Scope and Content Note
The papers of Robert Erastus Wilson (1893-1964) span the years 1920-1964 with the bulk of the material dated from 1945 to 1964. The papers are organized into the following series: Speeches and Articles I , Speeches and Articles II , and Subject File .
Speeches and articles delivered and written by Wilson, mostly during his employment with Standard Oil Company of Indiana, comprise the bulk of the papers and are organized under the series Speeches and Articles I and Speeches and Articles II . The correspondence relates to his public speaking engagements and published articles. Prominent among the articles is "We the Accused,” his denunciation of the Federal Trade Commission’s inferences of corruption in big business, published in the January 24, 1953, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Also included in Speeches and Articles I are publications for the stockholders of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana written by Wilson.
The Subject File consists of files compiled by Wilson relating to the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, the United States Atomic Energy Commission, the Special Advisory Group to the Chariman of the Research and Development Board, and the petroleum industry and atomic energy in general. Correspondents include K. T. Compton, Ralph K. Davies, Chet Holifield, and Ernest B. Tremmel.