Inventory of the Department of Social Welfare - War Services Bureau Records

Processed by The California State Archives staff; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Xiuzhi Zhou.
California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2000
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Inventory of the Department of Social Welfare -- War Services Bureau Records

Inventory: F3729



California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California

Contact Information:

  • California State Archives
  • 1020 "O" Street
  • Sacramento, California 95814
  • Phone: (916) 653-2246
  • Fax: (916) 653-7363
  • Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
  • URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
Processed by:
The California State Archives staff
© 2000 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Department of Social Welfare -- War Services Bureau Records
Collection Number: F3729
Creator: Department of Social Welfare
Creator/Collector: War Services Bureau
Extent: 6 cubic feet
Repository: California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The records of the War Services Bureau consist of six cubic feet of textual records as well as 42 photographs, reflecting the Bureau's work with Civilian War Assistance, Enemy Alien Assistance, and Japanese Evacuation. The records, dated from 1940 to 1948, are organized into thirty-three series. Several series are further divided into a number of subseries. The records document the experience of civilians in California during the Second World War.
Physical location: California State Archives
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Department of Social Welfare, War Services Bureau, F3729.[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition and Custodial History

The California State Archives acquired the Department of Social Welfare, War Services Bureau Records according to state law.

Agency History

The Bureau of War Services was created within the Division of Public Assistance in 1941 to administer three programs developed at the request of the Federal Security Agency (Dept. of Social Welfare, Biennial Report, 1940-42, p. 7), Civilian War Assistance, Enemy Alien Assistance, and Japanese Evacuation. The first two programs were funded by a Presidential allocation of $5 million made on February 6, 1942 to be expended...for providing temporary aid necessitated by enemy action to civilians...who are disabled, dependents of civilians who are killed, disabled, interned or reported as missing, or who are otherwise in need of assistance or service ( A Summary of the Civilian War Assistance Program, February 6, 1942-June 30, 1948). Civilian War Assistance and related services was administered by the U. S. Bureau of Public Assistance through operating agreements with state and local public welfare agencies acting as agents for the Bureau.
Japanese evacuation and relocation threw the greatest burden on the Department of Social Welfare. This program fell into two phases: voluntary and controlled. In February, 1942, a series of 26 centers were established under control of the Department of Justice to relocate enemy aliens and Japanese citizens from prohibited and restricted areas. Beginning in March, 1942, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt, Commanding General of the Western Defense Command, issued a series of proclamations designating military areas and zones from which all aliens of Japanese nationality had to be evacuated. A Wartime Civilian Control Administration and War Relocation Authority were set up to administer different phases of the program and the State Department of Social Welfare and county welfare agencies called upon to provide necessary staff. Between April and August of 1942 thousands of Japanese-Americans and their families were relocated through over a hundred control stations. At the conclusion of hostilities there was a parallel but reverse relocation of these same Japanese from centers as far away as Florida.
Another responsibility of the Department of Social Welfare centered around the impact of defense programs on the civilian population. Under the State Council of Defense (Chapter 561, Statutes of 1941), and later the State War Council (Chapter 294, Statutes of 1943), the principle defense planning offices, departmental field representatives and staff worked with individual county welfare departments to secure an up-to-date picture of the welfare department's place in the local defense setup. Most of the activity centered with Council of Defense programs. A Committee on Health, Welfare, and Consumer Interest, one of six standing committees, particularly involved the Department of Social Welfare as Director Martha Chickering served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Welfare.
For additional information on the above programs see: A Summary of the Civilian War Assistance Program, February 6, 1942 - June 30, 1948 (n.d.); War Programs of the Department (November 24, 1943); and The Evacuation of Japanese in California (n.d.).

Scope and Content Note

The records of the War Services Bureau consist of six cubic feet of textual records as well as 42 photographs, reflecting the Bureau's work with Civilian War Assistance, Enemy Alien Assistance, and Japanese Evacuation. The records, dated from 1940 to 1948, are organized into thirty-three series. Several series are further divided into a number of subseries. The records document the experience of civilians in California during the Second World War. Program activities included assistance and services to civilians injured as a result of enemy attack, or action to meet such attack, including volunteer air-raid wardens, airplane spotters, and volunteer firemen and policemen; evacuation from Hawaii and Alaska of non-essential civilian residents; and wartime and post-war assistance to evacuees and repatriates from the Philippines and the Pacific and European war theatres. The records relating to enemy aliens and enemy alien assistance include correspondence, reports, photographs that document the internment of Japanese-Americans during the war.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
California. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Water pollution
Air quality
Tahoe, Lake (Calif. and Nev.)

Related Collections at the California State Archives

California State War Council Records
Patrick Johnston Papers

Oral Histories

James Rowe, Percy Heckendorf, Tom Clark, Edward Ennis and Herbert Wenig, "Japanese-American Relocation Reviewed, Vol. I: Decision and Exodus," an oral history conducted by Rosemary Levenson, Amelia Fry and Miriam Stein, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, 1976.
Robert Cozzens, Dillon Myer and Ruth Kingman, "Japanese-American Relocation Reviewed, Vol. II: The Internment," an oral history conducted by Rosemary Levenson, Amelia Fry and Miriam Stein, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, 1976.

F3729:1

Series 1 Air Raid File 1941

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous memoranda on office procedures to be followed in case of air raid alarms.
F3729:2

Series 2 Air Raid Warden File 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by memoranda or report date.

Scope and Content Note

State Department of Social Welfare (SDSW) memoranda and reports concerning eligibility for assistance of air raid wardens injured during defense training activities.
F3729:3

Series 3 Civilian Evacuation Program File 1941-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and newspaper clippings relative to planning for the evacuation of children in the event of enemy action, survey of and designation of facilities and rest centers for evacuees from war zones, and policies and procedures in assistance programs to Hawaiian evacuees. A portion of this series is closely related to State Council of Defense (SCD) activities in planning and coordination with local (county) defense agencies with respect to an integrated, statewide evacuation program.
F3729:4-31

Series 4 Civilian War Assistance Files 1942-1948

Physical Description: 28 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged into fifteen subseries: (1) Administration Files, (2) Assistance Claims File, (3) Assistance Standards File, (4) County Correspondence, (5) Debarkations, Los Angeles and San Francisco, (6) Eligibility File, (7) Fiscal File, (8) General Files, (9) Injured Civilian Defense Workers File, (10) Interned Seamen and Others File, (11) Medical Care File, (12) Publicity File, (13) Statistics, (14) War Civilian Security Program File, (15) Contracts File.

Scope and Content Note

See the subseries descriptions for further details.
F3729:4-5

Subseries 1 Administration Files 1942-1948

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports and recommendations, bulletins, circular letters, and other Federal and State agency information relative to the development of policies, procedures, and guidelines for Civilian War Assistance program services, including assistance to: enemy aliens; evacuees; families of internees; dependents of servicemen; and repatriates. This series also includes information on requests for advances of federal monies, reports of administrative expenditures, and reports of revolving fund advances.
F3729:6

Subseries 2 Assistance Claims File 1942-1945

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by report date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous reports of War Services assistance claims approved against the Federal Security Agency and correspondence regarding applications for advances of Civilian War Assitance funds.
F3729:7

Subseries 3 Assitance Standards File 1942-1947

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, and telegrams relative to eligibility and allowances for individuals, returnees, and repatriates to the Philippines. This series also includes decision memoranda relative to individual applications for assistance in such categories as food, medical, transportation, rent, and burial allowances.
F3729:8-18

Subseries 4 Correspondence, County 1942-1946

Physical Description: 11 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by county and chronologically thereunder.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and telegrams with county welfare agencies relative to wartime programs of enemy alien assistance, Japanese evacuation, and assistance to civilians necessitated because of enemy action. The largest part of this series deals with post-war assistance, including: resettlement assistance to Japanese and unattached repatriated children; repatriation of civilians from the Far East and Europe; and the return of evacuees to the Philippines and Hawaii. The file for a given county often includes period reports of Civilian War Assistance and War Relocation Authority programs, assistance claims with respect to individual cases, and scattered commentary and reports of opposition to the return of Japanese and the inability to place Japanese in work positions because of continued hostility.
F3729:19-20

Subseries 5 Debarkations, Los Angeles and San Francisco 1943-1947

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and telegrams relative to repatriation of internees from the Philippines debarking at the ports of Los Angeles and San Francisco during 1945. Information in this series relates to the set-up and operation of reception centers, various types of assistance rendered - medical, clothing, housing, transportation, etc., and the involvement of such groups and organizations as churches, Red Cross, and private businesses. Minor coverage is given to repatriates from Hong Kong (Chinese-Americans), Japan, and the general Pacific Area.
F3729:21

Subseries 6 Eligibility File 1945-1948

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda regarding individual eligibility for Civilian War Assistance.
F3729:22

Subseries 7 Fiscal File 1942-1948

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda regarding program funding and procedures for payments of claims. Also included are miscellaneous reports of administrative expenditures and revolving fund advances.
F3729:23-24

Subseries 8 General Files 1942-1948

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, and reports relative to Civilian War Assistance enactment and development, policies and procedures for implementation, relationship to other assistance programs, development of eligibility standards, program administration, and program termination. Other subjects documented include repatriation of civilians and internees from the Philippines, assistance to Nationals of foreign countries, repatriate services and individual assistance data.
F3729:25

Subseries 9 Injured Civilian Defense Workers File 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, and reports regarding Civilian War Assistance program development, legislation, and policies and procedures relative to assistance to civilian defense workers injured during defense training exercises. See also subseries entry 14 (War Civilian Security Program File) below.
F3729:26

Subseries 10 Interned Seamen and Others File 1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and policy memoranda on assistance to interned seamen and their dependents.
F3729:27

Subseries 11 Medical Care File 1942-1948

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence and memoranda relative to policies and procedures for medical and dental care assistance, eligibility standards, billing procedures, reimbursements to repatriates, and transfer of responsibility for Civilian War Assistance medical assistance program from the U. S. Public Health Service to the Social Security Administration effective October 1, 1946. Also included in this series are materials relating to individual assistance, medical fee schedules, and memorandum reports on meetings to discuss county medical care programs.
F3729:28

Subseries 12 Publicity File 1944-1947

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by newspaper date.

Scope and Content Note

Newspaper clippings covering repatriation of internees and others from the Philippines.
F3729:29

Subseries 13 Statistics 1943-1947

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence, memoranda, semi-monthly statistical reports from Los Angeles and San Francisco counties on civilian war assistance, and county survey schedules on Philippine repatriates.
F3729:30

Subseries 14 War Civilian Security Program File 1943-1944

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Program statements and miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda regarding program implementation with respect to civilian defense workers injured on duty. See also subseries entry 9 above.
F3729:31

Subseries 15 Contracts File 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by contract date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, drafts and copies of agreements between the Department of Social Welfare and the U. S. Social Security Board relative to state administration of Civilian War Assistance programs. Input on the wording and contents of the contracts was provided by the California Department of Finance and the State Treasurer's Office thereby necessitating several drafts before the contracts were signed.
F3729:32-62

Series 5 Defense and Defense Planning Files 1940-1944

Physical Description: 31 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged into sixteen subseries: (1) Defense Files, General, (2) County Plans for Emergency Welfare Services under Civilian Defense, (3) San Francisco Office File, (4) Thill District Office File, (5) State Council of Defense Files, (6) Bulletins, (7) Children Files, (8) County Defense Files, (9) Food File, (10) Health, Welfare and Consumer Interest Committee Files, (11) Minority Groups File, (12) Minutes, (13) Publications, (14) Registration, (15) Training Volunteers File, (16) Welfare Subcommittee File.

Scope and Content Note

See the subseries descriptions for further details.
F3729:32-38

Subseries 1 Defense Files, General 1940-1943

Physical Description: 7 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, maps, telegrams, and newspaper clippings concerning impact of defense programs on statewide and county welfare services, including problem areas of housing shortages, lack of health facilities, need for additional school facilities and teachers, juvenile delinquency, nutritional needs, lack of recreational facilities, etc., cooperation with the U. S. Selective Service System in providing information on registrants from welfare records; evacuation planning, including facilities for the reception of evacuated persons from war zones, evacuation of children and the aged from institutions; and local defense planning and defense council activities working in cooperation with the State Council of Defense. This series is particularly rich in reports and other materials on local defense agency activities.
F3729:39

Subseries 2 County Plans for Emergency Welfare Services under Civilian Defense 1942-1944

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other data relative to the planning and coordination of emergency services of public and private agencies and volunteer groups to provide services and assistance to meet the varied social or economic needs of civilians resulting from enemy action. This series includes summaries of county plans and recommendations for changes as provided by the Department of Social Welfare. Also included is data on the state master plan for evacuation.
F3729:40

Subseries 3 San Francisco Office File 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other materials provided to and from the San Francisco office for informational value. This series also includes information on county defense planning activities.
F3729:41

Subseries 4 Thill District Office File 1941-1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by bulletin or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Bulletins and departmental memoranda relative to instructions and procedures to district office in the event of air raid warnings. This series also includes memorandum reports on organization of First Aid and other safety units.
F3729:42-43

Subseries 5 State Council of Defense Files, General (SCD) 1941-1943

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, meeting notices and agendas, organization chart, miscellaneous memo reports on State Council of Defense activities, and a manual of a SCD training school held in Sacramento, March 2-12, 1942.
F3729:44-45

Subseries 6 Bulletins 1941-1943

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged numerically by bulletin number.

Scope and Content Note

Bulletins Nos. 1-199 as issued between December 1941 and April 1943. Many bulletins include policies, procedures, guidelines, and other informational data as developed by the Council of Defense and distributed to county and local defense agencies.
F3729:46-48

Subseries 7 Children Files 1941-1943

Physical Description: 3 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports telegrams, minutes and meeting summaries, and other records relating to defense problems involving the care of children in wartime emergencies. Coordination of this program was handled by the Subcommittee on Welfare, Martha Chickering, Chairman, and the California Committee for Care and Training of Pre-School Groups Advisory Committee, and was concerned with such problems as evacuation plans for children in institutions, surveying and establishing emergency homes for children, the need of day care centers for children of working mothers, mobilization of trained volunteers and registration of children. In November, 1942 a Children in Wartime Subcommittee was appointed, composed of State Departments concerned with the care of children in wartime. All of the committees named worked closely with local defense agencies and such statewide organizations as the California Congress of Parents and Teachers in surveying needs and coordinating planning. Also included is a volume entitled Civil Defense Measures for the Protection of Children, a report of observations in Great Britain, February, 1941, by Martha Eliot, Associate Chief, Children's Bureau, U. S. Department of Labor.
F3729:49-52

Subseries 8 County Defense Files 1941-1943

Physical Description: 4 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by county and chronologically thereunder.

Scope and Content Note

Arranged alphabetically by county and chronologically thereunder.
Correspondence, memoranda, field representative reports, newspaper clippings, and other data concerning county defense activities as surveyed and collected by the Subcommittee on Welfare. Subjects cover a wide variety of topics, including organization of defense agencies and their coordination with local volunteers and assistance organizations, emergency facilities, evacuation planning, registration and evacuation of aliens, and civilian war assistance. In some instances information is included on the activities of community defense agencies.
F3729:53

Subseries 9 Food File 1941-1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda regarding surplus food and stockpiling of emergency food supplies.
F3729:54-55

Subseries 10 Health, Welfare and Consumer Interest Committee Files 1941-1943

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, minutes of meetings, committee and subcommittee reports, membership lists, and copies of mimeographed materials sent out. The committee was responsible for direction of defense planning and to secure the services of persons in specialized fields in the subject areas of health, welfare, consumer interest, care of children in wartime, nutrition, recreation and physical education, civilian morale, employment of youth in agriculture, and the coordination of public and private agencies concerned with civilian defense.
F3729:56

Subseries 11 Health, Welfare and Consumer Interest Committee Files 1941-1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda relative to the appointment of Annie Clo Watson, International Institute of San Francisco, as special consultant on minority problems and the problems faced by Japanese-Americans at the outbreak of World War II.
F3729:57

Subseries 12 Minutes 1941-1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by meeting date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous minutes, meeting summaries, and reports of meetings of various State Council of Defense, Department of Social Welfare, and other organizations involved in defense planning and coordination, civilian war assistance, and war services programs.
F3729:58-59

Subseries 13 Publications 1941-1943

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by publication date.

Scope and Content Note

Handbooks, bulletins, newsletters, etc. of federal agencies and other organizations dealing principally with the subject of civilian defense.
F3729:60

Subseries 14 Registration 1941-1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda relating to Subcommittee on Registration membership and activities.
F3729:61

Subseries 15 Training Volunteers Files 1941-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and related materials concerning Subcommittee on Training Volunteers activities, development of training programs, and use of volunteers in local public welfare departments and programs.
F3729:62

Subseries 16 Welfare Subcommittee File 1941-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports and recommendations, and copies of mimeographed material sent out by the Subcommittee chaired by Martha Chickering. The Welfare Subcommittee was concerned with the general care of the civilian population and acted as a resource for general information to local agencies in the areas of relief, distribution of surplus food and clothing commodities, children and personnel for the care of pre-school children, training of volunteer workers in welfare activities, registration, morale, minority, and shelter care.
F3729:63-77

Series 6 Enemy Aliens and Enemy Alien Assistance Files 1941-1947

Physical Description: 15 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, newspaper clippings, maps, telegrams, and other records relating to assistance to enemy aliens required to relocate as a result of wartime conditions, assistance to dependents of internees, evacuation of Japanese and other aliens from restricted areas, and relocation of Japanese at the end of hostilities. This series includes information on such subjects as: development and implementation of policies and procedures for maintenance (food, clothing, personal incidentals, shelter, etc.) medical care, and occupational assistance standards; individual case assistance actions; and coordination with federal and local agencies with respect to the evacuation of Japanese.
F3729:78

Series 7 Evacuation Advisory Committee File 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, agendas, meeting reports, telegrams, and other records relative to preparing and adopting a basic statewide plan for evacuating civilians from areas in the state made dangerous by wartime conditions or by natural causes. Included are drafts, commentary, and the evacuation plan as adopted.
F3729:79

Series 8 Families of Interned Enemy Aliens File 1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or report date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and reports relative to policies and procedures in assistance to families of interned enemy aliens.
F3729:80

Series 9 Federal Reimbursement of Administrative Expense 1942-1945

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence and memoranda relative to procedures for counties in filing claims to recover administrative expenses in the operations of Civilian War Assistance, Wartime Civilian Control Administration, and general war services assistance programs. Also included are miscellaneous requests for advances of federal funds.
F3729:81

Series 10 Handbooks and Manuals 1942-1945

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence and memoranda relative to distribution, revisions, and interpretation of provisions of Civilian War Assistance, War Services, Enemy Alien, and other assistance programs. Most manuals are filed with the program or subject to which they relate.
F3729:82-83

Series 11 Hawaiian Evacuees Files 1942-1945

Physical Description: 2 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams, and other records relating to assistance programs to non-service connected and other eligible civilians evacuated from Alaska and Hawaii. This series includes information on program policies and procedures, division of responsibilities between the Federal Security Agency and the Red Cross, eligibility for assistance determinations, operations of program in ports of debarkation, county monthly statistical reports of assistance, data on assistance to individuals, and return of evacuees from the mainland to Hawaii.
F3729:84

Series 12 Individual and Family Data Cards 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous memoranda on procedures for filing and information required on forms used for assistance during Hawaiian evacuation program.
F3729:85-87

Series 13 Individual Cases 1942-1943

Physical Description: 3 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged roughly alphabetically by name of recipient receiving assistance.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence and memoranda relating to individual applications for assistance under CWA and War Services programs, and miscellaneous case decisions pertaining to the reuniting of families in internment camps.
F3729:88

Series 14 Japanese in Institutions File-Children 1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, and telegrams relative to procedures and policies adopted concerning care and support of Japanese orphans in private and State institutions affected by wartime relocation measures.
F3729:89

Series 15 Medical Care File 1942-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, telegrams, fee schedules, newspaper clippings, and other records concerning medical services available through Civilian War Assistance and War Services programs.
F3729:90

Series 16 Meetings File 1942-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by meeting date.

Scope and Content Note

Memoranda and reports of meetings between the Department of Social Welfare and the Social Security Board to discuss: the establishment of policies and procedures; standards of assistance; program implementation; and program administration, problems and review relating to Civilian War Assistance, War Services, War Relocation, and other assistance programs.
F3729:91

Series 17 Memorandum-General 1942-1945

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous memoranda relating to office routine and program operations.
F3729:92

Series 18 National Defense Conferences File 1940-1941

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by conference date.

Scope and Content Note

Agendas, minutes, reports, newsletters, and other records relating to various conferences and meetings on the impact of defense programs on local communities and national defense planning.
F3729:93

Series 19 Non-evacuated Japanese in Institutions File 1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, and census reports of Japanese confined in state and local public institutions.
F3729:94-95

Series 20 Policies and Procedures 1942

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Handbooks of policies and procedures governing the administration of Civilian War Assistance and assistance to enemy aliens programs.
F3729:96

Series 21 Proclamations and Civilian Exclusion Orders 1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged numerically by proclamation or order number.

Scope and Content Note

Proclamations 1-10 and 15 of Headquarters, Western Defense Command and Fourth Army concerning the establishment of military zones and areas, relocation of enemy aliens, and amendments thereto; and Civilian Exclusion Orders Nos. 5, 41, 53, 70, 72, 81, 106-108 relative to evacuation of Japanese from specified military areas.
F3729:97

Series 22 Red Cross File 1940-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda relative to the roll of the Red Cross in defense programs and participation in and cooperation with various federal, state, and local assistance programs.
F3729:98-99

Series 23 Refugee Children Files 1940-1943

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, conference reports and other records relating to establishing and maintaining standards of care and placement of children evacuated from Europe. Correspondents include the U. S. Committee for the Care of European Children, their local chapters, and the U. S. Children's Bureau. Subject matter in this series relates to licensing standards, procedures for licensing and regulation of children's homes and placement of children in California institutions.
F3729:100

Series 24 Regional Office Communications 1943-1948

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Mimeographed and typescript copies of information, policies, and instructional letters from the U. S. Social Security Board to State Public Assistance agencies with respect to handbook changes, revisions in program policies and procedures, and other information on current status of assistance programs.
F3729:101-105

Series 25 Reports 1942-1948

Physical Description: 5 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged into five subseries: (1) Activity Reports to Social Security Board, (2) Administrative Expenditures File, (3) Expenditures, (4) Field Services File, (5) Revolving Funds File.

Scope and Content Note

See the subseries descriptions for further details.
F3729:101

Subseries 1 Activity Reports to Social Security Board 1942-1947

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by report date.

Scope and Content Note

Monthly reports of War Services assistance activities rendered by the Department of Social Welfare. Typical reports discuss major state activities, types of cases and geographical areas in which programs operate. Reported information changed as programs were changed or modified and new programs added.
F3729:102

Subseries 2 Administrative Expenditures File 1945-1947

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by report date.

Scope and Content Note

Monthly reports of administrative expenditures for assistance to enemy aliens and others affected by restrictive governmental action and on civilian war assistance programs.
F3729:103

Subseries 3 Expenditures 1943-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by report date.

Scope and Content Note

Monthly reports of expenditures made by counties and by the Department of Social Welfare for War Services programs (1943-1944) and for Civilian War Assistance (1945-1946).
F3729:104

Subseries 4 Field Services File 1945-1947

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by report date.

Scope and Content Note

Bi-weekly, monthly, and quarterly progress reports as submitted by field services staff to the Director covering county program operations. A typical report of county operations includes information on public assistance, child welfare, and War Services programs and personnel actions. Not all counties are represented by reports in this series.
F3729:105

Subseries 5 Revolving Funds File 1945-1948

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by report date.

Scope and Content Note

Period reports of Revolving Fund advances for assistance to Enemy Aliens and Civilian War Assistance programs.
F3729:106

Series 26 Requests for Advances 1945-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by request date.

Scope and Content Note

Requests for advance of Federal funds for Civilian War Assistance and Enemy Alien programs.
F3729:107-119

Series 27 Resettlement Assistance Files 1942-1948

Physical Description: 13 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged into twelve subseries: (1) Assistance Standards, (2) Direct Disbursements, (3) Eligibility File, (4) General File, (5) Manzanar Children's Village File, (6) Medical File, (7) Meetings File, (8) Publicity Files, (9) Referral Procedure, (10) Residence File, (11) Statistics, (12) WRA Directives.

Scope and Content Note

See the subseries descriptions for further details.
F3729:107

Subseries 1 Assistance Standards 1945-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, and miscellaneous records concerning policy decisions and actions on individual requests for assistance. See also subseries entry 3 (Eligibility File).
F3729:108

Subseries 2 Direct Disbursements 1945-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and policy memoranda relative to direct disbursements of assistance funds.
F3729:109

Subseries 3 Eligibility File 1944-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda concerning action on individual requests for assistance. Contents of this series differs little from that of subseries entry 1 (Assistance Standards).
F3729:110

Subseries 4 General File 1942-1948

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, maps, and miscellaneous records relating to overall operations of resettlement assistance programs. Individual records deal with program operations at the county and local levels and also to actions on individual assistance cases.
F3729:111

Subseries 5 Manzanar Children's Village File 1943-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence and memoranda regarding eligibility of unattached (orphaned) children for War Services assistance, procedures for adopting orphaned children interned at Manzanar, and assistance to children at closing of village on August 1, 1946. Also included in this series is social data on individual children returned to county welfare departments at the end of the war.
F3729:112

Subseries 6 Medical File 1945-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and memoranda relative to medical assistance policies and procedures and actions on individual requests for medical assistance.
F3729:113

Subseries 7 Meetings File 1944-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by meeting date.

Scope and Content Note

Minutes and meeting summaries of Department of Social Welfare, War Relocation Authority, Social Security Board, and other agencies to develop and implement policies and procedures relative to resettlement assistance program. Other meetings were held to discuss specific problems and individual cases involving basic policy decisions.
F3729:114-115

Subseries 8 Publicity Files 1944-1946

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by newspaper date.

Scope and Content Note

Newspaper clippings relating to administration, progress, and problems relating to the return of Japanese-Americans at the end of World War II. Also included are miscellaneous tracts, publications and other literature calling for fair play in aiding return of the Japanese-Americans with an emphasis on the contributions of Japanese in uniform.
F3729:116

Subseries 9 Referral Procedures 1945

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, lists of War Relocation Authority offices, WRA policy memoranda and handbook revisions, and other materials relating to referral services procedures.
F3729:117

Subseries 10 Residence File 1943-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous correspondence and policy memoranda on residence requirements and actions on individual cases.
F3729:118

Subseries 11 Statistics 1945-1947

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by report date.

Scope and Content Note

Monthly reports of referrals of dependency cases from the War Relocation Authority and/or reports of persons of Japanese ancestry receiving county aid.
F3729:119

Subseries 12 WRA Directives 1944-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by directive date.

Scope and Content Note

Administrative notices, directives, memoranda, and handbook revisions as received from the War Relocation Authority.
F3729:120

Series 28 Selective Service File 1943-1944

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports and other records dealing with State Dept. of Social Welfare cooperation with Selective Service system to assist local boards in screening out of the draft men with mental or nervous disabilities. A part of this program involved the cooperation of County Welfare Departments in furnishing volunteer social workers to serve as medical field agents for local draft boards. A large part of this series relates to the recruitment and assignment of workers to local boards.
F3729:121

Series 29 Swiss Consul File 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence or memoranda date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, and miscellaneous records relating to assistance rendered German nationals referred through the Swiss Consulate.
F3729:122

Series 30 Travel File 1943-1948

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by travel date.

Scope and Content Note

Itineraries of State Dept. of Social Welfare staff submitted to Director's Office for approval.
F3729:123-124

Series 31 War Council Files, State 1943-1945

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, meeting summaries and reports, bulletins, newsletters, manuals, and other records of general War Council activities. Most of the War Council activities were a continuation of defense planning initiated by the State Council of Defense.
F3729:125-136

Series 32 War Services Program Files 1942-1947

Physical Description: 12 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged into seven subseries: (1) Bulletins, (2) Correspondence, (3) Federal Review, (4) Field Review, (5) Handbooks and Manuals, (6) Policy Letters, (7) Progress Reports.

Scope and Content Note

See the subseries descriptions for further details.
F3729:125-126

Subseries 1 Bulletins 1942-1947

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by bulletin date.

Scope and Content Note

Department of Social Welfare Bulletins and Circular Letters as issued covering procedures, instructions, and general information on public assistance programs.
F3729:127-130

Subseries 2 Correspondence 1942-1944

Physical Description: 4 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, meeting summaries and reports, newspaper clippings, and other records concerned with the development, administration, and operations of War Services programs. The major programs covered in this series include: Enemy Alien Assistance - Internees' Dependents, Excludees, German Nationals, and other Aliens Affected by Government Regulations; and Civilian War Assistance - Injured Air Raid Wardens; Hawaiian Evacuees, Repatriated Persons, Shipwrecked Persons, Persons from War Struck Areas, and others.
F3729:131

Subseries 3 Federal Review 1945-1946

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, instructions, and other records relating to Federal review of Civilian War Assistance and Enemy Alien and Resettlement Assistance cases. A large part of this series includes county operational reports as submitted by State Dept. of Social Welfare Field Review personnel.
F3729:132

Subseries 4 Field Review 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

This series is nearly identical to series entry 78 except that there is more detailed information on individual cases.
F3729:133-134

Subseries 5 Handbooks and Manuals 1942

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by publication date.

Scope and Content Note

War Services Handbook, State Department of Social Welfare (November 1942); and Manual of Instructions for Staff, Federal Security Agency (ca. 1942).
F3729:135

Subseries 6 Policy Letters 1942-1943

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by correspondence date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence with the Social Security Board and reports of meetings or conferences with in regard to Civilian War Assistance and Enemy Alien Assistance policies and procedures, individual case determinations, and general program operations.
F3729:136

Subseries 7 Progress Reports 1942-1944

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by report date.

Scope and Content Note

Monthly reports of services and activities as submitted by the War Services Division. Reports vary from month to month but generally summarize major state activities, types of assistance cases handled, and geographical areas in which assistance rendered.
F3729:137-152

Series 33 Wartime Civilian Control Administration Files 1941-1944

Physical Description: 16 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged into six subseries: (1) Control Stations Files, (2) Manuals, (3) Photographs, (4) Procedures, (5) Reports, (6) Women's Army Corps File.

Scope and Content Note

See the subseries descriptions for further details.
F3729:137-141

Subseries 1 Control Stations Files 1942-1943

Physical Description: 5 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams, and other records concerned with establishing and staffing control stations for the voluntary and controlled evacuation of enemy aliens from restricted areas. Most of this series is concerned with staffing of WCCA control stations for the controlled evacuation of Japanese-Americans. This phase involved close cooperation between SDSW field staff, county welfare workers, and federal staff in varying capacities, all working under extremely tight time schedules. The problems involved in recruiting, placing, compensations of, work schedules, and creation of a reserve force, are covered in this series in considerable detail.
F3729:142

Subseries 1 Manuals 1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by manual date.

Scope and Content Note

Manual of Policies and Procedures for use of Social Work Staff in Wartime Civil Control Administration Offices (1942); and Federal Security Agency directive and Operating Plans for Civil Control Station (April, 1942).
F3729:143

Subseries 3 Photographs 1942

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by photograph date.

Scope and Content Note

Forty-two snapshots of unnamed control stations evacuating of Japanese from restricted areas.
F3729:144-145

Subseries 4 Procedures 1941-1943

Physical Description: 2 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by document date.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, memoranda, bulletins, circular letters, instructions, forms, and other records concerning the establishment, staffing, operations, policies and procedures, accounting and fiscal operations, and closing of Wartime Civil Control Administration control stations. File F3729:145 includes a report under date of August 6, 1942, showing a detailed listing of administrative expenditures charged to this program.
F3729:146-151

Subseries 5 Reports 1942-1943

Physical Description: 6 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically and/or alphabetically by control station and chronologically thereunder.

Scope and Content Note

The total impact of Japanese relocation and the wide-ranging effects the program had on California's Japanese-American population is best documented among the control station operational reports. Between April and July, 1942, some 107 Civilian Exclusion Orders were issued by Headquarters of the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army, 80 of which were in California, each calling for the relocation of aliens of Japanese ancestry from specified restricted areas. Most control stations operated for a period of five to seven days. As expected in such a brief time period a variety of problems arose and these reports include commentary on such in addition to information on overall control station operations, description of physical setting, staffing, numbers registered, interrelationships with other units of the control station teams, registration procedures, medical examinations, transportation, cooperation by Japanese and organizations assisting - Japanese-American Citizens League, the International Institute, and the American Friends Service Committee, recommendations of ways operations could be improved, and special problems confronted. This last category includes a good deal of commentary on such problems as mixed marriages, the separation of families caused by the illness of a family member, orphaned children, community attitudes, and the inevitable confusion and misunderstandings which often accompany hastily conceived programs.
This series contains letters or memoranda relative to transmittal of reports, including a copy of the report "The Evacuation of Japanese in California," and 80 control station operational reports arranged alphabetically by name of station. See Appendix A for a complete alphabetical list of control stations. Additional reports of staff loaned to individual control stations and their respective hours worked are included (most of this information was routinely filed as part of the operational reports). Also included are reports for control stations in Arizona, Oregon, and Washington.
The six files in this series can be summarized as follows:
F3729:152

Subseries 6 Women's Army Corps File 1944

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by memoranda or directive date.

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous memoranda and directives relative to State Dept. of Social Welfare cooperation in preparing histories on applicants for enlistment in the Women's Army Corps.