The US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School Archival Project
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The US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School Archival Project The Interpreter Archives, University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries Number 158 Remember September 11, 2001 [email protected] April 1, 2010 Our Mission test of the first hydrogen bomb. areas, and Wells was freed up to Although the en-bloc cost of the Since I was a mere passenger, I work on acquisitions. collection was expected to be In the Spring of 2000, the did not have to go to Bikini with “Towner spent his time $2,750,000, Wells argued that a Archives continued the origi- the ship. Instead, after a few days raising money,” Wells explained. large portion could be recouped nal efforts of Captain Roger wait, I boarded an escort carrier “I spent my time spending it.” through the auction sale of books Pineau and William Hudson, now serving as a passenger ship Every other year, Wells that were duplicates of ones and the Archives first at- for the five day voyage from would visit London and Paris on already held by the Newberry. tempts in 1992, to gather the Pearl Harbor to the Alameda a shopping trip for the Newberry. Furthermore, many of the items papers, letters, photographs, Naval Station in San Francisco He particularly remembers two in the collection were famous and records of graduates of Bay. (to be cont’d) booksellers. In Paris, it was and would be good candidates to the US Navy Japanese/ T. Howell Breece André Jammes. “His grandfather solicit individual donors to Oriental Language School, JLS 1944 had been a bouquiniste [stall underwrite. Towner proposed the _______________ University of Colorado at owner], his father had moved sale of stocks and bonds from the Boulder, 1942-1946. We into a store, and he became an endowment to fund the purchase. assemble these papers in James M. Wells antiquarian dealer. During the The trustees approved the plan. recognition of the contribu- 30 Years at the Newberry course of the two years between The Newberry acquired the tions made by JLS/OLS 56 years a Caxtonian my visits he would put items he collection. instructors and graduates to And Enjoying Every expected us to want in a closet. Shortly thereafter, an auction the War effort in the Pacific Minute When I would arrive, I’d take a at Sotheby’s returned more than and the Cold War, to the week going through the closet.” $800,000 for the duplicates. In creation of East Asian (Cont’d) “I learned my way The experience with E. P. the process, the Newberry language programs across through the collection,” he said. Goldschmidt in London was received international publicity. the country, and to the He joined the Caxton Club and similar, but with a difference: Word reached Wells that the development of Japanese- the Society of Typographic Arts. Goldschmidt was a night owl, New York Times was going to American cultural rec- There was a calligraphy study and particularly disdained cover the story, so he quickly onciliation programs after group, and a printing workshop mornings. So “He would invite called in the Tribune, Sun- World War II. was set up in the basement of the me to his apartment at 11 p.m., Times, and Daily News for a Newberry. He had interesting and show me books until the wee press conference. The local The JLS Experience readers and excellent colleagues, hours.” papers responded with front page of T. Howell Breece including Hans Baron, Gertrude The large acquisition of stories the next day. Sotheby’s Woodward, Ruth Butler, Ben which Wells is most proud was was proud enough of the (Cont’d) The USS Sumner, a Bowman, David Stam, and Bob the Louis H. Silver collection. subsequent auction that they former coast and geodetic survey Karrow. Wells was familiar with the made a documentary about the ship, carried me to Pearl Harbor. Soon there were additional collection from having visited sale that circulated for years. As far as Guam, I had a fellow responsibilities, as well. When Silver and his wife, Amy (who Among the curious passenger sharing my cabin, but Ken Davis resigned as editor of acted as his bibliographer) at consequences of the deal was he was so desperately seasick the Newberry Bulletin, Wells their Wilmette home. The books that anyone and everyone offered that he left ship at Guam and took over. “I got to write the (many of them acquired from their books for sale to the library. flew home from there. During articles about notable famed bookseller John Fleming, The Towner papers at the the long passage from Guam to acquisitions, which was a himself the successor to the even Newberry have a folder, 3/4 of Pearl Harbor, I got the ship’s pleasure. And I found that more famed A.S.W. Rosenbach) an inch thick, of letters from navigator to teach me how to commissioning articles also gave were housed in a vault that had people who believed that their navigate using a sextant and the me satisfaction, because of room for a table and easy chairs. collections belonged there. HO214 tables of predicted getting to know new people and Silver was a hotelier; he had put (to be cont’d) azimuths and altitudes. I working with them to shape their his companies at risk by Robert McCamant thoroughly enjoyed the passage. articles.” purchasing the Ambassador The Caxtonian The Sumner was supposed to go Lawrence Towner replaced hotels, an over-extension of Vol. XV, No. 9 September 2007 through the Panama Canal and Stanley Pargellis as President of resources and perhaps his _______________ on to the Boston Navy Yard for a the Newberry in 1962. Where capabilities. To secure a loan, he thorough refit. To the great Pargellis had been thrifty, used his books and prints as An EAA Interview distress of the Captain and his Towner was expansive. Towner collateral. With his untimely with officers, two days before she set about using the nest egg that death in 1963, the books had to reached Pearl Harbor a radio Pargellis had accumulated for be put on the block. At first, a Houghton Freeman message told the Captain that staff, facilities, and holdings. rumor circulated that the when the ship reached Pearl Eventually Wells was in charge collection was going to go to the Harbor, she was to turn around of acquisitions, fellowships, University of Texas. But Wells and go to Bikini to make a education, and publications at did some research and learned careful survey of the atoll. No the Newberry. Then the process that it was not a settled one knew why, but of course, was reversed, as staff was found agreement. Wells went to later it became clear that the to be responsible for specific Towner, who went to the board survey was in preparation for the of trustees with a plan. Shanghai http://www.haroldstephens.net/image women. Some people within Education About ASIA up trucks. The 5th IMB had of /tid/51? AIU left early on – especially Vol. 12, No. 2 course been relieved of the better (Cont’d) Lynn Parisi: Doing those who had been interned Fall 2007 part of its motor transport by the business for AIU in postwar under the Japanese and who Reprinted with permission of the Chinese at this point. Sgt. Kline Shanghai, you again witnessed a were still recovering from that Association for Asian Studies, Inc. said he would ride in one of the _______________ pivotal chapter in Chinese experience. Our Chinese senior trucks, since it might be history. By 1948 when you management all left for Hong Conversation awkward for him to ride with returned, the communist victory Kong very quickly. Finally, there Between Marines officers. The General said there in the civil war was close at were four foreigners left at AIU was no problem, and he should hand. What were your – Doreen, myself, and two Dear Aubrey [Farb]: ride with us if he wished. He did. impressions of the civil war? others. Other foreigners who Major General Eiji What was Shanghai like, prior to stayed were also from companies NAGANO was the commanding and following the Chinese with big stakes in Shanghai – oil general of the 5th Independent Communist Party (CCP) victory, companies, banks, large trading Mixed Brigade [Japanese for American businesses and companies. Imperial Army], which had individuals? We hoped things for the comprised the troops in Tsingtao Houghton Freeman: The insurance industry would be and its environs. I do not recall communists came south towards okay, but they weren’t. It was no how many troops were under his Shanghai in spring 1949, a year longer a question of what was command. The Marines were after we arrived. By May, they legal in an insurance policy; engaged in loading ships with had surrounded Shanghai. We Japanese troops and civilians to hikes in the Loh Shan Mountains things were settled with the above Tsingtao. were really looking forward to person who had the money be returned to Japan. While the http://www.haroldstephens.net/node/ their arrival because the paying the one who did not. So, repatriation program was in 371 Guomindang were so corrupt. in all car accidents, they guy motion, a substantial number of We drove around in the Lao Inflation had become impossible who had the car had the money. Japanese troops remained at their Shan mountain area but I do not – you had to carry around bags If two cars ran into each other, posts in the country remember the other place names. of money to do business. decisions were made based on outside Tsingtao, awaiting The troops we visited were Lynn Parisi: Do you mean the who had more money.