Correspondence, diaries, reports, writings, and printed matter relating to the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I, activities of the Command and General Staff School and Army War College in the inter-war period, and American military operations in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Major General Ralph Corbett Smith was born in 1893 in South Omaha, Nebraska. After attending Colorado State College, he served in the Colorado National Guard. Smith was an early aviator and was given flying lessons by Oroville Wright. In 1916, Smith was commissioned into the US Army as a second lieutenant. Smith served under General John Pershing in punitive expedition against Mexican revoluntionary Pancho Villa before the United States entered World War I. From 1916-1918, Smith served in World War I, primarily in France, and was twice decorated for bravery. He was wounded in the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918.

32 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 1 card file box, 9 oversize folders (18.5 Linear Feet)

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

Boxes 11, 13-15, 17-18, 24, 34, and 35 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of 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.