Inventor Name
Unknown
Repository
Hagley Museum and Library
PO Box 3630
Wilmington, DE 19807-0630
302-658-2400
https://www.hagley.org/research
Physical Description
23.5 linear ft.
Summary
E .I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. Pubic Affairs Department Records The Du Pont Company’s Publicity Bureau was originally created on February 21, 1916 at the urging of R. R. M. Carpenter to deal with issues raised by the great increase of business spawned by World War I. Prior to this time, publicity had been handled by the Advertising Division, created in 1911. Charles K. Weston of the Philadelphia PUBLIC LEDGER was the first Director of Publicity. The Publicity Bureau became the Publicty Dept. in October 1935. It was renamed the Public Relations Dept. on April 1, 1938, and the Public Affairs Dept. in 1973. It was combined with the Marketing Communications Dept. to form the External Affairs Dept. on January 1, 1986. During the 1930s the Public Affairs Department attempted to counter the Nye Commission investigation which labeled the Du Pont Company as a "merchant of death". It developed the slogan "Better Things for Better Living Through Chemistry" and developed the Du Pont CAVALCADE OF AMERICA on radio. The Community Relations Division, established in 1946, published the magazine BETTER LIVING. The Public Affairs Department records contain biographical sketches of deceased officers, employees and du Pont family members, and histories of company plants, predecessor companies and all line and staff departments. The alphabetical history file contains press releases, memoranda, and pamphlets, which were assembled for various public relations campaigns. Of particular interest is the file documenting the Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn "Better Things for Better Living" campaign. There is also considerable information on the company’s pavilions at the 1939 and 1964 New York World’s Fairs, efforts to counter the Nye Committee’s investigation, lawsuits with other chemical companies over products and patent infringement, and the General Motors and Cellophane antitrust suits. World War II-era publicity stresses Du Pont’s contribution to the war effort and its role in the atomic energy program is well described. More recent records describe the impact of the energy crisis of the early 1970s on the chemical industry and the Ralph Nader "Company State" investigation. There is also a collection of 22 cartoons on the Conoco bidding war of 1981.
