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
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.
