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Title: Paul B. Ryan papers
Date (bulk): 1940-1985
Collection Number: 78010
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
56 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize folder
(22.8 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The papers of Paul B. Ryan, an American historian and retired United States Navy Captain, consist of clippings, reports, studies,
other printed matter, notes, correspondence, writings, speeches, and photographs relating to Ryan's research on the 1978 Panama
Canal treaty, the development of the United States Navy since World War II, the Iran hostage crisis, and Ryan himself.
Creator:
Ryan, Paul B.
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 1978, with increments received from 1979 to 1988.
[Identification of item], Paul B. Ryan papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Paul B. Ryan, 1913-1987, was a captain in the United States Navy, a historian, and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution.
He received a BS from the US Naval Academy in 1936, a master's degree in international relations from Stanford University,
and a master's degree in history from San Jose State University. His time in the Navy included combat in World War II, three
commands at sea, two tours of duty at the Pentagon, and service as US Naval Attaché for the US embassies in Havana, Cuba and
Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He also served as Deputy Director of Naval History in the Department of the Navy from 1969-1972. As
a Hoover scholar and historian he published multiple books, including
The Panama Canal Controversy: U.S. Diplomacy and Defense Interests (1977),
First Line of Defense: The U.S. Navy Since 1945 (1981), and
The Iranian Rescue Mission: Why It Failed (1985). In 1987 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Navy League of the United States for his writings on
naval history.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Paul B. Ryan papers consist of clippings, reports, studies, other printed matter, notes, correspondence, and writings
broadly related to the Panama Canal and the 1978 Canal Treaty, the United States Navy post-World War II, the Iran hostage
crisis, and Ryan himself.
Ryan organized and labeled his research materials based on subject, and from these six series were created, which were then
further subdivided by topic; as a result, related materials are not necessarily located together. The
Biographical File includes personal files, reports, and educational documents related to Ryan.
Correspondence is organized chronologically and by topic. The
Panama Canal Controversy
Research Materials File, the
First Line of Defense
Research Materials File, and
The Iranian Rescue Mission
Research Materials File include materials gathered for use by Ryan when writing his books, as well as his notes. Finally, the
Photographs file includes photographs and negatives largely related to the US Navy, as well as some related to the Panama Canal and the
Iran hostage crisis.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
United States -- Foreign relations -- Panama
Panama -- Foreign relations -- United States
Panama Canal (Panama)
United States -- Military policy
United States. Navy