Abstract
The collection, dated 1941-1947, consists of loose-leaf notes from the daily journal of Arlin Rex Johnson (1898-1970), Budget and Planning Officer at the Coordinator of Information (COI) office in Washington, D.C. from September 2, 1941 to December 23, 1941, and a list of foreign visitors during his tenure as Assistant Director of Foreign Agricultural Relations at the United States Department of Agriculture from 1945-1947.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
Extent
Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The collection, dated between 1941 and 1947, consists of loose leaf notes from the journal of Dr. Arlin Rex Johnson, (1898-1970), in his position as Budget and Planning Officer at the Coordinator of Information office in Washington, D.C. from September 2, 1941 to December 23, 1941, and later as Assistant Director of Foreign Agricultural Relations for the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. between 1945 and 1947.
The bulk of the material consists of daily entries documenting the development and activities of the Budget and Planning division of the Coordinator of Information office in the months before the US entry into World War II. Budget activities included funding for international radio broadcasting, research and analysis, movie production, morale, public opinion and civilian defense, as well as intelligence operations both in the United States and abroad. A smaller section of notes list the names of various foreign visitors interested in agriculture and trade, with some additional notations by Johnson.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain in original order.
Biographical / Historical Note
When World War II began in Europe in 1939, the United States had limited intelligence capabilities. To remedy this shortfall, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Coordinator of Information office (COI) on July 11, 1941.
Led by General William Donovan, the COI was established to organize analysis, espionage, propaganda, subversion, and commando operations as a unified and essential feature of modern warfare. By the time the United States entered WWII in December 1941, the COI had grown to include some 600 employees. On June 13, 1942, the President transformed COI into the Office of Strategic Services – the predecessor to the modern Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Source:
“#HISTINT: July 11, 1941: Coordinator of Information Created”. CIA News and Information (blog), July 10, 2014. https://www.cia.gov/news-information/blog/2014/histint-july-11-1941-coordinator-of-information-created.html
Dr. Arlin Rex (A. Rex) Johnson (1898-1970) was born in Huntington, Utah, and received his Ph.D from George Washington University (GWU) in 1935. He entered government service in 1936 while holding a teaching position at GWU. In 1941, from his position with the Civil Service Commission, he was appointed Budget and Planning Officer in the newly established Coordinator of Information, working for General William J. Donovan. In 1942, Johnson became assistant director of Foreign Agricultural Relations at the United States Department of Agriculture, a position he held until 1950.
From 1950 to 1963, Johnson served as director of the Navy’s Graduate Financial Management Program at GWU, and then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, becoming the first Chair of the Business and Economics Division at Southern Nevada University and later, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During his tenure, he established the university’s Hotel Administration School in 1964. Dr. Johnson held his position as Chair until his death in 1970. He was buried in Provo, Utah.
Preferred Citation
Arlin Rex Johnson Notes on Coordinator of Information Office Responsibilities, 1941-1947. MS-00113. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1974 by Edith Johnson; accession number 74-13 and 1029-3.
Processing Note
Materials were inventoried by Hana Gutierrez in 2017. In 2018, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Melise Leech wrote the finding aid and entered the data into ArchivesSpace.