them to obtain interim financing in order to assure their fair and equitable treatment by prime contractors and immediate subcontractors in connection with the termination of war contracts. Section 204 of the War Mobilization and Reconversion Act of 1944 stipulated that a certain percentage of any material to be made available "for nonwar use" was to be allocated by the SWPC for the exclusive use of smaller war plants. Section 18 of the Surplus Property Act of 1944 directed the Surplus Property Board to consider the needs of small business "in the disposal, distribution, and use of surplus property. By Executive Order 9665 of December 27, 1945, the functions of the SWPC were divided between the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and the Department of Commerce, effective as of the opening of business on January 28, 1946. The functions connected with making loans and leases and with providing means of financing to small war plants were transferred to the RFC and related functions of the SWPC Board of Directors were transferred to the RFC Board of Directors. All other functions of the SWPC were transferred to the Department of Commerce and related functions of the Board of Directors were transferred to the Secretary of Commerce. Transferred to the Department of Commerce at the same time were the personnel, property, and records of the Corporation that related primarily to the functions so transferred and also Corporation funds available for administrative expenses. All other personnel, property, records, assets, and liabilities of the Corporation were transferred to the RFC. The functions transferred to the Department of Commerce were combined with those of the Small Business Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce to form the Office of Small Business. The functions transferred to the RFC were abolished when the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act was amended on June 30, 1947 (61 Stat. 209). or In the transfer of records under Executive Order 9665, some series of records were divided: folders labeled "loan," "lease," "interim financing,' "contract settlement" were sent to the RFC and the other folders were sent to the Department of Commerce. The records transferred to the RFC were apparently considered closed files and were rearranged so that folders from a number of series, all bearing the same folder label, were brought together for reference use. The records transferred to the Department of Commerce were usually considered open files to which current documents were added. The compiler of this inventory has attempted to re-create the original arrangement of series transferred to the RFC but has not attempted to interfile the parts of series divided between the RFC and the Department of Commerce. Entries describing records that were transferred to the RFC and rearranged in the National Archives are marked with an asterisk (*). The series titles in this inventory often include the name of an official rather than the name of an organizational unit, partly because the records in the series document the official's activities in more than one position and partly because organizational changes were so frequent that directives often gave conflicting information about them. A few of these series (described as the records of SWPC officials) obviously are fragments--in some cases perhaps belonging with series later incorporated into the central file (see entry 63). A number of the series of records of officials have two characteristics in common: (1) a reading or chronological file placed in alphabetical sequence according to its folder title, and (2) regional correspondence filed under the word "field" or "region" or under the name of the field office headquarters (see entries 108, 109, 113, and 115). For other SWPC recordkeeping practices, see under "Records Maintained by the Records and Control Section." Three organization charts showing the major reorganization of the Corporation under each of the three Chairmen are reproduced in appendix III. The The arrangement of series entries of records of the SWPC is based insofar as is possible on the organization in effect on April 1, 1945. This date has been selected to show the wartime organization of the SWPC. organization of April 1, 1945, is reflected in the organization chart of February 28, 1944 (see appendix III, chart 3), with one exception--by that time the Office of Reconversion had absorbed the Office of Labor Consultants. Organizational changes taking place after April 1, 1945, are explained in the introductory paragraphs describing the organizational units. Entries describing records of Corporation units transferred to the Office of Small Business in January 1946 have been included with other entries describing Corporation records unless the quantity of records dated after February 1, 1946, warranted their placement in the section entitled "Records of the Office of Small Business." The records described in this inventory are the records of the Smaller War Plants Corporation that were in the National Archives on April 30, 1964. They are designated as Record Group 240 and amount to 272 cubic feet. The records are for the 1942-48 period, with a few records of earlier or later date. They were created or accumulated by the Smaller War Plants Corporation and by members of the Board of Directors and their predecessors and successors. Related records in the National Archives are in Record Group 234, Records of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Personnel records are in the Federal Records Center, St. Louis, Mo. This inventory is based partly on preliminary work done by Victor Gondos, Jr. RECORDS OF THE SMALLER WAR PLANTS CORPORATION RECORDS OF THE CENTRAL OFFICE RECORDS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Board of Directors was the governing body of the Smaller War Plants Corporation (SWPC). Its major functions, as defined in a resolution of the Board of September 24, 1943, were as follows: (1) to establish policy and to direct the manner in which Corporation business was to be conducted; (2) to determine the policy by which loans and leases were to be made and to approve all such transactions; (3) to prescribe the policy for taking and executing prime contracts; and (4) to approve "dollara-year" appointments. The function of approving higher-level appointments was transferred from the Board to the Chairman and General Manager by a Board resolution of January 31, 1944. The members of the Board of Directors and their terms of service are listed below: A. M. Carter, July 16, 1942-Jan. 29, 1945 The records of the Board of Directors were maintained at first by the Secretary of the Board and later by the clerk. For records of other Board members, see under "Records of the Chairman of the Board of Directors." MINUTES OF MEETINGS OF THE BOARD. July 16, 1942-Jan. 25, 1946. 41 vols. 10 ft. 1 Included with the minutes are copies of the bylaws of the Corporation, waivers of notices of meetings of the Board, resolutions pertaining to loans and other Corporation matters, and exhibits (reports, memoranda, loan agency bulletins, and drafts of Corporation forms) referred to in the minutes. The minutes are arranged chronologically. LIST OF MEETINGS OF THE BOARD. July 16, 1942-Jan. 25, 1946. 1 vol. 1 in. 2 Given for each meeting are the date and the names of the Board members present. Arranged chronologically. RECORDS OF MARION T. WOODRUFF. 1943-45. 1943-45. 3 ft. 3 Mr. Woodruff served as clerk of the Board from June 1943 to January 1946. These records consist of copies of memoranda relating to matters discussed at Board meetings; Board resolutions relating to organizational matters; reports of the Loan Bureau; and memoranda relating to revisions of the bylaws, personnel exemptions from civil service regulations, loan and lease policy and procedure, budget, and capital stock. Arranged alphabetically by subject. At the beginning of the series there is a compilation entitled "Matters of Policy Adopted by the Board of Directors," July 1942-December 1944, arranged chronologically and including an alphabetical index. MANUAL OF PROCEDURAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUANCES. 1943-45. 1 vol. 3 in. 4 General administrative orders, general orders, other administrative issuances, and directives relating to field and operating procedures. Arranged alphabetically by class of issuance and thereunder numerically by issuance number. "SWPC GENERAL FILES." 1943-46. 4 ft. 5 Agenda for meetings and resolutions of the Board of Directors; reports of the clerk of the Board concerning actions taken by the Board of Directors either approving or disapproving applications for loans and leases; correspondence, progress reports, and directives pertaining to loans and leases; minutes of staff meetings; memoranda relating to the Corporation's participation in meetings of the Production Urgency Committee, the Industry Advisory Committee, the Contract Settlement Committee, and the Reconversion Committee; and correspondence and memoranda relating to administrative matters, audit of Corporation books, budget, delegation of authority, claims against the SWPC, contract termination, and surplus property. Arranged alphabetically by subject. RECORDS RELATING TO THE HEMP INDUSTRY. 1944-Dec. 1946. 1 in. Correspondence of SWPC officials and, later, of RFC officials; loan applications; and reports. See also reports and minutes of meetings under the heading "Hemp" in the central file described in entry 63. 6 7 GENERAL RECORDS OF JAMES T. HOWINGTON. 1942-46. 2 ft. Mr. Howington was appointed as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board at its first meeting and as Vice Chairman of the Board on February 27, 1945. He handled Corporation matters relating to contracts and subcontracts and was authorized to act as contracting officer under prime contracts between the Corporation and the Federal Public Housing Authority, the War and Navy Departments, and the Foreign Economic Administration. These records consist of correspondence and memoranda relating to congressional relations, prime contracts, contract distribution and termination, and policy, organization, and administrative matters; organization charts; statistical issuances; minutes of meetings of employee groups and supervisors; |