REFERENCE SERIES A Guide to Documentary Sources Lawrence J. Paszek New Imprint by OFFICE OF AIR FORCE HISTORY UNITED STATES AIR FORCE WASHINGTON, D.C., 1986 cQOoso06 oo 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Paszek, Lawrence J. A guide to documentary sources. (Reference series / Office of Air Force History) Previously published: United States Air Force history. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1973. Includes indexes. 1. United States. Air Force-History-Archival resources. 2. United States. Air Force-History-Library resources. 3. United States-History, Military-Archival re- sources. 4. United States-History, Military-Library resources. I. United States. Air Force. Office of Air Force History. II. Title. III. Series: Reference series (United States. Air Force. Office of Air Force History) CD3034.5.P37 1985 016.3584'00973 85-18851 ISBN 0-912799-21-8 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 FOREWORD Although the U. S. Air Force emerged as a separate military arm of the government only a quarter of a century ago, its history goes back to the Civil War when the Union Army sent men aloft in balloons to observe the movements of the Confederate Army. Documents dealing with these early "air operations in the depart- ment of aeronautics"-as well as the subsequent activities of suc- cessor aeronautical agencies including the Air Force-are preserved in several dozen public and private repositories throughout the na- tion. They include not only the official government documents on the Air Force but also the personal papers of individuals who helped develop the service and those of military commanders and pilots who flew into combat in two World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam. This guide seeks to aid scholars and researchers to locate col- lections of primary and secondary documents on the Air Force. The first part deals with official Air Force depositories, which are es- sential to the historian writing about its operations worldwide. The second part describes the equally important collections of the Na- tional Archives and its depositories, including the pertinent papers in the Presidential Libraries. The third part covers university and college collections of personal papers of various military and civilian leaders, as well as other documents, which deal with the Air Force. Other governmental depositories-federal, state, and local-plus a number of private collections where Air Force material may be found are listed in part four. Finally, the last section describes a variety of other collections where primary and secondary materials on military, naval, and civil aviation-which directly or indirectly have impinged on the development of the Air Force-may be found. This guide was compiled by Mr. Lawrence J. Paszek of the Office of Air Force History. Information for it was solicited from archivists, museum curators, and librarians in the Air Force and other govern- ment agencies, in universities, historical societies, and public libraries. Some depositories may have been unknowingly omitted, while informa- tion on holdings of others is not as complete as a researcher may desire. All assistance provided has been greatly appreciated, since preparation of this guide would have been impossible without the excellent cooperation of the officials and staffs of depositories. Air Force field historians and the cadets of the Air Force Re- serve Officers Training Corps (AFROTC) detachments throughout iii the United States also responded generously to appeals to search and describe manuscript collections in their universities or areas. Personnel of several depositories reviewed pertinent portions of the manuscript and offered valuable suggestions regarding their collec- tions. Dr. Maurer Maurer, Chief, the Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Ala., and Dr. E. G. Campbell of the National Archives, Washington, D. C., commented on major sec- tions of the manuscript. Within the Office of Air Force History, almost all staff members assisted with comments and suggestions, but especially significant contributions were made by Dr. Thomas G. Belden, Mr. Carl Berger, and Mrs. Mary Ann Cresswell. BRIAN S. GUNDERSON Brigadier General, USAF Chief, Office of Air Force History iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page FOREWORD I. DEPOSITORIES OF THE AIR FORCE The Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center _ 1 Other USAF Depositories ------------------------ 24 Photo Depositories of the Air Force -------------- 33 II. NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS SERVICE Records on Deposit at the National Archives --------- 36 Federal Records Centers ------------------------ 59 Presidential Libraries --------------------------- 65 III. UNIVERSITY COLLECTIONS IV. MISCELLANEOUS DEPOSITORIES Library of Congress --------------------------- 112 Federal Depositories -------------------------- 131 Local Government Depositories ------------------- 140 Historical Societies and Foundations --------------- 144 V. OTHER SOURCES RELATED TO AIR FORCE HISTORY Aeronautics and Aviation in the National Archives - 155 Aeronautics and Aviation in the Library of Congress 157 Aviation in other Services ---------------------- 167 Special Collections Relating to Aviation ---------- 176 USAF Library System ------------------------ 185 GLOSSARY ---------------------------------------- 203 INDEX TO DEPOSITORIES -------------------------- 207 GENERAL INDEX ---------------------------------- 211 V I. DEPOSITORIES OF THE AIR FORCE THE ALBERT F. SIMPSON HISTORICAL RESEARCH CENTER Air University Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama 36112 The Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center, formerly known as the Air Force Historical Archives, contains more than 1,500,000 documents which collectively span the life of the United States Air Force and its predecessors. This vast store of primary materials, which covers a period from the Civil War (observation balloons) to the 1970's, constitutes the nation's most extensive and most valuable source of USAF history. That history began on 1 August 1907 when the Army established an Aeronautical Division in the Signal Corps, manned by one officer and two enlisted men. Renamed the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps on 18 July 1914, it was authorized 60 officers andtistudents and 260 enlisted men. In the spring of 1918 the Aviation Section was superseded by the Division of Military Aeronautics and the Bureau of Aircraft Production; on 24 May 1918 the War Depart- ment recognized the two as constituting the Army's Air Service. However, it was not until 4 July 1920 that Congress passed legisla- tion formally creating the Air Service as a combat arm of the Army. In the Air Corps Act of 2 July 1926, Congress changed the name to the Air Corps and authorized a 5-year expansion program. On 1 March 1935 a General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force was established at Langley Field, Va., to serve as an air defense and striking force. It reported to the Army Chief of Staff, but in March 1939 it was reassigned to the Chief of the Air Corps, Maj. Gen. Henry H. Arnold. On 20 June 1941 the War Department created the Army Air Forces (AAF) with the Air Corps and the Air Force Combat Com- mand (new name of the GHQ Air Force) as its major components and with Arnold as chief. On 9 March 1942, following an Army reorganization, the Air Corps and Air Force Combat Command were discontinued and General Arnold was made Commanding General of the Army Air Forces. Two years after World War II Congress created a Department of the Air Force with the United States Air Force established as a separate service equal to the Army and Navy I in the nation's military establishment. On 18 September 1947 Mr. Stuart Symington was sworn in as the first Secretary of the Air Force. A week later, on 26 September, Gen. Carl Spaatz, who had succeeded Arnold as Commanding General of the AAF, became the first Chief of Staff, United States Air Force. The documents in The Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center reflect the rich heritage of the Air Force in war and peace. A comprehensive Air Force historical program, established early in World War II, has resulted in a regular flow of documents into the Center since 1943. Approximately one-half of the Center's hold- ings consists of World War II documents, chiefly unit histories and supporting documents compiled by field historians serving with com- mands, air forces, wings, groups, and squadrons; these constitute the most important part of the collection. Taken as a whole, this record of the Army Air Forces in World War II is surprisingly complete and of unusually good quality. Although the histories are not all of equal merit, most of them are filled with data of importance and of historical significance. They abound with human interest stories and reports of combat experiences; lessons learned in many phases of Air Force planning, training, operations, supply, etc., are emphasized. Supporting documents to the narrative histories in- clude general and special orders, intelligence reports, operations sum- maries, mission reports, target folders, bomb damage assessments, messages, maps, charts, photographs, plans, evaluations and analy- ses, correspondence, statistics, and other types of records pertaining to modern military organization and modern warfare. The value of the Center's holdings on World War II is further enhanced by its collections of interviews, interrogations, prisoner- of-war reports, escape and evasion stories, and accounts of search and rescue activities from all theaters of