Finding Aid for the James A. Kelley Second World War correspondence 2019.010.w.r
Andrew Harman
Center for American War Letters Archives
2/13/2019
Leatherby Libraries
Chapman University
Orange, CA 92866
speccoll@chapman.edu
Contributing Institution:
Center for American War Letters Archives
Title: James A. Kelley Second World War correspondence
Creator:
Kelley, James A., Technical Sergeant, 1923-2009
source:
Kelley, Sondra
Identifier/Call Number: 2019.010.w.r
Physical Description:
.025 Linear feet
(1 folder)
Date (inclusive): 1944 December 8 - 11
Abstract: This collection contains two letters from T/Sgt James A. Kelley, USA during the Second World War. Also included are copies
of the letters and photocopies of service documents relating to T/Sgt. Kelley.
Language of Material:
English
.
Container: WWII 24
Container: 11
Container: 1
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Sondra Kelley.
This collection is arranged by material type and topic. Biographical note, correspondence, photocopies of correspondence,
photocopies of service documents.
Technical Sergeant James Arthur Kelley, United States Army (7/9/1923 - 2009) was born in Burlington, Vermont and raised in
Bennington, VT. He enlisted in the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor on January 13, 1942 and trained to be a Weather Observer.
Kelley left the United States for Greenland in the Atlantic Theater of Operations (ATO) in September 1942 and returned to
the States before arriving in Europe in December 1943.
T/Sgt. Kelley served first as a Weather Observer and after returning to the States, endured two months of training in August
1943 and was promoted to Technical Sergeant, working as a Radiosonde Operator for the remaining two years and three months
of his service. He served in North Africa and the Middle East and was in Palestine in December 1944.
He earned the European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon, the American Theater Campaing Ribbon, the Good Conduct
Medal and the Victory Medal. He was separated from service on November 24, 1945. He married his wife Sondra in 1947 and passed
away in 2009.
[Item title / description; Box "n" / Folder "n"], James A. Kelley Second World War correspondence (2019.010.w.r), Center for
American War Letters Archives, Chapman University, CA.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
This collection contains two letters from T/Sgt James A. Kelley, USA during the Second World War. Also included are a biographical
note and photocopies of the letters and photocopies of service documents for T/Sgt. Kelley.
The first letter is a typed segment of a larger letter sent to "Dutchy" on December 8, 1944 from Palestine. In this segment
he describes Tel Aviv, Haifa and the new city of Jerusalem, as well as the Jewish people, though he acknowledges early that
"generalizations are not good." He compares the people of these cities to Americans in a negative way, being very depricating
about Americans. He likes Haifa the most because it is more green and reminds him of home.
He then describes, in some detail, his visit to a kibbutz called Ramat Yohanon and the origins of the settlement. He spends
the last several pages giving his opinion on the state of the Arab-Jewish conflict, the involvement of the British, and the
future problems and oppression for the Jews in Palestine. Of note, he mentions being there for the US presidential elections,
and the settlers were "all very much pro-Roosevelt. In fact they were inclined to believe that the US would one day take over
the Palestine mandate -- so were some British police that I met. I hope it never happens because we'll make more enemies."
The second letter is missing the third and final page, but there is a photocopy of that page. It is written to "Ted" on December
11, 1944 and describes in some detail the early conflict in Greece, what would turn out to be the precursors to the Greek
Civil War, 1946-1949. He discusses the negotiations between the EAM (National Liberation Front) and the (Georgios) Papandreou
government, describing the government and the fascist remnants from the Germans as having "practiced deceit in executing the
agreement." Also mentioned are several other groups involved in the conflict, including: ELAS, PEAA, EDES, the Greek Middle
East Army consisting of the Rimini Third Mountain Brigade and the Sacred Battalion, General Ronald Scobie of the British Army,
and the Security Battalions formed by Ioannis Rallis, the prime minister of the collaborationist government during the Nazi
occupation.
Of note, T/Sgt. Kelley desribes the violence of December 3, 1944 during which the government disbanded a demonstration by
the EAM and "poured thousands of rounds into a totally unarmed crowd including many children. The aggression of the Greek
fascists and royalists against the Greek people had been launched." He went on to admit that his account was "probably one
sided and a little emotionally written but I think it represents a point of view you are not at all likely to encounter in
the" local newspapers.
The photocopied service documents include one certificate of honorable discharge, one record of separation qualification,
one report of separation, two pages of soldier's individual pay record, and two pages of an immunization register.
There are no restrictions on the use of this material except where previously copyrighted material is concerned. It is the
responsibility of the researcher to obtain all permissions.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War (1939-1945)
Correspondence -- World War, 1939-1945
Middle East -- Palestine -- History
Kelley, Sondra