Memorandum from George Elsey to President Harry S. Truman, with Attachment

make fallen THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON December 30, 1950 the MEMORANDUM FOR: The President nos Subject: Federal Historical Program. During World War II, all of the Federal departments and agencies concerned with war work had historical sections, keeping current records of the agen- cies and preparing historical accounts. This history program was supervised by a small staff in the Bureau of the Budget. The program was started early in 1942. Now that the United States is again embarked on a large scale defense program, it is again desirable for the departments and agencies to maintain a full and accu- rate account of their activities, and to prepare current histories. As you said a few days ago to the American Historical Association, it is essential to keep the record clear at a time when the Communists are attempting to dis- tort and malign every move and every act that our Govern- ment takes. Not only will historical work begun at this time and kept up to date be of value to future historians in describing this critical period, it will be of value to the Government itself in planning and carrying on its programs. The historical program should be organized at this time along the same general lines as before. A scholar of high professional reputation should be employed by the Bureau of the Budget, and he should assemble a small staff of a half dozen or so historians, political scientists, and economists. The head of each executive department and agency carrying on important defense tasks should be directed by Presidential letter to appoint a chief historical officer and to undertake a historical program along the lines to be defined by the Bureau of the Budget. The historical groups in the individual agencies should be required, under Bureau supervision, to produce brief historical accounts of current policy issues which will be of assistance to the agency head in making policy decisions. They should also maintain records with a view to writing a general account of the work of their agency, for publication, at the end of the present emergency. -1-