The papers of William D. Hassett consist of personal correspondence with several people, mostly after his years of service as the President’s Correspondence Secretary. These papers are copies of original documents in a collection of Hassett’s papers at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.

See also William D. Hassett oral history.

Size: Less than one- half of one linear foot (about 100 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: No donation of copyright was received with the collection. Documents created by U.S. government officials in the course of their duties are in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Erwin J. Mueller (1966).
Updated by: Rosemary Lantz (2007) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

1880 (August 28)		Born, Northfield, Vermont
1909-1921		Worked as a reporter and Washington correspondent for various newspapers including the Washington Post, and for the Associated Press
1933-1935		Worked for the National Recovery Administration and National Emergency Council in Washington
1935-1944		Worked at the White House, helping President Roosevelt with his correspondence
1944 (February 19)		Appointed Correspondence Secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
1945-1952		Correspondence Secretary to President Harry S. Truman
1958		Published Off the Record with F.D.R., 1942-1945
1965 (August 29)		Died, Northfield, Vermont

The papers of William D. Hassett contain letters, telegrams, speeches, and other personal materials compiled by Hassett dating from 1950-1965. The collection is comprised of one series, a Subject File, arranged alphabetically by folder title. These papers are copies of original documents from a larger collection of Hassett’s papers at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York.

Included in this collection are many letters to and from other members of the Truman administration as well as correspondence between Hassett and Harry S. Truman. The correspondence covers a wide range of topics. Some of the topics are in congratulations for official appointments, the campaign in Vermont in 1958, Barry Goldwater, Lyndon Johnson, and articles and books written by the correspondents. An interview of Hassett by Charles Morrissey is also included, in which Hassett comments on the relationship between Truman and Warren R. Austin as well as the relationship between Truman and Roosevelt.

Most of the material in this collection dates from the years after Hassett’s service as Correspondence Secretary to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, from 1944-1952. Examples of the correspondence prepared by Hassett’s office for the President’s signature can be found in the files of the White House Office of the President’s Correspondence Secretary. Other document relating to Hassett can be found in Official File 244, President’s Personal File 5488, and the Post-Presidential Papers: Name File.

Container Nos.		Series
1		SUBJECT FILE, 1950-1965
		Letters, telegrams, and speeches collected by William D. Hassett. Arranged alphabetically.

SUBJECT FILE, 1950-1965

• Acheson, Dean, 1960
• Barkley, Alben W., 1953
• Clifford, Clark M., 1961-1963
• Conversational Club, 1961
• Daniels, Jonathan, 1965
• Hassett, William D. (Charles Morrissey Interview), 1963
• Lloyd, David D., 1956
• McCrea, John L., 1960
• McNamara, Mrs. Charles E., 1950
• Murphy, Charles, 1958
• Poland, Orville S., 1965
• Talge, Henry J., 1956
• Taylor, Myron C., 1952-1957
• Truman, Harry S., 1952-1965
• Tubby, Roger, 1956
• Vaughan, Harry H., 1963
• Wilson, Lyle C., 1955

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