Army Air Force Historical Office, 1941-1951

Scope and content:

The first series, Army Air Force Historical Office, contains material Watson collected while serving as the Chief of the Southwest Pacific Branch of the Army Air Force Historical Office. The work of the office was eventually collected in the seven volume series, The Army Air Forces in World War II, edited by Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate. Watson's contributions to the series pertain chiefly to Vols. I and IV. Types of material in this series include general correspondence about the work of the Historical Office, newspaper clippings chronicling daily events, and notes taken from primary wartime documents on Southwest Pacific Air Operations. Major events include Rabaul, Battle of the Bismarck Sea, Philippines campaign, Pearl Harbor, Wau, and Nassau Bay. Strategic topics include bombing techniques, equipment, men and morale, radio and radar, supplies, and allocations. There are also draft chapters of his work, The Fifth Air Force in the Huon Peninsula Campaign. Also included are several reference works such as maps of the Southwest Pacific, a gazetteer of New Guinea, and several works by J.V. Cragg on the Fifth Air Force.

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Collection restrictions:

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

For a period of twenty-five years from the origin of the material, permission in writing from the office of origin and the University Archivist is required for use. After twenty-five years, records that have been processed may be consulted with the permission of the University Archivist.

Records, such as search committee files or others pertaining to employment where individuals are identified, are closed for 70 years.

In accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended, Duke University permits students to inspect their education records and limits the disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records.

In off-site storage; 48 hours advance notice is required for use.

Use & permissions:

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.