Logo for Henry Morgenthau Jr. Papers, 1866-1953 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Henry Morgenthau Jr. Papers, 1866-1953 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Collection Overview

Title: Henry Morgenthau Jr. Papers, 1866-1953Add to your cart.

Primary Creator: Henry Morgenthau Jr.

Extent: 387.69 Cubic Feet

Arrangement: The Papers of Henry Morgenthau Jr. is a collection in 23 series, with most contents arranged alphabetically. One significant series titled the Morganthau Diaries, is now available as a separate digital collection.

Date Acquired: 03/19/1948

Abstract

This extensive collection of official and personal papers documents Henry Morgenthau, Jr.'s involvement in New Deal fiscal policy during the Great Depression, wartime economic mobilization and aid to the Allies, post-war planning and the "Morgenthau Plan" for Germany, the plight of European Jews and formation of the War Refugee Board, planning for the Bretton Woods and United Nations conferences, as well as other social, political, economic and diplomatic issues.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Henry Morgenthau, Jr. Papers include over a dozen groups of material donated to the FDR Presidential Library between 1949 and 2006. The bulk of the Papers arrived in 1949 and throughout the 1950s, donated by Henry Morgenthau, Jr. during his lifetime. Morgenthau in his correspondence with the FDR Library, stated, “In thus giving the material to you [FDR Library], I feel I am making my contribution towards carrying out the aims of President Roosevelt and the intent which the Congress had in mind when it established the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. It gives me much pleasure to bring to fruition the purpose which impelled me to keep this record of my daily activities during the course of many years.”

The papers cover Henry Morgenthau, Jr.’s personal and professional life (1891-1967) and include General Correspondence files, Speeches and Writings, Press Conferences, State Department Cables, the Papers of Henry Morgenthau, Sr., the Papers of Mrs. (Elinor) Henry Morgenthau, Jr., papers related to Fishkill Farms, newspaper clippings, and Treasury reports. The Press Conferences, delivered during his tenure as Secretary of the Treasury, total approximately 15,000 pages. The full collection comprises 864 Diary volumes and an estimated 800,000 boxed pages.

One of the most significant series is the Diaries of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., April 27, 1933-July 27, 1945 totaling some 285,000 pages. Comprised of three sub-series: the Morgenthau Diaries, the Morgenthau Presidential Diaries, donated in 1972, and the Henry Morgenthau Jr. Diaries Index, the 864 volumes were compiled during Henry Morgenthau, Jr.'s nearly 12 years as FDR's Secretary of the Treasury. These are not typical diaries; rather, they are Morgenthau's daily record of his official activities, including transcripts of his meetings and telephone conversations as well as copies and originals of the most important correspondence and memoranda that passed over his desk. Morgenthau also kept a diary of his brief tenure as Farm Credit Administrator in the early months of the New Deal before becoming Treasury Secretary.

The General Correspondence Series, which includes subseries of non-correspondence material that was accessioned during the original donation from Henry Morgenthau, Jr.’s office files, comprises over 350,000 pages. Accretions beginning in 1953 increased the collection to its current size. These files include information regarding the New Deal and wartime economic programs he oversaw as Secretary of the Treasury, such as the War Bonds Program and Works Progress Administration, and agencies which fell under the Treasury’s authority including the Secret Service and the Coast Guard.

Other series of note include the Accomulated [sic] file of Joseph Gaer, Biographer of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., that was donated in 1954 and 1955, the papers of Mrs. [Elinor] Henry Morgenthau, Jr., Postwar Correspondence of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., United Jewish Appeal collection, and the Elinor Morgenthau-Eleanor Roosevelt Correspondence. Additional papers of Henry Morgenthau, Jr. were donated in accretions by Henry Morgenthau, Jr., his children, Joan Morgenthau Hirschhorn, Henry Morgenthau III, and Robert Morgenthau, and his second wife, Mrs. Marcelle Puthon Hirsch Morgenthau, Jr. The last accretion to the collection was made in 2006.

Because of Morgenthau's long tenure in government and his close personal relationship with Roosevelt, the diaries and papers document Morgenthau's involvement and interest in New Deal fiscal and monetary policy during the Great Depression, wartime economic mobilization and aid to the Allies, post-war planning and the so-called "Morgenthau Plan" for Germany, the plight of European Jews and the War Refugee Board, planning for the Bretton Woods and United Nations conferences, as well as other social, political, economic and diplomatic issues.

Collection Historical Note

Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (1891-1967), President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s longest-serving cabinet member, Hudson Valley neighbor, friend and advisor played key roles in support of FDR’s New Deal and World War II policies. During his tenure as Secretary of the Treasury (1933-1945) Morgenthau ensured financing for the New Deal’s economic stimulus policies. He helped design and implement Lend-Lease (1941), the War Bond Program (1942), the War Refugee Board (1944-1945), and the Bretton Woods Conference (1944); programs that assisted in the global economic recovery and supported the American and Allied efforts during World War II.

Born in New York City on May 11, 1891, Henry was the only son of Henry Morgenthau, Sr. and Josephine Sykes, both from prominent New York German-Jewish immigrant families.  Henry Morgenthau Sr., a lawyer and real estate investor, graduated from Columbia University and later served as Ambassador to Turkey under President Woodrow Wilson during World War I.

Morgenthau Jr. attended Cornell University from 1909-1910 and 1912-1913 but left before graduation purchasing a farm in East Fishkill, New York. The location of his farm and family connections to the Democratic Party brought Morgenthau in to the Roosevelt family circle. His 1916 marriage to Elinor Fatman of the New York banking Lehman family cemented Morgenthau’s place in New York financial and Democratic communities. Morgenthau campaigned actively for FDR in the 1920s supporting FDR’s candidacy for governor. After FDR’s election, as governor of New York, he appointed Morgenthau to the New York State Agricultural Advisory Commission (1928) and then to the New York State Conservation Commission (1930). Both Morgenthaus remained close friends and confidants of the Roosevelts during the Presidency. Elinor Morgenthau and Eleanor Roosevelt often went for horseback rides in Rock Creek Park. Henry had weekly lunches the President at the White House or in Hyde Park while Elinor joined Eleanor Roosevelt as her assistant in the wartime Office of Civilian Defense.

After his inauguration on March 4, 1933 FDR appointed Morgenthau to his first federal administrative position, Chairman of the Federal Farm Board. Morgenthau, a successful farmer, helped write the Executive Order that merged the functions of existing farm and agricultural agencies and created the Farm Credit Administration (FCA). Morgenthau served as the first FCA Governor until November 1933 when FDR nominated him to succeed William H. Woodin as Secretary of the Treasury.  Morgenthau would serve as Secretary of the Treasury for the duration of FDR’s presidency and through the first few months of Harry S. Truman’s administration.

During the war, Morgenthau precipitated implementation of two critical programs: Lend-Lease and establishment of the War Refugee Board. In January 1944, Morgenthau approached FDR with his concerns about the State Department’s handling of the European refugees, particularly Jewish refugees. As a result of his work, FDR issued Executive Order 9417 establishing the War Refugee Board on January 22, 1944. The War Refugee Board is credited with saving over 200,000 lives.

The establishment of the War Refugee Board was the culmination of years of effort to act on behalf of Europe’s Jews. Morgenthau’s marriage was performed by Rabbi Stephen Wise, who helped Gerhard Riegner get his message about Hitler’s plan to exterminate Europe’s Jews to the U.S. Government. Morgenthau himself received a telegram about the SS Saint Louis, prevented from landing in Cuba in 1939 and had been approached by Rabbi Wise and others to help French Jews. Morgenthau stated, at the time, that his role as Secretary of the Treasury prevented him from taking action on issues of foreign affairs. In 1940, Morgenthau supported a plan to purchase British Guiana for Jewish refugees, which the administration rejected. Two years later, in 1942, he acted in support of a rumored offer to pay for safe passage of Romanian Jews to from Nazi-occupied territories, but the program did not succeed. In late 1943, after being presented with evidence that the State Department actively refused to assist Jewish refugees, Morgenthau and his Assistants at the Secretary of the Treasury, John Pehle, Randolph Paul, and Josiah DuBois, Jr., and Foreign Economic Administration head Oscar Cox, he suggested that FDR act before Congress to take action to rescue Europe’s Jews. Morgenthau helped draft the press release and staffed the War Refugee Board with members of the Treasury Department. The War Refugee Board took on the task of the “immediate rescue and relief of the Jews of Europe and other victims of enemy persecution” coordinating with established rescue organizations, including the World Jewish Congress and Joint Distribution Committee, and utilizing the expertise of the American and European diplomatic corps, the Board received funding through donations from aid and refugee organizations. 

Late in 1944, Morgenthau helped set up the United States first refugee center for victims of the Nazis in Oswego, New York. His proposed post-war plan for Germany, known as the “Morgethau Plan,” would have stripped Germany of its industrial capability to ensure demilitarization. While most of his plan was not adopted, some elements were incorporated in to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Directive 1067 in occupied Germany. 

After leaving office in 1945, Morgenthau remained deeply involved in refugee affairs and spoke on behalf of “displaced persons” throughout Europe. He supported numerous Jewish philanthropies and served as financial advisor to the state of Israel from 1951 to 1954. He became General Chairman of the United Jewish Appeal from 1947 to 1950 and remained involved until his death in 1967.

Henry Morgenthau, Jr. and Elinor Morgenthau had three children, Joan, Robert, and Henry Morgenthau III. Elinor died in 1949 and Henry Morgenthau Jr. married Mrs. Marcelle Puthon Hirsch (1899-1972) in 1951. Fishkill Farms, established by Henry Morgenthau, Jr. in 1914, is still in operation and is run by the third generation of Morgenthaus.

Administrative Information

Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Access Restrictions: Both the papers and diaries contain material restricted in accordance with Executive Order 12065, and material that might be used to embarrass, harass, or injure living persons has been closed.

Use Restrictions: The official writings of United States government officials within this collection are in the public domain. All other materials are subject to the United States Copyright law, 17 U.S.C. 101, et seq.

Acquisition Source: Henry Morgenthau Jr. and his estate

Acquisition Method: The papers were first presented to the Library by Henry Morgenthau, Jr., on March 19, 1948 and on several subsequent occasions by he and members of the Morgenthau family.

Related Materials:

(Digital collection) Morgenthau Diaries

FDR's Papers President - Office File, President’s Personal File, President’s Secretary’s File

Franklin D. Roosevelt Papers, 192-1928

Franklin D. Roosevelt Papers as Governor of New York

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Papers

Eleanor Roosevelt Oral History Project

Herbert Gaston Papers

Rexford G. Tugwell Papers

Samuel I. Rosenman Papers

John G. Winant Papers

Oscar Cox Papers

Harry L. Hopkins Paper

For more information please see http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/archives/collections/franklin/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=535.

Box and Folder Listing


Browse by Series:

[Series 1: General Correspondence, 1933-1945],
[Series 2: Accumulated File of Joseph Gaer, Biograph of Henry Morgenthau Jr. (Includes Morgenthau letters), 1891-1940],
[Series 3: Subject File, 1930-1933],
[Series 4: Newspaper Clippings, 1913-1936],
[Series 5: Papers of Henry Morgenthau, Sr.],
[Series 6: Additional Papers of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., 1895-1945],
[Series 7: Papers of Mrs. Henry Morgenthau, Jr., 1925-1949],
[Series 8: Presidential Diaries (see microfiche in Research Room), 1938-1953],
[Series 9: Correspondence - The President, 1933-1945],
[Series 10: State Department Cables, 1934-1942],
[Series 11: Press Releases and Press Conferences, November 15, 1933-July 23, 1945],
[Series 12: United Jewish Appeal, 1946-1960],
[Series 13: Postwar Correspondence of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., 1945-1960],
[Series 14: Clippings],
[Series 15: Speeches and Writings, 1945-1960],
[Series 16: Clippings and Printed Materials, 1933-1947],
[Series 17: Treasury Reports (includes Secretary's annual report and daily statements, and Exchange Stabilization Fund), 1933-1947],
[Series 18: Morgenthau Diary Materials retained by Department of the Treasury and returned to the Roosevelt Library in 1995],
[Series 19: Morgenthau Diary Bound Index],
[Series 20: Fishkill Farms and Financial Materials],
[Series 21: Notecards based on Morgenthau Diary],
[Series 22: Morgenthau Chronological Clipping File (order volume by date), 1933-June 1945],
[Series 23: Accretion to Morgenthau Papers (Mss. Acc. 10-06)],
[All]


Series 23: Accretion to Morgenthau Papers (Mss. Acc. 10-06)Add to your cart.
Containers 1010 - 1012 ( 3 boxes)

Box 1010Add to your cart.

Inaugural Program and Invitations, 1933Add to your cart.

Morgenthau, Elinor: Hurst, FannieAdd to your cart.

Morgenthau, Elinor: Lehman, HerbertAdd to your cart.

Morgenthau, Henry, Jr.: Berlin, IrvingAdd to your cart.

Morgenthau, Henry, Jr.: Great BritainAdd to your cart.

Morgenthau, Henry, Jr.: Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fiftieth Birthday Luncheon, 1932Add to your cart.

Morgenthau, Henry, III: Roosevelt Christmas Card, 1936Add to your cart.

Morgenthau, Robert: Correspondence from Henry Morgenthau, Sr. and Henry Morgenthau, Jr.Add to your cart.

Box 1011Add to your cart.

Morgenthau, Elinor: Engagement Books, 1923, 1932-1939Add to your cart.

Box 1012Add to your cart.

Morgenthau, Elinor: Engagement Books, 1940-1944, 1946-1948Add to your cart.

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: General Correspondence, 1933-1945],
[Series 2: Accumulated File of Joseph Gaer, Biograph of Henry Morgenthau Jr. (Includes Morgenthau letters), 1891-1940],
[Series 3: Subject File, 1930-1933],
[Series 4: Newspaper Clippings, 1913-1936],
[Series 5: Papers of Henry Morgenthau, Sr.],
[Series 6: Additional Papers of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., 1895-1945],
[Series 7: Papers of Mrs. Henry Morgenthau, Jr., 1925-1949],
[Series 8: Presidential Diaries (see microfiche in Research Room), 1938-1953],
[Series 9: Correspondence - The President, 1933-1945],
[Series 10: State Department Cables, 1934-1942],
[Series 11: Press Releases and Press Conferences, November 15, 1933-July 23, 1945],
[Series 12: United Jewish Appeal, 1946-1960],
[Series 13: Postwar Correspondence of Henry Morgenthau, Jr., 1945-1960],
[Series 14: Clippings],
[Series 15: Speeches and Writings, 1945-1960],
[Series 16: Clippings and Printed Materials, 1933-1947],
[Series 17: Treasury Reports (includes Secretary's annual report and daily statements, and Exchange Stabilization Fund), 1933-1947],
[Series 18: Morgenthau Diary Materials retained by Department of the Treasury and returned to the Roosevelt Library in 1995],
[Series 19: Morgenthau Diary Bound Index],
[Series 20: Fishkill Farms and Financial Materials],
[Series 21: Notecards based on Morgenthau Diary],
[Series 22: Morgenthau Chronological Clipping File (order volume by date), 1933-June 1945],
[Series 23: Accretion to Morgenthau Papers (Mss. Acc. 10-06)],
[All]