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THE HERBERT M. BRATTER COLLECTION, 1919-1971
# 137
(12 cubic feet: 36 DB)
by: Grace M. Angle & Robert S. Harding, November 1986
Biography
Herbert Max Bratter, an economic and financial specialist, was born in
New York City, January 22, 1900 and died in San Antonio, Texas, February
19, 1976. Fluent in six languages, Mr. Bratter became an internationally
known expert on gold and silver.
Mr. Bratter was educated at City College, New York (1917-1919) and
Columbia University (1919-1921). After several positions with private
firms, and a period in the early twenties as a statistician in the Chinese
Government Bureau of Economic Information, he became an economic analyst
for the United States Department of Commerce and later for the Treasury
(1929-1935) and was a member of the Rogers financial mission to the Far
East. In both Commerce and Treasury "following" silver was one
of his official responsibilities. He returned to the private sector and an
economics research post with Loomis-Sayles & Co., a Massachusetts
investment company (1935-1937), and later was in private practice as an
economic consultant in Washington. His address was 3000 - 39th Street,
NW., Washington 16, D.C.
Author of more than 125 magazine and newspaper articles and pamphlets,
Mr. Bratter was also the Washington correspondent and a regular
contributor to Banking from 1939 to 1974. Mr. Bratter was firmly
opposed to any government or monetary action to support the silver
industry and in complete disagreement with the Silver Purchase Act. He was
consulted as an expert on silver by several members of the Senate during
periods of legislative debates on pending silver legislation. His
publications include The Price of Silver (1930), Japanese
Banking (1931), and Silver Market Dictionary (1933).
Scope and Content
These papers are the working files of a financial specialist throughout
his professional life. They consist of press releases, newspaper
clippings, daily, weekly and monthly releases from government agencies
such as the press summaries of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
of the Department of Commerce and that agency's Far Eastern Financial Notes, Federal Reserve
Board Notes, and periodic releases of the Bank for International
Settlements. There are extensive clippings from the Congressional Record
on monetary matters and particularly on silver and gold when these were
subjects of legislative interest, a number of Congressional committee
reports and Congressional hearings.
Also included are many clippings from the Economist and a number
from Business Week. Newspaper clippings are most frequently from
the New York Times, New York Herald Tribune, Washington
Post, Washington Star and Wall Street Journal. During
several periods of intense activity relating to silver, Mr. Bratter also
used a clipping service. There are some clippings from English language
papers in other countries and a few in the language of the country.
Regular bulletins of major banks in this and other countries are
included among the papers. There are a copies of articles by Mr. Bratter,
occasional correspondence, and several reports from commercial attaches in
U.S. embassies in the Far East. Correspondence is filed in the relevant
subject matter folder. The papers include a number of handwritten notes,
most of them memoranda to himself on phone calls or face-to-face
conversations with governmental or Congressional staff, and members of
Congress.
While not complete, the material embraces a period when the monetary
and fiscal policies of the United States were of major economic and
political importance, an era of world-wide depression, a period when a
number of countries including the United States abandoned the gold
standard, the years of the Second World War and the establishment of such
international agencies as the International Monetary Fund and the World
Bank. It is complete enough to be useful for doctoral dissertations on
several subjects.
Later, two additional boxes of publications were received and added to
the collection. They comprise boxes 1 and 2 of Series 6, Pamphlets,
Bulletins, Congressional Committee Reports, Congressional Hearings and
Other Publications.
The papers are organized in the manner in which they were received by
Archives Center: by subject matter and geographically by country. The
topical, political and geographical series are arranged alphabetically
within each series. The material by country varies from two or three
clippings in a single folder to nineteen folders on China. The most
extensive country material is that for China, India and Mexico, all
countries in which silver constituted the base for currency.
Folder headings are those on the folders in which the material was
received by the Center. It appears from this that either some folders were
incorrectly labeled or some material was not turned over to the Archives
Center. For example, the folders relating to world currency, omit World
Currency I and III. The Guide to Manuscript Collections 1978 in
describing the Bratter collection states: "They also concern the
Committee for the Nation to Rebuild Prices and Purchasing Power, a 1930's
monetary propaganda group."
No such material has been located among the papers. Two brief
references to such a group were noted. It is mentioned in the folder on
Walter Lippmann (Series 2, box 2, folder 1) and in a Saturday Evening Post
article by Raymond Moley Series 2, box 2, folder 3.
Except for some yellowing of the paper the material is in good
condition.
Provenance
Transferred from National Numismatics Collection January 15, 1985.
Given to the National Numismatics Collection by Mr. Bratter in the 1960's.
Container List
Box Folder
Series 1: TOPICAL
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1 |
1 |
Articles by Herbert M. Bratter, I |
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2 |
Articles by Herbert M. Bratter, II |
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3 |
Articles by others, I - 1930-32 |
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4 |
Articles by others, II - 1933-36 |
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5 |
Articles by other, III |
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6 |
Bibliography |
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2 |
1 |
Bimetallism |
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2 |
Celler-Wolcott Amendments (1943) |
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3 |
Certificates, silver |
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4 |
Charts |
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5 |
Chronology |
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6 |
Clippings, news releases (1971-74) |
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7 |
Coinage, U.S. |
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8 |
Coinage Act of 1965 |
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3 |
1 |
Coinage, news clippings (1965-1966) |
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2 |
Coinage, redemption |
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3 |
Commodity Exchange |
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4 |
Companies |
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5 |
Conference (London Economic |
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6 |
Conference, continued |
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7 |
Conference, silver |
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4 |
1 |
Conference, silver (Bretton Woods) |
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2 |
Congressional |
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3 |
Congressional Record Debates on Silver and Inflation, 1933 |
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4 |
Congressional Record Debates on Silver and Inflation, Vol. II |
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5 |
Demonetization |
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6 |
Dies, Martin |
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7 |
Dollar Exchange |
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5 |
1 |
Embargos |
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2 |
Executive Proclamation (Oct. 21, 1933) |
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3 |
Executive Proclamation II, III |
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4 |
Executive Proclamation IV, V |
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5 |
Gold, 1933-39, Regulations, clippings |
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6 |
Gold Laws and Regulations |
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7 |
Gold Clause I |
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8 |
Gold Clause I, continued |
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6 |
1 |
Gold Clause II |
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2 & 3 |
Gold Plans (1949-1955) |
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4 |
Gold Plans - Committee for Constitutional Government |
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5 |
Gold Reserve Act of 1934 |
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6 |
Hard Money Debate I (1953-1956) |
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7 |
Hard Money Debate II |
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7 |
1 |
Historical I |
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2 |
Historical II |
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3 |
House Hearings 1932 |
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4 |
Industrial (silver) I - Possible New Uses |
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5 |
Industrial (silver) II - Effects of War Stringencies |
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6 |
Industrial (silver) III - Busbar Deal |
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7 |
Industrial (silver) IV - Political Aspects |
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8 |
Industrial (silver V) - OPM and WPB |
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9 |
Industrial (silver) VI - Other Angles |
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8 |
1 |
Industrial (silver) - Silver Users Association I |
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2 |
Industrial (silver) - Silver Users Association II |
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3 |
Industrial (silver) - Trading, Production and Consumption |
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4 |
International Chamber of Commerce |
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5 |
Letters (silver) |
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6 |
London Agreement |
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7 |
Maria Theresa Thaler |
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8 |
Market (silver) |
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9 |
1 |
Market Letters |
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2 |
Memoranda |
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3 |
Military Currency |
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4 |
Miscellaneous |
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5 & 6 |
Monetary |
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7 |
Money Debate 1957-1958 |
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10 |
1 |
Money Debate mid 1959 |
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2 |
Movements |
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3 |
Nationalization |
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4 |
New Deal |
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5 |
Notes on Russell's "International Monetary Conferences" |
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6 |
Overseas Business Reports |
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7 |
Plans I - Unclassified (silver) |
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8 |
Plans II - Unclassified II (silver) |
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11 |
1 |
Plans, Opinions III (silver) |
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2 |
Plans, Opinions IV (silver) |
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3 |
Plans, IV, continued (silver) |
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4 |
Plans V (silver) |
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5 |
Plans - Democratic (silver) |
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12 |
1 |
Plans - Democratic, continued (silver) |
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2 |
Plans - Foreign (silver) |
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3 |
Plans - Jewelers I (silver) |
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4 |
Plans - Jewelers II (silver) |
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5 |
Plans - Mining Industry (silver) |
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6 |
Plans - Republican |
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13 |
1 |
Plans - Republican II |
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2 |
Political I (Silver) |
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3 |
Political II (Silver) |
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4 |
Political 1939 (Silver) |
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5 |
Price Silver |
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14 |
1 |
Price, continued (Silver) |
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2 |
Priorities for Silver Mines |
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3 |
Probe I by Treasury (silver) |
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4 |
Probe II by Pittman (silver) |
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5 |
Probe III by Thomas (silver) |
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6 |
Probe IV by Banking and Currency Committee (silver) |
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7 |
Probe V by Special Silver Committee 1942-43 |
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8 |
Probe VI by Senate Banking and Currency - Green Bill |
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9 |
Production and Consumption |
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10 |
Purchasing Power of Orient |
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15 |
1 |
Rogers Mission |
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2 |
Seignorage |
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3 |
Silver Clause |
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4 |
Silver Episode Correspondence |
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5 |
Silver Legislation in America |
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6 |
Silver 1942-1943, Extra Copies of releases, bills, etc. |
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7 |
Silver Purchase Act, 1934 |
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8 |
Silver Purchase Act of 1934, continued |
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9 |
Silver Purchase Act - Debates 1934 |
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10 |
Silver Purchase Act - Debates on Repeal 1939, 1940, 1963 |
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16 |
1 |
Silver Purchase Act Repeal |
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2 |
Silver Purchase Act Repeal II |
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3 |
Silver Purchase Act Repeal III |
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4 |
Stabilization Fund |
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5 |
Stockpile |
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6 |
Stocks |
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17 |
1 |
Subsidy |
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2 |
Trade Figures |
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3 & 4 |
Trading |
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5 & 6 |
Treasury Policy |
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7 |
Treasury Purchases (1933-34) |
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18 |
1 |
Treasury Purchases II |
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2 |
Unimportance of Silver |
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3 & 4 |
U.S. Currency System |
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5 |
U.S. Political History (silver) Through March 1933 |
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6 |
U.S. Political History (silver) April 1933 through 1935 |
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19 |
1 |
War Chest - War Effects |
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2 |
War Debt 1933 - 1959 |
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3 |
Who's Who (silver) |
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4 |
World Currency II |
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5 |
World Currency IV |
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6 |
World Currency V |
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7 |
World Currency VI |
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20 |
1 |
World Currency VII |
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2 |
World Currency VIII |
Series 2: POLITICAL
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21 |
1 |
Borah, William F. and Warburg, James P. |
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2 |
Brownell, Francis H. |
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3 |
Coughlin, Reverend Charles E. |
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4 |
Groseclose, Elgin |
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5 |
King, William |
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6 |
Leith - Rose, Frederick |
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7 |
Leon, Rene |
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22 |
1 |
Lippmann, Walter |
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2 |
McCarran, Senator Patrick |
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3 |
Moley, Raymond - New Deal |
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4 |
Morgenthau, Henry - New Deal |
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5 |
Palmer, Robert S. |
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6 |
Pittman, Senator Key |
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7 |
Pittman, Senator Key II |
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8 |
Roosevelt, F.D. (New Deal) |
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9 |
Strauss, Simon D. |
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23 |
1 |
Thomas, Elmer |
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2 |
Thomas, Elmer II |
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3 |
Townsend, John G. 1939 (Jan.-April) |
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4 |
Townsend, John G. 1939 (May-Aug.) |
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5 |
Townsend, John G. II 1939 |
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6 |
Townsend, John G. (Probe by) I |
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24 |
1 |
Townsend, John G. III 1940 |
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2 |
Townsend, John G. III 1940, continued |
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3 |
Townsend, John G. Silver Releases |
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4 |
Wheeler, Burton K. |
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5 |
White, C. I. |
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6 |
White, C. I. continued |
Series 3: LAWS, ORDERS AND RELEASES
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25 |
1 |
Laws, Orders and Releases, Vol. 1 March 1933-August 1934 |
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2 |
Laws, Orders and Releases, Vol. 2 April 1935-January 1939 |
Series 4: ECONOMISTS' NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON MONETARY
POLICY
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26 |
1 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy (1935-1937) |
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2 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy (1938) |
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3 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy (1939-1940) |
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4 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy (1941-42) |
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5 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy (1943-1947) |
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6 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy (1948-49) |
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27 |
1 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy (1950-1956) |
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2 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy (1957-1970) |
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3 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy - Miscellaneous
Publications
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4 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy - Monetary
Notes (January 1944 - May 1947) |
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5 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy - Monetary
Notes (June 1947-October 1950) |
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6 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy - Monetary
Notes (November 1950-April 1954) |
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28 |
1 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy - Monetary
Notes (May 1954-October 1957) |
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2 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy - Monetary
Notes (November 1957-October 1963) |
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3 |
Economists' National Committee on Monetary Policy - Monetary
Notes (November 1963-January 1970) |
Series 5: GEOGRAPHICAL BY COUNTRY
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29 |
1 |
Afghanistan 1933-1936 |
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2 |
Belgium 1933 |
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3 |
Canada 1931-1968 |
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4 |
China I and II 1919; 1931; 1933 |
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5 |
China III 1934 January - September |
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6 |
China IV 1934 October - December |
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7 |
China V 1935 January - March |
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8 |
China V 1935 April - June |
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30 |
1 |
China VII 1935 July - October |
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2 |
China VIII 1935 November - December |
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3 & 4 |
China IX |
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5 |
China X Silver 1936 July - December |
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6 |
China Balance of Payments |
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31 |
1 |
China - Booklets, Reports, etc. |
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2 |
China - Booklets, Reports, continued |
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3 |
China - Silver |
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4 |
China - Theoretical Discussion |
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5 |
Chinese |
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6 |
Chinese Banking |
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7 |
Chinese Mission, 1936 |
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8 |
Chinese - Photos of Sycee and coins |
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9 |
Cuba |
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10 |
Egypt |
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11 |
Ethiopia |
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12 |
France |
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13 |
French Indo-China |
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14 |
Germany |
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32 |
1 |
Great Britain I 1931-1963 |
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2 |
Great Britain II |
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3 |
Hong Kong 1929-1941 |
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4 |
India I British India 1925-1936 |
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5 |
India II British India 1925-1936 |
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6 |
India III 1936-1968 |
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7 |
Iran 1934-1944 |
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8 |
Italy 1935-1938 |
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33 |
1 |
Japan 1932-1963 |
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2 |
Japanese 1932-1936 |
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3 |
Manchuria 1929-1936 |
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4 |
Mexico I 1930-1938 |
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5 |
Mexico I continued 1938-1939 |
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6 |
Mexico II 1939-1962 |
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7 |
Spain 1930-1948 |
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8 |
United Kingdom 1936-1968 |
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9 |
Uruguay 1935-1956 |
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10 |
USSR 1933-1954 |
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11 |
Venezuela 1936 |
Series 6: PAMPHLETS, BULLETINS, CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
REPORTS, CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS
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34 |
1 |
Gold and Silver |
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2 |
International Monetary System |
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3 |
Devaluation, Inflation and Monetary Policy |
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35 / 36 |
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Publications |
Grace M. Angle & Robert S. Harding, November 1986
TOP
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