Register of the Edwin Francis Gay Papers
Prepared by Lisa Miller
Hoover Institution Archives
Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305-6010
Phone: (650) 723-3563
Fax: (650) 725-3445
Email: archives@hoover.stanford.edu
© 2003
Hoover Institution Archives. All rights reserved.
Register of the Edwin Francis Gay Papers
Hoover Institution Archives
Stanford University
Stanford, California
Contact Information
- Hoover Institution Archives
- Stanford University
- Stanford, California 94305-6010
- Phone: (650) 723-3563
- Fax: (650) 725-3445
- Email: archives@hoover.stanford.edu
- Prepared by:
- Lisa Miller
- Date Completed:
- 2002
- Encoded by:
- ByteManagers using OAC finding aid conversion service specifications
© 2003 Hoover Institution Archives. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Edwin Francis Gay papers,
Date (inclusive): 1917-1927
Collection number: XX085
Creator:
Gay, Edwin Francis, 1867-1946
Collection Size:
6 manuscript boxes, 1 roll of charts
(2.5 linear feet)
Repository:
Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace
Stanford, California 94305-6010
Abstract: Correspondence, diary, reports, memoranda, and writings, relating to American economic mobilization and government control
of the economy during World War I, and to activities of the Central Bureau of Planning and Statistics, War Industries Board,
War Trade Board, Shipping Board, and Commercial Economy Board, and to the American delegation at the
Paris Peace Conference.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Archives
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
The Hoover Institution Archives only allows access to
copies of audiovisual items. To listen to sound recordings or to view videos or films during your visit, please contact the Archives
at least two working days before your arrival. We will then advise you of the accessibility of the material you wish to see
or hear. Please note that not all audiovisual material is immediately accessible.
Publication Rights
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Archives.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Edwin Francis Gay Papers, [Box no.], Hoover Institution Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired.
Accruals
Increments may have been received since this finding aid was prepared. Please check Stanford University's online catalog Socrates
at
http://library.stanford.edu/webcat to find the full extent of the collection.
Biographical Note
| 1867 Oct. 27 |
Born, Detroit, Michigan |
| 1902-1903 |
Instructor, Economics, Harvard University |
| 1903-1906 |
Assistant Professor, Economics, Harvard University |
| 1906-1919 |
Professor, Economics, Harvard University |
| 1908-1919 |
Dean, Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University |
| 1917 Apr.-1918 May |
Member, Commercial Economy Board, Council of National Defense |
| 1917 Dec.-1918 Feb? |
Special expert, U.S. Shipping Board |
| 1918 Feb.-1919 Mar. |
Director, Division of Planning and Statistics, U.S. Shipping Board |
| 1918 Feb.-1919 June |
Member, War Trade Board |
| 1918 May-1918 Dec. |
Member, Conservation Division, War Industries Board |
| 1918 June-1919 Jan. |
Chairman, Division of Planning and Statistics, War Industries Board |
| 1918 June-1919 June |
Director, Central Bureau of Planning and Statistics |
| 1920-1923 |
President,
New York Evening Post
|
| 1924-1936 |
Professor, Economic History, Harvard University |
| 1936-1941 |
Member, Research Staff, Huntington Library |
| 1941-1946 |
Chairman, Huntington Library |
| 1946 Feb. 8 |
Died |
Scope and Content Note
The Edwin Francis Gay papers relate to U.S. government economic mobilization and government control of the economy during
World War I. They document Gay's work for agencies that collected and analyzed economic and statistical data to organize the
war effort. In particular, the papers provide statistical data about imports and exports, shipping, and trade routes during
World War I. They also provide information about the relationship between the U.S. and the Allies, and activities of the U.S.
delegation to the Paris Peace Conference.
Gay's diary runs from Dec. 27, 1917, to July 9, 1919, and covers much of his federal service. Diary entries list Gay's meetings,
significant actions taken, things to be done, and milestones achieved. Brief notations concerning subject matter are sometimes
included, and occasionally there is a more extensive narrative. A lengthy entry about the Chairman of the Shipping Control
Committee is attached to the entry for Feb. 12, 1918.
The series Notes for War Controls Book consists of preliminary material collected by Gorton James from 1925 to 1927 for a
proposed volume on war controls by Gay, which apparently was not completed. What may be drafts of chapters are available for
two subjects, labor and organization for the war. Included are typewritten memoranda of conversations with U.S. wartime figures
such as Bernard M. Baruch, Robert S. Brookings, Herbert Hoover, Vance C. McCormick, and Generals George W. Goethals, C. B.
Wheeler, and C. C. Williams. Some typewritten speeches and manuscripts written by interviewees are included.
The War File series documents Gay's war work, in which Gay was associated with a confusing array of wartime agencies. The
American Commission to Negotiate Peace (Nov. 1918 - Dec. 1919) was organized to negotiate formal treaties ending World War
I. Gay corresponded with his staff members assigned to the Commission, and with delegate John Foster Dulles.
The Allied Maritime Transport Council (Mar. 1918 - Apr. 7, 1919) was an inter-allied body that studied and recommended a concerted
shipping policy. The American Section of the Council included staff from the Division of Planning and Statistics of the U.S.
Shipping Board, which obtained necessary statistical data. Gay corresponded with his statistical staff in London.
The Central Bureau of Planning and Statistics (June 1918 - July 1919) prepared surveys of U.S. government war activities for
the President, operated a statistical clearinghouse, and provided economic data to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace.
It functioned as an independent agency under the President but reported through the War Industries Board until Dec. 31, 1918,
after which it was administered through the War Trade Board. Gay was Chairman of the Central Bureau.
The Commercial Economy Board (Mar. 24, 1917 - May 9, 1918), part of the Council of National Defense, studied commercial business
and identified economies to meet war needs, such as standardizing shoe styles. It was superseded by the Conservation Division
of the War Industries Board. Dr. A. W. Shaw was Chairman of the Commercial Economy Board and Gay was a member.
The Conservation Division (May 9, 1918 - Dec. 31, 1918), part of the War Industries Board, continued the activities of the
Commercial Economy Board. Dr. A. W. Shaw was Chairman of the Conservation Division and Gay was a member.
The Division of Planning and Statistics, part of the U.S. Shipping Board (USSB), was established on Feb. 11, 1918, to record
ship movements and study imports and exports to identify essential trade routes. The Division's data formed the basis for
recommendations to the Shipping Control Committee for the allocation of ships, and to the War Trade Board for restricting
imports. Edward N. Hurley succeeded William Denman as Chairman of the USSB; Gay was Director of the Division of Planning and
Statistics of the USSB.
The Shipping Control Committee, part of the USSB, allocated vessels to cargoes and routes and controlled the discharge of
U.S. tonnage. The USSB Division of Planning and Statistics assigned a representative to the Committee, which was headquartered
in New York. Gay corresponded with his representative and noted problems with Committee Chairman P. A. S. Franklin.
The War Industries Board (WIB; July 28, 1917 - Dec. 31, 1918) analyzed industrial requirements and capacities of the U.S.
and the Allies, set priorities in commodity production and delivery, and arranged price-fixing agreements for raw materials.
Bernard M. Baruch was Chairman of the WIB. Gay served as a member of the Conservation Division of the WIB and as Chairman
of the Division of Planning and Statistics of the WIB. (The Chairman of the Division of Planning and Statistics of the WIB
and the Director of the Division of Planning and Statistics of the USSB were separate positions in different agencies.)
The War Trade Board (Oct. 12, 1917 - June 30, 1919) controlled imports and exports, and conserved commodities and shipping
facilities for U.S. and Allied use. Vance C. McCormick was the Chairman of the War Trade Board and Gay was a member of the
Board representing the USSB.
In the War File series, papers relating to peace negotiations and international cooperation are in the file American Commission
to Negotiate Peace - General Records. Weekly reports and staff conference summaries of the Division and Planning and Statistics
(USSB) for July-August 1918 are attached to letters in the file Division of Planning and Statistics - Correspondence. The
Division of Planning and Statistics (USSB) file Special Report to Edwin Francis Gay on P. A. S. Franklin, 1918, contains documentation
of differences with the Shipping Control Committee Chairman about tonnage allocation between trade and military purposes and
data sharing with the Allied Maritime Transport Council.
The series Printed Matter includes speeches by Bernard M. Baruch at the Army War College and the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers. Printed reports of federal agency offices headed by Gay are in the War File series.
The bulk of Gay's papers are housed at the Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the repository's online public access catalog.
Subjects
United States. Council of National Defense. Commercial Economy Board.
United States. Shipping Board.
Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920)
United States. War Industries Board.
United States. War Trade Board.
World War, 1914-1918.
World War, 1914-1918--Economic aspects.
World War, 1914-1918--Peace.
World War, 1914-1918--United States.
United States--Politics and government.
United States--Foreign relations.
United States. Central Bureau of Planning and Statistics.
Occupations
Economists.
Series Description
box 1
Biographical File, 1917-1922.
Scope and Content Note
Business card, clipping, directory, poem, and government agency reunion and dinner programs, arranged by subject
box 1
Diary, 1917-1919.
Scope and Content Note
Arranged by physical form
box 1
Notes for War Controls Book, 1911-1927.
Scope and Content Note
Bibliographies, manuscripts, memoranda of conversations, notes, outlines, correspondence, and transcript of a lecture, arranged
alphabetically by subject
box 1-6, On shelf
War File, 1917-1920.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, directories, memoranda, minutes of meetings, organization charts, reports, tables, arranged alphabetically
by name of government office or private organization
box 6
Printed Matter, 1913-1943.
Scope and Content Note
Booklets, bulletins, clippings, reprints, publications, transcripts, arranged alphabetically by name of company, government
agency, private organization, or periodical
Container List
Box 1
BIOGRAPHICAL FILE, 1917-1922
Box/Folder 1 : 2
Government alumni, 1918-1922
Box/Folder 1 : 3
Handwritten, 1917 Dec. 27 - 1918 Apr. 27
Box/Folder 1 : 4-6
Typescript, 1918 Jan. 1 - 1919 June 9
NOTES FOR WAR CONTROLS BOOK, 1911-1927
Box/Folder 1 : 8
Correspondence, 1925-1927
Box/Folder 1 : 10
Scope and outline, 1926-1927
Box/Folder 1 : 18
Organization for the war, 1926
Box/Folder 1 : 21
War Industries Board, 1924-1926
Box/Folder 2 : 1-2
Allied Maritime Transport Council. Report, 1919 Apr.
American Commission to Negotiate Peace
Box/Folder 2 : 3
General, 1918 Nov. - 1919 Mar.
Box/Folder 2 : 4
Correspondence, 1919 Jan. 2 - 1919 May 8 (John Foster Dulles, C. S. Duncan, Walter S. Tower)
American Section. Allied Maritime Transport Council
Box/Folder 2 : 5
General, 1918 May - 1919 Jan.
Box/Folder 2 : 6-9
Correspondence, 1918 Mar. 9 - 1919 Apr. 23 (J. S. Davis, James A. Field, Howard L. Gray, Jerome D. Greene, George Rublee, Walter S. Tower)
Box/Folder 2 : 10
Bureau of War Risk Insurance. Report, 1920 May 3
Box 3
Central Bureau of Planning and Statistics
Box/Folder 3 : 1
General, 1918 Oct. 24 - 1919 June 10
Box/Folder 3 : 2
Correspondence, 1918 Aug. 12 - 1919 Sep. 8
Box/Folder 3 : 3
Directories and organization chart, 1918-1919
Box/Folder 3 : 4
Financial statement, 1919 July
Box/Folder 3 : 5
Staff conference, 1918 Sep. 5 - 1919 June 6
Box/Folder 3 : 6
Statistical group conference, 1919 Jan. 21 - 1919 June 3
on-shelf On shelf
Conspectus of Special War Activities, 1918 Aug. 18
Box/Folder 3 : 7
Estimate of Tonnage Available for the Transport of Trans-Atlantic Army Cargo, 1918
Box/Folder 3 : 8
Fuel Administration, 1918 Dec. 30
Box/Folder 3 : 10
Organization and Functions of the Central Bureau of Planning and Statistics, 1918 Dec. 24
on-shelf On shelf
Tables of Production and Consumption of the Chief Commercial Mineral Products..., 1918 Dec. 15
Box/Folder 3 : 11
Activities, 1918 Sep. 14 - 1919 June 7
Box/Folder 3 : 12-14
For the President, 1919 Apr. 28 - 1919 June 16
Box/Folder 3 : 15
Chamber of Commerce. General records, 1917 Oct. 15 - 1918 Oct. 31
Box/Folder 4 : 1-3
General, 1917 Apr. 18 - 1917 Dec. 4
Box/Folder 4 : 4-5
Correspondence, 1917 Apr. 11 - 1917 Dec. 19 (Melvin T. Copeland, A. W. Shaw, others)
Box/Folder 4 : 6
Committee on Economic Research (Harvard University). Report, 1918 June 6
Box/Folder 4 : 7
Conservation Division. Final report, 1918
Division of Planning and Statistics (USSB)
Box/Folder 4 : 8-10
General, 1918 Sep. 7 - 1919 Aug. 14
Box/Folder 4 : 11
Correspondence, 1918 Apr. 12 - 1920 Jan. 10
Box/Folder 4 : 12
Directory and organization chart, 1918 Mar. 11 - 1918 Aug. 5
Box/Folder 4 : 13
Historical sketch to 1918 May 1
List of necessary imports
Box/Folder 4 : 16
Memoranda to Chairman and Commissioners, 1919 Apr. 12 - 1919 May 29
Box/Folder 5 : 1
American merchant shipping, 1919 July 14 - 1919 Aug. 7
Box/Folder 5 : 2
Numbered trade and vessel reports, 1919
Box/Folder 5 : 3-5
Special report to Edwin Francis Gay on P. A. S. Franklin, 1918
Box/Folder 5 : 6
Status of restrictions of minerals..., 1918 Oct.
Division of Planning and Statistics (WIB)
Box/Folder 5 : 7
General, 1918 June 30 - 1918 Dec. 7
Box/Folder 5 : 8-9
Price charts, c. 1918 Oct.
Box/Folder 5 : 10
Shipping Control Committee. General records, 1918 Mar. 5 - 1918 Dec. 13
Box/Folder 5 : 11
War Industries Board. General records, 1918 Sep. 1 - 1920 Apr. 1
Box/Folder 5 : 12
War Prohibition Committee. Announcement, 1917 May 10
Box/Folder 5 : 13
General, 1919 Jan. 1 - 1919 July 17
Box/Folder 6 : 1-2
Correspondence, 1919 Jan. 25 - 1919 Aug. 19
Box/Folder 6 : 4
List of restricted imports, 1918 Mar. 23 - 1919 Jan. 6
PRINTED MATTER, 1913-1943
Box/Folder 6 : 6
Academy of Political Science, 1926
Box/Folder 6 : 7
American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1916-1918
Box/Folder 6 : 8
American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1924
Box/Folder 6 : 9
Bankers Trust Company, 1918
Box/Folder 6 : 10
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1918
Box/Folder 6 : 11
Chamber of Commerce, 1917
Box/Folder 6 : 12
Conference Committee on National Preparedness, 1917
Box/Folder 6 : 13
Conference on Social Agencies and Reconstruction, 1919
Box/Folder 6 : 14
Co-Operative League of America, 1917
Box/Folder 6 : 15
Great Britain. Committee on Commercial and Industrial Policy, 1918
Box/Folder 6 : 16
Massachusetts. Commission on the Cost of Living, 1917
Box/Folder 6 : 18
National Foreign Trade Council, 1917
Box/Folder 6 : 20
Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1918
Box/Folder 6 : 21
United States. Congress. House of Representatives, 1919
Box/Folder 6 : 22
United States. Congress. House of Representatives. Select Committee on U.S. Shipping Board Operations, 1920
Box/Folder 6 : 23
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Finance, 1917
Box/Folder 6 : 24
United States. National Archives, 1943
Box/Folder 6 : 25
United States. President's Mediation Commission, 1918
Box/Folder 6 : 26
United States. War Department, 1923
Box/Folder 6 : 27
United States. War Department. Army War College, 1924-1925
Box/Folder 6 : 28
United States. War Department. Liquidation Commission, 1920
Box/Folder 6 : 29
United States. War Department. Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1923
Box/Folder 6 : 30
United States. War Department. War Plans Division, 1918-1919
Box/Folder 6 : 32
World Peace Foundation, 1913
