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March 4> 1955 Internal Memorandum Files at the Federal Reserve Board I talked at length with Miss Poeppel, head of files at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, and her assistant, Mrs. Pilger. Miss Poeppel has been reading the Minutes of this Committee in an effort to find out ^ a t we are about and how tilings are going, not to mention how she might be helpful* She was full of infoima- tion and ideas> and for the first time, I got a sense that the files would be open as they had authority for our work* I find that Miss Poeppel and Mrs* Piiger were called down to Atlanta for advice in setting- tiiffffiP^^ the Atlanta bank files in shape* Miss Poeppel is very anxious to get some coordination done between the banks as to files, and the work she did in Atlanta she would like to have considered a model for other banks* She gave us a copy of the preliminary statement which explains her own philosophy and the techniques which she recommends* This may be useful in forming our questionnaires about bank files* Certain isolated things ^hich Miss Poeppel said have use for us* She said, for instance, that the Administrative Record File of the #oard was 25^ a matter of archives* She suggested that we see Mr* Goe who is said to be a walking encyclopedia of the Board1 s history* She said that Governor Ransom was vexy record-minded and that the fact that his secretary had destroyed files was not as serious as it seemed at the time. She has the impression that all that was left was certain routine material and that all his important material has already gone into the Board files and been incorporated in thaoa* She also said that Mr* Chester Morrill is very record-minded and that he might have papers ^ich would be of value* She spoke at length of a Mr* Jamison (is this spelling correct?). Mr* -2- Jamison was extremely interested in the flow of mail across his desk* He made a personal card file for the governors and important members of the staff on which he noted every letter ^hich he considered important. That file existed from the beginning of the Board up to 1933 or 193A* At that time, a Mr. Kellogg came in and shifted the ^rstem to the R.F»C# ideal. Later, it was picked up again in the Jamison fashion, and now Miss Poeppel herself makes a 2-line svsma.ry of letters which seem to her important. 5iis file is an extraordinarily good way of running through the material crossing the desks of various governors. There is, of course, the value judgment exercised by Mr. Jamison, but as a way in to what was^ concerning various governors in various years, it is excellent* The guides to this card file are frayed, and Miss Poeppel will see that it is "reguided.11 Miss Poeppel also said, among other tilings, that there is in existence a Secretary1s File of all the material which supports everything which goes into the Minutes* This again would be most useful if we could see it, and its existence raises the question as to whether or not bank files have in themselves that same kind of thing as isolated material* Miss Poeppel is obviously prepared to be extremely helpful, and there is every reason to believe that her assistance will be valuable* MA.ib P* S. Miss Poeppel visited Atlanta, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Hew Xork file departments in order to inquire and assist on methods and system. She has written reports on all those banks "Hhich are very illuminating and which really should be recorded on cards so that we will remember they are there. She was in St* Louis in 1944- when Mr* Hitt was vice president, and Chester Davis was president* did St* Louis put her ideas into operation? files there. Queiy - It is not the way that I remember the -3- She was in Mew fork and Philadelphia in 194-0, and in Atlanta in 1952 at the invitation of Mr. Bxyan. Obviously, she can only go at invitation of the bank. Mi: IB
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