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FBI File on Eleanor Roosevelt

Location: Microfilm E 807.1 .F35 1996 Reel 1-3

Scope

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) became a natural target for the Federal Bureau of Investigation due to her involvement in certain social causes and the opinions she publicly expressed. This file contains letters, memorandum and newspaper clippings routinely collected by the FBI on “suspect citizens,” during the period J. Edgar Hoover was director. The file also includes letters from those who protested Mrs. Roosevelt’s activities or disagreed with her newspaper columns. The materials in this microfilm set come from the Washington files of the FBI, released under the Freedom of Information Act. The collection includes documents from 1941-1965.

You can also view this collection at http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/erosevlt.htm.

How to search the collection

The microfilm is in the exact order in which it was released. It is in approximate chronological order and the FBI did not index documents. There are Roll Notes contained in the Guide, and while not a complete inventory of the files, they provide a list of specific documents that may be especially worthwhile for research.

Guides

Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the FBI File on Eleanor Roosevelt. Wilmington, Del. : Scholarly Resources, 1996. (Microfilm E 807.1 F35 Guide).
The guide contains a brief introduction to the collection along with the Roll Notes (Roll 1 corresponding to Reel 1 etc. ). One error on page 2 of the Introduction, 2nd paragraph: “Director Herbert Hoover” should read “Director J. Edgar Hoover.”

For more information about this subject in our Library Catalog, check out these
Subject Categories:

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962.

United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation -- Archives.

United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.


Time Period: 20th Century  

Subject keywords: FBI Documents, Women's Studies