Report of the Special Committee Advisory to the President's Committee on Economic Security, December 4, 1934
Title: Dr. Goetz A. Briefs, n.d.
Description: Dr. Goetz A. Briefs was a Catholic social theorist and political economist. Born January 1, 1889 in Eschweiler, Germany, Briefs received his PhD from the University of Freiburg in Germany in 1912. He served as a professor of economics at several German universities and received numerous grants to conduct international research, before the Nazi rise to power forced him to emigrate to the United States in 1934. From 1934 to 1937, he was visiting professor of economics at The Catholic University of America. In 1937, he was awarded a full professorship on the faculty of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. During his tenure, he often served as an economics consultant to the President, the Department of Justice, Office of Strategic Service, and the Department of Defense. Briefs died while visiting Rome in 1974, and is buried in Vatican City.
Contributor: Courtesy of Georgetown University Special Collections Research Center
Date: n.d.
In contrast with some of the earlier documents on this site, the document here was not produced by the National Conference of Catholic Charities. Instead, it is the report of the Special Committee on Employment and Relief, of which John O'Grady was a member, to the main body of the President's Committee on Economic Security. As such, it represents the perspective a broader group outside Catholic institutional circles. In fact, this Special Committee had gathered another group of experts to advise them on making recommendations. This smaller group included Dr. Goetz Briefs [misspelled in the document as G. A. Briess], a German immigrants and professor of economics at Catholic University, who was able to provide the Special Committee with ideas from European relief efforts as well as economic data on funding various programs.
Title: Report to Advise the President's Committee on Economic Security
Contributor: Special Advisory Committee on Employment and Relief
Date: December 4, 1934
Questions:
As you read the document, reflect on the following questions:
What was the Special Committee's recommendations for caring for the most vulnerable unemployed people, such as the infirm and children?
Why did the report suggest the creation of an education program for 16-21-year-olds? Do you think this was a good idea? Why or why not?
The report advises the CES to establish a permanent Federal Public Welfare Bureau with authority over state welfare departments. What reasons did they use to explain this recommendation? How does this recommendation compare with the NCCC's opinion of a Federal welfare bureau, as demonstrated in the minutes of their Dec. 3 meeting?
