New York State War Council Division of Public Relations Defense Digests and Official Bulletins

Chronological by date of publication.

Even before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the War Council's predecessor, the New York State Council of Defense, started publishing the semi-monthly Defense Digest which was "devoted to defense activities of state departments and local defense councils" in order to keep all branches of the Council informed of each subgroup's activities. The four-page newsletter contained photographs and reported on salvage collection, evacuation plans, vocational training, health field activities, recruitment, volunteer activities, civil defense issues, labor/work force issues, and rationing.

Started in October 1941, the newsletter expanded to an eight-page tabloid-size format in June 1942. One month later, the Council's Office of War Information took over publication and the format changed yet again to a booklet form ranging from upwards of 16 pages per issue. Retitled New York State War Council Official Bulletins, the publication contained no photographs or feature stories but only War Council orders, regulations, communications, and directives, though on the same issues which its predecessor covered.

In March 1944, the Office of War Information was abolished and the Division of Public Relations assumed the responsibilities of publishing the Official Bulletins. In May 1944, the format changed once again, reverting back to the tabloid format and a content similar to the Defense Digest, though some War Council communications and directives were sometimes included. (The third and fourth format changes resulted in the volume number reverting to Volume I.).

Official Bulletins contain indexes in the following issues: Vol. 1, #13; Vol. II, #4, #18 and #43; Vol. III, #7 and #19.

Folder list is available at the repository.

This series was originally accessioned as boxes 105 and 106 of old collection #77, accession -71.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.