The Albert L. Warner Papers, 1923-1969, consist mainly of materials concerning his career in journalism and broadcasting. Included are correspondence, broadcast scripts, memos, reports, speeches, articles, an unpublished book manuscript, and newsclippings.
The CORRESPONDENCE, in effect an autograph collection rather than a correspondence file, consists of personal letters from a number of well-known people in government and politics. Among the correspondents are Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Alf M. Landon, William O. Douglas, Hubert Humphrey, Wendell Willkie, Thomas E. Dewey, James F. Byrnes, Henry A. Wallace, and Henry Morgenthau. More substance is to be found in a brief humorous correspondence with John L. Lewis. Also of interest is the correspondence, 1966-1969, with Governor George Romney of Michigan concerning his abortive campaign for the presidency in 1968.
The bulk of the collection consists of Warner's writings for publication or for broadcast. Ranging from scripts to memos, the materials are arranged in chronological order according to the employer. The most thorough documentation to be found in the collection relates to Warner's employment by the New York Herald Tribune (1930-1939), the Columbia Broadcasting Company (1939-1942), the U.S. War Department (1942-1945), and U.S. News and World Report (1958-1968).
Documenting his nine years with the Herald Tribune are seven scrapbooks of bylined articles arranged in chronological order. Located at the back of album #7 but filmed earlier in the microfilm edition are a few articles written for the New York Times about the campaign of 1928.
Broadcast scripts concerning general news represent Warner's two years with the Columbia Broadcasting System.
Concerning World War II are weekly summaries of war news written by Warner for use by the Office of War Information on radio broadcasts, more frequent summaries written for Secretary of War Henry Stimson for use at his press conferences, and scripts on war development for broadcast on the Army Hour. Also of interest is a short journal or journal extract, which notes a lengthy discussion about the war with Orson Welles and includes a reflective essay on Elmer Davis, the OWI, and the nature of news censorship during wartime.
A sizable group of materials are U.S. News and World Report memos. These are carbon copies of memos written by Warner to other editors of the magazine suggesting possibilities for future stories on world and national affairs. These too are arranged chronologically.
Employment with the Mutual Broadcasting System, NBC and ABC is documented with only fragmentary broadcast scripts. The remainder of the papers consists of miscellaneous articles, poetry, and manuscripts written by Warner. Of note are his impressions of Herbert Hoover and a book-length manuscript “How They Split Up Germany.”
