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Title: Arnold Ellsworth True papers
Date (inclusive): 1885-1990
Collection Number: 90011
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
15 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes
(8.3 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Writings, correspondence, memoranda, printed matter, photographs, and sound recordings relating to American naval operations
in the Pacific Theater during World War II, especially the sinking of the destroyer
Hammann at the battle of Midway, anti-war protest movements in the United States during the Vietnam War, and government surveillance
of these movements. Includes United States government documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Creator:
True, Arnold Ellsworth, 1901-1979
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
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.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1990.
[Identification of item], Arnold Ellsworth True papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 1901 | Born, Owen County, Kentucky |
| 1920 | Graduate, United States Naval Academy; commissioned ensign, U.S. Navy |
| 1931 | M.S. in meteorology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 1939 | Graduate, U.S. Naval War College |
| 1939-1942 | Commanding officer, U.S.S. Hammann |
| 1942-1943 | Commanding officer, Destroyer Division Three |
| 1943-1944 | Commanding officer, Destroyer Squadron Two |
| 1945-1946 | Staff officer, Atlantic Fleet |
| 1946 | Retired from U.S. Navy as rear admiral |
| 1947-1968 | Professor of meteorology, San Jose State College |
| 1969 | Member, U.S. Study Team on Religious and Political Freedom in Vietnam |
| 1979 | Died, Palo Alto, California |
Scope and Content of Collection
The Arnold Ellsworth True papers document the life of a United States naval officer whose career took an unusual turn. The
most dramatic moments of True's naval service came during World War II in 1942 when he was at the Battle of the Coral Sea
and subsequently at the Battle of Midway as captain of the destroyer
Hammann. At the Coral Sea, the
Hammann came to the relief of the stricken aircraft carrier
Lexington and was credited with saving hundreds of American seamen from the sinking ship. A somewhat similar situation arose at Midway
when the
Hammann came to the aid of the
Yorktown. While efforts to contain damage on the crippled carrier were underway it was hit by more torpedoes, and so too was the
Hammann as it lay alongside. Both ships were lost. Many of the
Hammann's crew died, and True himself was wounded. He was awarded the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal for his conduct
in these battles.
After early disability retirement from the Navy, Admiral True undertook a second career as a faculty member at San Jose State
College. Meanwhile, he had become increasingly convinced of the futility of war and became a Quaker, joining the Society of
Friends in 1947. The bulk of the collection documents his advocacy of the cause of peace, especially during the Vietnam War
era. True was an early opponent of American military involvement in Vietnam, and he successfully contested an effort by the
U.S. Navy to prevent him, as a retired officer, from speaking out publicly on foreign policy issues. After the Navy withdrew
its objections, in 1967 True embarked on a national speaking tour sponsored by Veterans for Peace in Vietnam. Together with
a few other like-minded retired generals and admirals, among them retired Marine Corps General David M. Shoup, whose papers
are also in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives, he achieved national notice. Senator J. William Fulbright consulted
him in conjunction with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's investigation of the Tonkin Gulf incident. In 1969, Admiral
True joined a study team mission to South Vietnam sponsored by American religious groups. The team produced a report critical
of the U.S.-supported government of that country.
Also included in the collection are redacted official documents sought and received from U.S. government agencies by Corinne
True, the admiral's widow, under the Freedom of Information Act. They document government surveillance of him and establish
that he was a target of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Peace
World War, 1939-1945 -- Naval operations
World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean
Officers
Radicalism -- United States
Internal security -- United States
Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements
Midway, Battle of, 1942
United States. Navy
Hammann (Ship)