Scope and Contents
Correspondence, writings, reports, memoranda, printed material, and miscellanea documenting the personal and professional life of George H. E. Smith, an author, educator at Yale University, director of the League of Nations, Non-Partisan Association of Detroit, Michigan, and secretary, staff director and consultant to the U. S. Senate Republican Policy Committee (1944-1962).
The papers document Smith's work for the Republican Policy Committee through memoranda, correspondence, handbooks, articles, newsletters, and printed material. These same materials were distributed to Republican senators for use in speeches, position papers, and political campaigns. The Republican Party position on such issues as domestic policy, economic policy, elections, foreign relations,and political parties is detailed. The workings of the Committee itself can be charted through the minutes of meetings, correspondence, and subject files, as can the development of the Committee staff.
Writings and general correspondence focus on Smith's literary work on topics including: national politics, political parties, and domestic and foreign policies. Charles A. Beard, James Couzens, John Danaher, Roman Gorski, and Lindsay Rogers are primary correspondents.
Additional material documents Smith's financial work as director of the Detroit, Michigan, League of Nations office, his teaching career at Yale University, and his personal life.
The Smith Papers, totalling thirty-one (31) linear feet and eighty-two (82) boxes, are arranged in five series.
The papers document Smith's work for the Republican Policy Committee through memoranda, correspondence, handbooks, articles, newsletters, and printed material. These same materials were distributed to Republican senators for use in speeches, position papers, and political campaigns. The Republican Party position on such issues as domestic policy, economic policy, elections, foreign relations,and political parties is detailed. The workings of the Committee itself can be charted through the minutes of meetings, correspondence, and subject files, as can the development of the Committee staff.
Writings and general correspondence focus on Smith's literary work on topics including: national politics, political parties, and domestic and foreign policies. Charles A. Beard, James Couzens, John Danaher, Roman Gorski, and Lindsay Rogers are primary correspondents.
Additional material documents Smith's financial work as director of the Detroit, Michigan, League of Nations office, his teaching career at Yale University, and his personal life.
The Smith Papers, totalling thirty-one (31) linear feet and eighty-two (82) boxes, are arranged in five series.
SERIES I, LEAGUE OF NATIONS, NON-PARTISAN ASSOCIATION, contains correspondence, papers, and printed material from Smith's tenure as director of the Detroit, Michigan office of this organization. The bulk of correspondence consists of letters with Edsel Ford and his secretary, A. J. Lepine. Ford was the primary source of funding for the organization. Financial records of the office (folders 14-21) and printed material (folders 24-25) are also included.
SERIES II, GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, contains Smith's letters to and from friends and associates, 1931-1962. This series is arranged in two sections:1931-1943and1944-1962. Cross references between these sections link correspondents whose letters appear in both sections. The majority of correspondents are represented by small amounts of routine letters. Important correspondents include: Charles A. Beard, James Couzens, John Danaher, Roman Gorski, Lindsay Rogers, and Arthur Vandenberg.
Letters exchanged between Smith and Charles A. Beard are available on microfilm (HM 19). A primary topic discussed in Smith's correspondence with Beard, other academic figures, and U. S. senators is the content of Smith's writings on U. S. politics and international politics.
SERIES III, SENATE REPUBLICAN POLICY COMMITTEE, contains Smith's office files as secretary, staff director, and consultant to the committee, 1944-1962. This series includes memoranda, correspondence, writings, and research files generated by Smith. The series is arranged in eleven sections.
Intra-office correspondence, General correspondence, and Party conference correspondence(boxes 7-12) contain letters and memoranda on the organizational and planning aspects of the committee and its staff, including material on the Republican Steering Committee, the organization which preceded the Policy Committee. Individual correspondents include Republican senators, congressional staff members, government officials and employees, political figures, scholars, and private citizens. Smith and his staff researched numerous topics for Republican senators, the Republican National Committee, the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Republican Party Conference. Among these topics are: "Borrowed staff," which is the practice of Senate committees and sub-committee allocating personnel from federal offices (folders 201-204), the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (folders 231-234), and "Science legislation" (folders 260-268).
Individual correspondents of importance in these sections include: Charles A. Beard, Edwin Borchard, and senators Henry Styles Bridges, Prescott Sheldon Bush, John Danaher, Homer Ferguson, Barry Goldwater, William Jenner, William Knowland, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., and William Reed.
Circular memoranda, Blue cover staff handbooks, and Articlescontain numerous papers prepared for Republican senators.Circular memoranda(boxes 13-14) contains confidential information sheets disseminated to all Republican senators from 1944-1960.Blue cover staff handbooks(boxes 15-19) consists of sixty-four studies prepared from 1944-1960. These handbooks are lengthy, detailed reports on political and legislative topics of the day.Articles(boxes 20-23) contains a numerical and chronological section of "articles" prepared by the Policy Committee staff for specific Republican senators. Many Republican senators received material from the Policy Committee, including Henry Styles Bridges, Homer Ferguson, Robert A. Taft, Arthur Vandenberg, and Keith Wherry.
Election campaign handbooks and Senate Minority/Majority memoscontain printed material produced by the Policy Committee. Handbooks (boxes 24-25) consist of notebooks and reports which detail major issues facing Republican candidates in the election years of 1950, 1952, 1956 and 1958.Minority/Majority memos(boxes 26-27) consists of weekly newsletters circulated to Republican officials.
Subject files(boxes 28-56) contains printed material, clippings, speeches, papers, and research material accumulated by Smith. This section is arranged in two sub-sections: General and Special reference. Material in this section provided the information used in the preparation ofCircular memoranda, Blue cover staff handbooks, Articles, Election campaign handbooks,andSenate Minority/Majority memos. Important topics in this section include: Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (folders 647-51), Congress (folders 674-693), Elections (folders 707-732), Foreign policy (folders 757-765), National Science Foundation (folders 809-826), New Deal (folders 831-865), Patterns of legislation (folders 898-956), Republican Party (folders 1045-1055), and Staffing and operations (folders 1070-1076).
Minutes(boxes 57-60) contains drafts and conference copies of the minutes of meetings for the Minority/Majority Conference Committee of the Policy (Steering) Committee from 1944-1948.
Printed material(boxes 61-63) contains a variety of items on national politics and elections.
SERIES IV, WRITINGS, contains drafts and reference material for Smith's writings.Books-drafts, Books-miscellaneous, Books-reference files,andBooks-research notescontain material on those volumes which Smith authored or co-authored.
Articles, Speeches,andBook reviewscontain drafts of those types of writings.Miscellaneouscontains unidentified writings.
SERIES V, STUDENT PAPERS, TEACHING MATERIALS, AND PERSONAL PAPERS, contains Smith's student papers from the University of Michigan and Yale University, his teaching materials on courses he conducted at Yale University and elsewhere, and personal papers of family members.
SERIES II, GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, contains Smith's letters to and from friends and associates, 1931-1962. This series is arranged in two sections:1931-1943and1944-1962. Cross references between these sections link correspondents whose letters appear in both sections. The majority of correspondents are represented by small amounts of routine letters. Important correspondents include: Charles A. Beard, James Couzens, John Danaher, Roman Gorski, Lindsay Rogers, and Arthur Vandenberg.
Letters exchanged between Smith and Charles A. Beard are available on microfilm (HM 19). A primary topic discussed in Smith's correspondence with Beard, other academic figures, and U. S. senators is the content of Smith's writings on U. S. politics and international politics.
SERIES III, SENATE REPUBLICAN POLICY COMMITTEE, contains Smith's office files as secretary, staff director, and consultant to the committee, 1944-1962. This series includes memoranda, correspondence, writings, and research files generated by Smith. The series is arranged in eleven sections.
Intra-office correspondence, General correspondence, and Party conference correspondence(boxes 7-12) contain letters and memoranda on the organizational and planning aspects of the committee and its staff, including material on the Republican Steering Committee, the organization which preceded the Policy Committee. Individual correspondents include Republican senators, congressional staff members, government officials and employees, political figures, scholars, and private citizens. Smith and his staff researched numerous topics for Republican senators, the Republican National Committee, the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Republican Party Conference. Among these topics are: "Borrowed staff," which is the practice of Senate committees and sub-committee allocating personnel from federal offices (folders 201-204), the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (folders 231-234), and "Science legislation" (folders 260-268).
Individual correspondents of importance in these sections include: Charles A. Beard, Edwin Borchard, and senators Henry Styles Bridges, Prescott Sheldon Bush, John Danaher, Homer Ferguson, Barry Goldwater, William Jenner, William Knowland, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., and William Reed.
Circular memoranda, Blue cover staff handbooks, and Articlescontain numerous papers prepared for Republican senators.Circular memoranda(boxes 13-14) contains confidential information sheets disseminated to all Republican senators from 1944-1960.Blue cover staff handbooks(boxes 15-19) consists of sixty-four studies prepared from 1944-1960. These handbooks are lengthy, detailed reports on political and legislative topics of the day.Articles(boxes 20-23) contains a numerical and chronological section of "articles" prepared by the Policy Committee staff for specific Republican senators. Many Republican senators received material from the Policy Committee, including Henry Styles Bridges, Homer Ferguson, Robert A. Taft, Arthur Vandenberg, and Keith Wherry.
Election campaign handbooks and Senate Minority/Majority memoscontain printed material produced by the Policy Committee. Handbooks (boxes 24-25) consist of notebooks and reports which detail major issues facing Republican candidates in the election years of 1950, 1952, 1956 and 1958.Minority/Majority memos(boxes 26-27) consists of weekly newsletters circulated to Republican officials.
Subject files(boxes 28-56) contains printed material, clippings, speeches, papers, and research material accumulated by Smith. This section is arranged in two sub-sections: General and Special reference. Material in this section provided the information used in the preparation ofCircular memoranda, Blue cover staff handbooks, Articles, Election campaign handbooks,andSenate Minority/Majority memos. Important topics in this section include: Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (folders 647-51), Congress (folders 674-693), Elections (folders 707-732), Foreign policy (folders 757-765), National Science Foundation (folders 809-826), New Deal (folders 831-865), Patterns of legislation (folders 898-956), Republican Party (folders 1045-1055), and Staffing and operations (folders 1070-1076).
Minutes(boxes 57-60) contains drafts and conference copies of the minutes of meetings for the Minority/Majority Conference Committee of the Policy (Steering) Committee from 1944-1948.
Printed material(boxes 61-63) contains a variety of items on national politics and elections.
SERIES IV, WRITINGS, contains drafts and reference material for Smith's writings.Books-drafts, Books-miscellaneous, Books-reference files,andBooks-research notescontain material on those volumes which Smith authored or co-authored.
Articles, Speeches,andBook reviewscontain drafts of those types of writings.Miscellaneouscontains unidentified writings.
SERIES V, STUDENT PAPERS, TEACHING MATERIALS, AND PERSONAL PAPERS, contains Smith's student papers from the University of Michigan and Yale University, his teaching materials on courses he conducted at Yale University and elsewhere, and personal papers of family members.
Dates
- 1917-1962
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Existence and Location of Copies
Correspondence with Charles A. Beard also available on microfilm (350 frames on 1 reel, 35mm.) from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, at cost. Order no. HM19.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Josephine Smith, 1965.
Arrangement
Arranged in five series: I. League of Nations, Non-Partisan Association, 1927-1931. II. General Correspondence, 1931-1962. III. Senate Republican Policy Committee, 1944-1960. IV. Writings, 1926-1959. V. Student Papers, Teaching Materials and Personal Papers, 1917-1959.
Extent
31 Linear Feet (82 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
Correspondence, writings, reports, memoranda, printed material, and miscellanea documenting the personal and professional life of George H.E. Smith, an author, educator at Yale University, director of the League of Nations, Non-Partisan Association of Detroit, Michigan, and secretary, staff director, and consultant to the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee (1944-1962). The papers document Smith's work for the Republican Policy Committee through memoranda, correspondence, handbooks, articles, newsletters, and printed material. These same materials were distributed to Republican senators for use in speeches, position papers, and political campaigns. The Republican Party position on such issues as domestic policy, economic policy, elections, foreign relations, and political parties is detailed. The workings of the Committee itself can be charted through the minutes of meetings, correspondence, and subject files, as can the development of the Committee staff. Writings and general correspondence focus on Smith's literary work on topics including: national politics, political parties, and domestic and foreign policies. Charles A. Beard, James Couzens, John Danaher, Roman Gorski, and Lindsay Rogers are primary correspondents. Additional material documents Smith's financial work as director of the Detroit, Michigan, League of Nations office, his teaching career at Yale University, and his personal life.
Biographical / Historical
George Howard Smith was born on December 2, 1898 in Astoria, Long Island, New York. He was a political scientist, author, and secretary of the U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee. Smith died in Shelton, Connecticut on December 3, 1962. Smith attended the University of Michigan (M.A. 1928) and Yale University Graduate School, fellow (1935-1936). He authored several works on U.S. politics with Charles A. Beard and others. Smith married Elizabeth Wehner in 1919 and had two children, Nancy Jean and Mary Elizabeth. He married Josephine Burba in 1942.
- Authors
- Beard, Charles A. (Charles Austin), 1874-1948
- Borchard, Edwin, 1884-1951
- Bridges, Styles, 1898-1961
- Bush, Prescott Sheldon, 1895-1972
- Butler, John Marshall, 1897-1978
- Couzens, James, 1872-1936
- Danaher, John Anthony, 1899-
- Dirksen, Everett McKinley, 1896-1969
- Douglas, Paul H. (Paul Howard), 1892-1976
- Educators
- Ferguson, Homer, 1888-1982
- Furniss, Edgar S. (Edgar Stevenson), 1890-1972
- Goldwater, Barry M. (Barry Morris), 1909-1998
- Gorski, Roman S.
- Jenner, William E. (William Ezra), 1908-1985
- Knowland, William F. (William Fife), 1908-1974
- League of Nations
- Legislation -- United States
- Milbank, Albert B.
- Political parties -- United States
- Political scientists in government
- Reed, William R., 1908-
- Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )
- Rogers, Lindsay, 1891-1970
- Smith, George H. E. (George Howard Edward), 1898-1962
- Taft, Robert A. (Robert Alphonso), 1889-1953
- United States -- Economic policy
- United States -- Foreign relations
- United States -- Politics and government
- United States. Congress. Senate -- Officials and employees
- Yale University -- Faculty
- Yale University -- Students
- Title
- Guide to the George Howard Edward Smith Papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- by William E. Brown, Jr. and Susan Alcock
- Date
- January 1984
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
Contact:
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)
mssa.assist@yale.edu
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)
mssa.assist@yale.edu
Location
Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511