Harry S. Truman Papers Staff Member and Office Files James V. Fitzgerald Files

Special Assistant to Dr. John Steelman in the White House Office, c. 1947-1951

The files of James V. Fitzgerald are a compilation of daily news reports mostly regarding labor and labor disputes, although in 1950, the focus switches to international events such as the Korean War and the increasing tensions between the U.S. and Russia. The purpose of these files is unknown, but it’s apparent that Fitzgerald spent a great deal of time summarizing the news because he directly quotes from many different newspapers concerning various topics.

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Size: Less than one linear foot (about 1600 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Harry S. Truman donated his copyright interest in writings in these files to the United States government. Documents created by U.S. Government officials in the course of their official duties are likewise in the public domain. Copyright interest in any other writings in these files is assumed to remain with the authors of the documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: James R. Fuchs (1956).
Updated by: Shannon Moon (2005) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

1889 (February 22)		Born, Saratoga Springs, New York
c. 1917		Earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at NYU
c. 1917		Washington Post sports and city editor, editorial writer
c. 1932		North American Newspaper Alliance feature writer
c. 1942-1945		Director of Information, U.S. Department of Labor
c. 1947-1951		Special Assistant to Dr. John Steelman
c. 1959		Public Relations staff of George Washington University Librarian, Baseball Hall of Fame
1976 (August 23)		Died, Washington, D. C.

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COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

The James V. Fitzgerald Files are contained in two boxes and are arranged chronologically in one series with the dates beginning December 3, 1947 and ending April 17, 1951. The files consist of daily news digests, apparently researched and compiled by Fitzgerald. From December 1947 through 1949, the news digests focus on organized labor and labor disputes. This is not surprising, for Fitzgerald had previously worked at the Labor Department, and his immediate superior at the White House, Dr. John R. Steelman, was a veteran labor mediator and labor expert on President Truman’s staff. Beginning in 1950, the focus of the digests shifts to international events with a few mentions of labor disputes included. The purpose of the news digests is unknown, but Fitzgerald seems to have spent a great deal of time preparing them. They include references to many newspapers. From 1947 through 1948 the briefs focus on such issues as: wage increase demands by unions; inflation; reduction of personal income taxes; meat packing strikes; problems with the coal industry, steel worker layoffs; railroad and airline strikes; a slump in the textile industry; the Philadelphia transit strike; railroad layoffs; New York taxi strikes; unemployment on the rise; the Chicago printer strike; the possibility of shorter work weeks; and President Truman’s statements that he had the power to halt dangerous strikes.

As previously mentioned, in 1950 Fitzgerald switched his focus from domestic labor issues to problems on an international level. Such issues include: approval of Truman’s decision to build a hydrogen bomb; Winston Churchill’s suggestion that Truman join the British in talks with Russia; much discussion on the Cold War and the faltering civil rights program; the increasing concern with China and “Red Aggression”; anti-isolationism; the Korean War; the draft; increasing food prices; and Senator McCarthy’s communist charges.

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