Seeking ethnic statistics for GI Bill

Dear Ms. Bachman,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located these series: Program Files, 1953-1981; Program Evaluation Materials, 1952-1979; Annual Reports and Associated Records, 1920-1961; Veterans Housing Circulars and Bulletins, ca. 1947-1971; Publications, 1923-1962; and Issuances and Publications, 1921-1964 in the Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) (Record Group 15) that may contain information related to your research. These records have not been digitized. For more information about them and other VA records, please contact National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) at Archives1reference@nara.gov.

We also located several series titled Index to Loans on Veterans Administration Guaranteed Mortgages, 1946-1954; Records Relating to the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs (AVA) - Guaranty (GTY) Program, 1944-1953; and the Reports on Loans to Industry and Business, 1934-1946 in the Records of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (Record Group 234) that may contain some information about GI Bill mortgage benefits. There may be some useful information in the series Decimal Subject Files, 1939-1961 in the Records of the Federal Housing Administration (Record Group 31). In addition, we located the series Higher Education Fall Enrollment Cards, 1947-1948 inthe Records of the Office of Education (Record Group 12) that may provide some relevant information about GI Bill education benefits. These records have not been digitized. For access and further assistance with these series, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) at Archives2reference@nara.gov.

Plus, we located the series Class 151 (World War II Veterans Matters) Litigation Case Files and Enclosures, 1930-1987 in the General Records of the Department of Justice (Record Group 60) that may include specific legal cases related to the GI Bill. This series is still fully restricted and you have to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to access any of these records. Please contact RDT2 for further information.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1 and RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Some information related to your research still may be in the custody of the Department of Veterans Affairs. We suggest that you contact them directly for further assistance or contact their National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics to see if they can offer any additional insight.

Finally, the citations and research notes in books like When Affirmative Action was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in 20th-Century America by Ira Katznelson or in articles like Black and White Veterans and the GI Bill by Sophie Frey from Dartmouth’s digital history project may be useful in locating more relevant resources.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!