Records of the Office of the Secretary of War: Public Statements of the Secretary of War (Record Group 107)

These records consist of transcripts of the speeches and public statements of Secretaries of War Henry Stimson, Robert Patterson and Kenneth Royall, from April 1945 to September 1947.

Size: 10 linear inches (about 1,600 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Records created by U.S. Government employees in the course of their official duties are in the public domain.
Processed by: Deborah Keating, Randy Sowell (2010).

The Office of the Secretary of War (Record Group 107) was established by the act creating the War Department on August 7, 1789. It was abolished on September 18, 1947 by the National Security Act. At that time, the functions of the Secretary of War were transferred to the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Air Force, serving under the Secretary of Defense as part of the National Military Establishment (NME). In 1949, further legislation transformed the NME into the Department of Defense.

The collection consists of four bound volumes containing transcripts of the speeches, press releases and public statements of three Secretaries of War: Henry L. Stimson, Robert P. Patterson, and Kenneth C. Royall, all of whom served during the Harry S. Truman Administration.

Henry L. Stimson was appointed to his second term as Secretary of War by President Franklin Roosevelt in July, 1940, and he served until September, 1945. Included in his statements are comments on Franklin Roosevelt’s death and the unconditional surrender of Germany, press conference remarks, and speeches before various organizations.

Robert P. Patterson was Secretary of War from September, 1945 until July, 1947. Included in the collection is his statement on the return of enemy prisoners of war working in the United States, a press release regarding the death of General George Patton, statements relating to United States atomic energy policy and the planned extension of the Selective Service Act, and transcripts of radio appearances.

Kenneth C. Royall was Secretary of War from July, 1947 until September, 1947. The collection contains several statements recognizing special events such as General Pershing’s eighty-seventh birthday.

The Truman Library also has the public statements of the Secretary of the Navy from 1945 to 1947 (Record Group 80) and of the Secretary of Defense from 1947 to 1952 (Record Group 330).