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Quarterly of the National Archives And Records Administration Fall 2011 • Special Reprint

Prologuewww.archives.gov/st.louis

A New St. Louis Address For the National Archives Before he was one of the legends of major league baseball, Jackie Robinson was a in the U.S. Army during World War II. In 1944, he was court-martialed for actions while being held in custody after he refused a bus driver’s order to move to the back of the bus at Fort Hood, . He was eventually acquitted and received an honorable discharge. For the full story, go to www. archives.gov/publications/prologue/2008/spring/robinson.html National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, N.Y. Prologue Quarterly of the National Archives And Records Administration Fall 2011 • Special Reprint

PrologueQUARTERLY of the NATIONAL ARCHIVES and RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

EDITOR’S NOTE If you’ve ever received a paycheck from flagship publication, takes a close look at how Uncle Sam, either in the military or in this records center came into being and what it

ARCHIVIST of the civilian service, there’s a file on you in St. is today. And if your file is here, it might be right Louis. In fact, there are files on more than next to the file of Clark Gable, Elvis Presley, or David S. Ferriero 100 million Americans there, some dating Douglas MacArthur. DIRECTOR of back to 1821. And just to show you how rich in PUBLIC and MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS The files ovidepr detailed information information these files are, we dig deep Susan Cooper about these into the file of Jack EDITOR of individuals when Kerouac, the “Beat PUBLICATIONS James Worsham they worked for Generation” writer the government who desperately MANAGING EDITOR as well as wanted to be in Mary C. Ryan documentation of the Navy. It’s a

EDITORIAL STAFF their government surprising and Benjamin Guterman service so they unusual story. Maureen MacDonald Hilary Parkinson can qualify for If you enjoy these promised benefits. articles, please join us CONTRIBUTING EDITOR The ationalN for more at our blog, Constance Potter Archives is now “Prologue: Pieces of ART DIRECTORS moving these files into a new state-of-the-art History” at http://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/ or Brian Barth Rania Hassan facility at 1 Archives Drive, which will house subscribe by using the order form in the back of both the National Archives at St. Louis and this reprint. You’ll also find us on Facebook and the National Personnel Records Center. The other social media sites. Also, visit us at www. move will be complete in September 2012. archives.gov/publications/prologue. This eprintr of three articles from the Fall 2011 issue of Prologue, the National Archives’ JAMES WORSHAM 1 Archives Drive PERSONNEL RECORDS ARE CONSOLIDATED AT NEW LOCATION IN ST. LOUIS

By William Seibert, Wanda Williams, and Nancy Schuster

he boxes are lined up in neat rows on met- Privately owned and leased by the federal govern- Tal shelves, shelf after shelf after shelf, 15 stacks ment for the National Archives and Records Admin- high. Look up, and you can see through the met- istration (NARA), this $115 million building replac- al grating to the next floor, and the floors after that, es two aging facilities, one of which experienced a fire where 14 more stacks rise above you. in 1973 that destroyed millions of records. The view is impressive, even a bit scary—like stand- The new building is technically the home of two ing under the Eiffel Tower and looking straight up. NARA units. One is the NPRC, which has physical If you lined up end to end all the boxes that will fill but not legal custody of more recent permanent mil- those shelves, they would stretch 545 miles from this new itary and civilian records. The other is the Nation- building, housing the National Personnel Records Center al Archives at St. Louis, which has legal custody of (NPRC) and the National Archives at St. Louis, to Dallas. older military and civilian permanent files that have The statistics behind them are staggering. been accessioned by the National Archives. These are the personnel files of an estimated 100 mil- Although it will be a while before all the boxes arrive, lion individuals who served their country in the military the thought of all of them lined up conjures up images or as a civilian—about 9 billion textual, digital, and mi- from the movie .In fact, the com- crofilm pages. Some of the files date to 1821, and the larg- parison does not end there, because tucked inside each est one is that of Air Force Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold at of these boxes are treasures, records just as valuable as 6, 044 pages. The records are in 15 separate storage areas the ones Harrison Ford’s found. that have a combined capacity of 2.3 million cubic feet. These treasures are chapters of people’s lives, some Moving the files from their old home to this new covering a few years, some almost a lifetime. state-of-the-art archival facility at the rate of 6,000 They are stories of heroism, of courage that overrode cubic feet a day will have taken 383 days when it heartbreak, and of devotion to duty, whether the job is complete in the fall of 2012. The building itself, was a life-or- mission or routine office work that which opened earlier this year, sits on more than 7 too often draws little recognition. There are, of course, acres of a 29.5-acre property. stories unflattering to their subjects as well. And they

4 Prologue Fall 2011 all remain important and relevant long after they happened. That they are important consider this: The center gets nearly 5,000 requests a day for information from these files—more than 1 million a year—making this arguably our busiest location.

NPRC Boasts a Staff That Can Act Quickly When Americans need to consult their military or ci- vilian personnel records, our staff—more than 700 in this

new building and 185 more in an underground annex in The Center is the National Archives’ busiest location, receiving nearly nearby Illinois—are in place to respond quickly. 5,000 requests a day for information from its files—more than 1 They came to the rescue of a terminally ill Korean War million a year. It is the repository for the personnel records of former members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard veteran who was denied access to medical care because he as well as civilian employees of the federal government. could not find his copy of his discharge document, DD Form 214. Within hours of the request, the staff produced put a Missouri woman back on the right path to finding a Certification of Military Service by piecing together a out why her grandfather disappeared mysteriously. military record for him, using other documents stored at And they can pull the military file on the late actress Be- the NPRC, and the veteran got his needed care. atrice Arthur and show you her World War II record from the They can quickly pull the file on Sgt. Alvin C. York, who Marines, where the future “Maude” and “Golden Girl” drove won the Medal of Honor, and retrieve the documentation trucks and worked as a typist. of his bravery in the face of danger—leading an attack on a This is what happens in this new building in St. Louis Coun- German machine-gun nest in , killing dozens ty, where the NPRC and the National Archives at St. Louis are of enemy soldiers and capturing more than 100 of them. co-located. This is where the American people can see and use They helped a university professor find the missing fact records about themselves that the government has on file. in his search for the complete story of how a group of Af- Since the early 1950s, the NPRC (including its predeces- rican American soldiers were court-martialed in Kenya in sor organizations) has been the repository for the personnel re- World War II. That piece of information opened the flood- cords of former members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, gates for the professor, and he is planning a book. Air Force, and Coast Guard as well as civilian employees of the By consulting a 1920s federal civilian personnel file, they federal government.

The National Personnel Records Center’s new $115 million building is now open. It will hold personnel files of an estimated 100 million individuals who served their country in the military or as a civilian. The building is also home for the National Archives at St. Louis, which has legal custody of older military and civilian permanent files that have been accessioned by the National Archives.

1 Archives Drive Prologue 5 In 2009, construction crews broke ground in north St. Louis County for a building Construction at the new building is now complete. It provides state-of-the-art to store archived (permanent) and pre-archived records. The building itself, which environmental protection for the records and allows storage of military and civilian opened earlier this year, sits on more than seven acres of a 23.5-acre property. personnel files that were previously stored in separate buildings in the St. Louis area.

These records are important to veterans and the records as they are transferred into the le- sonnel records in a single repository. separated civilian employees because they doc- gal custody of the National Archives. The new building is one of the largest in ument their time in service and allow them to The temporary records that were stored at our nationwide network of archives, feder- qualify for the benefits the nation has promised the older NPRC buildings have been relocat- al records centers, and Presidential libraries. Its them. The records are equally valuable to their ed to the NPRC Annex in Valmeyer, Illinois, 700 employees are the largest group of Nation- families and future generations. about 40 miles southeast of St. Louis. This rec- al Archives personnel outside the College Park, Archivist of the United States David S. Ferrie- ords center was built in a former underground Maryland, building. ro underscored the importance of the new facility limestone quarry in the bluffs high above the NARA, however, is not the only tenant in for both the records and those who request them. . An additional 185 employ- this new building. Among the 14 other agen- “We are tremendously excited about this ees work in the Annex, which has the capacity cies with offices there are the Department of new state-of-the-art facility,” Ferriero said. “The for more than 2.5 million cubic feet of records. Veterans Affairs, the Federal Bureau of Inves- design and planning were driven by our mis- In 2009, construction crews broke ground in tigation, the Federal Aviation Agency, the Se- sion of preserving and protecting the records north St. Louis County for a building to store cret Service, and units of the individual mili- housed here. Equally as important is our abil- archived (permanent) and pre-archived records. tary services. ity to serve the needs of those who need access This massive construction project pumped to the information contained in these records.” $435 million into the local economy and gen- New Features: Storage, He added: “We are very proud of our service erated more than 300 jobs in the St. Louis area. Research, Public Programs to veterans, civil servants, and their families and The new building was built and is owned by the The new building meets all modern archival look forward to providing them with even bet- Molasky Group of Companies, which leases it to standards and is certified under the Leadership in ter service at 1 Archives Drive.” the General Services Administration and NARA. Energy and Environment Design (LEED) pro- The construction has been completed, and gram. Archival storage bays are equipped with All Personnel Records most employees are now working in the new particulate and ultraviolet filtration. In addition, To Be in Single Facility building. But the work of relocating more than special paint, sealants, caulking, and the finish- For many years, the military and civilian per- 2 million cubic feet of permanent records will es for the shelving have been certified for min- sonnel files were stored in separate buildings continue through September 2012. During this imal off-gassing of volatile organic compounds, in the St. Louis area, but it became clear that a time, the NPRC staff will continue to provide which are harmful to documents over time. new facility was needed when many of the rec- timely responses to all reference requests, and ef- At the new building, nearly all the records ords were reappraised as permanent holdings. forts are being made to ensure that services to storage units are 29 shelves high, compared to The existing decades-old buildings did veterans and other customers are carried on with only 10 to 14 shelves high at the older build- not provide appropriate environmental con- little or no delay for the duration of the move. ings. The staff will gain access to the first 15 ditions for the storage of permanent records, When the move is complete, the new fa- shelves by using rolling ladders on the floor lev- and a new unit, known as the National Ar- cility will have consolidated, for the first el. Two levels of steel catwalk will provide access chives at St. Louis, was created to maintain time, millions of civilian and military per- to the remaining shelves.

6 Prologue Fall 2011 The staff will gain access to the first 15 shelves by using The construction is now complete, and most employees are now working in the new building while records rolling ladders on the floor level. Two levels of steel continue to be moved in through September 2012. catwalk will provide access to the remaining shelves.

The move is also allowing the staff to -un contain more than just the standard applications ords, including those from the Civil War and dertake a rearrangement of its vast holdings or routine government forms. A family histori- others dating back to the Revolutionary War, to achieve greater efficiency and logical order. an may find a photograph, handwritten letters, or are housed in the National Archives Building Military records will be organized according to other meaningful documents. Even the standard in downtown Washington, D.C.) the different branches of service, and the civil- forms can contain information about a veteran’s The archival military personnel files typically ian personnel records will be shelved by agency. or a former civil servant’s parents or guardians, sib- contain information about parentage, date and Visitors will have the advantage of a much lings, or spouse as well as other data that can help place of birth, physical description, citizenship larger public research room with more research- further a genealogical search. status, education, prior employment, home ad- er stations that accommodate laptops, scanners, The Department of Defense and the indi- dress at time of entry into service, marital status, and other equipment. vidual military services retain ownership of the assignment history (units, ships, duty stations), More than half of all public research room military personnel records when they are ini- military occupations and ranks, foreign service visits are made by persons doing family histo- tially retired to NPRC. locations, awards and decorations received, ci- ry research. Authors, academics, and represen- Only limited information from the files is re- tations for meritorious and valorous conduct, tatives of other federal agencies also use person- leasable to the public without the permission of documentation of bad conduct and nonjudicial nel files for a variety of research projects. (See the subject of the record (or if he or she is de- punishment, and dates and character of service. the article on Jack Kerouac’s military file else- ceased, the immediate next of kin) as long as the The new facility is also the repository for nu- where in this issue as an example.) military service department maintains ownership. merous related series of records. They include Visiting researchers are encouraged to sched- Legal title to the military personnel records the Registration Cards ule an appointment prior to their arrival. transfers to the National Archives 62 years af- and Classification Ledgers that document The new building also has a large multipur- ter a veteran’s discharge, death in service, or re- the military draft in force between 1940 and pose room equipped with videoconferencing tirement. After this transfer of ownership, the 1975, Army General Courts Martial Case Files technology. These rooms can be used for train- records are referred to as “archival” or “acces- (1911–1976), and Trade Cards describing spe- ing, meetings, public programs, and exhibitions. sioned” holdings. Archival records are open to cific aspects of civilian work in naval shipyards NARA’s traveling exhibition “Document- the public; researchers do not need the consent during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ed Rights” will be on display through the end of the veteran (or the next of kin) in order to Civilian personnel records are original- of February 2012. The public is invited to visit view or obtain copies of the record. ly owned by the federal agencies that created the exhibition, see the new building, and learn Currently, the National Archives in St. Louis them or by one of the agencies with govern- about the wealth of National Archives holdings has 270,245 cubic feet of archival military per- ment-wide jurisdiction over personnel matters: found both locally and around the nation. sonnel files (about 56 million individual files), the Civil Service Commission or the Office of and that volume will increase annually. The Personnel Management. Much Data about Individuals oldest holdings are Navy records that docu- During the past two years, the National Ar- Included in Personnel Records ment service ending in the 1880s, and the most chives has taken legal custody of more than The civilian and military personnel files often recent ones are from 2004. (Older military rec- 213,000 cubic feet of civilian personnel records

1 Archives Drive Prologue 7 Visitors will have the advantage of a much larger public research room with more researcher stations that More than half of all public research room visits are accommodate laptops, scanners, and other equipment. made by persons doing family history research.

(representing the service of millions of employ- ital status, job series and position descrip- agencies that could be used to reconstruct as- ees), created by more than 112 different feder- tions, pay grades, employment locations, pects of an individual’s service history. These al agencies between 1850 and 1951. letters of commendation, and dates of em- holdings are referred to as Auxiliary Records, These accessioned civilian personnel files ployment. and the National Archives at St. Louis holds contain valuable information about the per- upwards of 50 different series of them. sonal lives and professional careers of former Recreating Military Records The most heavily accessed series of Auxiliary civil servants employed by the U.S. govern- Destroyed in the 1973 Fire Records are various collections of pay records. ment in cabinet-level departments and inde- The NPRC staff will be leaving the site of the These payrolls, pay vouchers, and pay rosters pendent agencies. They present a panorama of 1973 fire: the Page Avenue building where the provide the most concentrated items of infor- individual lives ranging from those who rode military records were stored. mation on a given individual of any of the Aux- dusty trails across an American continent as Almost 40 years ago, around midnight on iliary series. A single pay voucher can document rural postal carriers to men and women who July 12, 1973, fire broke out on the sixth floor the veteran’s rank, unit of assignment, date and traveled the world as Foreign Service Officers. of the NPRC military records facility. Approx- place of entry into service, date and place of Archival civilian personnel folders con- imately 22 million personnel files of former separation from service, character of service or tain information on parentage, date and members of the Army, Army Air Force, and Air type of discharge, and prior service, if any. place of birth, physical description, citizen- Force who served between 1912 and 1963 were Many payrolls and rosters show the individ- ship status, education, prior employment stored there. ual’s home address at the time of separation. and letters of reference, home address, mar- For four days, firefighters labored to bring Pay records that document wartime service also the fire under control and extinguish it. The fire indicate whether, and how long, the veteran was one of the worst losses of records in U.S. served overseas. To learn more about history, destroying 80 percent of the Army re- The records that were salvaged from the fire • Veterans’ personnel records, go to www.archives.gov/veterans/. cords and 75 percent of the Air Force records: sustained damage not only from the blaze but • Researching World War II records, an estimated 16 to 18 million individual files. from the water used by the firefighters. These go to www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/index.html. The old building was not equipped with a records are maintained in dedicated records • How the U.S. Army guarded the Trans-Siberi- sprinkler system, and the exact cause of the fire storage bays with appropriate temperature and an Railway in 1918–1920, go to www.archives. is still undetermined. humidity controls. gov/publications/prologue/2002/winter/. In the wake of this disastrous loss of infor- When the records are required for reference, • Workers on the Panama Canal, go to www. archives.gov/publications/prologue/1997/summer/. mation, employees began to identify and col- the St. Louis Preservation staff employs tech- lect record material from other government niques and equipment that safeguard the rec-

8 Prologue Fall 2011 ords and ensure that the information can be ex- duty during World War I. Walter Reed Gener- sults of physical examinations for flying. tracted from the documents without further al Hospital in Washington, D.C., managed the There is also correspondence with Jacque- damage or loss. program until it was discontinued in 1931. line Cochran, who in early 1942 was autho- Preservation technicians spend many hours Other recently opened World War I–related rized by the Chief of Staff for Air, Gen. Hen- carefully removing mold from and separating records are the individual personnel files of the ry “Hap” Arnold, to organize and head the pro- documents that were fused together as a re- Russian Railway Service Corps. This organiza- gram. Other letters provide insight into the ex- sult of the fire. Despite the fragile condition tion was made up of American railroad work- periences of these intrepid women fliers. of the burned records, staff have been able to ers, with no military experience, who were sent • • • • retrieve vital data to verify service and ensure to Siberia in 1917 at the request of the Provision- that veterans receive the benefits to which they al Russian government to improve the operating The personnel records at NPRC and the Na- are entitled. conditions of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. tional Archives at St. Louis tell the stories of Organized at the direction of the President, the Americans who served their country in uni- Newly Opened Records Series corps was under the general supervision of the form, fighting wars and keeping the peace, and Focus on World Wars I and II State Department. The first group of 339 railway as civilians, making federal programs work for A number of interesting subgroups of per- engineers, War Department civilian employees, Americans. sonnel records were recently processed and sailed for Vladivostok on November 19, 1917. At the new facility at 1 Archives Drive, these opened to the public for the first time. The Russian Railway Service Corps operated stories of the men and women who served One is a collection of personnel files of the in Siberia until the spring of 1920, shortly af- their country are safeguarded just as securely female nurses enrolled in the Secretary of War’s ter the overthrow of the White Russian govern- as records in other NARA facilities around the Army School of Nursing established in 1918. ment in Irkutsk, when members of the corps country—records that document and guaran- Included are original letters written by female were evacuated from the country along with tee citizen rights, hold government officials -ac students who reveal their worries about World U.S. Army troops. countable, and record the national experience. War I’s impact on their lives as well as their Of particular interest to genealogists is a Whether finding or reconstructing docu- pride in being able to “do their bit” in the war. group of records found among the Panama Ca- mentation of an individual’s service or assisting The school was part of a larger initiative to nal Company’s earliest personnel files. These visitors in their research of a chapter in some- increase the pool of nurses available for overseas records provide a fascinating glimpse into the one’s life, no job is too small for the St. Louis lives of the men hired to build the canal in the staff of the National Archives and Records Ad- first years of the last century. Included are the ministration. P files of U.S. citizens as well as of Caribbean con- tract workers. Today, descendants of the con- Authors tract employees can use these records to trace William Seibert serves as chief of archival operations in their West Indian and Latin American ancestry. St. Louis. He joined the staff of the National Archives in One of the most remarkable groups of gov- 1978, working first in the NPRC’s Records Reconstruction ernment employees to emerge during the Branch. Subsequently, he served as assistant chief in the Air Force Reference Branch, senior appraisal archivist and chief World War II was the Women’s Army Service of the center’s Appraisal and Disposition Section, and NPRC Pilots, or WASPs. Accomplished aviators as preservation officer. well as newly trained enthusiasts, these women, more than 1,000 strong, had the responsibility Nancy Schuster is a management and program analyst with of delivering planes from the assembly lines of the National Archives in St. Louis. Of her 34 years of federal aircraft factories around the country to military service, she has been with NARA for 16 years. bases worldwide. Their individual personnel folders contain a Wanda Williams has been an archivist with the National Ar- wealth of compelling documentation, includ- chives at St. Louis since 2009. Her career with NARA began in 2006 as a reference archives technician and with the Nixon ing photographs, applications for employ- The files are being moved from their old home to Library’s Watergate tapes team. She holds an M.A. in U.S. and this new state-of-the-art archival facility at the rate ment that provide detailed vital statistics and Caribbean history from Morgan State University in Baltimore, of 6,000 cubic feet a day until the move is complete biographical data, Aviation Cadet Qualifying in the fall of 2012. The records will be rearranged by Maryland, and is an active member of the Society for Histori- military service and federal agency to achieve greater Examinations, clothing and equipment issu- ans of American Foreign Relations and the Association for the efficiency and logical order. ance lists, letters of recommendation, and re- Study of African American Life and History.

1 Archives Drive Prologue 9 Federal Files on the Famous–and Infamous

The collections of personnel records at the National Archives available. Digital copies of PEPs can be purchased on CD/DVDs. include files that document military and civilian service for The price of the disc depends on the number of pages contained persons who are well known to the public for many reasons. in the original paper record and range from $20 (100 pages or These individuals include celebrated military leaders, less) to $250 (more than 1,800 pages). For more information or Medal of Honor recipients, U.S. Presidents, members of to order copies of digitized PEP records only, please write to pep. Congress, other government officials, scientists, artists, [email protected]. Archival staff are in the process of identifying entertainers, and sports figures—individuals noted for the records of prominent civilian employees whose names will personal accomplishments as well as persons known for their be added to the list. Other individuals whose records are now infamous activities. available for purchase on CD are: The military service departments and NARA have Creighton W. Abrams, Grover Cleveland Alexander, identified over 500 such military records for individuals Desi Arnaz, Joe L. Barrow, John M. Birch, Hugo L. Black, referred to as “Persons of Exceptional Prominence” (PEP). Gregory Boyington, Prescott S. Bush, Smedley Butler, Evans Many of these records are now open to the public earlier F. Carlson, William A. Carter, Adna R. Chaffee, Claire than they otherwise would have been (62 years after the Chennault, Mark W. Clark, Benjamin O. Davis. separation dates) as the result of a special agreement that Also, George Dewey, William Donovan, James H. allowed these records to be transferred to the National Doolittle, John F. Dulles, Merritt Edson, Milton C. Archives as early as 10 years after the veterans’ dates of death. Eisenhower, Earl H. (Pete) Ellis, James V. Forrestal, These archival records Benjamin D. Foulois, Clark Gable, Virgil I. Grissom, Leslie concern persons as diverse R. Groves, John Hamilton, William Hasley, Oveta Hobby, as Spiro Agnew and Arthur Lafayette R. Hubbard (Navy), Lafayette R. Hubbard Ashe, Humphrey Bogart (USMC), Edouard J. Izac. and , Also, John F. Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy, Robert F. and Alex Kennedy, George C. Kenney, John L. Kerouac, Husband E. Haley, Lyndon Johnson Kimmel, Ernest J. King, Mary Klinker, Alan W. Ladd, John and Charles Lindbergh, A. LeJeune, Curtis LeMay, Douglas MacArthur, Terrance George S. Patton and Jimi (Steve) McQueen, Charles McVay, Alton G. Miller, Doris Hendrix, Grace Hopper and Miller, William L. Mitchell, Victor Morrow, Audie L. Beatrice Arthur. Murphy, Chester Nimitz, Richard M. Nixon, Joseph H. Many of these files are Pendleton, Tyrone E. Power, Elvis A. Presley, Joseph Pulitzer, now being digitized in Lewis Puller, Eddie Rickenbacker. order to ensure their Also, Jackie Robinson, Knute K. Rockne, Elliott preservation and Roosevelt, James Roosevelt, John A. Roosevelt, Barry to make them Sadler (Army), Barry Sadler (USAF), Lance P. Sijan, more widely Eddie Slovik, Carl Spaatz, Joseph W. Stilwell, Albert L. Sullivan, Francis H. Sullivan, George T. Sullivan, Joseph E. Sullivan, Madison A. Sullivan, Maxwell Taylor, Alexander Vandergrift, and Alvin C. York.

Col. Oveta Culp Hobby, Director of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (later the Women’s Army Corps), World War II, received the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1953, she was appointed as the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Famous–and Infamous

Gen. Benjamin O. Davis: The U.S. Army’s first African Clark Gable: Film actor, most famously as Rhett Butler in Virgil I. Grissom: Air Force , Korea, 334th Fighter-Interceptor American general officer. Here he watches advancing troops Gone with the Wind (1939). First lieutenant in U.S. Army Squadron, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. An original while standing at the windshield of an amphibious vehicle on Air Corps, then First Motion Picture Unit in Hollywood. NASA astronaut (1959), and one of seven original Mercury a beachhead somewhere in France in the summer of 1944. Promoted to major, May 1944. His separation papers were astronauts. Second American in space. Died in pre-launch test for signed by Capt. . the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Kennedy, Florida, January 22, 1967.

Grover Cleveland Alexander: A National League pitcher. Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle: Led attack of 16 B-25 Mitchell Served in France (1918) as a sergeant with the 342nd Field officer appointed in August 1941 to oversee construction of medium bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet Artillery. Pitched for Phillies, Cubs, and the Pentagon and in September 1942 to direct the Manhattan on April 18, 1942, with targets in Tokyo, Kobe, Osaka, St. Louis Cardinals. Earned 373 career wins and won pitch- Project, which developed the atomic bomb during World War and Nagoya. Awarded the Medal of Honor and later ing’s Triple Crown in 1915, 1916, and 1920. II. Later promoted to lieutenant general. promoted to general. HIT THE ROAD, JACK Kerouac Enlisted in the U.S. Navy But Was Found “Unfit for Service”

By Miriam Kleiman

ack Kerouac—American counterculture hero, king of On the Road can be viewed as a giant extended shore leave. In- Jthe Beats, and author of On the Road—was a Navy mil- deed, the first of his cross-country trips later depicted in On the itary recruit who failed boot camp. Road took place in 1947—just a few years after his failed military While some Kerouac biographies mention his military attempt. experience, the extent of it was unknown until 2005, when This year marks the 60th anniversary of the writing ofOn the Road. Al- the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Mis- though the book was published in 1957, Kerouac produced the legendary souri, made it public. It was part of the release of military 120-foot continuous scroll in April 1951 by taping long sheets of tracing files of about 3,000 prominent Americans who had been paper together so he could type without interruption. deceased for at least 10 years. Kerouac enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve (then called Columbia Beckons Kerouac the U.S. Naval Reserve) during World War II. But he nev- With a Football Scholarship er left the United States, never saw action, and never even Kerouac’s military personnel file is half an inch thick—nearly 150 pages— completed basic training. and details a troubled soldier-in-training who collapsed under military disci- In all, he lasted 10 days of boot camp before being re- pline and structure. The doctors’ findings identify and foreshadow the care- ferred first to the sick bay and then the psychiatric ward free, reckless, impulsive wanderlust that characterizes Kerouac’s writing. for 67 days. Kerouac’s extensive medical and psychiat- This file presents both a very gifted and a very disturbed young man. ric evaluations produced both a large file and the con- While his military record includes extensive mental examinations, it clusion that he was “unfit also includes stellar letters of rec- for service.” ommendation. Kerouac attend- The qualities that made ed Columbia University on a On the Road a huge success football scholarship. There, he and Kerouac a powerful storyteller, guide, and liter- Above: Jack Kerouac enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in December 1942 ary icon are the same ones because he was unhappy at Columbia and that rendered him remark- sought greater meaning at a historic time. ably unsuitable for the mil- Left: A letter of recommendation from itary: independence, cre- the principal at Horace Mann Prep stressed Kerouac’s “excellent reputation” ativity, impulsivity, sensu- and that “his record for character and ality, and recklessness. citizenship was of the finest.” was praised by teachers and professors for his On December 8, 1942, a year and a day after the his record for character and citizenship “unusual brilliance,” loyalty, citizenship, char- bombing of Pearl Harbor, Kerouac enlisted in the was of the finest. acter, and “good breeding.” U.S. Naval Reserve for a four-year term of duty. I am sure that he will be found loyal and Born and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Ker- dependable in any position of responsibility. ouac completed high school there, then spent an “Fine Moral Character HIT THE additional year of high school at Horace Mann And Good Breeding” Kerouac received an “unqualified endorse- Prep in New York on a full scholarship before Kerouac’s military personnel file includes glow- ment” from his French instructor at Columbia continuing to Columbia University. He complet- ing letters of recommendation. His school re- the same month: ed his freshman year “with failure only in chemis- cord was “one of unusual brilliance both scho- I found him . . . extremely capable, pos- ROAD, JACK try.” He quit college to enter the merchant marine lastically and athletically,” gushed Lowell High sessed of a refreshingly alert intellectual ca- but left after three months. School Joseph G. Pyne. Kerouac was pacity and an ability to think independent- At the request of his football coach, Kerouac “an ideal pupil with an unusual combination ly. Mr. Kerouac adds to these qualifications returned to Columbia in October 1942, but he of brilliance and athletic ability,” Pyne added. a distinctly engaging personality which dropped out a month later. In a Novem- makes him win friends easily. He is a ber 1942 letter, he told a friend he was young man of fine moral character and unhappy at Columbia and sought greater good breeding. His self-reliance and re- meaning at a historic time: sourcefulness have been demonstrated I am wasting my money and my by his ability to fend for himself, and health here at Columbia . . . it’s been give evidence of the qualities of lead- one huge debauchery. . . . I am more ership you are undoubtedly seeking interested in the pith of our great times among your candidates. than in dissecting “Romeo and Ju- liet.” . . . These are stirring, magnificent Before reporting to basic training, times. . . . I am not sorry for having re- Kerouac requested a transfer—hop- turned to Columbia, for I have expe- ing to upgrade to “Naval Aviation Ca- rienced one terrific month here. I had det” (Navy pilot) instead of “Appren- a gay, a mad, a magnificent time of it. tice Seaman.” He appeared before the But I believe I want to go back to sea Naval Aviation Cadet Selection Board . . . for the money, for the leisure and in for a series of examinations. study, for the heart-rending romance, Despite testing well in most subjects and for the pith of the moment. (he received a 91 percent “general classi- fication,” 99 percent in spelling, and 95 In an unmailed letter to a girlfriend in percent in English), his transfer was re- July 1942, Kerouac outlined noble rea- jected. The board found Kerouac “not sons for enlisting: temperamentally adapted for transfer.” For one thing, I wish to take part in In addition, Kerouac failed overall due the war, not because I want to kill Kerouac’s French instructor at Columbia wrote of to “mechanical inaptitude”—scoring just his student’s “self-reliance and resourcefulness” and anyone, but for a reason directly opposed “qualities of leadership you are undoubtedly seeking 23 percent on the mechanical aptitude test. to killing—the Brotherhood. To be with among your candidates.” In his semi-autobiographical novel Vanity of my American brother, for that matter, Duluoz: An Adventurous Education, 1935–46, my Russian brothers; for their danger to And he was an overachiever—earning 88 cred- Kerouac summarized this experience: be my danger; to speak to them quiet- its when only 70 were required for graduation. I entrain to Boston to the US Naval Air ly, perhaps at dawn, in Arctic mists; to Horace Mann Prep principal Charles C. Till- Force place and they roll me around in a know them, and for them to know my- inghast praised Kerouac’s reputation in a letter of chair and ask me if I’m dizzy. “I’m not daf- self. . . . I want to return to college with recommendation written in November, 1942: fy,” says I. But they catch me on the altitude a feeling that I am a brother of the earth, John Louis Kerouac . . . had with us a measurement shot. “If you’re flying at eigh- to know that I am not snug and smug in most excellent reputation. His academic teen thousand feet and the altitude level is my little universe. record was in every way satisfactory, and on the so and such, what would you do?”

Hit the Road, Jack Prologue 13 sent to the Naval Hospi- “Patient believes he quit football for same rea- tal in Bethesda, Maryland son he couldn’t get along in Navy, he can’t stand (now the National Naval regulations, etc.” He quit school “because he felt Medical Center), for fur- he had gotten all he could from college.” ther examination. “I was frank with them,” Kerouac admitted. At the Naval Hospital, “I was in a series of ventures and I knew they’d doctors questioned Ker- look them up; like getting fired from jobs and ouac at length about his getting out of college.” family, academic, work, and sexual history. His file “I just can’t stand it contains numerous ex- I like to be by myself” changes between Kerouac Initially, Kerouac viewed the psychologi- and his doctors. cal testing as “folly” and a “farce.” He told his However, his concur- mother that in response to headaches “they di- rent letters to friends agnosed me with dementia praecox.” Kerouac and family offer a differ- believed he was different, but not mentally ill: ent perspective. Kerouac “as far as I’m concerned I am nervous; I get wrote to friends and nervous in an emotional way but I’m not ner- family while under ob- vous enough to get a discharge.” servation. These letters He claimed he was exhausted because prior reflect Kerouac’s varying to boot camp he had been writing 16 hours a Kerouac’s handwritten resume of job experience lists his newspaper job responses to the diagno- day, working on the novel The Sea is My Broth- and stint in the merchant marine and states that his record is “rather scant, because I’ve spent much time studying.” sis of severe mental ill- er, which he called a “gigantic saga” (this novel ness—reactions ranging was first published posthumously). “How the screw should I know?” from rejecting to accepting, and even em- He did not like basic training at all: “I just So I’m washed out of my college educa- bracing and exalting, his condition. can’t stand it. I like to be by myself.” In an un- tion and assigned to have my hair shaved These letters also show that Kerouac seemed dated letter, Kerouac expained: with the boots at Newport. to enjoy challenging, leading, and even shock- [I]t was clearly and simply a matter of malad- ing his doctors. While this behavior may have justment to military life. On this, the psychia- Navy Boot Camp Disastrous: been a defense mechanism or even denial, Ker- trist and I seemed to be agreed in silence. I be- “Bored Easily, Lacked Focus” ouac did seem to have a basic understanding lieve that if his queries had ended at that point, Kerouac reported to the Naval Training Sta- of psychiatry; he details conditions, symptoms my diagnosis would have been psychoneuro- tion in Newport, Rhode Island, on Febru- and indicators, of mental illness, dementia sis—a convenient conclusion which could ary 26, 1943. There were concerns from the praecox in particular. Contrasting his medical have explained any number of idiosyncrasies start, however; during his initial examination, file with his letters yields insight into Kerouac’s in a protean personality. . . . I see no reason for he was “recognized as sufficiently abnormal to psyche at a pivotal time in his life. being ashamed of my maladjustment. warrant Trial Duty status.” The trial period did Kerouac’s psychiatrists astutely deter- not go well; Kerouac’s boot camp experience mined that his failed military experience re- In Vanity, Kerouac details this maladjust- was a disaster. After only 10 days of basic train- sulted from his rejection of authority, order, ment at length: ing, he was transferred from the Naval Train- discipline, and structure. Well, I didn’t mind the eighteen-year- ing Station to the Naval Hospital in Newport Not surprisingly, especially given his later ad- old kids too much but I did mind the idea because he had numerous headaches and “ap- ventures, Kerouac hated boot camp due to “the that I should be disciplined to death, not peared to be restless, apathetic, seclusive [sic].” regulation and discipline.” His medical history to smoke before breakfast, not to do this, In addition, “neuropsychiatric examination from the Bethesda Naval Hospital notes that he that, or thatta . . . and this other business disclosed auditory hallucinations, ideas of ref- became bored easily and lacked focus. He “im- of the and his Friggin Train walk- erence and suicide, and a rambling, grandiose, pulsively left school because he had nothing fur- ing around telling us that the deck should philosophical manner.” Diagnosed with de- ther to learn” and “just as precipitously” left nu- be so clean that we could fry an egg on it, mentia praecox (schizophrenia), Kerouac was merous jobs “because he felt too stilted.” if it was hot enough, just killed me.

14 Prologue Fall 2011 [A]nd having to walk guard at night discover it. Anyway, try to remember my Hospital in Bethesda in Vanity, stating that he during phony air raids over Newport RI symptoms and tell them about it. “was put first in the real nut ward with guys and with fussy who were den- howling like coyotes in the mid of night and tists telling you to shut up when you com- When the Navy did call his parents, Jack’s big guys in white suits had to come out and plained they were hurting your teeth. . . . father, Leo, did not provide a stellar character wrap them in wet sheets to calm them down. They came and got me with nets. . . . reference. Leo said that Jack had been “boil- Just days after his official initial diagnosis, “You’re going to the nut house.” “Okay.” ing” for a long time and that he “has always Kerouac told a friend why he was under eval- [S]o they ambulance me to the nut hatch. been seclusive [sic], stubborn, head strong, re- uation: “One of the reasons for my being in a sentful of authority and advice, being unreli- hospital, besides dementia praecox, is a com- Kerouac crystallizes his problem with able, unstable and undependable.” He added plex condition of my mind, split up, as it were, the Navy in Vanity—lack of independent that Jack “tends to brood a great deal.” in two parts, one normal, the other schizoid.” thought. Responding to questions from Gabrielle’s response suggests a lack of under- My schizoid side is . . . the bent and brood- Navy doctors, Kerouac explained that he standing of Jack’s condition: ing figure sneering at a world of medioc- was constitutionally incapable of adhering Tell me Honey what seems to be all the rities, complacent ignorance, and bigotry to Navy discipline: fuss out there. At first I thought you were exercised by ersatz Ben Franklins, the in- [I]ndependent thought . . . now go ahead sick, but now pop tells me you refuse to troverted, scholarly side; the alien side. and put me up against a wall and shoot me, go through the training, or in other words My normal counterpart, the one you’re but I stand by that or stand by nothing but refuse to serve your country. Oh Honey familiar with, is the half-back-whoremas- my toilet bowl, and furthermore, it’s not that lamb, that’s not like you, don’t you know ter-alemate-scullion-jitterbug-jazz critic I refuse Naval discipline, not that I WONT that it will be an awful mark against you? side, the side in me which recommends take it, but that I CANNOT. This is about all . . . . [I]t can’t be that “bad.” a broad, rugged America; which requires I have to say about my aberration. Not that I the nourishment of gutsy, redblooded as- wont, but that I cant. A Scant Job History sociates; and which lofts whatever guile- And “Bizarre Delusions” less laughter I’ve left in me rather than The avyN sought underlying causes of Navy doctors believed Kerouac’s impulsivi- that schizoid’s cackle I have of late. Kerouac’s mental illness. The “family histo- ty contributed to his exceedingly erratic work ry” section notes that Kerouac “denied fa- history. Kerouac jumped from job to job and Only through his writing could Kerouac milial disease. Mother is nervous and father quit college twice. He had left the merchant unite these disparate parts: is emotional.” Kerouac wrote to his mother, marine after three months “because he was And, all my youth, I stood holding Gabrielle, on March 30, 1943, and encour- bucking everybody.” He worked briefly as a two ends of rope, trying to bring both aged her to speak candidly with his doctors sports reporter for the Lowell Sun but quit. ends together in order to tie them. . . . if they called: Kerouac’s “occupational” history concludes: I pulled—had a hell of a time trying to Although I tried to hide it, they found Very unreliable. Has been fired from every bring these two worlds together—never out about my headaches when I went to job he had except newspaper reporting. The succeeded actually; but I did in my novel get aspirins a few times. I guess I wrote too latter was for a small paper at $15 per week, “The Sea Is My Brother,” where I creat- much of my novel before I joined the Navy. which he quit. He has been discharged from ed two new symbols of these two worlds, Anyway, they’ve placed me under observa- steamship job, garage job and waiter job. He and welded them irrevocably together. tion in the hospital, and all I do all day is sit is irresponsible and not caring. around in the smoking room and smoke. . . . Kerouac underwent analysis, challenging his Well, if I can’t make the Navy, I’ll try The sole writing sample in his file,erouac’s K doctors and playing on their preconceptions: the Merchant Marine school—they’re not handwritten “Resume of Occupational Training” Next came an investigation of the “bizarre” strict there. . . . lists his newspaper job and stint in the merchant in me. First, “bizarre delusions.” Was I the At any rate, I have an idea they’re go- marine but does not list what he termed “count- center of attention in a group? Of course! ing to call you up about it. They’re going less other little odd jobs, none of which seem sig- “Extreme preoccupation” is another to give me a nerve test tomorrow. . . . nificant enough to mention.” He explained, “My symptom of dementia praecox, a charac- I told them about my [car] accident in general occupational record is rather scant, be- teristic, I am proud to say, with which I , my football injuries & every- cause I’ve spent much time studying.” am stricken. I cheerfully revealed this, and thing, so that if I have anything, they’ll Kerouac recounts his move to the Naval he cheerfully jotted it down.

Hit the Road, Jack Prologue 15 Next, he tried to detect “unreal ideas” in much food for thought there when I aged veterans to sere academicians, turn my makeup. What was the strangest thing told him I wasn’t in love with any girl, back to sex in their last years as though I’d ever seen? . . . I gave vent to an image and didn’t plan to get married at all. suddenly conscious of its deep and noble compounded of all the mysticism I knew, (This, of course, is pouring it on thick, meaning, of its inseparable marriage to from Poe & Ambrose Bierce to Coleridge but I wanted to see his reaction. He the secret of life. and DeQuincey. A gleam in his eye! maintained a poker face & jotted down some notes—a superb performance!) Navy Views Writers In another letter in early April 1943, Ker- He wanted to know of my emotion- With Some Suspicion ouac joked about his condition: al experiences and I told him of my af- Navy doctors viewed “patient’s occupation as (Surely, I am dementia praecox—just this fairs with mistresses and various pro- a writer” as a further sign of his mental imbal- afternoon, I was in such a melancholic miscuous wenches, adding to that the ance. One doctor labeled Kerouac “somewhat stupor, the doctor showed concern.) And crowning glory of being more closely grandiose” because: now! And Now! I feel fine and by Without any particular training or God I’ll tell the world. back ground, this patient, just prior to his enlistment, enthusiastically em- Navy Psychiatrists Review barked upon the writing of novels. He Kerouac’s Sexual History sees nothing unusual in this activity. The medical report’s “sexual and mar- ital” section notes that Kerouac had A medical history excerpt from May “sexual contact at age of 14 with a 27, 1943, adds: 32 year old woman which upset him Patient describes his writing ambi- somewhat.” In addition, Kerouac tions. He has written several novels, “Enjoys rather promiscuous relation- one when he was quite young, an- ships with girl friends and is boast- other just prior to joining the ser- ful of this. No apparent conflicts over vice, and one he is writing now. . . . sexual activity noted.” Kerouac open- Patient states he believes he ly discussed such matters: “He has no might have been nervous when in shame, remorse or reluctance to de- boot camp because he had been scribe his affairs.” This openness will working too hard just prior to in- not surprise readers of Kerouac. duction. He had been writing a Again, Kerouac—at least in his cor- novel, in the style of James Joyce, respondence—seemed amused by the about his own home town, and questioning, and played upon the mili- averaging approximately 16 hours tary’s bias against homosexuality, as de- daily in an effort to get it down. A May 14, 1943, Board of Medical Survey report scribed in this undated letter: determined that Kerouac suffered from Dementia This was an experiment and he The psychiatrist questioned me fur- Praecox, involving “auditory hallucinations, ideas doesn’t intend to publish. At present ther, obviously in search of a blue-rib- of reference and suicide; and a rambling, grandiose, he is writing a novel about his experi- philosophical manner,” and reported his transfer to bon diagnosis. First he began to probe the U.S. Naval Hospital at Newport, Rhode Island. ences in the Merchant Marine. Patient my emotional attachment, and found is very vague in describing all these ac- attached to my male friends, spiritual- tivities. There seems to be an artistic ly and emotionally, than to these wom- factor in his thinking when discussing To learn more about en. This not only smacked of dementia his theories of writing and philosophy. • Veterans service records in gener- al, go to www.archives.gov/veterans/. praecox, it smacked of ambisexuality. • VIPs in uniform, go to www. Kerouac knew that his doctors viewed his archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/spring/. Kerouac addressed this issue more seriously writing with concern and yet played upon • Baseball great Jackie Robinson’s Army court- martial, go to www.archives.gov/publications/ in an early April 1943 letter: their preconceptions. In an undated letter to prologue/2008/spring/. Sex, of course, is the universal symbol of a friend, Kerouac recounted his responses to life—I’ve discovered that all men, from his psychiatrist’s questions. Asked for more

16 Prologue Fall 2011 examples of his “bizarre behavior,” Kerouac Kerouac’s hospitalization gave him time tion was a preexisting one. On June 10, it was highlights his writing: to ponder and solidify his self identity as a recommended that Kerouac be discharged “for Spending my time writing. And oh yes, writer. From the hospital, Kerouac pledged reason of unsuitability rather than physical or dedicating my actions to experience in or- a new beginning: mental disability.” der to write about them, sacrificing myself I must change my life, now . . . this does On June 30, 1943, Kerouac’s military on the altar of Art. not mean I shall cease my debauching; duty was officially terminated “by reason “Bizarre behavior” . . . and the full di- you see . . . , debauchery is the release of Unsuitability for the Naval Service.” The agnosis of dementia praecox. All this fol- of man from whatever stringencies he’s Navy made it clear that he was not welcome ly doesn’t faze me, except for one item. applied to himself. In a sense, each de- to return; Kerouac “is not recommended for Since I have “bizarre delusions,” no one bauchery is a private though short-lived reenlistment.” He was given “an outfit of ci- takes me seriously. Thus, when I asked for insurgence from the static conditions of vilian clothes,” a travel allowance of $24.60 a typewriter in order to finish my novel, his society. to return home to his not-so-supportive par- they only humoured me. ents in Lowell, and a one-time “mustering (“Thepoor boy, now he’s under the In a letter to a friend from junior high out” payment of $200. ‘bizarre delusion’ that he’s a writer!”) school, written in early April 1943, Kerouac Kerouac left the hospital and hit the road. committed to starting his personal journey: His official military personnel file was closed Many aspects of Kerouac’s personality The pathos in this hospital has con- 10 days later and remained closed for 62 years, viewed by the Navy as signs of mental illness vinced me, as it did Hemingway in Italy, until it was opened by the National Archives in were later praised as qualities that made him that “the defeated are the strongest.” Ev- 2005, unearthing a fascinating and previous- a gifted and expressive writer. In compiling eryone here is defeated, even this “broth ly unknown chapter in this legendary dreamer Kerouac’s medical history, Navy doctors wrote of a Breton.” I have been defeated by and writer’s life. P that he heard voices and “imagines in his mind the world with considerable help from whole symphonies; he can hear every note. He my greatest enemy, myself, and now I Note on Sources sees printed pages of words.” Kerouac told his am ready to work. I realize the limita- Special thanks to Eric Voelz and Lenin Hurtado of doctors that that he did not hear random voic- tions of my knowledge, and the irregu- the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, for their guidance. es but certainly did hear music: larity of my intellect. Knowledge and in- Unless otherwise noted as a letter from or to Ker- I don’t hear voices talking to me from tellection serve a Tolstoi—but a Tolstoi ouac, all quotes are from Kerouac’s official military per- no where [sic] but I have a photograph- must be older, must see more as well— sonnel file, which includes an expansive and detailed 27-page medical history. ic picture before my eyes; when I go to and I am not going to be a Tolstoi. Sure- The letters cited in the article, written concurrent to sleep and I hear music playing. I know I ly I will be a Kerouac, whatever that sug- Kerouac’s time under psychiatric evaluation, are from shouldn’t have told the psychiatrist that gests. Knowledge comes with time. Jack Kerouac: Selected Letters, 1940–1956, ed. Ann Charters (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1995). but I wanted to be frank. As far as creative powers go, I have Other sources include: them and I know it. All I need now is Paul Maher, Jr., Jack Kerouac’s American Journey: The Kerouac’s Hospitalization faith in myself . . . only from there can Real-life Odyssey of “On the Road” (Cambridge, MA: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2007). Brings Birth of an Icon a faith truly dilate and expand to “man- Barry Gifford and Lawrence Lee,Jack’s Book: An While it is impossible to know the full effect kind.” I must change my life, now. Oral Biography of Jack Kerouac (New York, NY: of his hospitalization and protracted analysis, St. Martin’s Press, 1978). Jack Kerouac, Vanity of Duluoz (New York, NY: Kerouac’s letters suggest that time was turn- Hit the road, Jack, and don’t Penguin Books, 1967). ing point for Kerouac personally, professional- you come back no more . . . ly, and spiritually. On June 2, 1943, the Navy completed its eval- Author He spent the rest of his life running from uation and changed Kerouac’s diagnosis from Miriam Kleiman, a public affairs structure, discipline, rules, regulations, and au- dementia praecox to “Constitutional Psycho- specialist with NARA, first came to the Archives as a researcher in 1996 to thority. The further he ran, the more he was pathic State, Schizoid Personality.” The schiz- investigate lost Jewish assets in Swiss embraced as a countercultural icon and em- oid trends “have bordered upon but have not banks during World War II. A graduate of the University bodiment of a new “Beat” way of life. One yet reached the level of psychosis, but which of , she joined the agency in 2000 as an archives can only guess how much of his later escapades render him unfit for service.” specialist. She has written previously in Prologue about the were in direct reaction to the strictness of his The doctors suggested his discharge, and Public Vaults exhibit and about records from St. Elizabeths military experience. Kerouac signed a form stating that this condi- Hospital in Washington, D.C.

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