Physical Description: 0.03 Linear feet(1 folder)

Language of Material: English.

This series is arranged chronologically.

This series contains correspondence and photographs sent to Martha Johnson from various authors during the Second World War. Included are eight letters from Cpl. Donald B. Miller, USAAF, three from Rdm3/c William D. Fife, USN, one from T/Sgt. Marshall G. Edwards, USA, and one from SSgt. Ed Lewis, USA.

The photographs include 12 images of soldiers and of destruction in the South Pacific; bombed buildings, etc. (inferred based on foliage and palm trees). None of the soldiers in the photos are identified.

Cpl. Miller Cpl. Miller wrote his first leter on January 9, 1944 from Burma. He calls her "Moose" and discusses the tropical climate, rain and mud, and the work that goes into that. He wrote the second letter from Assam, India (in the northeast of the country near southern China and northern Myanmar, formerly Burma)in September and once again mentions the rain. He says the "war news looks good" and hopes to finish the war in Europe so the focus can be on ending the war with Japan and go home. He also received vaccinations and mentions a big storm coming soon. He also discusses a large, walled pit where they throw human remains for vultures to eat, describing the process and how bones eventually fall through a grate and into the pit.

On October 15, Cpl. Miller wrote once again from Burma where he stayed until the last letter, written November 16, 1945 from Karachi, India (modern-day Pakistan). In a letter dated October 29, 1944 he discussed his brother Robert, "Bob," and his service in France and then Italy. "A Cpl. came to the house and told mom he had been with my brother on Anzio ect. [sic]..." At this time, his other brother, Fletcher, was a senior in high school, as he mentions in the letter, but Fletcher eventually served in the Philippines. NOTE: Cpl. Miller may work with dogs, or is in an area full of wild dogs, as he draws dogs on the top of each letter and mentions, "I asked about my drawing dogs on the top of my letters and it seems its O.K. again," perhaps referring to censorship of his dog drawings given his duty or location. Also mentioned in his letter of January 16, 1945, Miller served in North Africa before the China Burma India Theater.

In January 1945, from Karachi, Miller mentions that his last letter (unsure if the letter to which he is referring is included in this collection) was written from Myitkyina, Burma, a city on the Ayeyarwady River in northeast Myanmar, near China. His unit travelled the Ledo Road, the alternative to the Burma Road from India into China, to Ledo in Assam, India and then they travelled by truck to Chabua to the northeast, then left on a C-54 airplane to Karachi where and other soldiers awaited a ship home.

While waiting, he wrote this letter of seventeen pages discussing his recent travel and the many flights he had taken, including training in the Flexible Gunnery School; he has flown in B-25s, C-54s, B-24s, C-47s, L-5s, and C-46s. He then mentions his brother Robert's promotion to Sergeant in Heidenheim, Germany and his brother Fletcher serving in the Philippines (exact location given, but illegible). Two pages are then devoted to detailing his experience getting chow; in the line, the food, and the entire process. That is followed by a description of the Stilwell Road, formerly the Ledo Road mentioned previously but renamed in early 1945 after General Joseph Stilwell at the suggestion of Chiang Kai-shek, and a description of the jungle in Burma, saying that it is not like Hollywood or a beautiful tapestry of foliage, rather it is "tall and dark and as silent as death. It is an ageless confusion of tangled matted undergrowth, green swamps which all makes progress lead to narrow trails." He continues his description to include the animals, with some scientific facts including numbers of species and annual rainfall, length of the Stilwell Road and its construction.

The letter continues by discussing post-war activities, what civilian life will be like, Martha's college experience and sorority, and the GI Bill. He also discusses his art and sketch drawings, though he wish he would have had more time to draw more often. He ends his correspondence with rumors of when he will be heading home and tells Martha that he will write her when he returns.

Rdm3/c Fife Rdm3/c Fife served aboard the USS Kimberly. He was at sea when he wrote his first letter on his birthday and New Years Eve, December 31, 1943, while heading back from the South Pacific to San Francisco for repairs. The other two letters, written in August and September 1944, were sent while aboard the Kimberly in the Aleutian Island campaign shortly before returning to San Francisco on September 18.

SSgt. Lewis SSgt. Lewis sent a birthday card on September 5, 1944 to Martha while he served was in England after his unit was removed from combat operations and reassigned after heavy casualties in the Normandy invasion.

T/Sgt. Edwards T/Sgt. Edwards wrote one letter to Martha from Fankfurt, Germany on February 7, 1946. He discussed moving between schools, first the Fontainebleau school in Garches, France outside of Paris, and then the Theater Adjutant General School before going to Germany; both schools were "broke up" or dismantled. He was sent to Germany to set up another clerical school on January 8, where he works as an English instructor and operations sergeant. He describes for her his living arrangements and Red Cross and other entertainment, including trips to Weisebaden (Weisbaden) about thirty miles away. He closes hoping to be home sooner than expected due to redeployment.

Physical Description: 0.03 Linear feet(1 folder)

Language of Material: English, French.

This series is arranged chronologically.

The Collet Désiré Maître series was processed by Wendy Gonaver and Andy Harman

This series contains contains sixteen correspondence and one photograph from Collet Désiré Maître to Martha Johnson during and after the Second World War. Désiré, as he signed his letters, was a French cadet at the United States Naval Air Station in Memphis, Tennessee after the war. The correspondence also includes letters sent from Bamako, Mail; Brest, France; Dakar, Senegal; and Lartigue (present-day Tafaraoui), Algeria.

In his letters, Maître describes his hospitalization in Tennessee for what appears to have been scabies; narrates a visit to New York City in December of 1945; shares his professional aspirations; offers candid opinions of life in America; and provides insight into postwar hardships in France.

Excerpted notes from an unofficial translation:

Letter dated May 16, 1945:

"You will perhaps be astonished to receive a postcard of this type [painting by 'JHA' from collection "Types of North Africans']. I'm certainly not as terrible as this Arab chief from one of the most beautiful colonies of Algeria."

Letter dated October 31, 1945:

"My illness isn't very serious. In fact, I could tell you that I'm not sick at all and that would be true. Like many of my comrades, I have a skin infection, a malady I've never known before coming to America. It's very irritating because it makes me want to scratch constantly and this produces sores. It's not really serious, just embarrassing." He laments the suspension of his flight training, but his instructor is also hospitalized with the same ailment."We will all benefit from rest as the flights are tiring."

"In general, my married colleagues want to return as quickly as possible to their wives. The single men are mostly of a different opinion. They want to be stationed another year longer in your country, but their thoughts might surprise you: we don't want to marry an American. This is best explained by comparing the French and American ways of living."

He writes that a French husband would want to return to his country. His American wife would follow, but gradually become disenchanted with the inconveniences of French life, where the standard of living is not as high and it is difficult to find a house. Material inconveniences would be compounded by "moral" differences.

"You [Americans] are very open-minded in your spirit and views. If you were to come to my neighborhood where old principles hold sway, you would be butting up against incomprehension and prejudice. . . ." This set way of doing things also comprises "the charm of French life." "The French spirit of family is very developed. I think that the American family spirit (the solidarity of the family) is not your principal quality, each member has his own side and fends for himself; whereas in my household, if any member of the family is humiliated, everyone comes to his aid and there is kinship no matter how distant."

"Why don't the French love America enough to stay here to live, you might ask. After all, the adventurous spirit of young Frenchmen allowed for French colonization. When not satisfied with their homes, they look for better elsewhere; for this reason also your country was colonized."

"In the French colonies, the French manner of living is applied; all live as the French. The American way of life is captivating for its comforts, but we decry its lightness, lack of depth, superficiality. One doesn't know whether what you think and express today will last until tomorrow; there is no profound attachment between people who work together. One is left with the impression, is this real?"

He writes that he would like to stay longer and see more of the Unites States: "I don't know what you think of me, but I would prefer to visit a factory, a beautiful farm, a productive activity than a monument."

"P.S. I have good news from my family. In France, the county seems to be calm and things are returning to order. The country tends toward the left, toward communism. The only thing that worries people is the value of our money. Too much paper is in circulation….Unfortunately, we are obliged to import to repair the gaps in our industry that were caused by the war."

Letter dated November 21, 1945:

"You must be terribly busy right now as I have not received news from you."

"Here is my opinion. The American navy's aviation course is the best that we can pursue, from a military and civil point of view. In obtaining my wings, I will almost surely become an officer. Or if I wash out, as many do, I will be a radio or navigation officer which is also a necessary part of aviation. In France, it is very difficult to become an officer and I still don't know the process. In the American marines, for normal advancement a sailor must follow his capacities to become an officer. In the French marines, this possibility is not offered. . . . For me, departing America signifies the dream of a brilliant future."

"In returning to France, I can obtain if I want my demobilization. There lies another problem. You know as I do that France is very demolished. There is no lack of work to be done, but the means to do the work is lacking."

"My father can give me work on the farm. Don't imagine that a French farm in Brittany is like a modern American farm. These farms are generally small. 40 hectares is a superbly large farm in my region. This will make you smile."

Letter dated November 30, 1945:

"Do not think that I am happy to return to my country. I told you in my previous letter that I would stay in your country, it would please me greatly right now. . . . To demobilize in your country is very difficult. We've been counseled that we could demobilize in Canada, and after six months return to the U.S."

"Actually, I think that I will continue my service in the Marines. I like to travel the world. . . ."

"I do not know if I will be able to see you again...I left the hospital this morning"

"Many want to stay in America, but the conditions are too hard. I have several comrades who promised to marry here to be certain to stay with their fiances at Chapel Hill or Duke."

Letter dated December 17, 1945 aboard the Monticello :

"My previous letter doubtlessly gave you some surprise and disappointment, I think. I left America without seeing you again, and I am chagrined. The French think that the American heart is generally tough and for this believe that it rarely shows up, and your compatriots returning from France do not hide from us that only money determines love for the majority of young Americans, is this true? I hope it is a minority who think this way"

"My impression is this: American life is all 'business,' French life is the acquisition of the resources needed to live and amuse oneself agreeably. . . .[Americans] don't know how to savor pleasure."

"Please forgive me, I've acquired the annoying habit of constantly critiquing the manners and habits of your compatriots. Why is this? Without a doubt because many Americans, since you are the biggest masters of large parts of the globe, imagine that you are a superior race, analogous to the German spirit in their victorious period."

"As for the atomic bomb, it is an American invention and you have used it militarily. From a humanitarian point of view, it is debatable whether it's a good invention. I suppose that this atomic bomb was close to being realized by the Germans. . . . Are you truly certain that America is the only country to hold the atomic secret. I don't believe so...." Maître describes how the French occupied Stuggart and allegedly found factories where the Germans were researching the atomic bomb, but then Eisenhower commanded them "to leave the city for the Americans."

"Write me always frankly without disguising your thoughts. We are far, far from one another, but you can talk to me about anything that passes through your head, your desires, your hopes, your worries."

Letter dated February 13, 1946:

He arrived in Marseilles on December 20 and is currently with his parents in Brittany, helping on the farm. He writes that the price of goods in France is high,but "the vast majority of workers don't make more than 10.000 Francs per month." He requests a photo of Martha Johnson.

"The American soldiers are no longer liked in France, from Marseilles to Paris, they are considered gangsters. In Paris, the GI's of the MP attack passersby, violate women, steal, all wish their prompt departure. . . . I tell you the facts, but am without rancor."