Writings, correspondence, notes, memoranda, radio scripts, and printed matter relating to Radio Free Europe broadcasting to Eastern Europe, conditions in Eastern Europe and especially in Hungary, and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Includes research materials used for the books by John P. C. Matthews, Tinderbox: East-Central Europe in the Spring, Summer, and Early Fall of 1956 (Tucson, 2003) and Explosion: The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (New York, 2007).

An American journalist and author, Matthews was born in Princeton, New Jersey and joined Radio Free Europe in August 1951 as a writer and editor, serving through 1959. He eventually became heavily involved with RFE's leaflet and book campaigns, in particular during the Hungarian revolution in 1956. The papers, totaling 14 boxes, consist of correspondence, writing, and other materials relating to his time with RFE.

49 manuscript boxes (19.6 Linear Feet)

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Boxes 6, 8-13, 18 and 24 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for rresearch; 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.