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Title: Robert Ezra McCann papers
Date (inclusive): circa 1900-1961
Collection Number: 76040
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
6 manuscript boxes
(2.4 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The papers include correspondence relating to American business interests in China and to the detainment of Robert Ezra McCann,
who was arrested in 1951 by Chinese authorities and charged with espionage in 1956. Also included are slides depicting Beijing
in the early twentieth century.
Creator:
McCann, Robert Ezra, 1901-1961
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 1976.
[Identification of item], Robert Ezra McCann papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 1901 | Born, Chefoo, Shandong Province, China |
| 1922 | Graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California |
| 1930s-1951, circa | President, Frazer Federal Inc., USA |
| 1941-1943, circa | Interned by Japan |
| 1943 | Repatriated to the United States |
| 1946 | Returned to Tianjin, China, to resume work at Frazer Federal |
| 1951 June 14 | Arrested by the government of the People's Republic of China (Communist Party of China) |
| 1951-1961 | Detained in various prisons in China |
| 1956 | Charged with espionage and sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment |
| 1961 | Petition of Flora McCann (wife) to release McCann from prison accepted |
| 1961 May | Died of lung cancer at Clark Air Force Base, Philippines, en route to the United States |
Sources:
"Ex-China Captive Dead of Cancer."
New York Times. 5 May 1961.
"In Humanitarian Spirit."
Time. 14 April 1961.
"Peiping to Free Ill U.S. Prisoner."
New York Times 4 April 1961.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Robert Ezra McCann papers document McCann's automotive business in China and responses to his arrest and detainment by
Chinese authorities, as well as the effects of changing political conditions on American business in China.
Before his arrest, McCann worked in Tianjin, China, as president of Frazer Federal Inc., USA, an automotive transportation
company that imported and exported supplies. The
Correspondence consists of letters written by or addressed to employees of Frazer Federal. Many of the letters contain discussions of business
matters such as finances, business deals, and the importation and exportation of automotive supplies. However, much of the
correspondence concerns McCann's imprisonment in China, including the events leading up to his arrest, his condition after
detainment, and possible options to assist him. The correspondents discuss the changes in China occurring as a result of shifting
political circumstances and report on what they know of McCann's location and condition, as well as the status of other businessmen
in China.
The majority of the letters are addressed to or sent from William Haenisch, who was vice president of Frazer Federal and a
principle shareholder. The correspondence filed under William Haenisch's name is inter-company correspondence between Haenisch
and the Tianjin (also spelled Tientsin) and Qingdao (also spelled Tsingtao) offices of Frazer Federal. Letters filed under
the name of Floyd F. Spielman, who engaged in business with Frazer Federal, consist of correspondence between Spielman and
Haenisch.
The only correspondence grouped by subject, instead of by individual or company name, concerns the S.S.
Perico, a ship carrying tires that was seized by the Chinese Nationalist Government while en route to Tianjin, China, from Hong
Kong.
The collection also includes
Photographs of Beijing (labeled Peking), most likely from the early 20th century. This file contains slides taken by Donald Mennie and
Hugo J. Wessels, as well as slides used as an educational aid for the North China Christian Rural Service Union.
The collection is organized into three series: Correspondence, Miscellany file, and Photographs.
J. Arthur Duff papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Benjamin W. Gally miscellany, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Slides (Photography)
Americans -- China
Business enterprises -- China
Corporations, American -- China
Espionage, American -- China
Beijing (China) -- Pictorial works
Frazer Federal