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1988 Newsletter Archive
PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE VOLUNTARY PROGRAM FOR PRESERVATION OF SELECTED
CONTRACTOR RECORDS
by Alfred Goldberg, Historian, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington,
DC
Many firms which do contract work for the Department of Defense create
classified and unclassified records of enduring historical value and utility.
These records constitute an important part of the institutional memory and of
the documentation for Defense programs. Many of these documents are often lost
to future use by either industry or government because of failure to treat them
as a valuable commodity.
The Department of Defense is exploring with a small number of interested
contractors the usefulness, desirability, and feasibility of a mutually
acceptable trial program for identifying and preserving contractor records of
historical significance. Whether a company participates, and to what extent,
would be entirely its own decision. The proposed program concerns records that
are not deliverable under contract but are related to Defense contracts;
proprietary and technical data may, of course, be excluded by contractors.
If instituted, the program would be voluntary, concentrating on a relatively
small number of items of high historical significance and immediate and future
reference value that contractors would be willing to retire to U.S. government
records centers. Such records would be helpful in many ways: documenting
administration, concepts, policies, doctrines, operations, research and
development, procurement, and production; reflecting significant decisions or
events in development, regulation, and management; describing origins,
organization procedures, and functions of major programs; and providing
background on significant policy and operational studies. Records might include
concept papers, critiques, correspondence, internal studies and reports, diaries
and logs, minutes of meetings, interview transcripts, photographs, statistical
data, and personal papers. It is estimated that only a small percentage of
contractorsÖperhaps one percentÖand an even smaller percentage of contracts
would be involved.
The Department of Defense would accept contractor records for storage, under its
auspices, in the Federal Records Centers of the National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA). On request, representatives of Defense and NARA would
help review the records selected by the contractor for retirement and NARA would
accept delivery for storage. The retired materials would become the property of
the Department of Defense and eventually of NARA, but contractors would have
guaranteed access to them.
The proposed trial program will be undertaken only if a significant number (as
yet undetermined) of contractors signify a willingness to participate. It is
likely that the results of such a program would not become evident for some
timeÖperhaps several years. If the outcome of the trial program warrants, the
program could be expanded to include additional interested contractors.
to top of 1988
ORAL HISTORY AS PART OF A CORPORATE ARCHIVES PROGRAM: THE INTERVIEW
by Claudette John, CIGNA Corporation
It may seem odd to write about the oral history interview after having discussed
transcription and editing in a previous column. However, decisions about how
those elements will be handled are part of the planning stages of a project, and
are normally made well before the interviewing begins.
Once the interview subjects have been selected, three things must be done prior
to the first interview. First, an appointment must be made with the interviewee.
I prefer to initiate the contact unless there is a letter of introduction or a
referral. I write a short letter and follow that with a phone call. This
procedure gives me an opportunity to answer questions, to tell the potential
interviewee what he or she can expect, and to put the person at ease. Although
many of the larger oral history programs schedule a preÖ interview meeting, I
find that neither the interviewer nor most of the interviewees have that much
time.
Choose an interview site that offers the fewest possible distractions. Most of
my interviews are done in one of the company locations in an office or a small
conference room. When I use the conference room, I know that it will be quiet
and that interruptions are unlikely. Unfortunately, I must sometimes conduct
interviews in the employeeås office, a practice which almost always produces
interruptions. While it requires a bit more concentration, some of my best
interviews have been done under those circumstances.
Two, careful preparatory research is essential. Most of the archivists I know do
their own research or select material for a hired interviewer to review. At this
stage I am careful to note gaps in our documentation, so that I car ask specific
questions. That knowledge also makes it possible for me to request that records
be sent to the Archives if it appears that the interviewee may have access to
what we need.
Occasionally, I write some interview questions, especially if I want to pose the
same core questions to several interviewees. Usually, I simply organize brief
notes which will prompt questions calculated to produce the kinds of information
we want. Highly structured interviews, which require thorough research, may be
more comfortable for some interviewees. Although I always go into an interview
with some structure in mind, I donåt interfere if the interviewee has his or her
own organization or if the interview seems to flow naturally. Interviewers who
choose to structureå the interview must guard against rigidity, or a great deal
of spontaneityÖand informationÖmay be lost.
On the other hand, I did a series of interviews in which the interviewee himself
at first imposed a rigid structure. After we talked about how we might do future
interviews, we continued to use his basically chronological approach but
modified it somewhat. The interviews became easier for him, and, I think, far
more informative. Certainly, they will be more interesting to researchers, and
certainly his personality is more readily apparent. In this particular case, I
judged that to be especially important, because his likability and
people-centered approach to business is a major factor in his success.
Finally, I recommend that you check your equipment before you leave the office
and again just before the interview. I always arrive for the appointment a
little early so that I can test the microphones and tape one more time.
I find it helpful to review the project and its purpose briefly before starting
the interview. This helps to put the interviewee at ease. Even people who are
quite accustomed to public life and the media can be nervous about doing an oral
history interview. I also say a few words about the equipment while I am asking
the interviewee to clip on the mike.
I had planned to complete the "Dialogue" on oral history in this issue, but I
have decided to continue it into next year. I want to give you examples of
mistakes and missed opportunities, of victories and discoveries. And I want to
make suggestions about how to get information without being combative.
Daniel Barringer, the archivist for the State Farm Insurance Companies in
Bloomington, IL, wrote to me after the last "Dialogue" on oral history (December
1987). He told me that they have begun an oral history program there and
included a brochure produced by the Oral History Office of the Sangamon State
University which he has found very helpful. The brochure is available by writing
the Oral History Office, Brookens 377, Sangamon State University, Springfield,
IL 67l08.
to top of 1988
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