Research

Scope and Content Note

This series contains releases sent to city and county salvage committees and committee chairs to keep them apprised of specific salvage needs and campaigns.

Subseries 1, General Releases to Local Committees, 1943-1945: This subseries contains releases from the Salvage Division to the city and county salvage committees intended to inform and motivate salvage committee volunteers. Each release has sections devoted to specific salvage items such as waste fat, tin, paper, and scrap metal, and includes collection figures, directions, quotations, national program descriptions, and indications of how these materials were used in the war effort. Exemplary salvage efforts from around the state are reported in these releases. A few leaflets, posters, and stickers, designed to publicize, inspire, or educate the general public are also found. Included is an index for releases 1 through 199, but only releases numbered from 197 to 380 are found in the series.

Subseries 2, Releases to Local Committee Chairmen, 1943-1945: This subseries contains brief letters sent from the Salvage Division to all city and county salvage committee chairmen to inform them of salvage needs and to advise on programs. Most address a single issue such as specific salvage needs, suggestions for programs, the availability of promotional and instructional material, government policy, requests for information, and quota figures intended to keep the chairmen notified of success rates. Many of the letters were sent with booklets, advertising mats, brochures, and scripts and some of those items are found within the series. Also found is a list of local salvage committee chairmen dated February 15, 1945.