Scope and Content Note
The records of the National Policy Committee span the years 1933-1947 and include correspondence, minutes, annual reports, a scrapbook, published reports and policy memoranda, and the records of the committee's Labor Management Project. The collection is organized into the following series: Minutes and Annual Reports , Correspondence , Mailings , Historical File , Publications , and Miscellany .
The National Policy Committee was founded in 1935 for the purpose of informing private citizens about important national policy issues and encouraging their active participation in the democratic process. Raymond L. Buell served as its chairman and Harold Moulton and Francis P. Miller as officers. In 1937, Helen Hill Miller became executive director, a position she held until the committee's dissolution in 1947.
The collection reflects the committee's goals and organizational structure. The Minutes and Annual Reports series documents decisions made at annual meetings concerning topics for discussion at the local and regional level. The Correspondence series consists of a chronological file of the national organization's administrative correspondence, correspondence containing the committee's communications with significant policymakers and intellectuals, affiliate material sent between the national committee and local groups, and committee communications to and from organizations with interests similar to the National Policy Committee. The Mailings series includes copies of material sent to local groups. The Historical File reflects the development of the National Policy Committee and includes policy statements, programs, and other material relating to the committee's regional and national conferences. The Publications series contains reports on conferences, memoranda on policy issues, and the committee's newsletter. The Miscellany series includes a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and correspondence, memoranda, agendas of meetings, and other material relating to the organization's Labor-Management Project.