THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1936

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE OF EXPENDITURES IN THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS,

Washington, D. C.

The committee met at 10 a. m., Hon. John J. Cochran (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. R. D. W. Connor, the Archivist of the United States, in charge of the National Archives, is here in response to the committee's call. Mr. Connor, I want to say we have not brought you here to criticize you. If there is any criticism at all it should be directed at the Congress responsible for the passage of the laws which you were appointed to administer.

We want to be helpful, and I think the committee can be helpful. It is the duty of this committee to look into expenditures in the executive departments. You are operating under two laws, one that creates the National Archives, and the other that provides for the Federal Register.

When were you appointed, Mr. Connor?

STATEMENTS OF R. D. W. CONNOR, ARCHIVIST OF THE UNITED STATES; DORSEY W. HYDE, JR., DIRECTOR OF ARCHIVAL SERVICE; THAD PAGE, ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY; AND COLLAS G. HARRIS, EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Mr. CONNOR. In October 1934; October 10 is the date of the commission.

The CHAIRMAN. How many employees have you now?

Mr. CONNOR. We had 117 on December 31.

The CHAIRMAN. Of those employees, how many are going around to the various Government agencies looking over their files? Mr. CONNOR. There are about 20, I believe.

Mr. HARRIS. The exact number of special deputy examiners is 12, and they have some assistants.. They have not more than 6 assistants, so 20 will be the absolute maximum.

Mr. CONNOR. The number will be about 18, to be exact.
"The CHAIRMAN. That leaves 99 in the Archives Building.
What is the length of your appointment?

Mr. CONNOR. The act is silent as to tenure.

The CHAIRMAN. That question might come up at a time when we change Presidents, the question as to whether or not your appointment is permanent..

44930-36-1

1

Under the act the President is authorized to appoint everybody whose salary is in excess of $5,000, and they have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Mr. CONNOR. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. And also under the act you appoint everybody whose salary is less than $5,000, without regard to the civil service? Mr. CONNOR. That is right.

The CHAIRMAN. Is there a clause in the act that requires you to follow the classification act as to salaries, or can you name such salaries as you desire?

Mr. CONNOR. They name the salaries.

The CHAIRMAN. Who are "they"?

Mr. CONNOR. The Personnel Classification Board.

The CHAIRMAN. They classify the employees?

Mr. CONNOR. They classify them and fix the grades, according to the duties to be performed.

Mr. CRAVENS. What Classification Board is that?

Mr. CONNOR. That is the civil-service classification, the Personnel Classification Board.

The CHAIRMAN. All appointments under $5,000 are in no way under the civil service?

Mr. CONNOR. That is correct.

The CHAIRMAN. It is left to your discretion as to whether or not the applicant is qualified for the position he seeks?

Mr. CONNOR. That is correct.

The CHAIRMAN. Can you tell me how many cubic feet of space is now available, completed, without the stacks, for the storage of documents?

Mr. CONNOR. You mean in The National Archives Building?
The CHAIRMAN. Yes; that is all you control, is it not?

Mr. CONNOR. Yes. There are 3,974,255 cubic feet of space.

The CHAIRMAN. In round numbers, 4,000,000 cubic feet.

Mr. CONNOR. That is gross; the net is 2,701,196.

The CHAIRMAN. What do you mean by "net"? Do you mean for the storage of documents?

Mr. CONNOR. For the storage of documents; yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Then you have over a million cubic feet of for the offices?

Mr. CONNOR. And for the corridors, foyers, general lobbies, exhibition hall, and so forth.

The CHAIRMAN. And an additional 32 million cubic feet of space will be provided for when the stacks are completed?

Mr. CONNOR. 2,914,707 cubic feet.

The CHAIRMAN. I am not criticizing you in any way, because all this happened before you were appointed.

It has always been said of these new buildings that they are memorials for living men. As to two of them, they call the Department of Commerce the Hoover memorial, and they are already looking at the new Department of the Interior Building as the Ickes memorial.

While Mr. Hoover's name is on the cornerstone of this building there is no doubt but that it should be called the Reed-Smoot memorial. He is the man who insisted that that building be con