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FRANK E. MASON PAPERS, 1909-1979
17 linear feet, 2 linear inches (38 manuscript boxes, 2 oversized boxes)
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
Frank E. Mason's life spanned several interesting careers which are only partially documented in the papers he donated to three manuscript repositories. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin received papers concerning his broadcasting career as an NBC executive (1931‑45) and his services as a special assistant for public relations to Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox during World War II. Papers concerning his earlier career as a newspaper executive (1920‑31) with the International News Service and his dispatches on the occupation policies of the Allied military government in 1945‑47 were presented to the Hoover Institution in 1955.
The Hoover Presidential Library has also received materials related to all of these activities‑‑as reflected in correspondence, telephone logs and Mason's diaries. The Library was also the recipient of Mason's files concerning his service as a regimental intelligence officer and intelligence school instructor in World War I. Mason felt that the war was a pivotal period in his life for it led to important assignments for General Pershing after the Armistice, brought him to the attention of William Randolph Hearst and ultimately led to a successful career as a newspaper and broadcasting executive.
Mason's long friendship with Herbert Hoover, and the services he performed for the "Chief" as a public relations advisor and literary executor, are the principal focus of the papers Mason donated to the Hoover Presidential Library. Diaries and correspondence with Hoover and Mason's wife Ellen (1945‑47) provide interesting observations concerning early Allied occupation policies.
While he was in Europe Mason also acted as a collector of manuscripts, records and rare books for the Hoover Institution. His main coup was the discovery and preservation of a large portion of the diaries of Joseph Goebbels. This led to a prolonged fight with the Office of Alien Property which sought to block its publication by Mason and his associates.
Mason's dispatches, coupled with his contacts and experience in both public relations and in dealing with the military, no doubt influenced Hoover's decision to select Mason as one of his principal assistants during Hoover's 1946 survey of the world food supply situation. (The other aide was former ambassador Hugh Gibson.) Mason's diary and chatty "Dear Julius" letters to Hoover's friend Julius Klein contain a wealth of information concerning the politics of relief during the postwar period.
After the famine survey trip the Hoover‑Mason relationship gradually matured as Mason became one of Hoover's most‑trusted advisors. In the late 1940's Mason enlisted the assistance of Neil MacNeil, assistant managing editor of the New York Times, in breaking the apparent press boycott on reporting news about Hoover. Once the Times printed a Hoover story or statement, the others could no longer ignore it. When Hoover began looking for a publisher for his memoirs it was only natural to turn to Mason whose talents as an agent and advisor eventually led to his becoming, along with MacNeil, one of Hoover's literary executors. After the creation of the Hoover Presidential Library, Mason's advice was frequently solicited in connection with the development of the Library and its programs.
FOLDER LIST
SUBJECT FILES
Box Contents
1
A GROUP, 1973
Addresses, Christmas List, 1962‑1980
Air Force Unification, 1943, undated
Atomic Energy
Austin, Paul, 1973
Author's Fund, 1978
B GROUP, 1943‑1972
Beard on Foreign Policy, 1971‑1972
Berlin, 1919‑1926
Best, Gary Dean, 1971
Biographies, undated
Blumenson, Martin, 1976
Books for Libraries, Inc., 1971‑1975
Brophy, Ralph M. and Marge, 1971‑1984
Brown Ella, 1968-1976, undated (2 folders)
Burdick, Charles B. 1974‑1975 (2 folders)
Burner, David, 1970‑1976 (2 folders)
C GROUP, 1968‑1975
Callaghan, Horace, 1957‑1969
Campaign of 1932 – Smears: Raskob Apology
Campaign of 1964
2
Campbell, Glenn, 1961-1975 (3 folders)
Campbell, Glenn and Rita, 1974‑1977
Capper, Raymond – Articles, 1943‑1944
Central Intelligence Agency, 1946‑1948
Christmas Cards and Letters
Clarke, Carter, 1968‑1978
Colegrove, Kenneth, 1968‑1975
Colegrove, Psyche, 1973‑1978
Columbia Oral History Program, 1974
Considine, Bob, 1968‑1973
Cox, Martha and Richard, 1972‑1975
3
D GROUP
deToledano, Ralph, 1970
Dressel, Ellis Loring
E GROUP
Ecker, Frederick H., 1954‑1964
Ecker, Frederick W., 1964
Eggleston, George, 1978
Elmiger, Ginette, 1955
Entertainment: Guests, 1938‑1941, undated
Estes, Bille Sol, 1962
European Newsreel Project, 1939, undated
F GROUP
Famine Relief Survey
General, 1945-1946, undated (2 folders)
Clippings 1946
Dear Julius Letters, 1946-1947 (4 folders)
Hoover Statements and Press Conferences, 1946
?Pate Diary
Fararr, Fred, 1966-1973 (2 folders)
4
Fararr, Fred, 1974‑1975
Faymonville, Phillip, 1975‑1977
Fellers, Bonner, 1966‑1968, undated
Fergurson, Horner and Myrtle, 1965‑1977, undated
Fellers, Bonner, 1942
Fireside Press, 1946, undated
Foley, William T., 1967-1979 (4 folders)
Food for Small Democracies, 1970
Frick, Helen C., 1959‑1971
G GROUP
Gardner, Richard L., 1974‑1975
Germany
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1945-1946 (5 folders)
5
Articles by Frank Mason, 1945, undated (3 folders)
Military Government, 1945, undated
Miscellaneous, 1945‑1946, undated
Photos, 1945
War Crimes Trials, 1945
Gibson, Hugh, 1945‑1974, undated
Goebbels Diaries
Clippings, 1948‑1950
Correspondence, 1947-1950, undated (8 folders)
Miscellaneous, 1948‑1977, undated (2 folders)
6
Statement before Senate Judiciary Committee on June 15, 1950 (5 folders)
Statement by Frank E. Mason, 1950
H GROUP
Hauser, Louis & Linda, 1971‑1975
Heimlick, William F. 1971‑1979, undated
Henry, John M., 1972-1976 (4 folders)
Herbert Hoover Foundation, 1967-1979 (2 folders)
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library
General, 1968‑1970
7
General, 1971-1977 (2 folders)
Flemish Cabinet
Printed Matter
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, 1954-1972, undated (9 folders)
8
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, 1972-1978 (2 folders)
Hickock, Guy and Andree, 1929‑1981, undated
Hitler Plots, 1946
Hoover, Allan, 1965-1975 (7 folders)
Hoover, Herbert
General, 1940-1962 (18 folders)
10
General, 1963-1965, undated (2 folders)
Article and Speeches, 1944-1962, undated (4 folders)
Biographical Sketch
Birthday Celebrations, 1954‑1974
Book by Hugh Gallagher, 1974
Bust of Herbert Hoover, 1967‑68
Campaign of 1964: Observations
Clippings
Famine Relief Survey
General, 1946-1947, undated (2 folders)
Requests for Assistance
Illnesses
Miscellaneous
Miss Hill Correspondence, 1892‑1895
National Cyclopedia of America Biography, 1973‑1975
11
Photographs and Portraits
Hoover, Herbert Jr., 1966‑1969
Hoover, Lou Henry
General, 1941
Biography of Lou Henry Hoover 1966 (2 folders)
Hoover Book by Lewis L. Strauss, 1971‑1975
Hoover Books
American Epic, 1959‑1960
American Individualism, 1967‑1971
Copyrights, 1964‑1970 and undated
Doubleday & Company, 1968‑1970
Fishing for Fun
Magnum Opus
Memoirs
Correspondence, 1950-1976 (4 folders)
Promotion, 1952
Miscellaneous
Ordeal of Woodrow Wilson, 1972
Scribners, 1969‑1970
Hoover China Plate Proposition, 1972
Hoover Commissions, 1949
Hoover File on the Masons, 1941‑1946
12
Hoover File on the Masons, 1947‑1950, undated
Hoover Institution
Advisory Board, 1960-1970 (2 folders)
Board of Overseers, 1970-1979 (7 folders)
Collecting Activities of Frank Mason, 1945-1962 (4 folders)
13
Dedication of Herbert Hoover Room – Responses from Dignitaries, 1965
General, 1949-1984, undated (3 folders)
Manuscripts Donated by Mason, 1970-1972, undated (2 folders)
New Left Summaries, 1969-1972 (4 folders)
Report by K. Colegrove, 1960
Resolution of Thanks for Services, 1980
Hoover Oral History Project
General, 1966-1971 (3 folders)
Anthony Interview, 1970
Mason Interview, 1966‑1968
Howard, Jack R., 1971‑1976
Howard, Roy, 1944‑1959
Humor
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14
International News Service
General, 1920-1931, undated (3 folders)
Anecdotes, 1966‑1971
Business Improvement, 1927‑1931
Koenigsberg Incident, 1928
Mason's Resignation, 1931
Irwin, James W., 1973‑1977
J GROUP
Johnson, Harold K., 1969
Jordan, Max, 1969‑1977
K GROUP
Kean, Robert Winthrop, 1968‑1979
Kirk, Neville T. and Carol, 1926-1970 (2 folders)
15
Kirk, Neville T. and Carol, 1971-1979, undated (7 folders)
Knox, Frank, 1927‑1943
L GROUP
Lewis, Bond, 1973‑1976, undated
Lindsay, Franklin and Dodie, 1975‑1977, undated
Lusitania Sinking, 1919‑1974
M GROUP
16
McCarty, John T., 1971‑1972
McBee, Dorothy H., 1965‑1967
MacNeil, Neil, 1964-1968 (2 folders)
Magnum, Opus, 1976‑1977
Mason, Carol, 1930‑1936 and undated
Mason, Caroline, 1967‑1972
Mason, Cora Tussing, 1918‑1926
Mason, Ellen, 1936-1978, undated (5 folders)
Mason, Frank. E.
Articles and Speeches
Biographical Material
Donation of Papers to Hoover Presidential Library
Estate
Financial, 1927‑1960 and undated
Funeral, etc.
Military Service: Inter‑War Years
World War II Service Records
Mason, Robert T., 1946
Mason, Virginia, 1973
17
Mason Family History, 1921‑1988, undated
Michaela, J. A., 1946
Milbank, Jeremiah
General, 1955-1967, undated (5 folders)
Inflation Fighters 1958‑1959, undated
Milbank, Jeremiah Jr., 1957‑1976, undated
Milbank, Katherine, 1964‑1966, undated
Miller, Walter L., 1970‑1972
Minthorn House
Moley, Raymond, 1967‑1975
Monahan, James, 1966‑1975
Morrill, Lewis, 1973‑1976
Moynihan, Arthur, 1972‑1977, undated
Moley, Raymond, 1974‑1975
Morgenthan Plan, 1944
N GROUP
National Broadcasting Company, 1939-1976 (2 folders) [31-mason-b17-f21-nbc]
Naval Reserve Controversy, 1943 1944, undated
18
Navy Service in World War II
Correspondence, 1941-1943 (12 folders)
19
Correspondence, 1944, undated (3 folders)
Coordinator of Information, 1941‑1942
Elk Hills Contract, 1943
Office of Public Relations
Radio Section, 1941‑1942
Telephone Messages, 1941 (4 folders)
20
Telephone Messages, 1942-1943 (3 folders)
OWI Meetings, 1942
Resignation from Navy, 1944
Role of FEM
New York WPA Project
Nixon, Richard M.
O GROUP (2 folders)
Ohio State School of Journalism, 1973‑1975, undated
Ohio State University, 1977
Old Oaks
O'Neill, James F., 1969‑1975
Osmun, Russell, 1944‑1945
P GROUP
Patton, George S., 1943-1945 (2 folders)
Pearl Harbor, 1953, 1975-1977 (2 folders)
Permission to Quote Hoover Materials, 1964-1966 (5 folders)
21
Permission to Quote Hoover Materials, 1967-1979 (11 folders)
Personal Correspondence D‑N and unidentified
Photographs (3 folders)
Pihl, Paul, 1965‑1969
Polish Elections of 1947
Postwar Plans for the Pacific, 1944
Presidential Candidiates Poll, 1959
R GROUP
Reagan, Ronald, 1975
Regnery, Henry, 1973, 1975 (2 folders)
Robinson – Bornet Book, 1954-1975, undated (3 folders)
Roosevelt, Archibald B., 1973‑1975, undated
Roosevelt and Browder, 1957
Roosevelt Myth Draft
S GROUP
Screenwriters Guild
Second Division Association, 1935-1974 (3 folders)
23
Second Division Association, 1974‑1978
Senators at Large, 1947‑1948
Short Snorter
Smith, Ralph C., 1970-1979, undated (2 folders)
Stahlman, James G., 1939-1976 (5 folders)
Starr, Richard F., 1971-1976, undated (2 folders)
Strauss, Lewis L., 1945-1977 (2 folders)
Tenney, G.E., 1973‑1975
Thalken, Tom, 1970‑1978
Thomas, Lowell, 1931‑1981
Toland, John, 1976
Tong Chu, Elsie, 1964
24
Travel Articles by Mason, 1959‑1960, undated
Trevor, Alexander B., 1970‑1972
Trevor, John B., Jr., 1969-1979 (2 folders)
Trips
Zeppelin, 1919
South Pacific, 1944
Europe, 1962
Europe, 1966
Truman, Harry S., 1968‑1974
V GROUP
Vedrine Family, 1971‑1979, undated
Viet Nam, 1971
Von Wiegand, Karl, 1925-1961, undated (4 folders)
25
W GROUP
Walker, Louis Carlise, 1956‑1960
Wedemayer, Albert Coady, 1947-1979, undated (3 folders)
Weiss, Donald B., 1961‑1987, undated
Wisemen Group, 1966‑1977
Wisconsin State Historical Society, 1962‑1975
Witmer, Dottie, 1972‑1976, undated
Wood, Donald J., 1972
World War I
Chateau‑Thierry Map
Commendations, etc., 1918‑1943
Discharge and Misc.
Intelligence Gathering Instructions, 1918‑1930
Intelligence School
Correspondence, Orders, etc., 1917‑1919
Course Handouts, etc.
Diary
26
Lectures (2 folders)
Lists of Students and Instructors
Miscellaneous
Report ‑ 84th Division
Training Schedules
Intelligence Summaries, May-Nov 1918 (4 folders)
Military Attache Reports, 1919, undated (2 folders)
Propaganda
Scrapbook
Souvenirs
World War II - Psychological Warfare
Writers Board: "The Thought Police," 1946
Yarnell, H. E., 1943‑1944, undated
Yeager, Naomi, 1968‑1976
Yeaton, Ivan Downes, 1974
27
Yeaton, Ivan Downes, 1975-1978, undated (2 folders)
Unidentified
Memorabilia
Miscellaneous (2 folders)
Printed Matter
Autographs: Mason Guest Book
Germany: Clippings and Printed Matter, 1945‑1946
DIARIES
28 Diaries, 1909-1950 (7 folders)
29 Diaries, 1951-1963 (2 folders)
30 Diaries, 1964-1973
31 Diaries, 1974-1979
Diaries of Ellen Mason, 1931-1942 (2 folders)
32 Diaries of Ellen Mason, 1949-1976 (6 folders)
33 Diaries: Trips
Trip to Germany, Aug‑Oct 1945
Famine Survey Trip, 1946
European Trips, 1954-1966, undated (3 folders)
34 Photographs
35 Photographs
36 Photographs
BOOKS
37 Books
38 Books
OVERSIZED
39
No. 1, 1934-1941. New York newspaper clippings about: Cinderella balls, women’s issues, articles about Mrs. Frank E. Mason-aid to society, green ball program, horseshow clippings, Frank and wife fly the Dixie Clipper to Europe, champagne ball program. Some photographs
No. 2, 1922-1940. Newspaper clippings and articles about: Mason becoming head of the International News Service, phone service linking ships, media, news, radio, VP of National Broadcasting Company, radio advertisers, agencies, and NBC News. Some photographs
40
NBC Scrapbook, 1941–1944. Newspaper clippings about: Mason and Navy radio publicity, club women, war news.
Photographs of: Frank and Ellen Mason, the yacht Cora Lee, and wedding photographs with Hoover.
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