Myer, Dillon S. Papers

Chief, Compliance Division, Agricultural Adjustment Administration, United States Department of Agriculture, 1934-1936; Chief, Division of Cooperative Relations and Planning, Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1936-1942; Director, War Relocation Authority, United States Department of the Interior, 1942-1946; Commissioner, Federal Public Housing Authority, 1946-1947; Commissioner, Public Housing Administration, 1947; President, Institute of Inter-American Affairs, 1948-1950; Commissioner, Bureau of Indian Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, 1950-1953

The papers of Dillon S. Myer consist of correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, reports and speeches pertaining to his service in the Department of Agriculture, War Relocation Authority, Federal Public Housing Authority, Public Housing Administration and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The collection documents the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the housing shortages during the mid 1940s, the status of Native Americans during the early 1950s, and Myer's professional career from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Size: 1.6 linear feet (about 3200 pages). 
Access: Open. 
Copyright: Dillon S. Myer donated to the U.S. government his copyright interest in the unpublished writings in this collection, and in any other collection of papers in the custody of the U.S. government. Documents created by U.S. government employees in the course of their official duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents is assumed to belong to the creators of those documents, or their heirs. 
Processed by: Philip D. Lagerquist (1962); Dennis E. Bilger (1975); David Clark, Tammy Kelly and Jonathan Pearson (2003)

The papers of Dillon S. Myer consist of correspondence, memorandums, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, reports and speeches pertaining to his service in the Department of Agriculture, War Relocation Authority, Federal Public Housing Authority, Public Housing Administration, Institute of Inter-American Affairs, and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The collection consists of two series, the Government Agencies File and the Personal Correspondence File.

Dillon S. Myer worked for the Department of Agriculture from 1933 to 1942 in various capacities within the Agricultural Adjustment Administration and the Soil Conservation Service. From 1942-1946, he was the Director of the War Relocation Authority which oversaw the relocation and resettlement of Japanese-Americans during World War II. As Commissioner of the Federal Public Housing Authority from 1946-1947, Myer dealt with housing shortages. From 1948-1950, Myer was the President of the Institute of Inter-American Affairs and between 1950 and 1953, he was the Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior.

The Government Agencies File series consists of materials pertaining to Dillon S. Myer's career with the federal government. The Department of Agriculture records contain correspondence and speeches regarding the Agricultural Adjustment Program, soil conservation, and speaking invitations from 1934-1942. The War Relocation Authority materials include press conference transcripts, speeches, memorandums, reports, meeting minutes, hearings, and newspaper clippings pertaining to the establishment of the War Relocation Authority, and the migration, treatment and resettlement of Japanese-Americans during and after World War II. The Federal Public Housing Authority and Public Housing Administration records consist of speeches and correspondence pertaining to housing shortages, low-rent housing, low-income families, the U.S. Housing Act and veterans from 1946-1947. The Institute of Inter-American Affairs materials contain speeches, reports and memorandums pertaining to the Institute's history, renewable natural resources, resource conservation, and public administration from 1948-1950. The Bureau of Indian Affairs records include memorandums, reports, notes, and meeting minutes pertaining to the Indian tribe withdrawal program, tribal attorney contract regulations, education policies, poverty, increasing population, sale of property, resources, services, relations between Indians and the government, law enforcement and federal supervision from 1950-1953.

The Personal Correspondence File series consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and speeches pertaining to various subjects, including Myer's career, agriculture, soil conservation, land use planning, Indian programs, federal legislation, organizational memberships, appointments, speaking invitations, and Japanese relocation from 1934-1966. The correspondence is between Dillon S. Myer and individuals such as Henry Wallace, Milton Eisenhower, Oscar Chapman, Harold Ickes, Charles Brannan, Earl Warren and the Japanese American Citizens League. In addition to personal correspondence, this series also contains work related correspondence.

Other relevant holdings at the Truman Library include an oral history interview with Dillon S. Myer. Documents pertaining to Japanese-American relations can be found at the Library in the Papers of Harry S. Truman (White House Central Files: Official File 6-K) and in the Papers of Philleo Nash and Tom Clark. Additional materials regarding Indian affairs are located in the Papers of Harry S. Truman (White House Central Files: Official File 6-C and Official File 296) and in the Papers of William and Sophie Brophy.