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Wilson Brown Papers, 1902-1956: Finding Aid

Published in December 2013

Summary Information

  • Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
  • Publisher Address:
    589 McNair Road
    Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
    Phone: 410-293-6917
    https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php
  • Call number: MS 228
  • Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Manuscripts
  • Title: Wilson Brown Papers
  • Dates: 1902-1956
  • Size: 5.33 linear feet
  • Container Summary: 8 manuscript boxes, 1 flat box, 1 microfilm box, 2 oversize folders
  • Creator: Brown, Wilson, Jr., 1882-1957
  • Language(s) of material: English
  • Abstract: Wilson Brown was an admiral in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1902. The Wilson Brown Papers pertain to Brown's United States Navy career, including his service on destroyers during World War I, as Naval Aide to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as a task force commander in the Pacific in World War II, and as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. The papers consist of correspondence, speeches, war diaries, notebooks, news articles, photographs, maps, and ephemera.

Biography of Wilson Brown

Vice Admiral Wilson Brown was born in Philadelphia on April 27, 1882, and was appointed to the Naval Academy from New Jersey in 1898. He served aboard the U.S.S. San Francisco (Protected cruiser : C-5)and the U.S.S. Albany (Protected cruiser)in 1902 and in late 1903 was transferred to the destroyer U.S.S. Preble (Destroyer : DD-12). After serving aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Perry (Destroyer : DD-11) and U.S.S. Dubuque (Gunboat : PG-17), he was ordered to duty at the Naval Academy where he served as an instructor in the Department of Physics and Chemistry from October 1907 until June 1908. He had duty in connection with training the crew of the U.S.S. Montana (Armored cruiser : ACR-13) and served aboard her for two years after she was placed in commission. From July 6, 1911, until August 30, 1913, Brown served as Aide to the Commandant of the New York Navy Yard, and from September 1913 until May 1915, he served as Ordnance Officer of the U.S.S. Connecticut (Battleship : BB-18). He was on duty in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from 1915 until January 2, 1918, when he was ordered to Queenstown, Ireland, for duty with the destroyer force. After serving in London on Admiral Sims' staff, Brown assumed command of the U.S.S. Parker (Destroyer : DD-48) and was subsequently awarded the Navy Cross. Vice Admiral Brown completed the Naval War College course in 1921 and was attached to the Office of Naval Operations from 1921 to 1923, after which he was ordered to duty as Executive Officer of the U.S.S. Colorado (Battleship : BB-45). In 1924 he served as Aide on the Staff of the Commander, Destroyer Squadrons, Battle Fleet, and was Naval Aide to the President of the United States and Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Mayflower (Yacht : PY-1) from April 1926 until April 15, 1929. He was Commanding Officer of the Submarine Base at New London, Connecticut, with additional duty in command of submarines at the Base for three years. In January 1932, Brown assumed command of the U.S.S. California (Battleship : BB-44), on which duty he remained until September 1933, when he was ordered to the naval War College in Newport as Chief of Staff. He reported as Naval Aide to the President in 1934 and assumed command of the Training Squadron, Scouting Force, on May 26, 1936. He was in command of the Midshipmen's Practice Cruise during the summer of 1936 and 1937. On July 1, 1937, the Training Squadron was renamed the Training Detachment, U.S. Fleet. Brown was detached from that command on January 5, 1938, and on February 1, 1938, reported for duty as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. On February 1, 1941, he assumed duty as Commander, Scouting Force, with the rank of Vice Admiral. Brown served as Task Force Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet until July 1942, when he assumed duties as Commandant, First Naval District and Boston Navy Yard. On April 28, 1942, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Vice Admiral Brown was detached from duty as Commandant, First Naval District on January 15, 1943, and reported as Naval Aide to President Roosevelt early in February 1943. As Aide, Brown accompanied President Roosevelt on his various official visits to Mexico, Cairo, Tehran, Malta, Canada, Hawaii, Oregon, and Yalta. He was retired by medical survey in December 1944, but continued on active duty as Aide to the President until May 1945. Vice Admiral Wilson Brown died at the Submarine Base Hospital, New London, Connecticut, on January 2, 1957.

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Description of Contents

The Wilson Brown Papers, comprising 5.33 feet of documentation, span from 1902 to 1956 and cover the entirety of Wilson Brown's career in the United States Navy in varying levels of detail. The papers focus primarily on Brown's service as Naval Aide to the President of the United States, as a destroyer officer in World War I, as a Task Force commander during World War II, and as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.

The papers include incoming and outgoing letters, naval dispatches, memoranda, orders, logbooks, notebooks, war diaries, maps, charts, schedules, event programs, and photographs.

The Wilson Brown Papers are organized into seven series by document type and duty station. Two series focus on specific duty station. Series 6: Files as Naval Aide to the President covers Brown's duties as Aide to President's Coolidge, Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt, although the bulk of the material pertains to Brown's two tours as Aide to Roosevelt in the 1930s and in 1944-1945. Series 5: Files as Scouting Force and Task Force Commander covers Brown's role as a commander in the Pacific Fleet during the lead up to and early days of World War II, including the actions of and ultimate loss of U.S.S. Lexington (Aircraft carrier : CV-2). The remaining five series are arranged by document type. Series 1: Personal Files, and Series 2: Orders and Official Correspondence contain Brown's personal and official correspondence during his U.S. Navy career, although a majority of the material is the product of Brown's service during World War II. Series 3: Speeches and Writings, contains Brown's writings and speeches from through his career, especially those speeches delivered while serving as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. Additional documentation of Brown's Superintendency can be found in Series 7: Photographs. The photographic series also includes materials from Brown's time as Naval Aide to President Roosevelt. The remaining series, Series 4: Subject Files, is composed of materials pertaining to some of Brown's interests, as well as what little additional documentation exists of Brown's service in World War I, as Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard, and as Commander of the Training Squadron.

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Arrangement

The Wilson Brown Papers are organized into the following seven series:

  • Series 1: Personal Files, 1941-1954
  • Series 2: Orders and Official Correspondence, 1902-1952
  • Series 3: Speeches and Writings, 1931-1956
  • Series 4: Subject Files, 1918-1955
  • Series 5: Files as Scouting Force and Task Force Commander, 1941-1945
  • Series 6: Files as Naval Aide to the President, 1923-1945
  • Series 7: Photographs, 1918-1944
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Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted. All papers originally bearing security restrictions were examined by S. Brewer, USNA Assistant Security Manager, and declared unrestricted and declassified in 1993.

Copyright and Permission

The Wilson Brown Papers are the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Two of Wilson Brown's writings require the use of a microfilm reader.

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Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Wilson Brown in 1958.

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Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Materials pertaining to Wilson Brown's time as a midshipman at the Naval Academy may be found in his Conduct Record, Personnel Jacket, and Alumni Jacket in the Naval Academy Archives, Nimitz Library. Materials produced by Brown while Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy may be found in RG-405, Records of the United States Naval Academy.

Additional manuscript material produced by Wilson Brown may be found in the Wilson Brown Papers, 1935-1955, at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection.

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Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Wilson Brown Papers, MS 228

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Processing Information

This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in December 2013. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in December 2013. Biographical sketch by Mary R. Catalfamo in July 1986.

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Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

  • Brown, Wilson, Jr., 1882-1957
  • Commencement ceremonies -- Maryland -- Annapolis
  • Mayflower (Yacht)
  • Parker (Destroyer : DD-48)
  • Potomac (Yacht)
  • Presidents -- United States -- Staff
  • Quincy (Heavy cruiser : CA-71)
  • Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945
  • United States Naval Academy -- Midshipmen -- Cruises
  • United States Naval Academy. Superintendent
  • World War, 1914-1918 -- Naval Operations, American
  • World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives, American
  • World War, 1939-1945 -- Congresses
  • World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean
  • World War, 1939-1945 -- Naval Operations, American
  • Yalta Conference (1945)

Genre Terms

  • Clippings (information artifacts)
  • Correspondence
  • Diaries
  • Dispatches
  • Manuscripts
  • Maps (documents)
  • Nautical charts
  • Notebooks
  • Orders (military records)
  • Periodicals
  • Photographs
  • Ships' logs
  • Speeches (documents)
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Contents List

Series 1: Personal Files, 1941-1954 Boxes 1-2

Series Description

Letters received and copies of letters sent by Wilson Brown during and shortly after his career in the United States Navy. Although mostly sent in an official capacity, the letters are primarily of a personal nature, and include letters of thanks, introduction, and recommendations, as well as covering topics such as the receipt of gifts, personal purchases, requests for favors in the line of duty, and invitations. The Semi-Official Personal Files, which hail primarily from Brown's time as commanding officer of the Pacific Fleet Scouting Force and Pacific Fleet Amphibious Force in the opening days of World War II, include more official materials, covering topics such as fleet exercises, staffing requirements, equipment needs, and ship availability. Much of the Miscellaneous Correspondence pertains to Naval Aides to the President.

Series Arrangement

Arranged into three sequences: Personal Files, Semi-Official Personal Files, and Miscellaneous Correspondence, thereunder arranged chronologically.

Box 1 Folder 1

Personal Files - Section 1, 1941 January 13-August 16

Includes a Naval Academy lecture by Carroll S. Alden entitled "Forces that Bring National Recovery" from January 24, 1941.

Box 1 Folder 2

Personal Files - Section 2, 1941 August 17-1942 January 10

Box 1 Folder 3

Personal Files - Section 3, 1942 January 21-June 30

Box 1 Folder 4

Personal Files - Section 4, 1943 January

Box 1 Folder 5

Personal Files - Section 6, 1943 March

Box 1 Folder 6

Personal Files - Section 7, 1943 April

Box 1 Folder 7

Personal Files - Section 8, 1943 May

Box 1 Folder 8

Personal Files - Section 9, 1943 June

Box 1 Folder 9

Personal Files - Section 10, 1943 July

Box 1 Folder 10

Personal Files - Section 11, 1943 August

Includes materials on the commissioning of Chief Petty Officers.

Box 1 Folder 11

Personal Files - Section 12, 1943 September

Includes materials on the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Reserve Act.

Box 1 Folder 12

Personal Files - Section 13, 1943 October

Includes materials on rocket weapons for landing boats.

Box 1 Folder 13

Personal Files - Section 14, 1943 November

Box 1 Folder 14

Personal Files - Section 15, 1943 December

Box 1 Folder 15

Personal Files - Section 16, 1944 January

Includes material on the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Education Foundation.

Box 1 Folder 16

Personal Files - Section 17, 1944 February

Includes materials on the interaction between the Navy and the Red Cross.

Box 1 Folder 17

Personal Files - Section 18, 1944 March

Includes material on the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Education Foundation and on the ability of Japanese planes to inflict damage on Allied naval vessels.

Box 1 Folder 18

Personal Files - Section 19, 1944 April

Box 1 Folder 19

Personal Files - Section 20, 1944 May

Includes material on the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Education Foundation and George M. Elsey.

Box 2 Folder 1

Personal Files - Section 21, 1944 June

Includes a chart for determining latitude and longitude by time-sights.

Box 2 Folder 2

Personal Files - Section 22, 1944 July

Box 2 Folder 3

Personal Files - Section 23, 1944 August

Box 2 Folder 4

Personal Files - Section 24, 1944 September

Box 2 Folder 5

Personal Files - Section 25, 1944 October

Box 2 Folder 6

Personal Files - Section 26, 1944 November

Includes materials on the fitness of Lieutenant (junior grade) Albert B. Coop and Argentinian concerns regarding the concert of American Nations.

Box 2 Folder 7

Personal Files - Section 27, 1944 December

Includes material on the American Youth Conference and Wilson's placement on the retired list.

Box 2 Folder 8

Personal Files - Section 28, 1945 January

Box 2 Folder 9

Personal Files - Section 29, 1945 February

Box 2 Folder 10

Personal Files - Section 30, 1945 March

Includes materials pertaining to the establishment of a Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps Unit at Washington University and the 100th anniversary of the Naval Academy.

Box 2 Folder 11

Personal Files - Section 31, 1945 April1-May 5

Box 2 Folder 12

Semi-Official Personal Files - Section 1, 1941 February 6-June 20

Includes materials on fleet exercises, ship availability, and Rear Admiral John Henry Newton.

Box 2 Folder 13

Semi-Official Personal Files - Section 2, 1941 June 23-November 22

Includes material on the Scouting Force's need for aerial photographers, a trip to the Aleutians, and the installation of radar equipment aboard U.S.S. Indianapolis.

Box 2 Folder 14

Semi-Official Personal Files - Section 3, 1941 November 12-1942 June 17

Includes material on the operations of Task Force Eleven, the amphibious force's need for air support, anti-submarine hunting units, amphibious force staffing, and Task Force Three landing force operations.

Box 2 Folder 15

Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1926-1939

Box 2 Folder 16

Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1942-1944

Box 2 Folder 17

Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1945-1950

Box 2 Folder 18

Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1944-1954, undated

Includes correspondence with Administrative Assistant to the President George M. Elsey and Naval Aide to the President Edward L. Beach regarding instructions for Naval Aides, as well as materials on the disposition of the Kuril Islands per the Yalta agreement and records of the Pacific Council.

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Series 2: Orders and Official Correspondence, 1902-1952 Box 3

Series Description

Orders and other official correspondence, such as notices of promotion, citations, and leaves of absence, received by Brown throughout his career in the U.S. Navy. Among the orders is a 1935 signed note from President Franklin D. Roosevelt regarding the naming of the presidential yacht U.S.S. Potomac.

Series Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Box 3 Folder 1

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1902-1910

Box 3 Folder 2

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1911-1917

Box 3 Folder 3

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1918-1920

Box 3 Folder 4

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1921-1930

Box 3 Folder 5

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1931-1936

Includes a signed note from President Franklin D. Roosevelt regarding the naming of the presidential yacht U.S.S. Potomac.

Box 3 Folder 6

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1937-1940

Box 3 Folder 7

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1941

Box 3 Folder 8

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1942

Box 3 Folder 9

Orders and Official Correspondence, 1943-1952

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Series 3: Speeches and Writings, 1931-1956 Boxes 3-4

Series Description

Speeches and writings written and delivered by Brown throughout and after his U.S. Navy career. The speeches spanning from 1938 through 1940 were delivered while Brown was serving as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy and include addresses to the Naval Academy Christian Association, speeches to specific classes, dedications, and graduation ceremonies. Speeches delivered throughout the remainder of Wilson's career include remarks on Armistice Day, the launching of U.S.S. Lexington (Aircraft carrier : CV-16), the First New England War Conference, the launching of U.S.S. Cubera (Submarine : SS-347), a commemoration of Robert Henry Thurston, and the 1944 graduation of the California Institute of Technology. Among the speeches are incoming and outgoing letters, and handwritten notes.

Brown's writings, including five periodical articles, one book review, and two manuscripts, pertain to Brown's role as Naval Aide to the President, Allied war planning during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the role of the Navy in American development, the Marshall Plan and American workers in Europe, and Samuel Eliot Morison's History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Included with the writings are incoming letters and newspaper clippings.

Brown's manuscripts for "Four Presidents as I Saw Them" and "From Sail to Carrier Task Force," both of which are on microfilm, are copies of documents found in the Wilson Brown Papers, 1935-1955, at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY.

Series Arrangement

Organized into two sequences: speeches and writings. Speeches arranged thereunder chronologically, writings arranged thereunder alphabetically by title.

Box 3 Folder 10

Speeches, 1931, 1933

Box 3 Folder 11

Speeches, 1938

Speeches while Superintendent of the Naval Academy.

Box 3 Folder 12-13

Speeches, 1939

Speeches while Superintendent of the Naval Academy. Includes remarks about Robert Henry Thurston at Cornell University.

Box 3 Folder 14-15

Speeches, 1940

Speeches while Superintendent of the Naval Academy.

Box 4 Folder 1

Speeches, 1942

Box 4 Folder 2

Speeches, 1943

Box 4 Folder 3

Speeches, 1944

Box 4 Folder 4

Speeches, 1945-1947

Box 4 Folder 5

Speeches, undated

Box 4 Folder 6

Writings - "Aide to Four Presidents", 1954-1955

Published in American Heritage. Correspondence and reviews only.

Box 4 Folder 7

Writings - "The Allies at Quebec", 1949-1951

Published in Queen's Quarterly.

Box 9 Folder 1

Writings - "Four Presidents as I Saw Them" and "From Sail to Carrier Task Force", undated

Manuscripts on microfilm. Also includes miscellaneous photographs and clippings.

Box 4 Folder 8

Writings - Review of Samuel Eliot Morison's The Rising Sun in the Pacific, Volume III of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, undated

Box 4 Folder 9

Writings - "The Roosevelt I Knew", 1948

Published in Everybody's Weekly.

Box 4 Folder 10

Writings - "Some of Our Navy's Contributions to Our National Growth", 1955

Submitted to the United States Naval Institute Prize Essay Contest.

Box 4 Folder 11

Writings - "Unofficial Diplomats Abroad", 1952-1956

Published in United States Naval Institute Proceedings.

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Series 4: Subject Files, 1918-1955 Boxes 4-5, 10[OS] and MSOS

Series Description

Files kept by Wilson Brown regarding the two World Wars, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Brown's career in the United States Navy. More specifically, the files pertain to awards received by Brown, Brown's relationship with Franklin Roosevelt, the Presidential Seal, Naval Academy midshipman cruises, and Brown's U.S. Navy service during World War I and at the Boston Navy Yard. Included in the series are incoming and outgoing letters, memoranda, dispatches, newspaper clippings, publications, handwritten notes, schedules, event programs, song lyrics and music, identification cards, postal cachets, charts, and war diaries.

In part, the files are the product of Brown's duties as a destroyer officer during World War I, Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard, and as Commander of the Training Squadron.

Series Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by document topic and type.

Box 4 Folder 12

"Admiral Wilson Brown USN" Military March, undated

Composed by Nicholas Mavro.

Box 4 Folder 13

America's Cup - Sailing Instructions, 1934

Box 4 Folder 14

Awards - French Legion of Honor, 1944

Box 10[OS] Folder 1

Awards - Order of the British Empire, 1945

Box 4 Folder 15

Awards - Order of the British Empire, 1945-1948

Box 4 Folder 16

Biographical Materials, 1941-1952

Box 4 Folder 17

Boston Navy Yard, 1942

Box 10[OS] Folder 2

Cartoon, undated

By Francis Dahl of the Boston Herald.

Box 10[OS] Folder 3

Certificates - General, 1938, 1942

Includes an honorary membership certificate for the Propeller Club of the United States and a Crossing the Line certificate from the U.S.S. Lexington from February 6, 1942.

Box 4 Folder 18

Christmas Card, undated

From Italian Admiral Alberto Lais.

Box 4 Folder 19

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt Dedication, 1946

Box 4 Folder 20

"I Have Returned" - Lyrics, undated

Song about MacArthur's return to the Philippines, set to the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."

Box 4 Folder 21

Identification Cards, 1945, undated

Box 4 Folder 22

Newspaper Clippings, 1936-1955

Includes articles on Wilson's appointment as Superintendent of the Naval Academy, the expansion of the Naval Academy Chapel, the Yalta Conference, and reminiscences about President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Box 4 Folder 23

Pearl Harbor - Research Notes, 1951, undated

Box 4 Folder 24

Postal Cachets, 1935-1940

Box 4 Folder 25

Presidential Coat of Arms, Seal, and Flag, 1945

Box 4 Folder 26

Publications - Cochrane, 1941

Compliments of Vice Admiral Alvaro Rodrigues de Vasconcellos of the Brazilian Navy.

Box 10[OS] Folder 4

Publications - Life, 1942 January 5

Box 4 Folder 27

Publications - "Nothing Could Conquer Him", 1945

Speech about Franklin D. Roosevelt by Basil O'Connor.

Box 4 Folder 28

Publications - "Our Navy Opens China, Japan and Korea", undated

Naval Historical Foundation leaflet.

Box 4 Folder 29

Publications - U.S. Rocket Ordnance: Development and Use in World War II, 1946

Released by the Joint Board on Scientific Information Policy.

Box 5 Folder 1

Surrender Flags, undated

Box 10[OS] Folder 5

United States Naval Academy - Diploma, 1937

Box 5 Folder 2

United States Naval Academy - Midshipman Cruises, 1936-1937

Product of Wilson's command of the Training Squadron, Scouting Force. Includes dispatches between Wilson and President Franklin Roosevelt.

Drawer MSOS Folder 1

United States Naval Academy - Seating Plan, 1938

Seating plan for luncheon given by the Superintendent for President Roosevelt after graduation exercises, June 1938.

Box 5 Folder 3

World War I - War Diary (U.S.S. Parker, 1918 April 6-May 13

Box 5 Folder 4

World War I - War Diary (Destroyer Force), 1918 May 14-September 30

Box 5 Folder 5

World War I - War Diary (Destroyer Force), 1918 October 1-31

Includes hand-drawn charts.

Box 10[OS] Folder 6

World War II - Maps and Charts, 1942

Primarily reprints from newspapers and periodicals. Includes newspaper coverage of the loss of U.S.S. Lexington at the Battle of Coral Sea.

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Series 5: Files as Scouting Force and Task Force Commander, 1941-1945 Box 5 and MSOS

Series Description

Documentation of Brown's command of the United States Pacific Fleet Scouting Force, Task Force Three, and Task Force Eleven in the days leading up to and during World War II. The materials pertain to the Salamaua-Lae Raid, attacks on Gasmata and Rabaul, landing operations, the Eastern Mandates (Marshall Islands), forces in the ANZAC area, reconnaissance missions to Siberia and the Aleutians, training exercises, command structure, and the operations of U.S.S. Lexington (Aircraft carrier : CV-2). Included in the series are letters, memoranda, dispatches, reports, charts, and rosters.

Among the memoranda in the series are copies of memoranda between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Orders and additional official correspondence from Brown's service during World War II can be found in Series 2: Orders and Official Correspondence. Personal correspondence from this time period can be found in Series 1: Personal Files.

Series Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by duty station and document type or topic.

Box 5 Folder 6

Amphibious Force, 1942 June 9

Discussion of Brown's impending relief of command and development of Navy amphibious forces.

Box 5 Folder 7

Calendar, 1941 December

Box 5 Folder 8

Pacific Fleet Administrative Organization, 1941 October 1

Box 5 Folder 9

Scouting Force - Aleutian Islands Visit Proposal, 1941 October 3

Box 5 Folder 10

Scouting Force - ANZAC Area Forces, 1942 March 5

Box 5 Folder 11

Scouting Force - Eastern Mandates Area Study, 1941 June 30

Box 5 Folder 12

Scouting Force - Midway, Wake, and Marshall Islands, 1941 December 13

Includes inventory of armaments for Midway and Wake.

Box 5 Folder 13

Scouting Force - Proposed Messages, undated

Box 5 Folder 14

Scouting Force - Siberian Reconnaissance Proposal, 1941 September 16

Box 5 Folder 15

Scouting Force - U.S.S. Indianapolis Roster of Officers, 1941 December 1

Box 5 Folder 16

Scouting Force - Weather, 1942 January-March

Box 5 Folder 17

Shortland Islands, undated

Landing suggestions for pilots off the Shortland Islands.

Box 5 Folder 18

Task Force Three - Employment Schedule, 1941 September 11

Box 5 Folder 19

Task Force Three - Inter-type Training Exercises, 1941 November 10

Box 5 Folder 20

Task Force Three - Landing Force Operations, undated

Box 5 Folder 21

Task Force Eleven - Cruise from January 31 to March 26, 1942, 1942 March 26

Box 5 Folder 22

Task Force Eleven - Dispatches, 1941 December-1942 April

Box 5 Folder 23

Task Force Eleven - Maximum Safe Landing Distances, 1942 March 6

Box 5 Folder 24

Task Force Eleven - Operation Plans and Orders, 1941-1942

Includes Operation Plan 12-42 and Operation Orders 1-41 and 5-42 for actions in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, troop convoys in the South Pacific, and actions at Gasmata and Rabaul.

Box 5 Folder 25

Task Force Eleven - Rabaul Gasmata Attack, 1942 March 11-13

Box 5 Folder 26

Task Force Eleven - Salamaua-Lae Raid, 1942-1945

Includes copies of memoranda between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, as well as recommendations for awarding the Presidential Unit Citation to the late U.S.S. Lexington.

Drawer MSOS Folder 2

Task Force Eleven - Track Chart, 1942

Labeled Chart # 825. Tracks Task Force Eleven in the South Pacific off the coast of Australia.

Box 5 Folder 27

Task Force Eleven - Track of U.S.S. Lexington, 1942 February 20

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Series 6: Files as Naval Aide to the President, 1923-1945 Boxes 5-8

Series Description

Documentation of Brown's tours of duty as Naval Aide to Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The documents in the series deal predominantly with cruises taken by President Franklin Roosevelt, and to a lesser extent with the Yalta Conference, the operations of Presidential yacht U.S.S. Mayflower under President Coolidge, and the general responsibilities of the Naval Aide to the President. Included in the series are dispatches, logbooks, itineraries, memoranda, letters, visitor cards, invitations, event programs, guest lists, and notebooks.

The Presidential cruise materials cover cruises to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Florida, Panama, and the Crimea, and include dispatches and correspondence pertaining to arms embargoes to Europe, the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, the Resettlement Administration, the 1936 floods, a 1936 finance conference, the Yalta Conference, and the subsequent Quincy Agreement. Brown's personal thoughts and recollections for this time period can be found in his notebooks.

Orders and additional official correspondence from Brown's second tour as Naval Aide to President Roosevelt can be found in Series 2: Orders and Official Correspondence. Personal correspondence from this time period can be found in Series 1: Personal Files.

Series Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Box 5 Folder 28

Armistice Day Ceremonies, 1934 November 8

Box 5 Folder 29

H.R. Bill 19870 Veto, 1936 January 24

Full Bill title: An Act to Provide for the Immediate Payment of World War Adjusted Service Certificates, for the Cancellation of Unpaid Interest Accrued on Loans Secured by Such Certificates, and for Other Purposes.

Box 5 Folder 30

Military Pageant - Event Program, 1936 January

Box 6 Folder 1

Notebook, 1934 June 1-1936 May 22

Includes entries on Presidential cruises and other trips, New Deal projects, labor disputes, the Newport Races, the Supreme Court ruling on the National Recovery Act, receiving foreign heads of state, the national debt, and comments on the President's mood, demeanor, and abilities.

Box 6 Folder 2

Notebook, 1934 June 1-1935 August 5

Transcription of previous notebook through August 1935.

Box 6 Folder 3

Presidential Cruises - Summer 1934 (Correspondence), 1934 June-July

Box 6 Folder 4-6

Presidential Cruises - Summer 1934 (Dispatches), 1934 June-July

Includes dispatch announcing the death of German President Paul von Hindenburg.

Box 6 Folder 7

Presidential Cruises - Summer 1934 (Log of the President's Cruise to Hawaii), 1934 July 1-August 3

Official cruise logbook, with appendixes including the President's radio address and other remarks.

Box 6 Folder 8

Presidential Cruises - Summer 1934 (Schedules and Itineraries), 1934 June-August

Includes itinerary for President Roosevelt's visit to Portland, Oregon in August 1934.

Box 6 Folder 9

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1935 (Log of Presidential Cruise Bahama Waters), 1935 March 26-April 8

Box 6 Folder 10

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1935 (Memoranda), 1935 February-March

Includes two memoranda signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Box 6 Folder 11

Presidential Cruises - Fall 1935 (Correspondence), 1935 September 25

Letter and telegram regarding traversing the Panama Canal Zone.

Box 7 Folder 1

Presidential Cruises - Fall 1935 (The Cruise of the President on board U.S.S. Houston), 1935 October 2-23

Official cruise logbook.

Box 7 Folder 2

Presidential Cruises - Fall 1935 (Dispatches Received: Black), 1935 October

Box 7 Folder 3

Presidential Cruises - Fall 1935 (Dispatches Sent: White), 1935 October

Box 7 Folder 4

Presidential Cruises - Fall 1935 (Newspaper Clippings), 1935 October 24

Box 7 Folder 5

Presidential Cruises - Fall 1935 (Press Dispatches), 1935 September-October

Box 7 Folder 6

Presidential Cruises - Fall 1935 (Proclamation of Neutrality), undated

Box 7 Folder 7

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1936 (Dispatches: General), 1936 March-April

Includes two dispatches signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Box 7 Folder 8

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1936 (Dispatches Received: Black), 1936 March-April

Box 7 Folder 9

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1936 (Dispatches Sent: White), 1936 March, undated

Includes six dispatches signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Box 7 Folder 10

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1936 (Presidential Press/Radio Press News), 1936 March, undated

News digest for the President.

Box 7 Folder 11

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1936 (The President's Cruise in Bahama Waters), 1936 March 23-April 8

Official cruise logbook.

Box 7 Folder 12

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1936 (Schedules and Itineraries, 1936 March-April

Box 7 Folder 13

Presidential Cruises - Spring 1936 (State Department Radio Bulletins), undated

Box 7 Folder 14

Presidential Cruises - Yalta (Dispatches and Memoranda), 1945 February

Includes Presidential party travel instructions, notification of the death of General Edwin Watson, and an announcement of President Roosevelt's meeting with leaders from Ethiopia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

Box 7 Folder 15

Presidential Cruises - Yalta (General Information Bulletin), undated

Box 7 Folder 16

Presidential Cruises - Yalta (Guests Lists), 1945 February

Guests from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Ethiopia for meeting aboard U.S.S. Quincy.

Box 7 Folder 17

Presidential Cruises - Yalta (Notes on the Crimea), undated

Box 7 Folder 18

Presidential Cruises - Yalta (U.S.S. Quincy Ship's Paper), 1945 February 13-21

Includes a copy of the Report on the Crimea Conference, courtesy of Presidential Secretary Stephen T. Early.

Box 7 Folder 19

Presidential Inauguration - Program, 1929 March 4

Box 7 Folder 20

Presidential Trip - Hobcaw, South Carolina, 1944 April 8-May 7

Box 7 Folder 21

State of the Union Radio Address, 1945 January 6

Box 7 Folder 22

Unidentified Conference, undated

Dispatch, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, possibly regarding the Yalta Conference.

Box 7 Folder 23

U.S.S. Mayflower - Captain's Night Orders, 1923-1928

Box 7 Folder 24

White House - Guest Lists, 1934-1935

Also includes reception programs and schedules.

Box 7 Folder 25

White House - Newspaper Clippings, 1935

Box 8 Folder 1

White House - Visitor Cards and Invitations, 1935-1944

Box 8 Folder 2

White House Aides - Duties and Instructions, 1925-1945

Includes information on U.S.S. Mayflower.

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Series 7: Photographs, 1918-1944 Boxes 8 and 10[OS]

Series Description

Photographs, primarily black-and-white, depicting Brown's career in the United States Navy. The photographs are largely the product of Brown's tours as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy and Naval Aide to President Franklin Roosevelt, and focus on the Academy's June Week festivities of 1939, the Cairo Conference, the Tehran Conference, and President Roosevelt's visits to Ottawa, Monterrey, and a war production plant. The series also includes portraits of Wilson Brown and photographs of several naval vessels, including the French ship Senegalaise.

Series Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Box 8 Folder 3

Brown, Wilson (1882-1957), 1923-1944, undated

Includes images of Brown receiving the French Legion of Honor, events at the Boston Navy Yard, changes of command, and portraits.

Box 10[OS] Folder 7

Brown, Wilson (1882-1957), 1941-1944

Includes images of Brown receiving the French Legion of Honor and a meeting with Admiral Husband Kimmel.

Box 8 Folder 4

Hopkins, Harry, undated

Box 10[OS] Folder 8

Prints from Admiral Nimitz, undated

Includes a photograph of World War II landing operations in the South Pacific.

Box 8 Folder 5

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 1935-1936, undated

Includes photos of Franklin at the tomb of George Washington and at a dinner with Admiral Leahy.

Box 8 Folder 6

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano - Cairo Conference, 1943

Box 8 Folder 7

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano - Presidential Cruise, 1935 October

Box 8 Folder 8

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano - Tehran Conference, 1943

Box 8 Folder 9

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano - Visit to Monterrey, Mexico, 1943 April 20

Box 8 Folder 10

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano - Visit to Ottawa, Canada, 1943 August 25

Box 8 Folder 11

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano - War Plant Tour, 1943 May 12

Box 8 Folder 12

Salamaua (Papua, New Guinea) - Attack on Japanese Ships, 1942 March 10

Box 8 Folder 13

Ships - Miscellaneous, undated

Includes images of U.S.S. Cushing and a battleship, possibly U.S.S. Colorado leaving the New York Navy Yard.

Box 8 Folder 14

Ships - U.S.S. Monongahela (Screw Sloop), undated

Box 8 Folder 15

Ships - U.S.S. Parker (Destroyer : DD-48), 1918, undated

Photographs and postcards of the ship and her crew.

Box 8 Folder 16

Ships - Senegalaise (Destroyer Escort), undated

Presentation and inspection of the French Destroyer Escort by Franklin Roosevelt.

Box 8 Folder 17

United States Naval Academy - Color Girl, 1939 May 29

Box 8 Folder 18

United States Naval Academy - Graduation, 1939 June 1

Box 8 Folder 19

United States Naval Academy - John Paul Jones Crypt, 1939 June 16

Box 8 Folder 20

United States Naval Academy - Midshipman Cruise, 1939 June 2

Box 8 Folder 21

United States Naval Academy - Museum Opening Ceremonies, 1939 May 27

Box 8 Folder 22

United States Naval Academy - Ring Dance, 1939 May 29

Box 8 Folder 23

United States Naval Academy - Superintendent and Staff, 1939

Box 8 Folder 24

United States Naval Academy - Visit of Colonel Isaias Medina, 1940 February 23

Venezuelan Minister of War, Navy and Aviation.

Box 8 Folder 25

United States Naval Academy - Visit of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, 1939 May 8

Includes images of a four-star admiral's barge, similar to Admiral Nimitz's "Blue Goose."

Box 8 Folder 26

White House - Map Room Staff, 1944

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