General Accounting Office, 1960

The collection is by no means a complete accounting of the NIH Director's Office for the years covered. Instead, it is a courtesy collection of selected correspondence, memoranda, speeches, articles, and committee files.

The largest segment of the collection is Series 5: Speech and Articles (1941-1983). Mostly written or delivered by NIH directors Shannon and Marston, they also include material by various public health officials and senior policy makers. Series 1: Corrrespondence contains general and topical correspondence (1944-1975) and is most complete for the early 1950s. It is most representative of Dr. Sebrell's term as NIH Director. Notable among Series 4: Reports are copies of and reports about the 1945 Vannevar Bush report "Science, The Endless Frontier", whereafter the government assumed responsibilities for promoting the flow of scientific knowledge and led to the creation of the National Science Foundation.

Minutes, agendas and reports (1947-1968) found in Series 6: Panels, Programs, and Committees, were used by Directors in committee meetings, primarily with the President's Science Advisory Committee, the National Blood Program and the World Health Organization Advisory Committee on Scientific/Medical Research.