Gerhard A. Gesell (#80)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers, 1961-1967
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Collection Description

Administrative Information

Abstract
Papers 1961-1967
Lawyer, government official. Chairman of President Kennedy’s Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services (1961-1964). Records of the Committee, including reports, drafts, correspondence and background material.

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
According to the deed of gift signed November 1976, copyright of these materials has been assigned to the United States. Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from Gerhard A. Gesell of Washington, D.C., in November 1976 (Acc. 1975-031).

Extent
About 1,000 items (1 cubic foot; 10 linear inches).

Withdrawn Items
Selected folders may contain withdrawal sheets where documents, in accordance with the donor's deed of gift, were removed from the collection. These include documents which may be used to injure or harass any living person. All withdrawn documents have been placed under seal and upon request the Kennedy Library will review any material which has been closed for a period of not less than 2 years for the purpose of opening items which no longer require restrictions. Researchers should consult the reference staff to obtain the appropriate form(s).

Date Opened
January 1977.

Processed by
Randy Lieberman.

Revisions
Finding aid updated in March 2007 by Scott Sharon.

Related Collections
Lawrence I. Hewes III Papers, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

The Personal Papers of Gerhard A. Gesell (1910-1993)

Biographical Note
Gerhard A. Gesell was born on June 16, 1910 in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Yale University with an A.B. and received his LL.B in 1935. That same year he began working as an attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). After leaving the SEC in 1941, Gesell began working at the firm of Covington and Burling in Washington, D.C. From 1945 to 1946, he served as chief assistant counsel on the Joint Congressional Committee on Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack. In 1961 he was appointed by President Kennedy to chair the Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services; the committee concluded its findings in 1964. Upon leaving Covington and Burling in 1967, Gesell served as U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia from 1968 to 1993. Gerhard A. Gesell died on February 19, 1993.

Collection Overview
The papers of Gerhard A. Gesell consist of documents relating to the Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services.

List of Series
Series 1. President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services Files, 1961-1967

Collection Description

Series 1. President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services Files, 1961-1967.
About 1,000 items.
Arrangement: alphabetical by type of material.

This series consists of correspondence, letters, memorandums, reports, recruiting materials and other documents relating to the Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Services. Included are folders containing documents from before and after the committee’s term, which spanned the years 1961 to 1964.