Records of the Air Law Institute

This series is comprised of administrative records of the Air Law Institute, and covers roughly the first half of the Institute's existence. The series as a whole is made up almost exclusively of correspondence, most of which issued from or was addressed to the office of Fred Fagg. The correspondence, involving international communication with a wide range of specialists and amateurs, reveals the extent of interest in the legal issues raised by the nascent field of air law.

The General Files contain correspondence drafted in the course of the operations of the Air Law Institute. The Administrative Correspondence subseries deals with such matters as lecture arrangements, the Summer Institute, points of air law, and the functioning of the two journals (e. g., circulation and correspondence with authors). The Subject Files concern both topics of importance to the Institute generally, such as financial statements, air law conferences, and the Summer Institute, and issues relating specifically to its two journals. It will be noted that there is some overlap of subject matter between the Administrative Correspondence and Subject Files, as for instance in the case of the Summer Institute. Of particular interest is the Annual Report (Box 2, Folder 10 ), which includes a short history and overview of the Air Law Institute. The folder “Latin American Promotion of the Journal of Air Law” (Box 2, Folder 1) illustrates the international scope of the Institute, which made a particular effort to distribute the journal in official circles on that continent.

The second section, Journal of Air Law records, comprised almost entirely of correspondence generated by Dr. Fagg's office, covers such standard publishing activities as assembling the editorial board, circulation and subscriptions, promotion, layout, and the like. Its arrangement is chronological. One matter covered in Box 1, Folder 2 is a prospective (but finally abortive) merger of the Journal with another similar serial published by the New York University Law School, the Air Law Review. Some of the records in this section pertain also to the Journal of Radio Law.

The content of the Journal of Radio Law , the third section of the series, is similar to that of the previous one, and is also arranged chronologically. The correspondence in this section emanated from or was received by the office of editor Louis G. Caldwell. The material in these folders sheds little light on the reasons for the abrupt demise of the short-lived publication.

Addition, Box 4

A guest register, embossed with the corporate seal of the Air Law Institute, has been added to the series, as folder 8 of box 4. Signatures appearing on the pages of the register date mainly from 1930 although a few carry the year 1933. The signature of the celebrated actress Jean Harlow (1911-1937) may be found under the date September 27, [1930].