Scope and Content Note
The records of the National Association for Universal Military Training (NAUMT) span the years 1909-1933, with the bulk of the material concentrated in 1916-1919. The collection consists mainly of correspondence to and from Henry Harrison Sheets, founder and executive secretary of the organization, but includes financial and other material pertaining to its goals and operations. Also in the collection, prior to 1916, is correspondence of Sheets with Edward S. Curtis pertaining to Curtis’s work relating to Native Americans and his publication of The North American Indian.
The goal of the NAUMT was to promote universal military service and a strong military by appealing to the public and influencing congressional legislation during the World War I period. Correspondents in addition to Curtis include Samuel B. M. Young, president of the national association, and Gutzon Borglum, George E. Chamberlain, Elihu Root, Lorillard Spencer, Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), and Leonard Wood.