Mark L. Bristol Papers A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2009 Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Additional search options available at: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms013044 LC Online Catalog record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm79013854 Prepared by Katherine J. Brand Revised and expanded by Michael J. Sullivan with the assistance of Sherralyn McCoy Collection Summary Title: Mark L. Bristol Papers Span Dates: 1882-1939 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1919-1939) ID No.: MSS13854 Creator: Bristol, Mark L. (Mark Lambert), 1868-1939 Extent: 33,000 items ; 98 containers plus 2 oversize ; 39.2 linear feet Language: Collection material in English Location: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Summary: Naval officer and diplomat. Correspondence, diaries, speeches, reports, memoranda, official dispatches, appointment sheets, press releases, and scrapbooks pertaining mainly to Bristol's naval career. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Andrews, Philip, 1866-1945--Correspondence. Bristol family. Bristol, Helen Moore. Helen Moore Bristol papers. Bristol, Mark L. (Mark Lambert), 1868-1939. Brown, Constantine, 1889-1966--Correspondence. Daniels, Josephus, 1862-1948--Correspondence. Earle, Ralph, 1874-1939--Correspondence. Gleaves, Albert, 1858-1937--Correspondence. Grew, Joseph C. (Joseph Clark), 1880-1965--Correspondence. Hobson, Richmond Pearson, 1870-1937--Correspondence. McVay, Charles B. (Charles Butler), 1868-1949--Correspondence. Mustin, Henry Croskey, 1874-1923--Correspondence. Richardson, Holden Chester, 1878- --Correspondence Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936--Correspondence. Thomas, Lucien Irving, 1876-1942--Correspondence. Organizations American Peace Society. Conference on Near Eastern Affairs (1922-1923 : Lausanne, Switzerland) Democratic League of the District of Columbia. United States. Naval Detachment in Turkish Waters. United States. Navy--Foreign service--Mediterranean Region. United States. Navy. United States. Navy. Asiatic Fleet. United States. Office of the High Commissioner for Turkey. Subjects Diplomatic and consular service, American--Turkey. Drug control. Peace--Societies, etc. Shipbuilding industry--Florida. Places China--Politics and government--1912-1949. Middle East--Foreign relations--United States. Middle East--History--20th century. Mark L. Bristol Papers 2 Soviet Union--History--Revolution, 1917-1921--Refugees. Soviet Union--History--Revolution, 1917-1921. Turkey--Foreign relations--United States. United States--Foreign relations--20th century. United States--Foreign relations--Middle East. United States--Foreign relations--Turkey. Occupations Diplomats. Naval officers. Administrative Information Provenance The papers of Mark L. Bristol, naval officer and diplomat, were given to the Library of Congress by the estate of his wife, Helen Moore Bristol, in 1946. Processing History The collection was processed in 1947. The finding aid was revised in 1978 and 2012. Transfers Photographs and maps have been transferred to the appropriate custodial division of the Library of Congress where they are identified as part of these papers. Related Material The Manuscript Division also holds Mark L. Bristol Papers relating to Bristol's participation in the naval aeronautics program, 1913-1918, that form part of the Library's Naval Historical Foundation collection. Copyright Status The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Mark L. Bristol is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.). Access and Restrictions The Bristol Papers are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Preferred Citation Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Mark L. Bristol Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Biographical Note Date Event 1868, Apr. 17 Born, Glassboro, N.J. 1887 Graduated, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. Married Helen Beverly Moore 1908 Inspector of ordnance, Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, R.I. Mark L. Bristol Papers 3 1911 Inspector of ordnance, Whitehead Torpedo Co., England Commander, Monterey 1913 Promoted to captain 1913-1916 Director of Naval Aeronautics 1917-1918 Commander, North Carolina (battleship BB-55) and Oklahoma (Battleship) 1918-1919 Commanding officer, United States Naval Base, Plymouth, England 1919-1927 Commander, U.S. Naval Detachment in Turkish Waters, and United States high commissioner to Turkey 1922-1923 Attended the Conference on Near East Affairs, Lausanne, Switzerland 1927-1929 Command of U.S. Asiatic Fleet with rank of admiral 1930-1932 Chairman of Executive Committee, General Board, Washington, D.C. 1932 Retired, United States Navy 1939, May 13 Died, Washington, D.C. Scope and Content Note The papers of Mark Lambert Bristol (1868-1939) span the years 1882-1939, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1919-1939. The collection consists of diaries, correspondence, memoranda, reports, official dispatches, telegrams, speeches, press releases, appointment sheets, and scrapbooks reflecting Bristol's naval career, eight years as a diplomat, and active retired life. The papers are organized into seven series: Diaries, Family Papers, General Correspondence, Official Correspondence, Subject File, Miscellany, and Oversize. Although the material from the early years is sparse, the collection documents Bristol's early interests in naval personnel and gunnery, and it provides insights into his growing responsibilities as director of naval aeronautics. The collection is particularly rich in its coverage of his duties as commander of the U.S. Naval Detachment in Turkish Waters and concurrent service as United States high commissioner to Turkey after World War I. Topics from the period include racial and religious conflicts in the Near East; Allied activities in pursuit of special interests, mandates, and empire; the decline of the Ottoman Empire; and the rise of Mustafa Kemal and the Nationalist Movement that led to the founding of modern Turkey. Also featured is the rise of Bolshevik activities in South Russia. Topics include the advance in the region of the Red Army, subsequent resistance of White Russians under Generals Anton Ivanovich Denikin and Baron Ptr Nikolaevich Vrangelʹ, and the Allied response. The destablizing effects of these political and military developments in Russia and the Near East produced a large population of refugees. The papers document the relief efforts to mitigate the effects of the war, postwar revolution, and subsequent famine. As representative of the American government in Turkey, Bristol became involved in matters of trade and commerce and worked with philanthropic and educational organizations active in the area. When Bristol assumed command of the Asiatic Fleet in September 1927, his duties were almost exclusively naval in character and required constant travel. During this period the collection is largely professional and personal in scope, lacking the broad overview available during the years in the Near East. Although the coverage is not extensive, the collection reflects the activities of the Nationalist Chinese, the Communist movement, and foreign governments involved in the Far East. During his retirement years, Bristol continued to pursue many of the interests he had developed during his naval years, maintaining contacts in Turkey and the Far East. He also inaugurated new activities such as working with the Mark L. Bristol Papers 4 Democratic League of the District of Columbia, pursuing an active involvement in the politics of peace and control of illicit drugs, and attempting to establish a shipbuilding operation in Florida. The Family Papers include Bristol's correspondence with his wife, Helen Moore Bristol, and are predominantly personal in nature. Included is the general correspondence of his wife, which constitutes the bulk of the series. The Diaries document Bristol's daily activities in the Near East, including meetings with local officials and representatives of foreign governments as well as with Americans engaged in business affairs, missionary activities, or affiliated with relief or educational organizations. The Diaries also provide information on his unofficial attendance from November 1922 to February 1923 at the Lausanne Conference and his 1924 travels through Anatolia en route to visit Angora (Ankara). The Diaries treat Bristol's affairs with varying degrees of detail, sometimes offering only a list of callers, sometimes a concise statement of a discussion, and sometimes a detailed account of specific encounters. Included are weekly reports of operations on the location and operation of naval forces, information bearing on local conditions (usually taken from ships' diaries), and often a general summary of conditions in the area. The diaries of his wife are included in this series. The General Correspondence series covers the years 1900-1939 and documents almost all aspects of Bristol's affairs. During his tour of duty in Turkey, he communicated with officials at all levels of the departments