Franklin D. Roosevelt, Papers as President: The President's Secretary's File (PSF), 1933-1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

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Collection Overview

Title: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Papers as President: The President's Secretary's File (PSF), 1933-1945

Primary Creator: Roosevelt, Franklin D. (1882-1945)

Extent: 87.0 Cubic Feet

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The President's Secretary's File, or PSF, is one of five major collections of FDR's Papers as President. The PSF contains Roosevelt's special or confidential documentation housed in the custody of his personal secretary. This collection includes incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, printed material, and newspaper clippings. Materials date from the beginning of FDR's first term as President, to the months directly following his April 12, 1945 death while serving his fourth term. These papers represent the documentation most highly protected and heavily used by the Roosevelt White House.

Collection Historical Note

Franklin D. Roosevelt, as administrative head of the Executive branch of the United States Government, had the assistance of several secretaries, administrative assistants and special assistants as well as a personal secretary. During the Roosevelt administration, the White House received an average of 3,000 letters a day. Mail addressed to the White House was routed by the Assistant Executive Clerk either to the President, through his personal secretary; to an assistant with a specific area of responsibility; to the Office of the Chief of Correspondence for the preparation of a routine reply; or, if appropriate, routinely referred to another government agency for action. The correspondence that went to the President directly was either answered personally by him or sent to another agency for the preparation of a draft reply. Occasionally Roosevelt would merely initial his approval on an original letter and return it to its sender.

After the White House mail had been answered, it was routed to the Office of the Chief of Files for filing. At this time a record was also kept of all correspondence referred elsewhere. This White House office maintained what was known as the White House Central Files; the filing system used was that originally developed in 1906 during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

The Central Files were divided into four categories of material. The Alphabetical File contained copies of letters of acknowledgment for mail referred elsewhere, copies of forwarding letters, lists of forwarded mail, abstracts of documents placed in the other filing categories, as well as some routine correspondence. Material in this file was arranged alphabetically by correspondent or subject.

The Official File was intended to consist of correspondence and other material related to the policy-making activities of the President. It includes correspondence, memoranda, and reports from government officials and other public and private individuals. Within this group of papers are files on government departments and agencies; subjects of concern to the President; important organizations and individuals; as well as files on less important persons or subjects. These files are arranged numerically by subject or individual concerned.

The President's Personal File was set up to contain correspondence concerned with matters in which the President took a personal interest. It includes files on gifts received by the President, birthday and holiday greetings, honorary memberships, fraternal organizations and philanthropic societies as well as files on personal friends and political associates of the President. This file is also arranged numerically by subject or individual concerned.

The fourth group of papers in the Central Files was known as the Confidential File. It contained material similar to that found in the other filing categories which had been designated confidential by the President or one of his secretaries or assistants. It was arranged alphabetically by subject. The boundaries between these file groupings were often vague and similar material can be found in both the Official File and the President's Personal File. In many cases both groups of paperswill contain files on a particular subject or individual. Researchers should thus consult both files to be assured of seeing all the material on their topic.

To facilitate the use of the Central Files, the Office of the Chief of Files prepared an index of important individuals and subjects and also-adopted a system of inserting cross reference sheets in other related files throughout the four groups of papers. When correspondence was received by the Office a classifier determined the appropriate file for the original document and so marked the covering letter. Notations were also made on the document to indicate the other files where abstracts of that particular correspondence would be-placed. The correspondence then passed to a typist for the preparation of the required number of abstracts. Subsequently, filing clerks would file both the original papers and the abstracts.

With a few exceptions, all of the mail received at the White House (or a record thereof) would thus end up in the Central Files. Occasionally large amounts of correspondence concerning a particular subject would be referred to another agency without a record being kept. Secretaries and administrative assistants might also retain small amounts of correspondence in their own files. The President's personal secretary, while sending ordinary correspondence to the Central Files, also maintained a file of documents deemed special and confidential by the President.

The correspondence retained by the personal secretary was arranged alphabetically by subject into a Diplomatic File, containing confidential reports from American representatives abroad; a Department File, containing material from various government agencies; a Famous People File; Secret File with correspondence from individuals such as Winston S. Churchill and Joseph Stalin; a Special Studies File; and a General File. This material plus the Confidential File of the Central Files has been incorporated into what is known as the President's Secretary's File.

After the United States' entry into World War II, a White House Map Room was established in January 1942 under the supervision of the President's Naval Aide. This office also maintained files, arranged by subject, which are now known as the Map Room Papers. Included are wartime messages sent and received by the President, including those exchanged with Churchill, Stalin, and Chiang Kai-shek, as well as a number of documents sent by the War and Navy Department for the President's information. President Roosevelt began shipping those portions of his White House files which were not in current use to the Roosevelt Library in August 1940. Additional accessions were received throughout his presidency. After his death, the remainder of the Central Files were received from his estate in December 1947. Security classified material in the President's Secretary's File and the Map Room Papers was received from storage in the National Archives in November 1951.

Administrative Information

Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Access Restrictions: None

Use Restrictions: President Roosevelt donated his copyright interest in these papers to the United States Government; writings of other individuals are subject to copyright restrictions under Title 17 of the U.S. Code. These papers may contain materials restricted in accordance with Executive Order 11652, and material which might be used to harass, embarrass, or injure living persons has been closed.

Acquisition Method: These papers were donated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They were received at the Library from his estate in November 1951, having been held in the White House at the request of President Truman until then.

Related Materials: Franklin D. Roosevelt's Papers as President are divided into seven major series - The Alphabetical File, the Official File, the President's Personal File, the President's Secretary's File, the Map Room papers, Executive Orders, and Press Conferences.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Safe File],
[Series 2: Confidential File],
[Series 3: Diplomatic Correspondence],
[Series 4: Departmental Correspondence],
[Series 5: Subject File],
[All]

Series 3: Diplomatic Correspondence

This series consists mostly of confidential reports sent to the President from American representatives abroad, but also includes letters from royalty and heads of state. Many official diplomatic communications sent and received by the State Department are housed here as well, though additional diplomatic correspondence can be found in the President's Official File (OF). Materials in the Diplomatic Correspondence series are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Box 23

Argentina: View Online
Australia, 1939-August 1942: View Online
Australia, September 1942-1944: View Online
Austria, 1933-April 1944: View Online
Austria, May 1944-February 1945: View Online
Belgium, 1933-1937: View Online

Box 24

Belgium, 1938-1941: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel, 1937-May 1941: View Online
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel, June-December 1941: View Online
Biddle, Anthony J. Drexel, 1942-1944: View Online
Bolivia: View Online
Brazil: View Online
Bullitt, William C., 1941-1943: View Online

Box 25

Burma: View Online
Canada, 1933-1935: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Canada, 1936-1937: View Online
Canada, 1938-1939: View Online
Canada, 1940: View Online
Canada, 1941: View Online
Canada, 1942-1943: View Online
Canada, 1944-1945: View Online
Canada - Permanent Joint Board on Defense: View Online
Canada - Roper, Daniel C.: View Online
Chile, 1938-May 1941: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)

Box 26

Chile, June-December 1941: View Online
Chile, 1942: View Online
Chile, 1943: View Online
Chile, 1944-1945: View Online
China, 1933-1936: View Online
China, 1937: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
China, 1938: View Online

Box 27

China - Military Dispatches, 1938: View Online
China, 1939-1940: View Online
China, 1941: View Online
China - Currie, Lauchlin: Report, March 15, 1941: View Online
China, 1942: View Online
China, 1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
China, January-June 1944: View Online
China, July-December 1944: View Online
China, 1945: View Online

Box 28

China - Currie, Lauchlin: Outgoing, 1941-1942: View Online
China - Currie, Lauchlin: Incoming, 1941-1942: View Online
China - Lattimore, Owen, 1941-1942: View Online
China - Yangtze Gorge Project: Drawings, November 9, 1944: View Online
China - Yangtze Gorge Project: Report, November 9, 1944: View Online
Colombia: View Online
Costa Rica: View Online
Cuba, 1933-1935, 1942-1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Czechoslovakia, 1938-1944: View Online
Denmark, 1938-1941, 1944: View Online
Ecuador, 1943-1944: View Online
Egypt, 1944-1945: View Online
Ethiopia: View Online
Finland, 1930-1940, 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)

Box 29

France, 1934-37: View Online
France, 1938-1939: View Online
France, 1940: View Online
France, 1941: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
France France, 1942, , 1943: View Online; View Online
France, January-July 1944: View Online

Box 30

France, August 1944-1945: View Online
France - Blum, Leon - Correspondence and English translation of "For All Mankind", 1942-1943: View Online
France - Blum, Leon - French transcript of "For All Mankind", 1942-1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
France - Bullitt, William C., 1936: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
France - Bullitt, William C., 1937: View Online
France - Bullitt, William C., 1938: View Online
France - Bullitt, William C., January-June 1939: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
France - Bullitt, William C., July-December 1939: View Online

Box 31

France - Bullitt, William C., 1940: View Online
France - De Gaulle, Charles, 1944-1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
France - Giraud, Henri: View Online
France - St. Pierre & Miquelon: View Online
France - Strauss, Jesse I., 1934-1936: View Online
Germany, 1933-1938: View Online
Germany, 1939: View Online
Germany, 1940-1941: View Online
Germany, 1944-1945: View Online

Box 32

Germany - Dodd, William E., 1933-1935: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Germany - Dodd, William E., 1936-1938: View Online
Germany - Wilson, Hugh R., March-November 1938: View Online
Great Britain, 1933-1936: View Online
Great Britain, 1937-1938: View Online
Great Britain, 1939: View Online

Box 33

Great Britain, January-September 1940: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Great Britain - Military Situation, May 1940: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Great Britain - Military Situation, June 1940: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Great Britain - Military Situation, July 1940: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, August 1940: View Online

Box 34

Great Britain - Military Situation, September 1940: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Great Britain, October-December 1940: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Great Britian - Military Situation, October 1940: View Online
Great Britian - Military Situation Great Britain - Military Situation, November 1940, , April 1941: View Online; View Online
Great Britian - Military Situation, December 1940: View Online
Great Britain, 1941: View Online

Box 35

Great Britain - Military Situation, January 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, February 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, March 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, May 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, June 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, July-August 1941: View Online

Box 36

Great Britain - Military Situation, September 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, October 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, November 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, December 1941: View Online
Great Britain, 1942: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, January 1942: View Online
Great Britain - Military Situation, February-March 1942: View Online
Great Britain, 1943: View Online
Great Britain, 1944-1945: View Online

Box 37

Great Britain - Bingham, Robert W.: View Online
Great Britain - Churchill, Winston, 1940-1942: View Online
Great Britain - Churchill, Winston, 1942-1943: View Online
Great Britain - Churchill, Winston, 1944-1945: View Online
Great Britain - Defense Articles Transfer, 1941: View Online
Great Britain - Halifax, Lord: View Online
Great Britain - Harriman, W. Averell, 1941-1942: View Online
Great Britain - Kennedy, Joseph P., 1938-June 1939: View Online
Great Britain - Kennedy, Joseph P., July 1939-1940: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Great Britain - Kennedy, Joseph P. - Lost Shipping: View Online
Great Britain - Keynes, John Maynard: View Online

Box 38

Great Britain - King and Queen, June 1938-June 1939: View Online
Great Britain - King and Queen, July 1939-1942: View Online
Great Britain - Laski, Harold: View Online
Great Britain - MacDonald, J. Ramsey, 1933, 1937: View Online
Great Britain - Murray, Arthur, 1936-1939: View Online
Great Britain - Murray, Arthur, 1940-1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Great Britain - Office of Strategic Services: View Online
Great Britain - Report on Press and BBC: View Online
Great Britain - Winant, John G.: View Online

Box 39

Greece, 1934-1939: View Online
Greece, 1940-1942: View Online
Greece, 1943-1945: View Online
Greece - MacVeagh, Lincoln: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Greenland, 1941-1942: View Online
Haiti, 1933-1934, 1944: View Online
Hungary: View Online
Iceland: View Online
India: View Online
Indochina: View Online

Box 40

Iran: View Online
Iraq: View Online
Ireland, 1938-1939: View Online
Ireland, 1940: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Ireland, 1941: View Online
Ireland, January-April 1942: View Online
Ireland, May-December 1942: View Online
Ireland, 1943-1945: View Online

Box 41

Italy, 1933-1938: View Online
Italy, 1939-1940: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Italy, 1941: View Online
Italy, 1943-June 1944: View Online
Italy - Developments Dating from Arcmistice Negotiations, June12, 1944: View Online
Italy, August 1944-1945: View Online
Italy - Long, Breckinridge, 1933-1936: View Online
Italy - Mussolini-Hitler: View Online

Box 42

Italy - Phillips, William, 1935-May 1939: View Online
Italy - Phillips, William, June 1939-1941: View Online
Japan, 1933-1934: View Online
Japan, 1935-1936: View Online
Japan, 1937: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Japan, 1938-June 1939: View Online

Box 43

Japan, July 1939-1940: View Online
Japan, January-September 1941: View Online
Japan, October-December 1941: View Online
Japan - Grew, Joseph C.: View Online
Japan - Matsukata, Otohika: View Online
Lithuania: View Online
Luxembourg: View Online
Mexico, 1933-1935: View Online
Mexico, 1936-1937: View Online

Box 44

Mexico, 1938: View Online
Mexico, 1939-1940: View Online
Mexico, 1941-1942: View Online
Mexico, 1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Mexico, 1944-1945: View Online
Mexico - Daniels, Josephus: View Online
Morocco: View Online
Netherlands, 1934-1939: View Online
Netherlands, 1940-1941: View Online

Box 45

Netherlands, 1942: View Online
Netherlands, 1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Netherlands, 1944-1945: View Online
New Zealand: View Online
Nicaragua: View Online
Norway, 1935-1939: View Online
Norway, 1940: View Online
Norway, 1941: View Online
Norway, 1942: View Online
Norway, 1943-1945: View Online

Box 46

Palestine: View Online
Panama: View Online
Panama Canal Zone: View Online
Paraguay: View Online
Peru, 1935: View Online
Peru, 1936-1937, 1944: View Online
Philippines, 1937-1940: View Online
Philippines, 1941: View Online
Philippines, 1942-1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Poland, 1935-1938: View Online

Box 47

Poland, January-March 1939: View Online
Poland, April-June 1939: View Online
Poland, July-December 1939: View Online
Poland, 1940-1942: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Poland, 1943: View Online
Poland, January-July 1944: View Online

Box 48

Poland, August 1944: View Online
Poland, September-December 1944: View Online
Poland, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Poland - Biddle Report, October 16, 1938-September 19, 1939: View Online
Poland - Orlemanski-Lange Reports: View Online
Portugal: View Online
Puerto Rico: View Online
Rumania [Romania]: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Russia, 1932-1933: View Online

Box 49

Russia, 1934: View Online
Russia, 1935-1936: View Online
Russia, 1937-1940: View Online
Russia, 1941: View Online
Russia, 1942-1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Russia, 1944: View Online
Russia, 1945: View Online

Box 50

Russia - Bullitt, William C., 1933-1936: View Online
Saudi Arabia: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Saudi Arabian Pipeline: View Online
South and Central America: View Online
Spain, 1933-1936: View Online
Spain, 1937: View Online
Spain, 1938: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Spain, 1939: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Spain, 1940-1945: View Online

Box 51

Sweden: View Online
Switzerland: View Online
Turkey: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Union of South Africa: View Online
Uruguay: View Online
Vatican - Taylor, Myron C., 1939-1940: View Online
Vatican - Taylor, Myron C., 1941
Vatican - Taylor, Myron C., 1942: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)

Box 52

Vatican - Taylor, Myron C. - Report on 1942 Trip: View Online
Vatican - Taylor, Myron C., 1943: View Online
Vatican - Taylor, Myron C., January-August 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Vatican - Taylor, Myron C., September-October 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2); View Online (Part 3)
Vatican - Taylor, Myron C., November-December 1944: View Online

Box 53

Vatican - Taylor, Myron C., January-April, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2); View Online (Part 3)
Venezuela: View Online
Virgin Islands: View Online
West Africa: View Online
Yugoslavia: View Online

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Safe File],
[Series 2: Confidential File],
[Series 3: Diplomatic Correspondence],
[Series 4: Departmental Correspondence],
[Series 5: Subject File],
[All]