The papers of Samuel Theodore Granik (1907-1970) span the years 1930-1970, with the bulk of the material concentrated between 1941-1967, the years Granik spent in Washington as counsel to various government agencies and as host and moderator of three panel discussion programs, "American Forum of the Air," "Youth Wants to Know," and "All America Wants to Know." The papers consist of correspondence, legal proceedings, transcripts of radio and television programs, scripts from proposed television shows, memoranda, inventories of show productions, office and business papers, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous material. The collection is organized into eight series: General Office File , Chronological Office File , Client File , Business File , Broadcast Production File , Financial Papers , Miscellany , and Scrapbooks .

The collection describes in detail Granik's private law practice in Washington, D.C., and New York; his business ventures in graphite mining, export-import trading, and a television station in Florida; his representation of clients in obtaining surplus war material after World War II; and the everyday operations of his Washington office.

Material in the collection prior to 1941 consists primarily of correspondence with Congressman Emanuel Celler of New York, discussing routine requests for employment, United States Housing Authority cases, and Celler's reelection, and with Granik's younger brother, Robert Granik.. The correspondence with Robert represents the largest segment of the personal correspondence, with only occasional letters to and from other family members.

Despite Granik's advisory contributions to the federal government, only his appointment by Donald Nelson to the War Production Board is documented in the papers. In this capacity Granik served as an adviser, assisting small industries in acquiring government loans to increase war production. From his association with congressmen and his knowledge of government agencies, and while serving as Washington counsel to the Bank of America, Granik helped create a graphite mining corporation subcontracting with the government and an export-import corporation trading in war surplus material. Files concerning these business operations comprise a large portion of the collection.

Granik's first television series, "American Forum of the Air," became associated with the National Broadcasting Company in 1949, beginning a twelve-year relationship. There is ample correspondence between Granik, his business and legal partner Sylvan Marshall and various department heads of NBC, including its president Robert Sarnoff and his father, David Sarnoff, chairman of the board of the Radio Corporation of America.

Granik produced a second panel discussion show, "Youth Wants to Know," which made its debut on the NBC radio and television network in 1951. On the first broadcast Senator Robert A. Taft faced an audience of Washington teenagers curious about the coming presidential campaign, the Far East, and the liberal-conservative struggle within the Republican Party. After the broadcast, switchboards were swamped with calls from eager listeners. Senator Taft remained in the studio with the teenagers for two hours. The senator later remarked, "I've never been questioned so intelligently in my entire public life." Other guests included, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joseph McCarthy, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald Ford.

Although Granik's major interest was broadcasting, he was by profession a lawyer. His clients and their active interests are represented in this collection. In addition to the Bank of America, his clients included Bunge & Born, a Latin American grain export corporation and one of the largest chemical organizations in the world, and the Belgian Economic Mission (Washington, D.C.). Granik drew nationwide attention during the Senate hearings investigating Preston Tucker, another of Granik's clients. Tucker had developed the "Tucker Torpedo," a revolutionary concept in automobiles, designed and built to challenge the major automakers. Granik served as Tucker's counsel in an unsuccessful effort to obtain a government loan for his fledgling corporation.

In 1949, Granik assisted Arkansas Senator John McClellan in editing a book entitled Crime without Punishment , a record of committee hearings on organized crime in America, particularly within the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen, and Helpers' organization. Transcripts of the book and press releases for its promotion are in the papers.

As indicated in the correspondence in the Chronological Office File , the Business File , and the Broadcast Production File , Granik hoped to use his broadcast experience in a wide range of broadcasting activities. The projects included WHMB, an FM radio station in Washington, D.C., and WJNO, a television station in Palm Beach, Florida, both of which were planned as investments to be left to his wife and children. In addition, Granik challenged organized television networks by means of UHF-cable television. His first UHF station was WGSP, which broadcasted from Washington, D.C. Successive stations were planned in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Granik believed that local live public affairs and news shows should be one of UHF's primary functions. One of his innovative ideas was the use of a compact, remote control mobile unit operated by one man who would serve as producer, director, and cameraman. Granik's plan was that UHF stations would provide the kind of programs networks could not, local shows that were unplanned and spontaneous.