World War II Rumor Project Collection
Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/2004695194
General International Standard for Archival Description
Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
Encoded by Glenn R. Gardner and Nora Yeh, February, 2011
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
World War II Rumor Project Collection 1942-1943
United States. Office of War Information
Scope and Content The World War II Rumor Project Collection contains manuscript materials compiled by the Office of War Information (OWI). The OWI was established by an Executive order on June 13, 1942, for the purpose of achieving a coordinated governmental war information program. The information program was designed to promote an informed and intelligent understanding of the status and progress of the war effort, war policies, activities, and aims of the United States government. All functions of the Office of Facts and Figures and of the Office of Government Reports, and parts of the functions and related records of two other agencies were transferred to the OWI. For the World War II Rumor Project, field representatives collected information from community-based correspondents and sent duplicate or triplicate copies of reports of the correspondents to Dr. Eugene Horowitz at the Bureau of Public Inquiries of the OWI. The reports listed rumors and anecdotes that were compiled by Dr. Horowitz and William H. Webber arranged in alphabetical order by states and by subjects. This collection has two distinct components. The first component involved field representatives of various federal agencies in the United States instructed to enlist individuals in their communities who were willing to write down rumors and send them to the field representatives. These individuals or "correspondents" included dentists, beauty shop operators, policemen, proprietors, and librarians who had access to rumors in their communities. The second component involved rumors, jokes, rhymes, and anecdotes about the war from high school and college students collected by teachers. Subjects include Adolph Hitler, the Japanese, rationing, and other topics. Includes rhymes and stories composed or recorded by students. Correspondence within the folders indicates that some teachers removed some rumors or jokes in order to "show the best of their pupils." Within the documents, race designations vary. For one school, correspondence indicates that students were not asked to identify their race due to local tensions. However, the papers were taken up in order, and the teacher later added a designation as to the race of the student. The designations for African-American students appear as "Negro," "N," "Colored," "Col," or "C." Designations for white students appear as "White" or "W." Drawings by high school students and a few World War II cartoons appear in the following folders: FOLDER 114 FOLDER 118 FOLDER 122 FOLDER 123 FOLDER 127
Access Collection is open for research; no restrictions on access.
series
Series I: Administrative Information on World War II Rumor Project
file
Rumor Control Project Documents - various editions
Administrative Information and Correspondence, January-March, 1942
Administrative Information and Correspondence, April-June, 1942
Administrative Information and Correspondence, July-August, 1942
Administrative Information and Correspondence, September-December, 1942
Diagrams of Rumor and Rumor Control
Graphics and Articles
Radio Broadcast "War Information and Military Security"
Series II: Administrative Information on Local Rumor-control Projects and Correspondence
Memoranda on Rumors and Rumor Control Groups: Various Drafts
Memoranda on Rumors and Rumor Control Groups: Dr. Horowitz's File
Correspondents and Rumor Analysis
Rumor Analysis on Several Topics, including compilations of rumors received
Local Rumor Control Projects: Rumor Collectors
Local Rumor Control Projects: Correspondence and Internal Documents
Local Rumor Control Projects: Introduction Letter and Questionnaire
Series III: Rumor Reports Gathered by Correspondents
Local Rumor Control Projects: Alabama
Local Rumor Control Projects: Arizona
Local Rumor Control Projects: Arkansas
Local Rumor Control Projects: California
Local Rumor Control Projects: Colorado
Local Rumor Control Projects: Connecticut
Local Rumor Control Projects: Florida
Local Rumor Control Projects: Georgia
Local Rumor Control Projects: Idaho
Local Rumor Control Projects: Illinois
Local Rumor Control Projects: Indiana
Local Rumor Control Projects: Iowa
Local Rumor Control Projects: Kansas
Local Rumor Control Projects: Kentucky
Local Rumor Control Projects: Louisiana
Local Rumor Control Projects: Maine
Local Rumor Control Projects: Massachusetts
Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety: Documents and Correspondence
Local Rumor Control Projects: Michigan
Local Rumor Control Projects: Minnesota
Local Rumor Control Projects: Missouri
Local Rumor Control Projects: Montana
Local Rumor Control Projects: Nebraska
Local Rumor Control Projects: New Jersey
Local Rumor Control Projects: New Mexico
Local Rumor Control Projects: New York
Local Rumor Control Projects: North Carolina
Local Rumor Control Projects: North Dakota
Local Rumor Control Projects: Ohio
Local Rumor Control Projects: Oklahoma
Local Rumor Control Projects: Oregon
Local Rumor Control Projects: Pennsylvania
Local Rumor Control Projects: Rhode Island
Local Rumor Control Projects: South Carolina
Local Rumor Control Projects: Tennessee
Local Rumor Control Projects: Texas
Local Rumor Control Projects: Utah
Local Rumor Control Projects: Virginia
Local Rumor Control Projects: Washington (State)
Local Rumor Control Projects: Washington D. C.
Local Rumor Control Projects: West Virginia
Local Rumor Control Projects: Wisconsin
Local Rumor Control Projects: Wyoming
Series IV: Rumors from Correspondents and Field Representatives
Anti-British
Armed Forces: Health
Army-Navy Commissions
Army-Navy Training
Civilian Defense
Civilian Front: Criticism of Government
Civilian Front: Security and Treatment of Enemy Aliens
Criticism of U.S. Government
Defense Workers
Defense Workers: Pay
Discards as non-rumor
Economic Front: War Bonds and Stamps
Farmers
Government Information: Policy and Practice
Inflation
Labor Relations and Union Activities
Military: High commands
Military: Movement of troops
Military: Woman Auxiliaries
Military Losses: Human Combatants
Military Losses: Prisoners
Military Losses: Warships
Military Officers
Military Organization: General
Military Recruitment (Military Selective Service)
Military Strategy: American Front
Military Strategy: Far East Front
Military Strategy: Russian Front
Military Strategy: Second Front
Military Strength
Military Strength of the United States: Perceptions
Military Tactics
Miscellaneous (Permalife copies)
Miscellaneous (Original copies)
Morals
Operations, Actual and Potential: In United States and along United States Coast
Operations: Aleutians
Operations: Russian Front
Post World-War
Predictions of Duration
Rationing: Miscellaneous (Permalife copies)
Rationing: Miscellaneous (Original copies)
Rationing: Rubber and tire rationing
Rationing: Sugar
Russia's Arms and War Effort (1) Favorable and neutral and (2) Unfavorable
Social problems: General
Social problems: Poverty and Unemployment
Social Problems: Race discrimination
Social Problems: Race discrimination, other: Japanese, German
Strategy: General
War arms: General and Miscellaneous
War causes
War Production Management
Series V: Rumors, Jokes, and Anecdotes from High School and College Students
Instruction sheet for High School and College Instructors
Alabama. Parker High School, Birmingham
Alabama. Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee. (Permalife copies)
Alabama. Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee. (Original copies)
Illinois. Du Sable High School, Chicago
Illinois. Englewood High School, Chicago
North Carolina. Washington High School, Raleigh
Ohio. East High School, Columbus
Ohio. Dennison College, Granville
Ohio. Wilberforce University, Wilberforce (Permalife copies)
Ohio. Wilberforce University, Wilberforce (Original copies)
Washington, D.C. Howard University
West Virginia. Bluefield State Teachers College, Bluefield
West Virginia. West Virginia State College, Institute
Unknown High School
Unknown School