Finding Aid for the Townsend National Recovery Plan Records, No online items

Transcription

1 No online items Processed by James V. Mink; machine-readable finding aid created by Alight Tsai Manuscripts Division Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library Box Los Angeles, CA URL: The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved

2 Collection number: 219 Manuscripts Division Los Angeles, CA Contact Information Manuscripts Division Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library Box Los Angeles, CA Telephone: 310/ (10:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., Pacific Time) spec-coll@library.ucla.edu URL: Processed by: James V. Mink, 18 September 1953 Encoded by: Alight Tsai Encoding supervision by: Caroline Cubé Text converted and initial container list EAD tagging by: Apex Data Services Online finding aid edited by: Josh Fiala, May The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Descriptive Summary Title: Townsend Date (inclusive): Collection number: 219 Creator: Townsend National Recovery Plan, Inc. Extent: 230 boxes (115.0 linear ft.)2 cartons (2.0 linear ft.)1 oversize box Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections. Los Angeles, California Abstract: The Townsend Plan was proposed in 1933 by Francis Townsend. The plan called for a $200-a-month pension to any retired person over sixty. Bills to establish the Plan were brought up and defeated in Congress many times and the movement lost headway after passage of the Social Security Act in Boxes include correspondence, minutes, bulletins, accounts, reports, directories, permit files, and miscellaneous records related to the Plan in the 12th Regional District (comprising the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and California). Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information. Language: English. Restrictions on Use and Reproduction Property rights to the physical object belong to the. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do 219 2

3 not hold the copyright. Restrictions on Access PARTIALLY PROCESSED COLLECTION UNAVAILABLE FOR USE: except for boxes Inquiries regarding these materials should be directed in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian, UCLA Department of Special Collections. COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access. Additional Physical Form Available A copy of the original version of this online finding aid is available at the UCLA Department of Special Collections for in-house consultation and may be obtained for a fee. Please contact: Public Services Division Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library Box Los Angeles, CA Telephone: 310/ (10:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m., Pacific Time) spec-coll@library.ucla.edu Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Townsend National Recovery Plan Records (Collection 219). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles. Biography The Townsend Plan was proposed in 1933 by Francis Townsend; it called for a $200-a-month pension to any retired person over sixty; it was to be paid in scrip and spent within a month; funds were to be raised by sales tax; bills to establish the Plan were brought up and defeated in Congress many times; the movement lost headway after passage of the Social Security Act, Biographical Narrative The Townsend Plan Incorporated was established in 1934 and incorported under the laws of the state of California by Dr. Francis Townsend and Robert E. Clements; the organization, with National Headquarters at Cleveland, Ohio, was divided into 12 regional districts; local organizations consisted of a district council for each Congressional District within the region. Scope and Content Boxes include records related to the Townsend National Recovery Plan, Incorporated. 12th Regional District, comprising the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and California. Also includes correspondence, minutes, bulletins, accounts, reports, directories, and permit files. Expanded Scope and Content The Townsend Plan Incorporated was established in 1934 and incorporated under the laws of the State of California by Dr. Francis E. Townsend and Robert E. Clements. The Organization, with National Headquarters at Cleveland, Ohio, is divided into twelve regional districts corresponding to the Federal Reserve Districts of the United States Government. The records described in this inventory are those of the 12th Regional District, comprising the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and California, with Regional Headquarters located at Modesto, California, under the direction of John C. Cuneo, National Representative and Secretary-Treasurer of the Townsend Plan Incorporated of California. The Regional District Headquarters supervises the activities of the local organization within the regional district. Local organizations consist of a district council for each Congressional District within the region, composed of representatives elected by officers of the local clubs. The local club, composed of members of the movement in good standing, is the smallest unit. The records created by the 12th Regional District Headquarters contain two general files and five more or less specialized files, including financial records, and cover the period 1938 to The records of the Regional Headquarters prior to 1938 have been destroyed. The first general file contains correspondence, copies of minutes of local club meetings, bulletins of local clubs, reports, and copies of receipts for contributions received by the Regional Headquarters. The file is arranged chronologically and alphabetically thereunder in two separate catagories: (1) Individuals file (2) Clubs file. The second file contains the same type of material as the first, but relates only to the business of the Townsend Party in California from 1940 to 1944, and is arranged in the same manner as the first file. The specialized files consist of the minutes and correspondence of the California State Advisory Committee and Council, organizations created within the Regional District to promote social welfare legislation; a Speakers' Permit file containing applications for speakers' permits from members of the movement in the 12th Regional District; a file of Townsend Club Officers in the Regional District; bulletins issued by the Regional Headquarters, and financial records

4 The records described in this inventory constitute all the extant records of the Townsend Plan Incorporated, 12th Regional District Headquarters, except for the current files which are located at the Headquarters Office in Modesto, California. They amount to 54 linear feet. Records pertaining to other aspects of the Townsend Plan Incorporated in the 12th Regional District are in the possession of the local clubs, the National Headquarters at Cleveland, Ohio, and in the Personal File of John C. Cuneo located in the Department of Special Collections at the Library of the University of California, Los Angeles. Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog. Townsend National Recovery Plan, Inc.--Archives. Old age pensions--united States--Archival resources. Business records. Related Material The Townsend Plan in retrospect [oral history transcript] / John C. Cuneo, interviewee. UCLA Oral History Department interview, Available at Department of Special Collections, UCLA. General File, September 1, 1939-August 21, 1952 Physical Description: 40 ft. Copies of letters sent and letters received by the Regional Headquarters of the 12th District from varioius officials and members of the organization, pertaining to business and policy and including questions from individuals concerning the Townsend Plan; copies of receipts for contributions, minutes and bulletins of local clubs, reports and correspondence relating to the Ham and Eggs Plan arranged chronologically and alphabetically as received thereunder as follows: Individuals, Boxes 1-5 September 1, 1939-February 12, Boxes 6-9 June 1, 1941-January 1, Boxes January 1-July 9, Boxes July 10, 1942-March Boxes April 1943-December Boxes January-June Boxes June-December Boxes January-August Boxes August 1945-February Boxes February 1946-March Boxes March-September Boxes September 1947-July 26, Boxes July 1948-September 8, Boxes September 7, 1949-December Boxes January 1951-November 20, Boxes November 20, 1951-August 21, Clubs, Boxes January 1-July 9, Boxes July 10, 1942-March Boxes April 1943-December Boxes January-June Boxes June-December Boxes January-August Boxes August 1945-February Boxes February 1946-March Boxes September 1947-July 26, Box 83 July 1948-September 8, Boxes September 7, 1949-December Box 92 January 1951-November 20,

5 General File, September 1, 1939-August 21, 1952 Boxes November 20, 1951-August 21, Boxes Note Files for the dates not covered in the above list have been destroyed. Boxes Townsend Party File, February 10, 1940-September 27, Physical Description: 3 ft. Copies of letters sent and letters received by John C. Cuneo, Secretary of the Townsend Party of California, during most of the period when the Party was officially on the ballot of the State of California pertaining to the formulation of party policy, support and business; arranged alphabetically as received in two alphabetical files as follows: Individual members file, box 1-3 and Club file. Boxes 110 Minutes of the State Advisory Council of California, Physical Description: 1 ft. Handwritten, typewritten and mimeographed minutes arranged chronologically. Boxes Townsend Club Officers' Directories, and Physical Description: 3 ft. Original typewritten copies of reports received from officers of the Townsend Clubs in the 12th Regional District listing personnel elected to the club and district councils, meeting place and number of paid up members; arranged chronologically and numerically by congressional district thereunder; district council directories are filed at the beginning of each district but are occasionally missing because district council members are chosen from club council members within each district and distict elections are not always held before yearly reports are submitted. Note Directories for are missing. Boxes Townsend State Advisory Committee File, December 8, 1939-November 2, Physical Description: 3 ft. Copies of letters sent and letters received by John C. Cuneo from various persons and from members of the Townsend State Legislative Advisory Committee pertaining to the efforts of the Committee to advance social welfare legislation in California; includes receipts for contributions and invoices for expenses of the Committee; arranged alphabetically as received; receipts and invoices filed in envelopes at the end of the file

6 General File, September 1, 1939-August 21, 1952 Box 128 Speakers' Permit File, Physical Description: 5 in. Applications received from various members of the Townsend Plan movement to speak at rallys and meetings in behalf of the movement; including copies of letters received and letters sent by John C. Cuneo pertaining to speakers' permits; arranged chronologically in folders, but filed in reverse chronological order within individual folders. Boxes Bulletins, and Physical Description: 1 ft. Mimeographed notices and bulletins issued to clubs and council members of the 12th Regional District by John C. Cuneo; arranged chronologically in folders, but filed in reverse chronological order within individual folders. Boxes Accounts, Physical Description: 2 ft. Receipts, disbursements, general ledgers and financial records of contributions received by the 12th Regional District Headquarters from members and clubs within the District; arranged as follows: Boxes Townsend Plan Incorporated, 12th Regional District (Modesto Office). Box 132 Disbursements and general ledger, November 1, 1940-January 7, Box 133 Accounts payable, November 1, 1940-January 7, Boxes 134 Townsend Party of California. Boxes 134 Accounts, Boxes 135 Townsend State Advisory Committee

7 General File, September 1, 1939-August 21, 1952 Boxes 135 Receipts and disbursements and general ledger, December 8, 1939-November 2, Boxes 136 Townsend State Legislative Committee. Boxes 136 Receipts, disbursements and general ledger, November 7, 1947-December 3, Boxes 137 Townsend state office accounts, Townsend Club no.2, Modesto Records Box 138 Minutes, Financial Records, Boxes 139 Membership Rosters, Financial Records, Townsend Plan, Los Angeles Office Boxes Miscellaneous Records Correspondence. Box 144 Vitamin Sale Records. Box 145 National convention 1945; Field employees manual; speakers manual. Boxes Series 11. Boxes Series 12. Cartons Series 12. Box 233 Townsend National Weekly Photographs, Banner, Miscellaneous