Isidore Sydney Falk papers

The Isidore S. Falk Papers are organized in six series: General Correspondence, Professional Activities, Subject and Organization Files, Writings, Personal Papers, and Pamphlet And Reference Files. The papers span the years 1919 to 1980 and are made up of eighty-four linear feet of correspondence; professional, academic and organization files; publications; manuscript drafts; personal papers; and print material.

The Falk Papers are an important resource documenting the struggle for organized personal health services and the evolution of health policy from 1929 to the present. Professional Activities, which consists of Falk's files from each of his professional appointments, is the most valuable series and makes up the bulk of the papers. The Social Security Administration section in the series and, to a lesser extent, the Committee on the Costs of Medical Care and the Committee on Economic Security sections, trace the development, growth, and decline of the second national campaign for government supported health insurance in the United States from 1929 to 1954. Also included is information on the emergence of medical care as a major subdivision within the field of public health. In addition to extensive material on the major social and health insurance issues of the 1940s, the Social Security files document the active role played by federal agencies during the New Deal and the combination of research, compromise, and opportunity which produced major social and health legislation. They reflect, too, the development of a conservative reaction against social legislation in the 1940s.

The other series contain material which supplements the Social Security Administration files. The Committee for the Nation's Health and the Committee on Research in Medical Economics sections in Subject and Organization Files, and the American Medical Association files in Pamphlet and Reference Files, contain correspondence, reports, and print material of these organizations which respectively supported and opposed national health insurance during the 1930s and 1940s.

General Correspondence dates primarily from 1954 to 1980 but also includes material which helps to document Falk's earlier career. Writings spans his entire career and documents his positions on many issues.

The papers are more voluminous and more complete from 1954 to 1980. Professional Activities documents each of Falk's professional appointments during the period, and General Correspondence reflects his extensive interaction with leaders in a variety of areas. The papers provide broad coverage of private efforts to restructure the organization and delivery of health care through group practice prepayment plans (health maintenance organizations) from the late 1950s forward and of the resurgence of national interest in comprehensive, government-sponsored health insurance in the late 1960s and the 1970s. The papers also contain material on health and social programs in developing countries.

Organization of the Papers

Series I, General Correspondence, consists of professional correspondence from 1923 to 1981, although the bulk of the material dates from Falk's tenure in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University (1961-1969) and at the Community Health Care Center Plan (1970-1979). The correspondence with C.-E. A. Winslow (1923-1957), while fragmentary, is a good source for documenting Falk's professional and career concerns. Falk's correspondence with Michael M. Davis (1933-1937, 1955-1971) is also especially valuable; it includes extensive discussions of contemporary social and health problems. Other early correspondence of special interest includes exchanges with Gertrude H. Britton, Herman N. Bundesen, Louis I. Dublin, Franz Goldmann, Edwin O. Jordan, John A. Kingsbury, James E. Murray, Ludwig Rachman, Josephine Roche, Barkev S. Sanders, and Knud Stouman. A letter from Falk to John G. Winant (1939 Mar 14) provides an unusually comprehensive analysis of current developments in health and social security.

From the mid 1950s forward the series becomes more voluminous and more diverse. The general correspondence supplements the material in Series II and Series III and provides information on his extensive interaction and contacts with colleagues and former colleagues, other leaders in the areas of medical care and public health, politicians, and others. The files from each of Falk's professional appointments between 1954 and 1979, except for his tenure in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale also contain significant correspondence.

Falk's correspondence with his colleagues in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale is important to an understanding of his activities and contributions in the department. The files for Roy M. Acheson, Vernon Lippard, Anthony M.-M. Payne, David A. Pearson, Roy Penchansky, Frederick C. Redlich, Hyman K. Schonfeld, Albert W. Snoke, and Colin White are especially informative. In addition, a letter to Nelson Cruikshank (1961 May 27) summarizes his feelings about returning to Yale. Exchanges with students such as Jordan Braverman, Marie Callendar, Claire Farnisey, David Einhorn and Anita Pepper are also of interest. Falk's correspondence with Arthur J. Altmeyer, Agnes Brewster, Wilbur J. Cohen, Margaret C. Klem, Ida C. Merriam, Robert J. Myers, Dorothy Rice and other former Social Security Administration colleagues covers a variety of professional topics and occasionally includes discussion of issues and developments during his S.S.A. career. The correspondence with elected officials tends to be routine, but the exchanges with Edward M. Kennedy, Thomas J. McIntyre, James E. Murray, Charles H. Percy, William G. Reidy, and William R. Roy contains discussions of issues or positions. A letter from Falk to Hugh R. Leavell (1962 May 27) describes his position on endorsing political issues.

Falk's correspondence with other medical care leaders, academicians, and public and private sector administrators contains material on most of the major health and medical care issues from the mid 1950s to the present. Files of special interest include those for James Brindle, Allan M. Butler, Martha M. Eliot, Melvin A. Glasser, John B. Grant, Theodore Goldberg, Frederick D. Mott, George St. John Perrott, Jerome Pollack, Milton Roemer, Bert Seidman, and Cecil G. Sheps.

In addition to the correspondence on contemporary issues, the series contains inquiries from a number of historians and other researchers concerning issues or events during Falk's early career. His responses to requests from Odin W. Anderson, Peter A. Corning, Lorenz J. Finison, Daniel S. Hirschfield, Robert Mair, Larry Miller, Monte M. Poen, James Rorty, Theron F. Schlabach, Donald C. Swain and Debbie Woods serve both to fill gaps in the record and to illuminate and supply additional information to existing accounts.

Series II, Professional Activities, dates from 1919, when Falk was an instructor and graduate student at Yale, through 1979, when he resigned as executive director of the Community Health Care Center Plan. The series is divided into eleven sections, each the name of an organization which employed him.

The first five sections-- Yale University, Department of Health, University of Chicago, Committee on the Costs of Medical Care, Milbank Memorial Fund, and Committee on Economic Security --cover his early career. The papers in the five sections are fragmented; the Committee on the Costs of Medical Care (C.C.M.C.) and the Committee on Economic Security (C.E.S.) sections are more complete than the others. The bulk of the C.C.M.C. section is made up of a bound series of the committee's twenty-seven publications, but it also includes correspondence, minutes, planning papers and reports, as well as working papers for study number 6 ( The Incidence of Illness and the Receipt and Costs of Medical Care among Representative Families). The C.E.S. papers contain, in addition to correspondence with Michael M. Davis, Edgar Sydenstricker and others, very complete documentation of the drafting of "Risks to Economic Security Arising From Ill Health." The papers also include an extensive clipping file which reveals the development of ideas about social insurance from 1934 to 1936.

The Social Security Administration, Division of Research and Statistics (Bureau until 1948) section is the largest in the series and is arranged in seven subsections: General Papers, Congressional Investigations, International Files, Legislation, Research and Planning, Publications, and Miscellaneous Papers. The papers were part of Falk's personal files while he was with the division, and they vary widely in coverage and completeness. The two largest subsections, Legislation and Research and Planning, are the most complete, and they document the various activities of the division, such as research and the drafting of legislation.

The Legislation subsection contains drafts, notes and other working papers on legislation to which Falk and division staff contributed, and it occasionally includes copies of opposition bills with opinions or rebuttals. The development of the Wagner bill of 1939 (S. 1620), the 1943 Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill (S. 1161) and its successors, and President Truman's 1945 health message are especially well documented. The files also include notes and diary entries by Falk describing their development. (See, for example, folders 526, 562, 578-580, 613.)

The Research and Planning subsection is arranged topically by activities and subjects: general, conferences, double-decker old age benefits, International Labor Office, permanent and total disability insurance, temporary disability insurance, unified social insurance, United Mine Workers Health and Welfare Program ("Krug-Lewis agreement"), and voluntary insurance. The program materials (e.g., double-decker old age benefits, permanent and total disability insurance) include "histories" organized by Falk or his staff in loose leaf binders which consist of notes, memoranda, draft reports and other working papers for the respective programs.

The Congressional Investigations subsection also provides extensive information on the operations of the division, especially its role in drafting health insurance legislation. Other papers of special value in the Social Security Administration, Division of Research and Statisticssection are Falk's desk diary notes in the General Papers subsection and the extensive material on his survey in Haiti in the International Files subsection.

Falk's official files from the division are part of the Social Security Administration records deposited in the National Records Center, Suitland, Maryland. Social Security Sources in Federal Records, 1934-1950, chapter 6 (p. 89 ff), includes summaries of the records of the Bureau/Division of Research and Statistics (1946-1950) and citations to Falk's files from 1929 to the 1960s (see folder 901).

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) section is divided into four subsections: Malaya and Singapore, Republic of Panama, Thailand, and International Development Institute. The first two subsections contain Falk's files for two major studies which he conducted. The Malaya and Singapore and Republic of Panama subsections make up the bulk of the section, and they contain good documentation of the two studies, including correspondence with local and World Bank officials and research material. The material in both subsections is arranged as follows: correspondence, survey materials, mission report(s), and reference files. In addition, the first three folders in the Malaya and Singapore subsection contain background information on Falk's resignation from the Social Security Administration and his appointment by the World Bank. The third subsection consists of material relating to a proposed third study, and the fourth contains notes and related material for a seminar.

The Canal Zone Government (Panama) section documents the last of the four surveys of developing countries which Falk conducted. The papers are arranged in the same format as the Malaya and Singapore and Republic of Panama files (i.e., correspondence, survey material, mission report and reference files). The Canal Zone survey was conducted independently of Falk's earlier survey of the Republic of Panama, but the two groups of papers complement one another.

The United Steelworkers of America section covers Falk's service (1958-1980) as a health care consultant with the union and is divided into four subsections: Correspondence and Subject Files, Administrative Papers, Working Papers,(divided into background, 1958-1960, and 1961-1973), and Reports and Publications. Working Papers, Correspondence and Subject Files, and Reports and Publications all document his two-year survey of the union's health care contracts. They also concern efforts to establish union-sponsored group practice prepayment plans and the development of such a plan in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada.

Most of the Yale University, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health section is made up of the Course Material subsection (e.g., lecture notes and outlines, schedules, reference material) which is arranged chronologically by course. However, the first three folders in the section consist of correspondence regarding Falk's appointment, and the Project Files subsection contains material on his Standards for Good Medical Care study and other research activities during the period. See Series I, General Correspondence, for Falk's correspondence with colleagues and students at Yale.

The Community Health Care Center Plan section dates primarily from 1965 to 1970 and documents the establishment and development of the plan. Little of the material, except for published reports, covers the operation of the plan, which opened in 1971. The section is arranged in six subsections, Correspondence, Planning and Development Papers, Grants and Contracts, Physical Facility Papers, Reports, and Miscellaneous Print Material.

Series III, Subject and Organization Files, contains the papers of seven professional organizations in which Falk participated and three subjects: American Hospital Association, Hospital Payment Conference, American Public Health Association, American Public Welfare Association, Committee for National Health Insurance, Committee for the Nation's Health, Committee on Research in Medical Economics, Forand Bill and Related Bills, Group Health Association of America, Nonspecific Immunity, and Sturges (Gertrude), Disposition of Estate. The papers in the series extend from the early 1930s to 1980, and they reflect Falk's major career interests and activities.

The Committee on Administrative Practice, Subcommittee on Medical Care files in the American Public Health Associationsection extend from 1944 to 1957, and they contain important correspondence and other materials. The section also includes general correspondence as well as files for a number of other committees.

The Committee for National Health Insurance section is the largest and most complete in the series. The Correspondence subsection contains exchanges with Max Fine, Arthur J. Altmeyer, Melvin A. Glasser, Edward M. Kennedy, Leonard Woodcock, and others which illustrate both the technical and political aspects of national health insurance and other medical care issues in the late 1960s and 1970s. The General Committee and Executive Committee subsections provide information on committee operations through the early 1970s. The Technical Committee subsection includes both administrative and working papers; the latter document the drafting of the Health Security Act and the Health Care for All Americans Act.

The Committee for the Nation's Health section (1946-1953) and the Committee on Research in Medical Economics section (1937-1950) contain valuable material on national health insurance issues during Falk's Social Security Administration career. The Committee on Research in Medical Economicspapers include especially interesting correspondence with Michael M. Davis, who organized both committees.

The Nonspecific Immunity section primarily covers work which Falk did with the Army Chemical Corps, Camp Detrick, Maryland, in 1948, but also, includes more recent correspondence. The section reflects Falk's continuing involvement in immunology and bacteriology.

Series IV, Writings, spans the years from 1922 to 1980 and is organized in four sections: Bibliographies, Speeches, Reprints, and Other Writings . Each section is arranged chronologically. The Falk Papers do not include all of Falk's publications, and of the publications in the papers not all are included in Series IV. Committee on the Costs of Medical Care, Social Security Administration, Division of Research and Statistics, Committee for National Health Insurance, and other sections in Series II and III contain journal articles and, in the case of the C.C.M.C., volumes which relate specifically to the sections.

Series V, Personal Papers, includes a variety of personal correspondence, awards, a few photographs, and personal records. The series also includes transcripts of two interviews with Falk conducted by the Columbia University Oral History Project. (NB: The transcripts are copyrighted and may not be photocopied.)

Series VI, Pamphlet and Reference Files, contains ten linear feet of pamphlets, leaflets, mimeographed reports, newspaper clippings, and other printed ephemera. Some are annotated by Falk or have notes attached, and a few have cover letters. The series is arranged alphabetically by topic.

The material on the American Medical Association, especially the National Education Campaign and the National Physicians Committee for the Extension of Medical Service files, provides excellent illustrations of the A.M.A.'s emotional campaign against national health insurance from the late 1930s through the early 1950s. The A.M.A. Washington Office files are also of interest and include references to Falk and the Division of Research and Statistics.

The Group Practice Plans files include annual reports, promotional literature, and a variety of other print material from a number of health plans. The Community Health Association (Detroit), Group Health Association, Inc. (Washington, D.C.), the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York, Inc., and the Kaiser Health Plan are especially well represented. Other topics which are extensively documented in the series include health insurance and organized labor.

The bulk of the Falk Papers were donated to the Department of Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, by Professor Falk in a series of accessions extending from October 1979 to March 1981. Three linear feet of Falk's papers concerning the Committee on the Costs of Medical Care and the Committee on Economic Security were donated by the National Records Center, Suitland, Maryland, in July, 1980.

The papers are part of the Contemporary Medical Care and Health Policy Collection, Other manuscript groups in the collection contain material which complements the Falk Papers. The C.-E.A. Winslow Papers (Ms. Group 749) include an extensive run of correspondence between Falk and Winslow.

Description of the Addition

This addition to the Isidore Sydney Falk Papers consists of 16.5 feet of papers, collected obituaries, and memorial tributes. The papers include both professional and personal correspondence, minutes, reference files, writings, photographs, and memorabilia dating from 1918-1984. The addition is particularly significant for documenting Falk's interest in the work of the Committee for National Health Insurance and of the Community Health Care Center Plan, Inc.

The addition is arranged, as is the bulk of the papers, in six series: I. General Files; II. Professional Activities; III. Subject and Organization Files; IV. Writings; V. Personal Papers; And VI. Pamphlet and Reference Files.

Series I is composed of correspondence, writings, clippings, and other material arranged by name of Falk's personal or professional associate or organization. Several correspondents, notably Wilbur Cohen, Rashi Fein, Max Fine, Melvin Glasser, and Karen Ignagni detail the ongoing activities of the Committee for National Health Insurance. Files for A. Kay Keiser concern Falk's participation in an Ambulatory Care Seminar at the Yale School of Medicine and contain Falk's lecture notes, while the Lewis Weeks file concerns preparation for an oral history interview, the transcript of which can be found in Series V.

Series II contains only files concerning the Community Health Care Center Plan, Inc. These files include minutes and other documents from the board of directors meetings (mainly following Falk's retirement from CHCP), annual reports, and audit statements. The files also include material, especially photographs, relating to the development of a satellite health center in Wallingford, Connecticut.

The Subject and Organization Files in Series III encompass material documenting Falk's continued participation on the Committee for National Health Insurance. The general files in this section represent a chronological summary of activities of the committee as it confronted plans for government sponsored health programs proposed by the Carter and Reagan administrations and by various members of Congress, The committee was particularly interested in Senator Edward Kennedy's "Health Care for All Americans" proposal. Files include correspondence, committee and sub-committee records, reference files, and publications of the committee. Much printed material retained by Falk for reference on specific issues is filed in Series VI.

Series IV, Writings, contains speeches and writings by Falk at the end of his life. The series also includes a copy of Falk's Ph.D. dissertation and volumes of "Collected Papers" which contain a fairly complete bibliography and collection of Falk's printed works from 1918-1979. Of particular note in this series are chapter drafts for Falk's unpublished memoirs.

Series V incorporates the personal papers of Isidore Falk and his wife Ruth Hill Falk. Particularly interesting are letters between Falk and his wife. During periods of separation, particularly the summers of 1941-1943, when Falk remained in Washington to work while his wife was in Connecticut, and between 1950 and 1951, when Falk was working in Haiti, there are frequent, detailed letters describing his work load, meetings, and lobbying efforts. There are also annual letters describing the American Public Health Association meetings. The family correspondence also includes a file of almost daily letters, 1944-1945, from son Sydney Falk describing his training in the Army Air Forces. In addition the series contains appointment books, transcripts of oral history interviews, slides taken during the Falk's trips to Haiti. and the Far East, a scrapbook from the symposium in honor of I.S. Falk, awards and citations, and memorial tributes.

Series VI, Pamphlet and Reference Files, contains printed material collected by Falk for reference on issues, primarily those involving medical care, national health insurance, and group practice, with particular interest in politics and economics. The files contain a number of clippings. Clippings on general health issues from the New York Times were not retained.