National Association of Manufacturers (U.S.). Records of senior staff, 1922-1971.
Title:
Records of senior staff, 1922-1971.
The records of the senior staff (1922-1971, bulk dates 1945-1949) were primarily generated or maintained by N.A.M. staff in the following departments: Advertising, Community Relations, Industrial Relations/Open Shop, Motion Picture, and Public Relations. Additional senior staff records are committee records, subject files consisting of N.A.M. policy positions on topics such as price control and labor, and records generated by the President's Labor-Management Conference. These records document the activities of N.A.M. staff, particularly those in the Public Relations Division, during the postwar years and reflect N.A.M.'s philosophy. The Advertising Department (part of the Public Relations Division) records present N.A.M.'s advertising themes after World War II with its focus on curtailing the increasing power of the government over the economy. The records (1944-1949) include correspondence between N.A.M. and its advertising agency (Benton & Bowles), members, and staff; staff memos; advertising copy, drafts, and proofs; and comments on the ad campaign schecules (including names of publications, dates, and costs of insertion). The Motion Picture Department was also part of the Public Relations Division of N.A.M. The motion picture program (begun in 1935) originally produced films for theaters which were then made available to special-interest groups. By the 1950s, the department produced, promoted, and distributed films for industry, schools and community groups. The records (1940-1971) pertain to the motion pictures produced by N.A.M. and include correspondence, memos, scripts, promotional materials (such as posters, brochures, and press releases), resumes of cast members, newsclippings, story outlines, distribution, and motion picture bulletins listing the N.A.M. films available for rental. Additional Public Relations Division records (1946-1959) include surveys regarding public appraisal of N.A.M. as an organization, the impact of various types of advertisements designed to interpret business profits, and opinions of N.A.M. members. The Opinion Research Corporation and the Psychological Corporation conducted the surveys and provided reports, analysis, and recommendations. There are also records for the Community Relations Department which acted as a liaison between N.A.M. and "opinion molders": farm leaders, clergymen, educators, women's club leaders, and veterans. The department also worked closely with N.A.M. regional offices and N.A.M. committees which targeted these groups. The records (1944-1947) primarily consist of agenda and minutes for the N.A.M. committees, outline of procedures and materials for use in regional offices, and report of department activities. Originally known as the Open Shop Department until approximately 1928, the Industrial Relations Department formulated most of N.A.M.'s industrial policies. These records (1922-1951) appear to have been maintained by staff for reference use. The records consist of reports on American Federation of Labor conventions, testimony before the House Military Affairs Committee of Frederick C. Crawford (chairman, N.A.M. Executive Committee), articles by Noel Sargent (manager of the Open Shop Department), and a subject file on "Wage-Hour." N.A.M. was instrumental in administering the National Postwar Conference (1944-1947). Representatives of industry, organized labor, agriculture, transportation, banking, commerce, distribution, service groups, veterans organizations, and civic and patriotic interests convened for discussions on the state of postwar America. The records for these meetings include memos, correspondence, press releases, agenda, lists of participants, conference programs, and papers presented by or addresses made by the participants. The President's National Labor-Management Conference, held November 1945 in Washington, D.C., brought together labor and management leaders to discuss causes and solutions regarding industrial disputes. The principle organizations represented at this conference were N.A.M., the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the A.F. of L., and the C.I.O. N.A.M.'s records regarding the conference consist of a complete set of official documents distributed by the U.S. Department of Labor and includes testimony, committee reports, and press conference transcripts. A Labor-Management Code Index compiled by N.A.M. contains staff memos, correspondence regarding N.A.M.'s position on the labor-management charter proposal (including correspondence between N.A.M. president Eric Johnston), Executive Committee minutes, and excerpts from press reactions. The Management Reference Manual was compiled for the management delegates' use at the conference and includes lists of delegates, notes on conference agenda and procedures, Research Committee data, and copies of speeches. The subject files reflect N.A.M.'s positions on various industrial relations issues such as the Wagner Act amendments, the Wage-Hour Act, employment procedures, collective bargaining, labor-management relations, government regulations, and price control. These records (1933-1950), maintained by the Industrial Relations Division for reference use, include N.A.M. policy reports and statements; memos; committee minutes; excerpts from reports, testimony, addresses, articles; and correspondence. There are some records from the following N.A.M. committees: Industrial Relations, Policy, Public Relations Policy, and Postwar which include meeting minutes and agenda, correspondence, memos, and reports. The committees' recommendations were usually adopted by the board of directors and then became N.A.M. policy. These records were presumably maintained by staff for reference use.
ArchivalResource:
6 linear ft.
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