Register to the Joseph Abraham Mendenhall papers, 1927-2011
Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2011
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: Joseph Abraham Mendenhall papers
Date (inclusive): 1927-2011
Collection Number: 2011C52
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
18 manuscript boxes
(7.5 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, speeches and writings, printed matter, personal documents, and photographs relating to American foreign relations
and to the Vietnam War.
Creator:
Mendenhall, Joseph Abraham, 1920-
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2011.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Joseph Abraham Mendenhall papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical/Historical Note
1920 |
Born, Calvert, Maryland |
1940 |
B.A., University of Delaware |
1941-1946 |
U.S. Army service, attained rank of captain |
1946-1975 |
U.S. Foreign Service officer |
1946-1949 |
Vice Consul, Istanbul, Turkey |
1949-1951 |
Assistant Chief, Economic Cooperation Administration Mission to Iceland |
1952-1955 |
Second Secretary of Embassy, Switzerland |
1955-1959 |
Department of State Bureau of Southeast Asian Affairs officer, Washington, D.C. |
1959-1962 |
Counselor of Embassy, South Vietnam |
1962-1963 |
U.S. National War College student |
1963-1964 |
Director, Department of State Vietnam Working Group, Washington, D.C. |
1964-1965 |
Director, Department of State Office of Far Eastern Regional Affairs, Washington, D.C. |
1965-1968 |
Director, U.S. Agency for International Development Mission to Laos |
1968-1970 |
Deputy and acting Assistant Administrator for Vietnam, U.S. Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C. |
1970-1972 |
U.S. Foreign Service inspector |
1972-1975 |
Ambassador to Madagascar |
1975 |
Retired and took up residence in Italy |
1992 |
Returned to the United States |
Scope and Content of Collection
Joseph A. Mendenhall's career as a U.S. Foreign Service officer was highlighted by specialization in Southeast Asian affairs
during the Vietnam War era. Both on the ground in Vietnam (1959-1962) and Laos (1965-1968) and in senior Department of State
positions in Washington, D.C., including that of Director of the Department's Office of Far Eastern Regional Affairs, he was
intimately involved in the formulation and execution of American foreign policy in the area. The
U.S. Foreign Service File in his papers presents only a partial record of his government service, as most of the official documents that passed through
his hands remain in possession of the United States government. However, the file does include the texts and outline notes
of many speeches at public functions and of presentations at many internal staff meetings and in-house Department of State
conferences and briefing sessions. These afford an inside view of foreign policy formation.
After his retirement in 1975, Mendenhall devoted much thought to retrospective analysis of the Vietnam War, a war that he
continued to believe could and should have been won. He also maintained a lively interest in new issues in American foreign
policy. His views on these matters are expressed in letters in the
Retirement Formal Correspondence file and in writings, published and unpublished, in the
Retirement Speeches and Writings file.
A
Personal Correspondence file accounts for a large portion of the collection. This consists of informal correspondence with family and friends over
the whole of Mendenhall's life, and also includes the correspondence of his wife Leone. Many letters are from the Mendenhalls
to their respective parents. This series is noteworthy for its unusually complete and detailed description of the life of
a Foreign Service family frequently stationed abroad. It also reflects subjective reactions to local and world events. Chronological
arrangement facilitates correlation with Mendenhall's various career postings.
Ambassador Mendenhall donated his papers to the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2011.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
United States -- Foreign relations -- Laos
Laos -- Foreign relations -- United States
United States -- Foreign relations -- Vietnam
Vietnam -- Foreign relations -- United States
Diplomats -- United States
United States -- Foreign relations -- Madagascar
Madagascar -- Foreign relations -- United States
United States. Department of State
United States. Agency for International Development
Early Life and Ancestry
1927-2010
Scope and Contents note
Genealogical, school, and military service records.
box 1, folder 1
General
1994-2008
Scope and Contents note
Mendenhall family history, with related charts, correspondence, and miscellany.
box 1, folder 2
Mendenhall Family Association newsletters
1996-2010
box 1, folder 3
Elementary and high school report cards and memorabilia
1927-1936
box 1, folder 4
University of Delaware
1937-1940
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, campus newspaper issues, and university history.
box 1, folder 5
Law school and graduate school application correspondence
1940-1946
box 1, folder 6
Military service
1941-1955
Scope and Contents note
U.S. Army personnel file, War Department application correspondence, and Air Force Reserve discharge certificate.
U.S. Foreign Service File
1945-1976
Scope and Contents note
Personnel file, official correspondence, speeches and writings, memoranda, reports, and printed matter.
box 1, folder 7
Department of State personnel file
1945-1975
Scope and Contents note
Includes application materials and evaluation reports.
box 1, folder 9
1959-1962
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Elbridge Durbrow.
box 1, folder 10
1963-1964
Scope and Contents note
Includes U.S. National War College correspondence.
box 2, folder 1
1965-1968
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Chester Bowles and William H. Sullivan and with Edward M. Kennedy and other members of Congress.
box 2, folder 2
1969-1971
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Edgar Buell, Ellsworth Bunker, William H. Sullivan, and members of Congress.
box 2, folder 3
1972
Scope and Contents note
Mainly letters of congratulation upon ambassadorial appointment. Includes correspondence with Ellsworth Bunker, Shelby Cullom
Davis and William Rogers, and with J. Caleb Boggs and other members of Congress.
box 2, folder 4
1973-1974
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with William H. Sullivan.
box 2, folder 5
1975
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Henry A. Kissinger and Eliot Richardson.
box 2, folder 6
Orientation talk on political background of Vietnam for newly arrived Americans in Vietnam, mimeograph
1962 March 30
box 2, folder 7
"Viet-Nam: Land of Crisis,"
University News (University of Delaware publication),
1962 Summer
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, printed copy, and correspondence.
box 2, folder 8
Department of State seminar on collective security in the Far East, presentation outline
1965 February 2
box 2, folder 9
Department of State briefing on foreign policy in the Far East, presentation outline
1965 April 16
box 2, folder 10
Counterintelligence seminar on Southeast Asia, presentation outline
1965 April 21
box 2, folder 11
Debate on Vietnam, Freedom Forum, Albion College, Albion, Michigan
1965 May 13
Scope and Contents note
Presentation outline, correspondence, and press coverage.
box 2, folder 12
Talk to Military Government Association on Vietnam, Portland, Oregon, presentation outline
1965 May 29
box 2, folder 13
Lecture on Communist challenge in Asia, Westminister College, Fulton, Missouri, presentation outline
1965 July 12
box 2, folder 14
Counterintelligence seminar on Vietnam, presentation outline
1965 August 13
box 2, folder 15
Statement to press upon appointment as U.S. Agency for International Development director in Laos, typescript
1965 September 8
box 2, folder 16
Talk to AID Laos Mission staff, presentation outline
1965 September 24
box 2, folder 17
Briefing on AID program for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, presentation outline
1965 October 27
box 2, folder 18
Talk on rural development program, presentation outline
1965 October 31
box 2, folder 19
General orientation talk on AID program, presentation outline and background data
1966 January 18
box 2, folder 20
Remarks at laying of cornerstone for medical warehouse, Vientiane, Laos, typescript
1966 May 12
box 2, folder 21
Talk to Laotian teachers participating in training program in Thailand, typescript and Lao translation
1966 June 7
box 2, folder 22
Talk to Rotary Club (Vientiane?) on U.S. aid to Laos, typescript and French translation
1966 July 11
box 2, folder 23
Talk at far cargo vessel ceremony, Laos, typescript
1966 July 12
box 2, folder 24
Talk to AID cluster managers, Laos, presentation outline
1966 July 27
box 2, folder 25
Talk at presentation of certificates to Laotian teachers, typescript
1966 August 18
box 2, folder 26
Talk and briefing to Laotian trainees, typescript and presentation outline
1966 September 22-23
box 2, folder 27
Talk at Vientiane Prefecture ceremony, typescript
1966 October 11
box 2, folder 28
Voice of America interview on AID program in Laos, transcript
1966 November 22
box 2, folder 29
Speech to Laotian trainees, typescript
1966 December 7
box 2, folder 30
Remarks at dedication of medical warehouse, That Luang, Laos, typescript and French translation
1966 December 8
box 2, folder 31
Briefing on AID program for Senator Stuart Symington, presentation outline and background data
1966 December 20
box 3, folder 1
Remarks at Ministry of Finance ceremony, Vientiane, Laos, typescript (in French) and background data
1967 January 17
box 3, folder 2
Refugee relief officers conference, presentation outline
1967 January 18
box 3, folder 3
Speech at dedication of Sedone Valley development projects, Laos, mimeograph and French translation
1967 January 27
box 3, folder 4
Talk to U.S. Information Service personnel, Laos, presentation outline
1967 February 7
box 3, folder 5
Speech at agricultural conference, Vientiane, Laos, mimeograph
1967 March 7
box 3, folder 6
Speech at signing of small industries project agreement, Vientiane, Laos, typescript and French translation
1967 March 10
box 3, folder 7
Speech at orthopedic center, Vientiane, Laos, mimeograph and French translation
1967 March 17
box 3, folder 8
Remarks at school dedication, Kengkok, Laos, mimeograph
1967 April 10
box 3, folder 9
Staff meeting, presentation outline
1967 April 27
box 3, folder 10
Remarks at groupes scolaires dedication, Pakse, Laos, mimeograph and French translation
1967 May 18
box 3, folder 11
Remarks at groupes scolaires dedications, Xieng Ngeun and Luang Prabang, Laos
1967 May 19
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, mimeograph, and French and Lao translations.
box 3, folder 12
Speech at groupes scolaires dedication, Vientiane, Laos, mimeograph and French and Lao translations
1967 May 22
box 3, folder 13
Talk to Chao Muong personnel, presentation outline
1967 May 29
box 3, folder 14
Speech at dedication of Hia Nakok Dam, Laos, mimeograph and French and Lao translations
1967 June 29
box 3, folder 15
Speech to graduating nurses, Vientiane, Laos, mimeograph
1967 July 15
box 3, folder 16
Speech at dedication of Hong Sa-Tha Souang Road, Laos, typescript
1967 December 3
box 3, folder 17
"The United States National Interest in Viet-Nam,"
1967 December 20
Scope and Contents note
Typescript statement prepared for Senator Abraham Ribicoff and correspondence with Ribicoff.
box 3, folder 18
Talk on AID program in Laos, presentation outline
1968 January 25
box 3, folder 19
Conference on changing the people of Laos, presentation outline
1968 February 10
box 3, folder 20
Conference on community development in Laos, presentation outline and agenda
1968 February 15
box 3, folder 21
Remarks at dedication of groupe scolaire and warehouse, Sayaboury, Laos, typescript
1968 May 14
box 3, folder 22
Remarks at dedication of groupe scolaire and warehouse, Ban Houei Sai, Laos, typescript
1968 May 15
box 3, folder 23
"Is Laos a Viable State?," typescript
1968 September 10
box 3, folder 24
"The Aims and Methods of U.S. Aid Programs in Southeast Asia," speech, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, typescript
1968 November 14
box 3, folder 25
Notes on book by David Schoenbrun,
Vietnam: How We Got In, How to Get Out
1968 November 30
box 3, folder 26
"TV Notes" (reference unclear; re Vietnam)
1968 December 10
box 3, folder 27
"Progress in Vietnam's 'Other War,'" typescript
1968 December
box 3, folder 28
Talk on Vietnam economic-civil front, presentation outline
1969 January 24
box 3, folder 29
"Miracle Rice in Vietnam," letter to the editor,
Baltimore Sun, printed copy
1969 February 14
box 3, folder 30
Statement to U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Vietnam AID program for FY 1970, typescript
1969 June 16
box 3, folder 31
Statement to U.S. House Appropriations Committee Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Vietnam AID program for FY 1970, typescript
1969 July 14
box 3, folder 32
Talk on Vietnam to President's Science Advisory Council, presentation outline
1969 November 22
box 3, folder 33
Statement to U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Vietnam AID program for FY 1970, typescript
1969 November 26
box 3, folder 34
Talk on Vietnam (occasion unclear), presentation outline
1969 December
box 3, folder 35
Assignment to Turkey
1948-1952
Scope and Contents note
Memorandum and speech by Esther W. Boyer on 500th anniversary of conquest of Constantinople.
box 3, folder 36
Assignment to Iceland
1951-1953
Scope and Contents note
Background data, and printed article on Marshall Plan (in Icelandic).
box 3, folder 37
Assignment to Switzerland
1954-1955
Scope and Contents note
Diplomatic corps directory, printed article, and ocean liner passenger list.
South Vietnamese government directories
box 4, folder 3
Diplomatic corps directory and U.S. Embassy personnel directory
1960 and 1962
box 4, folder 4
U.S. Operations Mission to Vietnam annual reports
1958 and 1960
box 4, folder 5
U.S. Agency for International Development Mission to Vietnam annual reports
1968 and 1969
box 4, folder 6
Expense vouchers
1959-1962
box 4, folder 7
Miscellany
1951-1968
Scope and Contents note
Memoranda, speeches by others, and lists.
box 4, folder 8
Printed matter
1963-1975
Scope and Contents note
Background printed articles and serial issues.
box 4, folder 9
Assignment to U.S. National War College
1962-1963
Scope and Contents note
Faculty and student rosters and annual report.
box 4, folder 10
Schedules and guest lists
1965-1968
box 5, folder 1
Background and briefing materials on Laos and on U.S. aid to Laos
1959-1968
box 5, folder 2
Miscellany
1961-1974
Scope and Contents note
Speeches by others, printed articles, and memorabilia.
box 5, folder 3
Assignment to Madagascar
1972-1975
Scope and Contents note
Memoranda, list of Madagascar government officials, Madagascar newspaper issues, and memorabilia.
box 5, folder 4
Miscellany
1946-1975
Scope and Contents note
Schedules, lists, biographical data, Department of State publications, Nigerian and South Korean newspaper issues, and memorabilia.
Press coverage
Scope and Contents note
Official publications and news stories re Mendenhall's diplomatic career.
box 5, folder 6
1972 (ambassadorial appointment)
Personal Correspondence
1938-2011
Scope and Contents note
Informal correspondence with family and friends, arranged chronologically. Includes correspondence of Leone Mendenhall, wife
of Joseph Mendenhall.
Retirement Formal Correspondence
1975-2010
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence on political, foreign policy, and other subjects, arranged chronologically. Letters to members of Congress
expressing Mendenhall's views and correspondence with University of Delaware officials re alumni affairs occur throughout.
box 14, folder 10
1975-1979
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with William H. Sullivan.
box 14, folder 11
1980-1982
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Fernando E. Rondon and William H. Sullivan, and with U.S. News and World Report Books re projected
book on Vietnam War.
box 14, folder 12
1983-1985
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Fernando E. Rondon and William H. Sullivan.
box 15, folder 1
1986-1989
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Bui Diem, and with Brian VanDeMark re his dissertation on Vietnam War policy.
box 15, folder 3
1994-1996
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Marshall Green and letters to William E. Colby and Henry A. Kissinger.
box 15, folder 5
2000-2002
Scope and Contents note
Includes correspondence with Elbridge Colby.
box 15, folder 6
2003-2006
Scope and Contents note
Includes letter to Paul Wolfowitz.
Retirement Speeches and Writings
1976-2011
Scope and Contents note
Holographs, typescripts, printed copies, and related correspondence, arranged chronologically.
box 15, folder 8
"Missing Madonna of Carda Mourned by Italian Villagers," typescript and correspondence
1976
box 15, folder 9
"Communist Vietnam and the Border War: Victim or Aggressor?,"
Strategic Review
1978 Summer
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, printed copy, and correspondence.
box 15, folder 10
"Essentials for Economic Development," typescript and correspondence
1978
box 15, folder 11
Review of William Colby and Peter Forbath,
Honorable Men: My Life in the CIA, Strategic Review
1979 Spring
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, printed copy, and correspondence. Includes correspondence with Colby.
box 15, folder 12
"Could the Vietnam War Have Been Won?," typescript and correspondence
1979
box 15, folder 13
"Next Vietnamese Communist Target: Northeast Thailand?," typescript and letter
1979
box 16, folder 1
"Laos: Vietnam's Stepping-Stone to Thailand,"
Conflict
1980
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, printed copy, and correspondence.
box 16, folder 2
Review of Amphay Doré,
Le partage du Mékong, typescript
circa 1980
box 16, folder 3
"Southeast Asia: Challenge and Opportunity for the Reagan Administration," typescript and correspondence
1980
box 16, folder 4
Review of Ronald Steel,
Walter Lippmann and the American Century, Strategic Review,
1981 Spring
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, printed copy, and correspondence.
box 16, folder 5
"The Portents of the New Neutralism and Neo-Isolationism," typescript and correspondence
1982
box 16, folder 6
Review of Norman Podhoretz,
Why We Were in Vietnam, Strategic Review
1983 Spring
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, printed copy, and correspondence.
box 16, folder 7
Interview with U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian re involvement with Vietnam War policy
1983 December 27
Scope and Contents note
Memorandum of interview prepared by the Office of the Historian, photocopies of supporting documentation, and correspondence.
box 16, folder 8
"The Meaning of Vietnam for El Salvador," typescript and correspondence
1983
box 16, folder 9
Review of Zbigniew Brzezinski,
Power and Principle: Memoirs of the National Security Adviser, 1977-1981, Strategic Review,
1984 Spring
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, printed copy, and correspondence.
box 16, folder 10
Review of Gary Sick,
All Fall Down: America's Tragic Encounter with Iran, holograph
1986
box 16, folder 11
Review of Neil Sheehan,
A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, holograph and correspondence
1988
box 16, folder 12
Review of William E. Colby with James McCargar,
Lost Victory: A Firsthand Account of America's Sixteen-Year Involvement in Vietnam, Strategic Review
1990 Winter
Scope and Contents note
Typescript, printed copy, and letter.
box 16, folder 13
"America in Crisis," typescript and correspondence
1990
box 16, folder 14
"The United States and China: A 21st Century Superpower Confrontation?," typescript and correspondence
1993
box 16, folder 15
"No to U.S. Troops in Bosnia," typescript and letter
1995
box 17, folder 1
"America at the Threshold of the 21st Century," holograph
1997
box 17, folder 2
"What Is a Viable U.S. Politico-Military Strategy vis-à-vis China?," typescript
1998
box 17, folder 3
"Syria: Little-Known Treasure Trove for Tourists," typescript
1990s
box 17, folder 4
"America's Geopolitical Context: Past and Future, or the Geopolitical Destiny of the United States," holograph
2000
box 17, folder 5
"A Long-Enduring Friendship with Marge," (re Marjorie Tilghman), typescript and correspondence
2000
box 17, folder 6
"Beware of the Big Lie," typescript and letter
2001
box 17, folder 7
"The Struggle with Militant Islam," typescript and correspondence
2001
box 17, folder 8
"The United States and Europe," typescript and correspondence
2002
box 17, folder 9
"The Foreign Policy Scorecard of America's Presidents since World War II," holograph
2003
box 17, folder 10
"The Korean Conundrum," typescript and correspondence
2003
box 17, folder 11
"Assessment of U.S. Iraq Policy," typescript and letter
2004
box 17, folder 12
Message to funeral of Icelandic diplomat Thorhallur Argivisson, holograph and letter
2005 November 18
box 17, folder 13
"Can America Long Endure?," typescript and letter
2005
box 17, folder 14
"Lessons from the Vietnam War for Iraq," typescript and correspondence
2005
box 17, folder 15
"The Past Can Help Counterinsurgency in Iraq," typescript and correspondence
2006
box 17, folder 16
"America's Loss of Memory in Both the Vietnam and Iraq Wars," typescript and letter
2008
box 17, folder 17
"Why the Japan-India Security Pact Is of Prime Importance to the U.S.," typescript and letter
2008
box 17, folder 18
Letters to the editor, typescripts and some printed copies
1979-2011
box 17, folder 19
Miscellaneous draft holographs
Biographical and Personal File
1942-1989
Scope and Contents note
Biographical, family, and personal miscellanea.
box 18, folder 1
Personal and financial records
1942-1989
Scope and Contents note
Includes
Who's Who biographical entries and University of Delaware Alumni Wall of Fame citation.
box 18, folder 2
Family miscellanea, mainly re children
1951-1979
box 18, folder 3
Miscellany
Scope and Contents note
Includes appointment book and notebook.
Subject File
1954-2009
Scope and Contents note
Printed matter and notes, arranged by subject.
box 18, folder 4
Iraq
2003-2008
Scope and Contents note
Printed articles and writings by others.
box 18, folder 5
General
1980-2008
Scope and Contents note
Printed articles.
box 18, folder 6
Texas Tech University Vietnam Center
2003-2006
Scope and Contents note
Correspondence, conference agenda and printed matter. Includes conference papers from 2003 Conference on the Rise and Fall
of Ngo Dinh Diem.
box 18, folder 7
Miscellany
1954-2009
Scope and Contents note
Notes, printed articles, and other printed matter, mainly re American domestic and foreign policy.
box 18, folder 8
Photographs
1949
Scope and Contents note
Three group photographs of Joseph Mendenhall and other Foreign Service officers.
Declassified U.S. Government Records
Scope and Contents note
Formerly security-classified records of the U.S. government, released in full or in part. Arranged chronologically by date
of release by Hoover.
box 18, folder 9
2015 November release of records
1947-1948, 1951,1968
Scope and Contents note
Career-related records, including a family budget while Mendenhall was Vice Consul in Turkey, a letter of recommendation,
memoranda written by Mendenhall regarding his career, a report, and a letter from William H. Sullivan regarding a job opportunity.