Sub-Series III: Robos,, 1963-1970.
Dates
- 1963-1970.
Scope and Contents
Robos consists of constituent correspondence, typically received in large volume on specific legislative matters, and answered with the use of some mechanical means. The robo correspondence encompasses a variety of issues that concerned constituents of the time, whether individuals or businesses or other institutions. These materials convey the basic position (i.e., pro or con) a constituent held on an issue or specific bill, often with a deeper explanation of their perspective. The majority of constituents writing to HAW were from NJ, but the sub-series includes some out of state (OOS) correspondents. Additionally, correspondence to other senators or government officials found in "NARs" (No Answer Required) is included.
Some of the more well-represented issues include the anti-ballistic missile system, nomination of Judge G. Harold Carswell to the Supreme Court, Vietnam, and bills on civil rights, gun control, humane animal treatment, postal pay, public school prayer, social security, tax reform, and many more. Issues with less, but still substantive, representation include constituent letters regarding the Alaska oil pipeline, FDA food supplement regulation, the Lake Erie-Ohio River Canal, Redwoods National Park bill, Textile Footwear Trade bill, and tuition tax credit, among others.
Language of Materials
Undetermined .
Physical Description
(57.25 cubic feet)
Arrangement
The robo correspondence is arranged in robo code order, dating from 1963-1970. From 1963-1964, the robo code consisted of numbers. A 3-letter system-generated alpha code was used from 1965-1970. All the alpha codes start with "F" except for a brief time in 1968 when the alpha codes began with "D."
A substantial amount of correspondence from 1969-1970 concerning the Middle East was found by the archivist after the sub-series had been processed. This material was placed toward the end of the sub-series in the container list.
The original file labels only referred to the robo code and time period of the correspondence. Therefore, the subject folder description associated with a robo code was imposed by the processing archivist, based on a review of the correspondence.
Folders with a robo code of "?" include materials that did not reference the robo code used to answer the correspondence.
The retained NAR/OOS for all years are placed after the robo-coded files. These were arranged in alpha order by a broad topic, like Health, imposed by the processing archivist. Folders were further labeled with the item's principal content, such as company name or focal issue. Folders with multiple items were given more detailed index terms.
Container 867 includes those files with legal size documents that were separated from the rest of the sub-series.
Appraisal and Discard Information
Robos, originally amounting to approximately 146 cubic feet, were retained on a sample basis. Sampling was applied to all files for a robo code for a particular year. (Although a robo code aligns with a standard form response and not necessarily with a unique subject, for sampling purposes the robo code was used as a proxy for subject.)
Except in a few instances involving small amounts of non-substantive material, correspondence representing every robo code in the files was retained. All correspondence for a robo code was retained if it was unique (i.e., not pre-printed forms) and amounted to three linear inches or less.
Much of the correspondence received was in the form of standard pre-printed letters and postcards. The bulk of these forms was discarded, with small amounts of representative samples retained. The extent of these discards was documented by the processing archivist; the documentation is included with the retained samples in the relevant folder.
Many issues had large amounts of unique correspondence, totaling six linear inches and often much more. Nevertheless, despite the fact that this correspondence was not in the form of pre-printed form letters, there was a substantial degree of redundancy in the correspondence, much of which often simply expressed a pro/con position on an issue or piece of pending legislation. In these instances, the bulk of correspondence was reduced. The specific amount retained was based on the substance of the issue involved, the substance and uniqueness of the content of the correspondence, and the diversity of correspondents. In any event, at least three linear inches, though often more, of correspondence representative of the whole was retained. The extent of discarded material was documented by the processing archivist; the documentation is included in the relevant folder with the retained material.
In addition to robo-coded correspondence, these files contained much correspondence labeled as "NAR" (i.e., No Answer Required) and "OOS" (i.e., Out of State correspondent). These materials covered a broad range of topics and most was not substantive. Dear Colleague letters from other senators, transmittals of various printed materials, letters from kooks, and out of state form letters were among the forms of correspondence found here. The bulk of the NAR/OOS material was discarded. Substantive documents bearing on legislation and New Jersey matters were retained. The small number of Dear Colleagues letters found here were placed with like material in the LEGISLATION FILES series.
Part of the New Brunswick Special Collections Repository