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On May 2, 1917 the State Council of Defense was created for the duration of the war. It was made up of fifteen persons appointed by the Governor in reference to their special knowledge of subject matter relating to defense. Duties included assisting and cooperating with the Council of National Defense and councils of defense in other states, recommending necessary defense legislation to the Governor and the General Assembly, and carrying out within the state defense plans mutually agreed upon between it and the Council of National Defense. It had authority to adopt its own procedures, form committees outside its membership, organize subordinate bodies for assistance in special investigations, subpoena witnesses, and require testimony. All officers, departments, institutions, and agencies of state government and all local and municipal officers were required to cooperate with the council and render requested aid and assistance (L. 1917, p. 153).
517.001
HISTORICAL FILES. 1917-1919. 17.5 cu. ft. No index.
Files consist of minutes, reports, bulletins, pamphlets, and contributors' name cards issued by council committees and other war-related agencies and organizations and compiled for the production of an official state war history. Committees include the Neighborhood Committee; Military Committee; Women's Committee; Food Production and Conservation Committee; Cook County Auxiliary Committee; Liberty Chorus Committee; Civilian Personnel Committee; Subcommittee of Fuel; Home Registration Service Committee; Advisory Committee on the Electrical Industry; Committee on Spyglasses, Binoculars, and Telescopes for the Navy; Draft Board Committee; War Business Committee; Committee on Engineering and Inventions; Highways Transport Committee; License Committee for War Aid and War Charities; War Garden Committee; and the Women's Directing Committee for Children's War Gardens. Other war related agencies and organizations include the United States Fuel Administration, Non-War Construction Bureau, Commercial Economy Administration, Illinois Volunteer Training Corps in Cook County, YMCA, YWCA, Red Cross, War Savings Societies for Liberty Loans, and the Knights of Columbus. Also included is an honor roll of servicemen which shows the name, rank, name of regiment or ship, and the place and date of enlistment, along with the name, address, and relationship of close relatives.
517.002
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE ADMINISTRATIVE FILES. 1917-1919. 33 cu. ft. No index.
Files include copies of office leases, vouchers, and requisitions; minutes of the executive committee of the Soldiers and Sailors Bureau; reports for other state employment services; bulletins; lists of persons employed by the Employment Service; applications for Employment Service jobs; and correspondence concerning housing for war workers and employment of railroad workers following the Armistice, liberty loans, U.S. Boys' Working Reserve, Public Service Reserve, War Industries Board, and the Ordnance Department. Also included are Home Registration Service Committee membership lists, applications for service in France, the Public Service Reserve enrollment for Illinois, and a list of men employed in the shipbuilding trades.
517.003
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE GENERAL AND SPECIAL ORDERS. August 18, 1918-July 17, 1919. 2 vols. Index.
Orders were issued by the director general of the United States Employment Service to staff in Washington, state directors, and district superintendents. Orders concern policy decisions and administrative functions.
517.004
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE CORRESPONDENCE FILES. 1915-1919. 4 cu. ft. No index.
Correspondence concerns Employment Service district organizers, the shipbuilding enrollment campaign, personnel, services and supplies, farm and farm labor conditions, funds for transportation of workers, women war workers, jobs for veterans, appropriations, and expenses. Also included are membership lists for community labor boards, lists of Employment Service officials and enrollment agents, and a list of branches in Illinois. Files also include copies of orders, requests for laborers, pamphlets, and a map of Illinois with locations of districts and headquarters of the Public Service Reserve and community labor boards.
517.005
FIELD DIVISION BULLETINS. 1917-1919. 2 cu. ft. Index.
Bulletins sent from national headquarters to state councils concern the war effort (e.g., desertions, disease control, alien property, labor, transportation, Liberty Loan bonds, war risk insurance). Also included are reports of Liberty Loan drives and Red Cross campaigns.
517.006
ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT JOB APPLICATIONS RECORD. 1918. 1 cu. ft. No index.
Alphabetical card file of job applicants shows the applicant's name and address, position, salary, the name and position of the person receiving the application, and the date the application was forwarded.
517.007
NON-WAR CONSTRUCTION BUREAU ADMINISTRATIVE FILES. September-November 1918. 7 cu. ft. No index.
Files include permits, questionnaires, correspondence, reports, and membership cards of the Non-War Construction Bureau. Construction permits for War Industries Board authorized projects show the owner's name, address of the site, and estimated cost. Questionnaires completed by applicants for permits show the site, type of construction, materials needed, whether war work was involved, and the necessity of public buildings. Correspondence concerns applications, volunteers to serve on local boards, establishment of home building committees, and construction rulings. Card file shows the names of members of local boards, their addresses, and occasionally the type of permit issued. Monthly reports on deferred projects include the project location, applicant's name, description, purpose, and estimated cost of the project.
517.008
LIBERTY LOAN RECORD. 1917-1919. 5 vols. No index.
Record includes lists of members and directors of committees for the first through the fifth Liberty Loan campaigns in the seventh and eight Federal Reserve districts, lists of county loan chairmen in Illinois, lists of subscriptions from and allotments to Illinois banks and counties, a narrative history of the first Liberty Loan campaign in the seventh district, and copies of speeches that were given at the close of the first campaign.
517.009
MAILING LIST. Ca. 1917-1918. 1 cu. ft. No index.
Alphabetical mailing list includes cards for individuals, organizations, and publications showing names and addresses. For foreign language publications, the circulation, ideological stance, date publication began, editor's name, press schedule, and frequency of publication also are given.
517.010
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS. 1918. 1 vol. No index.
Newspaper clippings concern government employment of artists to make patriotic war posters. Subjects for posters include food conservation, war films, recruiting, and liberty bonds. Clippings frequently show reproductions of the posters.
517.011
ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY ADMINISTRATIVE FILES. 1917-1919. 3 cu. ft. No index.
Files include minutes, correspondence, questionnaires, and other papers. Minutes (July 2, 1917-December 29, 1918) include members' names, organizational plan, and discussions of publications, forms, and committee activities. Correspondence concerns YMCA activities at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station and radio, telegraphy, and buzzer signaling courses. Questionnaires submitted to the committee from Signal Corps Training Schools include names of instructors, student capacity, and enrollment. Record also includes reports on signal training classes, lists of committee members, lists of servicemen with electrical experience, copies of speeches, and supply vouchers.
517.012
YMCA CORRESPONDENCE, BULLETINS, AND NEWS ARTICLES. 1917-1919. 0.25 cu. ft. No index.
Files of the navy YMCA at the United States Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois, include weekly staff proceedings, camp bulletins and directory, copies of overseas human interest stories and newspaper articles complimentary of the YMCA, list of Bible facts for evangelical campaign, pamphlets which list camps in each state and the war work secretaries in charge, pamphlets published for the men at Camp Logan Rifle Range, and copies of Illinois Army and Navy YMCA News. Correspondence primarily concerns publicity and includes YMCA articles for newspapers, reports of Publicity Department progress, and War Fund campaign and Bible study week materials.
517.013
MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATIVE FILES. 1917-1919. 1 cu. ft. No index.
Files include correspondence between committee officials and Illinois Volunteer Training Corps
(IVTC) officers and concern training, funds, meetings, commissions, reports of units, formation of cavalry, requisitions, receiving troops, drill, hygiene, development of Polish and Bohemian corps units, motor transport units, misuse of funds, and membership. Also included are a list of IVTC units which shows the officers, average age of the men, number attending drill, drill times and locations; a list of units in Cook County; and a list of all IVTC commissioned officers.
517.014
MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER TRAINING CORPS CORRESPONDENCE, BULLETINS, AND PAMPHLETS. 1917-1918. 0.25 cu. ft. No index.
Correspondence between local draft boards and the Illinois Volunteer Training Corps of Cook County concerns drills, speakers, parades, and requests for transfers and discharges. Record also includes memoranda about military lectures, commissions, administrative forms, pamphlets about regulations, minutes of commanding officers' meetings, receipts, and a list of exemption boards and their locations.
517.015
BOYS' WORKING RESERVE CORRESPONDENCE, PAMPHLETS, REPORTS, AND BULLETINS. 1917-1919. 2 cu. ft. No index.
Correspondence concerns the availability of boys for farm work, requests for supplies, enrollment in the Boys' Working Reserve, farm lessons, and badges and awards. Bulletins and pamphlets concern training, organization, and publicity and include copies of the program's official publication, Boy Power. Record also includes mailing lists, reports, and proceedings of meetings and conferences.
517.016
BOYS' WORKING RESERVE SERVICE FILES. 1918-1919. 0.25 cu. ft. No index.
Files include a list of boys to be awarded medals, badges, or bars for service as farm labor. Also included is a boys' labor list showing the county, town, farmer, RFD number, the number of boys used in 1918, the number issued service certificates, whether boys were needed in 1919, and if so, when.
517.017
LICENSE COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATIVE FILES. 1917-1919. 6 cu. ft. No index.
Files include applications, reports, minutes, and correspondence of the committee which licensed groups to solicit funds for war aid and war charity. Applications show the name of the organization, address, purpose, names and addresses of officers, purpose of solicitation, amount to be raised, territorial limits of solicitations, license approval or denial, and date of issue. Daily reports to the State Council of Defense include the numbers of applications filed each day, filed to date, rejected, issued, under consideration, revoked, expired, extended, and reinstated. Minutes of weekly meetings of the Cook County License Committee contain lists of applicants, plans for fund raising, and whether licenses were granted. Correspondence concerns funds, applications, and examinations of applications by the Citizens War Board of Chicago.
517.018
WOMEN'S COMMITTEE MINUTES AND PROCEEDINGS. April 23, 1917-January 10, 1920. 2 cu. ft. No index.
Minutes of the executive committee of the Women's Committee contain reports of committee activities and lists of members and officers. Proceedings of conventions (1917-1919) include speeches, discussions of activities, and organizational plans.
517.019
WOMEN'S COMMITTEE PAMPHLETS, BULLETINS, AND REPORTS. 1917-1921. 2 cu. ft. No index.
Record includes bulletins and pamphlets of departments of the Women's Committee (i.e., Americanization Department, Conservation Department, Recreation for Girls Department, Women and Children in Industry Department, War Information Department, Social Service Department, Allied Relief Department) concerning their activities; bulletins and press releases of the Council of National Defense concerning women's committees; monthly reports of the Women's Committee; reports of publicity activities of the Women's Land Army; and copies of speeches, scripts of plays, and educational propaganda about the war effort. Also included is correspondence of the War Records Section of the Illinois State Historical Library and the Women's Committee concerning war activities for the compilation of a war history of Illinois.
517.020
LABOR COMMITTEE REPORT ON EAST ST. LOUIS RACE RIOTS. June 1917. 1 vol. and 0.1 cu. ft. Partial index.
Report includes the findings of the committee which investigated the East St. Louis race riots, the testimony of witnesses, a statement of the rules of procedure of investigation, copies of telegrams requesting the investigation, and the East St. Louis Chamber of Commerce's resolution to investigate the riots.
517.021
COOK COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBERS REGISTER. Ca. 1917-1918. 1 vol. No index.
Alphabetical register of members of the Coordination, Finance, Food Production and Conservation, License, Neighborhood, Publicity, United States Boys' Working Reserve, and Women's Committees (Cook County) of the State Council of Defense, show each member's name, address, occupation, and committee affiliation.
517.022
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION FOUR-MINUTE MEN ENROLLMENT AND SERVICE CARDS. 1917-1919. 2 cu. ft. No index.
Fraternal section enrollment cards show the speaker's name, occupation, home and business addresses and telephone numbers; name of the fraternal order; name of the organization; meeting place; other fraternal orders to which the speaker belongs; and the speaker's attendance at meetings of other orders. Labor union section enrollment cards show the speaker's name, occupation, union's name, local number, telephone number, and the speaker's home address and telephone number. Monthly service cards for unions show the date of the monthly report, the union's name and address, the number of speakers and speeches, attendance, subjects, and signatures of speakers. Record also contains a file of four-minute men applicants who were rejected or discontinued.
517.023
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION FOUR-MINUTE MEN COOK COUNTY NAME FILE. 1917-1918. 0.5 cu. ft. No index.
Cards for speakers in Cook County include the speaker's name, address, and an indication of affiliation with a church, union, or fraternal organization.
517.024
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION FOUR-MINUTE MEN CORRESPONDENCE AND PAMPHLETS. 1917-1919. 6.5 cu. ft. No index.
State director's correspondence concerns the organization and supply of local four-minute men, subjects and locations for speeches, groups in other states, local chairmen, and a State Fair conference. Pamphlets concern peace, demobilization, public speaking, and Marshall Field's patriotic advertising campaign. Record also includes a directory of clergymen, publicity notices, governing committee minutes, lists of chairmen in Illinois and other states, mailing lists, copies of speeches, lists of congressmen with their position on conscription, and photographs and newspaper clippings concerning peace and reconstruction.
517.025
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION FOUR-MINUTE MEN SCRAPBOOKS. 1918. 2 cu. ft. No index.
Scrapbooks contain memorabilia of the church, public parks, public schools, membership, Chicago, and fraternal sections of the four-minute men. The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of active speakers are shown with the places worked and a summary report of the speaking committee with sample form letters.
517.026
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION FOUR-MINUTE MEN BULLETINS. 1917-1918. 1 cu. ft. No index.
Bulletins published by the Committee on Public Information for use by four-minute men concern subjects for speeches. Also included are bulletins published for army officers concerning topics to use in addressing troops and the Four-Minute Men News, the organization's national newsletter.
517.027
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION FOUR-MINUTE MEN SPEAKING EVALUATION FILES. 1918. 0.5 cu. ft. No index.
Card files show the speaker's name, age, address, telephone number, occupation, business address, days available for speaking, and preference of places to speak. File also includes the place, date, and number of people at each speech, with comments of the evaluation committee.
517.028
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION/SPECIAL CITIZEN'S COMMITTEE OF CHICAGO PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM. September 2, 1918. 1 vol. No index.
Record contains photographs of the War Exhibition held in Chicago in 1918 and also includes a souvenir program and a Labor Day program.
517.029
FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE CORRESPONDENCE. 1917-1919. 2 cu. ft. No index.
Correspondence between county and state levels of the Food Production and Conservation Committee and between the committee and individuals concerns appointments, fertilizer, meetings, labor, draft classifications, and use of conscientious objectors as farm laborers. Record also includes lists of farmers' organizations in Illinois, packers, wholesale grocers, agricultural associations, cold storage plants, growers of fruits and vegetables, and county farm labor administrators. Also included are minutes of the Women's Conservation Committee of the Council of National Defense, pamphlets about the Women's Committee, instructions and recipes for the use of food substitutes, newspaper clippings of food conservation, and bulletins from and about the Boy's Working Reserve.
517.030
FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE FARM LABOR APPLICATIONS AND WORKING FILES. 1918. 4 cu. ft. No index.
Applications for work on farms include the applicant's name, address, age, nationality, marital status, previous experience, wages desired, work place desired, and references. Applications for vacation jobs on farms include the applicant's name, employer, occupation, age, experience, period when available for work, type of work capable of performing, and name of farm employer. Applications from farmers for laborers include name, address, number of acres, type of labor needed, and compensation offered. Files also include reports from county administrators to the State Farm Labor Administrator which show the county, number of applications from farmers, number of laborers requested, and the numbers of workers registered, referred, and placed.
517.031
FOOD PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE SECRETARY'S CORRESPONDENCE FILE. 1917-1919. 4 cu. ft. No index.
Correspondence of the secretary of the Food Production and Conservation Committee concerns food prices, farm labor, livestock and crop production, farm machinery, and gardening. Also included are minutes of the Executive Committee of the Agricultural War Board, reports of the Food Production and Conservation Committee, a list of members of the Women's Food Production Committee, and programs for a conference at the University of Illinois.
517.032
UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION QUESTIONNAIRES. Ca. 1918-1919. 1 cu. ft. No index.
Completed questionnaires returned by churches, schools, and other organizations concern food conservation. Record also includes United States Food Administration pamphlets concerning gardening, conservation, and receipts.
517.033
FOOD AND FUEL ADMINISTRATIONS' BULLETINS, PRESS RELEASES, PAMPHLETS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS. 1917-1919. 12 cu. ft. No index.
Bulletins, press releases, and pamphlets of the United States Food Administration and the United States Fuel Administration concern food and fuel conservation. Photographs concern food conservation and depict billboards, exhibits, and displays promoting conservation as well as women in the United States Food Administration uniform.
517.034
COMMERCIAL ECONOMY CORRESPONDENCE AND AGREEMENTS. 1918. 4.5 cu. ft. No index.
Agreements from delivery services to limit services in accordance with national conservation efforts include the names and addresses of companies. Correspondence concerns regulations, deliveries, restrictions on Christmas shopping, companies making their own deliveries, persons wanting to work for the Commercial Economy Administration, the sale of toys made in Germany, profiteering, closing hours, and returned merchandise. Also included are proceedings of Chicago Committee meetings and bulletins of the National Council of Defense, State Council of Defense, and the Commercial Economy Administration concerning deliveries.
517.035
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE ADMINISTRATIVE FILES. 1917-1918. 9 cu. ft. No index.
Files for each county include correspondence and questionnaires. Correspondence concerns appointments to committees, war activities, intelligence, unpatriotic activities, requests for pamphlets and posters, and committee organization. Questionnaires concern the organization, activities, and efficiency of county committees. Files also include questionnaires from other organizations involved in wartime activities.
517.036
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE CORRESPONDENCE. 1917-1919. 9 cu. ft. No index.
Correspondence concerns county organization, honorably discharged soldiers, membership drives, patriotic speakers and meetings, war-related movies, unpatriotic activities, use of the German language, seditious newspapers, exhibits at the State Fair, and distribution of bulletins. Record also includes reports about deserters or soldiers absent without leave, lists of patriotic speakers, schedules of patriotic meetings, lists of residents not signing loyalty oaths, and reports on the United War Work Campaign.
517.037
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP FILES. Ca. 1917-1918. 1 cu. ft. No index.
Files show the member's name, residence, and occasionally office held and businesses owned.
517.038
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP CARD FILE. 1917-1919. 3 cu. ft. No index.
For each county cards list members of the County Executive Committee, County Auxiliary Committee, and the Neighborhood Committee. For each member the name, address, office, and occupation are given. Also included are cards listing neighborhood centers.
517.039
COOK COUNTY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE OFFICERS AND VOLUNTEERS FILES. 1917-1918. 0.5 cu. ft. No index.
Files show the names of committee chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, and treasurer, their addresses, and occasionally their telephone numbers. Volunteers files show name, address, and telephone number.
517.040
DOWNSTATE NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE OFFICERS AND VOLUNTEERS FILES. 1917-1918. 0.5 cu. ft. No index.
Alphabetical files of committee officers and volunteers include the name of the county; the name and address of the chairman and secretary; the name, address, and telephone number of each volunteer; and type of work for which each is available.
517.041
COOK COUNTY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE ENTERTAINERS FILES. 1917-1918. 0.5 cu. ft. No index.
Files list musicians, singers, and music teachers in Cook County and show the name, address, telephone number, and frequently the instrument or speciality of each.
These records are available at the Illinois State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State.
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