. Rubin 1944. File covers the 1944 period. Subject Files 1944-1949 (Entry204)

Box 78 contains information about the Safehaven project, covering the 1944- 1945 period.

Records of the Economic Warfare Planning Committee

The Economic Warfare Planning Committee (EWP) was establishedDecember 1, 1948. The EWP was to coordinate the views of the appropriate offices within the Department and advise the Secretary of State on plans and operations of economic warfare involving U.S. foreign policy. Documents December 15, 1948-April6, 1949 (Entry 302)

Includes various documents regarding economic warfare, and provides historical background to economic warfare activities during World War II. Boxes 22-23 Memoranda and Reports October1, 1948-February 10, 1951 (Entry 305)

Includes reports and draft reports relating to United States economic warfare activities during World War II. Box 23

Records of the Division of World Trade Intelligence and its Successor, Division of Economic Security Controls

On July 17, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a Presidential Proclamation which instructed the Secretary of State, acting in conjunction with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of Export Controls, and the Coordinator of Commercial and Cultural Relations between the American Republics, to prepare an appropriate list of persons and firms working with or for Axis nations and persons to whom exports from the United States were deemed detrimental to the interests of national defense. As a result of this order the Secretary of State established on July 21, 1941, the Division of World Trade Intelligence to handle State Department responsibilities pertaining to the Proclaimed List of Certain Blocked Nationals. The Division was at first under the direct supervision of Assistant Secretary Dean Acheson but later became part of the Board of Economic Operations and successor economic offices. On March 1, 1945, it was renamed the Division of Economic Security Controls and as such became a part of the Office of Economic Security Policy on October 20 of that year.

The Division of World Trade Intelligence prepared the original "Proclaimed List of Certain Blocked Nationals" and maintained its various supplements and revisions from 1941 to 1946. The lists named persons and companies, resident in areas outside of enemy control, who directly or indirectly rendered substantial aid to the enemy war machine. Those listed were denied the privilege of trading with the United States.

After the victories in Europe and the Pacific, the List was reduced to a "hard core" of the worst offenders. With the concurrence of the Departments of the Treasury, Justice, and Commerce, the Department of State announced the withdrawal of the "Proclaimed Lists," also known as the "American Black List," effective July 8, 1946. Record Set of the "Proclaimed List of Certain Blocked Nationals" 1941-1946 (Entry 36)

Arranged chronologically. Record set of "Proclaimed List of Certain Blocked Nationals," July 17, 1941; the seven supplements to the List, July 28, 1941- January 14, 1942; Revisions I through X of the List, February 7, 1942-December 20, 1945; the supplements to each Revision; and the notice of the List's withdrawal, July 8, 1946. As additions to and deletions from the List required continual changes in its composition, supplements to the original List, revisions of it, and supplements to these revisions proved necessary. Boxes 1-2

Proclaimed List of Certain Blocked Nationals Case Files 1941-1948 (Entry 36A)

Boxes 1-16

British Statutory List 1940-1946 (Entry 37)

Arranged chronologically. File copies of the various amended versions of the British Statutory List, issued pursuant to the Trading with the Enemy Order through the Board of Trade, Amendment No. 9 for 1940 (August 3) through Amendment No. 16 for 1946 (June 11), plus the Revocation of the List, July 6, 1946. The British Statutory List was very similar to the American Proclaimed List, in that it published the names of persons and firms in areas outside of enemy control who had in some way rendered significant aid to the enemy war machine, and that those listed were proscribed from trading with the British Empire. (Note 13) Boxes 2-3

British War Trade Lists 1941-1944 (Entry 38)

Arranged chronologically. File copies of the War Trade Lists Nos. 6-18, June 1, 1941-November 1, 1944, and of the Advice Notes which supplemented the Lists, 1941-1945. The British War Trade Lists, issued by the Ministry of Economic Warfare, differed from the British Statutory List in that they contained all the information included in the latter, as well as the names on the British Black List and Ships War Trade Lists. The War Trade Lists were thus more comprehensive than the Statutory Lists, and were considered confidential, whereas the Statutory List was published. With the cessation of the British Black List on May 26, 1945, the War Trade List no longer differed significantly from the Statutory List, and a notice that no further Advice Notes would be forthcoming was issued on June 23, 1945. Boxes 4-6

British M.E.W. "G" List 1941-1943 (Entry 39)

Arranged chronologically. File copies of the British Ministry of Economic War (MEW) "G" List, Nos. 4-10, Sept. 1, 1941-Mar. 1, 1943, with supplements to the List. The main purpose of the British MEW "G" List was toindicate to censorship, import, export, contraband, and other controls that transactions in which a name on the List was concerned required special watching. A Ships "G" List formed an annex to this list and its supplements. The MEW, which issued both the MEW "G" List and the Ships "G" Lists, announced on May 31, 1943, that it was discontinuing them because developments in economic warfare had rendered such lists less useful. Boxes 6-7

Canadian Lists of Specified Persons 1940-1945 (Entry 40)

Arranged chronologically. File copies of the Consolidations of the Lists of Specified Persons, 1940-1945, and of Revisions Nos. 9-62 of the Lists, March 24, 1941-November 29, 1945. The Lists of Specified Persons contained the names of all persons residing and/or carrying on business in neutral countries with whom persons in Canada were prohibited from trading under the Consolidated Regulations Respecting Trading with the Enemy, 1939. Boxes 7-8

Proclaimed Lists of Various Countries 1941-1944 (Entry 41)

Unarranged. File copies of individual editions of the Proclaimed Lists of Australia, the Netherlands, Venezuela, El Salvador, Chile, France, and Brazil. Box 8

Miscellaneous Materials Relating to Black Lists 1941-1945 (Entry 42)

Unarranged. Lists compiled by the British Ministry of Economic Warfare of undesirable or suspect seamen, 1943-1945; a copy of "The Federal Register," Vol. 8, No. 12, containing regulations governing the allocation of various scarce materials; and lists of Latin American firms that were aiding or had dealt with the enemy, prepared by the Treasury Department in July 1941. Box 8 location: 250/67/30/07

Materials Relating to Distribution of the Proclaimed List 1941-1946 (Entry 44)

Arranged chronologically. Lists of those to whom the proclaimed List was sent, instructions to recipients for reporting on persons and firms whose names should be considered for inclusion in the List, examples of such reports, requests for copies of the List, and memoranda relative to List distribution. Boxes 9-10

Case Files 1941-1946 (Entry 45)

Arranged by the List, supplement, revision, or supplement to the revision under which the case was considered; thereunder chronologically; thereunder alphabetically by country; and thereunder alphabetically by surname of firm name. The case files consist of summaries of the information available on individuals and firms being considered for inclusion in the Proclaimed List and of the decisions made in each case. Boxes 10-61

Records of Actions taken by the Proclaimed List Committee 1941-1946 (Entry 46)

Arranged by the List, supplement, revision, or supplement to the revision under which the case was considered; thereunder chronologically; thereunder alphabetically by country; and thereunder alphabetically by surname of firm name. Records of the actions taken by the Proclaimed List Committee with regard to each case that it considered. The records consist of lists of individuals and firms whose names were to be added to, deleted from, or subsequently considered (action pending) for inclusion in the Proclaimed List. Boxes 62-65 location: 250/67/32/01

Memoranda for the Committee 1941-1946 (Entry 47)

Arranged chronologically and thereunder alphabetically by country. These materials primarily consist of memoranda detailing special circumstances affecting the cases of individuals and firms whose names were considered for inclusion in the Proclaimed List, its supplements, revisions, and supplements to revisions; procedures to be followed in compiling revisions and supplements; instructions on reporting information regarding cases before the Proclaimed List Committee; and other matters relating to the Committee's work. Boxes 66-69

Working Papers Relating to the "Hard Core" List 1945-1946 (Entry 48)

Some arranged chronologically, some alphabetically by country. These materials consist of memoranda setting forth the principles for inclusion of the names of individuals or firms whose activities had placed them among the "hard core" of enemy sympathizers or supporters in their countries of residence on the later revisions and revision supplements of the Proclaimed List, and of lists of names of those who qualify, do not qualify, or required further investigation before a decision could be made, for the "hard core" List. Boxes 69-72

Miscellaneous Reports 1941-1946 (Entry 49)

Some arranged chronologically, some alphabetically; others unarranged. These materials consist of press releases relative to the activities of the Division of World Trade Intelligence, 1943-1946; recommendations for actions in cases under consideration by the Proclaimed List Committee; miscellaneous instructions and procedures; and notes on indexing. Boxes 73-74

Index to Lists of Blocked Nationals 1941-1946 (Entry 50)

Arranged alphabetically by country, thereunder alphabetically by surname or firm name, with subdivisions for names deleted from the List and names on the British Statutory List but not on the Proclaimed List. The card file consists of 5 x 8 inch index card containing names, addresses, information as to why the name was on the List, and references to related names and/or cases. Boxes 1-21 . Boxes 19-20 contains Blocked Swiss Nationals

Records of the State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee

The State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee (SWNCC/SANAC) was established in December 1944, to coordinate the views of the State, War, and Navy Departments in matters in which they all had a common interest, and to establish policies for their Departments on politico-military questions referred to it. The Committee maintained liaison with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in order to obtain military approval for its decisions. Among its activities the Committee drafted directives for the control of Germany and Austria and coordinated the views of its member agencies on policy for presentation by the United States at international conferences. From the fall of 1947 until its termination in June 1949, the Committee was named the State-Army-Navy-Air Force Coordinating Committee. SWNCC 10 Swiss Aid to Italy andGermany January 1945 LM 54 roll 1, frames 845-860 SWNCC 204. Restitution fromAustria and Germany to Allies, October 1945- September 1948. LM 54, roll 17, frames 530-1122. SWNCC 328. Concepts of War Booty,Restitution, and Reparations, September 1946-February 1948. LM 54, roll 27, frames 1122-1303. SWNCC 336. Definition of Non-MonetaryGold Under Paris Reparations Agreement of 1946, Oct. 1946-January 1949. LM 54, roll 28, frames 418-452.