The story of a parchment

This program tells the story of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, the men who drafted the document, the printing of it, and its travels between states under adverse conditions, including its transference to Fort Knox during World War II. Finally, Dr. Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress, asked for construction of a display case. On Constitution Day, September 17, 1951, the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were finally sealed in helium in an airtight glass envelope. Film clips show the ceremony and speakers, including President Harry S. Truman, Senator Theodore F. Green of Rhode Island, Chief Justice Fred M. Vincent, and Rev. Frederick Brown Harris, chaplain of Congress. The National Bureau of Standards developed the method for preservation after researching conditions promoting deterioration of parchment, and a reconstruction of their preservation process is explained.