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Gahagan (G. William) papers
75057  
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Table of contents What's This?

 

Personal File 1942-1998

Scope and Contents note

Contains material about Gahagan as well as some personal files he kept on the USSR post-World War II and a scrapbook-like file of material gathered during his career with the Office of War Information (OWI). Includes typescripts, clippings, photographs, correspondence, propaganda leaflets and booklets, and other material.
box 1, folder 1

Biographical file 1945, 1998, and undated

Scope and Contents note

Includes a certificate from the United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), a business card, a photograph of unidentified persons, and two obituaries of Gahagan, one written by his son, Michael Gahagan. Also included are two typescripts entitled, "Interesting Personal Experiences 1940-" and "I've Made It a Habit to Keep in Touch with Prominent People."
box 1, folder 2-4

Miscellaneous 1942-1986

Scope and Contents note

Contains material originally housed in a binder, including correspondence, clippings, a photograph, as well as propaganda leaflets and booklets, mainly related to Gahagan's OWI career. Also included are a few examples of post-war anti-communist propaganda and a silk blood chit with an image of the Nationalist Chinese flag. Contains some material in Filipino, German, Dutch, Chinese, Arabic, Italian, French, Japanese, and Korean.
box 1, folder 5

"Propaganda," course materials 1943-1954

box 1, folder 6

"Russia - USSR," 1946, undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains a chapter from the book Foreign Affairs entitled "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" as well as several clippings and a report regarding the American travels of Soviet journalists Illya Ehrenburg, Konstantin Michailovitch Simonov, and Major General Galaktionov.
 

Correspondence 1942-1957

Scope and Contents note

Contains a general file that consists mainly of thank you letters written to Gahagan and letters praising Gahagan's OWI work that were later forwarded to him. Additional correspondence can be found in the Miscellaneous file in the Personal File series.
box 1, folder 7-8

General 1942-1957, undated

Scope and Contents note

Includes a photocopy of a letter from Harry S. Truman thanking Gahagan for sending him some booklets and a signed photograph from Joseph C. Grew.
box 1, folder 9

Collected 1944

 

Office of War Information (OWI) File 1943-1954

Scope and Contents note

Contains policy directives, memoranda, reports, and other material produced by the Office of War Information (OWI) and collected by Gahagan during the course of his work. Much of the material relates to the OWI's psychological warfare operations, particularly their distribution of propaganda leaflets abroad. Included are various examples of propaganda leaflets, newsletters, and pamphlets in various languages as well as reports analyzing OWI programs and Japanese propaganda operations. Additional OWI material can be found in Photographs, Motion Picture, Oversize Material, and Memorabilia.
box 1, folder 10

"American History," 1943-1954, undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains various pamphlets, including: The Constitution of the United States, Your Opinion Counts, Las Cuatro Libertades, Unconquered Poland, and Global Relations of the United States. Also included is a letter from the War Production Board about Unconquered Poland and Tale of a City, a pamphlet produced by the OWI about the fall of the Polish city of Warsaw to Nazi Germany.
box 1, folder 11

"Captured Documents," 1943-1944

box 1, folder 12

Czechoslovak journalists' tour file 1946

Scope and Contents note

Includes clippings, correspondence, photographs, daily schedules, a report, and other material related to a tour hosted by the US State Department for four Czechoslovak journalists: Alena Bernaskova, Frantisek Meloun, Karel Zieris, and Jan Trachta. Gahagan accompanied the journalists on this tour across the United States, which took place from June 18 to August 4. Includes photographs.
box 1, folder 13

Memoranda 1943-1944

box 1, folder 14

"Misc. Policy Directives," 1943-1944

box 1, folder 15

Office file 1944

Scope and Contents note

Contains a training manual for the OWI Overseas Branch, as well as memoranda, magazine clippings, and a pamphlet regarding OWI Information Centers. Also includes a map of the world. Folder was originally titled, "Pacific Operations - Status Reports."
box 2, folder 1

Outpost News 1944 October

 

Propaganda 1943-1945, undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains examples of propaganda leaflets and booklets produced by the OWI as well as underground newspapers produced abroad. Leaflets and booklets are in various languages. Many of the leaflets have accompanying English translations with explanations of the purpose of the leaflet. Photostats from these files have been replaced with archival copies for preservation purposes. The originals can be found in Box 10.
Additional examples of wartime propaganda can be found in the Miscellaneous file in the Personal File series as well as in the Oversize Material and Memorabilia series. For more information about propaganda operations, see also Functions of the 5th Army Combat Propaganda Team under Printed Matter.
box 2, folder 2-6

"German Leaflets - Newspapers," 1943-1945

Scope and Contents note

Contains material in German, Polish, Czech, and French with some English translations. Also includes memoranda regarding specific publications.
box 3, folder 1-4

Leaflets, newsletters, and pamphlets, 1943-1945

Scope and Contents note

Contains material in Afrikaans, Norwegian, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Burmese, Shan, Thai, Kachin, Japanese, Danish, German, and Polish. Some items include English translations.
box 3, folder 5

"Overseas Editions - Armed Forces," 1944-1945 undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains mainly copies of overseas propaganda pamphlets, leaflets, and newsletters, especially De Vliegende Hollander, distributed by the Allied Armed Forces. Also includes memoranda regarding select publications, an overseas edition of Outdoor Life magazine (February 1945), and a copy of a Japanese propaganda leaflet entitled "Farewell, American Soldiers!" Includes material in English, Spanish, French, Greek, and Dutch.
box 4, folder 1

"Overseas Editions - Armed Forces," 1944-1945 undated

Scope and Contents

Contains mainly copies of overseas propaganda pamphlets, leaflets, and newsletters, especially De Vliegende Hollander, distributed by the Allied Armed Forces. Also includes memoranda regarding select publications, an overseas edition of Outdoor Life magazine (February 1945), and a copy of a Japanese propaganda leaflet entitled "Farewell, American Soldiers!" Includes material in English, Spanish, French, Greek, and Dutch.
box 4, folder 2

"Pamphlets and posters," 1943, undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains a list of OWI pamphlets and poster titles as well as two copies of the OWI Poster Distribution Bulletin.
 

Reports 1943-1944

 

"Far Eastern Propaganda Analyses," 1943-1944

box 4, folder 3-7

1943 August - December

box 5, folder 1-5

1944 January - May

box 5, folder 6

"Program Analysis Reports," 1943-1944

box 6, folder 1

"Special Reports," 1943

box 6, folder 2

"Tokyo Lines Today," 1944 January - April

box 6, folder 3

"Weekly Media Report," 1943 April 3

box 6, folder 4

"Words with Wings: The Role of the AAF in Psychological Leaflet Warfare," article draft 1944

Scope and Contents note

Contains a draft of an article written by the War Department Bureau of Public Relations intended for future publication.
 

United Nations File 1945-1954

Scope and Contents note

Contains directories, correspondence, event materials, a magazine, and other printed matter related to the United Nations, especially the United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), which was held in San Francisco from April 25 to June 26, 1945. Additional material on the United Nations and the UNCIO conference can be found in the Printed Matter, Oversized Material, and Motion Picture series.
box 6, folder 5

Bohemian Club, 1945

Scope and Contents note

Contains pamphlets, correspondence, announcements, and other material related to events for UNCIO delegates and attendees hosted by the Bohemian Club of San Francisco, of which Gahagan was a member. Also included is a Bohemian Club directory.
box 6, folder 6

"Directories and Lists - UNCIO," 1945-1946

Scope and Contents note

Includes a memorandum from OWI with an attached list of prominent individuals assisted by Gahagan's office from 1943-1945.
box 6, folder 7

Photo Review: A Picture Parade of the United Nations, volume 2, number 1, undated

box 6, folder 8

"United Nations in the Schools: A Teacher's Handbook and Kit," 1954

 

Photographs 1943-1945, 1988

Scope and Contents note

Contains photographs of G. William Gahagan, WWII propaganda operations, war events in Okinawa and the USSR, as well as slides of propaganda leaflets.
box 6, folder 9

G. William Gahagan 1945, 1988

Scope and Contents note

Includes a photograph of Gahagan in his OWI office, two images of him during the UNCIO conference in 1945, and a copy print of a portrait taken in 1988.
box 6, folder 10

Psychological warfare operations undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains images of the British 8th Army's Psychological Warfare Branch assembling propaganda shells to distribute propaganda leaflets across enemy lines, as well as other propaganda efforts in Italy and North Africa. Most photographs include captions.
box 6, folder 11

"PWB (Propaganda Warfare Branch) Slide Program," 35mm undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains 67 color and black-and-white slides, mainly of leaflets produced by the Axis and the Allies during WWII. Material is in various languages, especially Japanese. Also includes images of the British 8th Army loading "propaganda shells" with leaflets to be fired into enemy lines.
box 6, folder 12

"Okinawa Pictures," undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains 38 photographs, with captions, depicting an incident where psychological warfare was used by the Allies to persuade Japanese soldiers to surrender following an attack on Okinawa. Contains some graphic imagery.
box 7, folder 1

"Okinawa Pictures," undated

Scope and Contents

Contains 38 photographs, with captions, depicting an incident where psychological warfare was used by the Allies to persuade Japanese soldiers to surrender following an attack on Okinawa. Contains some graphic imagery.
box 7, folder 2

"USSR Photos," 1943, undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains graphic imagery of Nazi atrocities in the Soviet Union. Includes captions in English with some in Russian.
 

Motion Picture Films 1945, undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains several OWI films, including two United Newsreel films. Also included are a film depicting the UNCIO conference, a film of an Arturo Toscanini concert, and other films produced by the US Army related to World War II. All films are 16mm and are arranged by reel number.
film shelf

Film Reel 1: Point Rationing of Foods, United States Office of War Information, Bureau of Motion Pictures, 1 reel, approximately 375 feet undated

film shelf

Film Reel 2: The Liberation of Rome, United States Army Pictorial Service in collaboration with British Service Unites, 1 reel, approximately 700 feet undated

film shelf

Film Reel 3: Fury in the Pacific, United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, 1 reel, approximately 700 feet undated

film shelf

Film Reel 4: The Fighting Lady: A Drama of the Pacific, Twentieth Century Fox, color, 2 reels, approximately 1 hour undated

film shelf

Film Reel 5: "Japanese Sign Final Surrender," United Newsreel #171-B, 1 reel, approximately 360 feet undated

Scope and Contents note

Includes English transcript.
film shelf

Film Reel 6: "Japanese Shipping Paper," United Newsreel #169, 1 reel, approximately 450 feet undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains Japanese transcript. Includes the segments "China's Premier, T. V. Soong Visits United States," "Allies Reveal Details of Radar," and "Atomic Bomb Secrets to Be Closely Guarded."
film shelf

Film Reel 7: San Francisco, The United Nations Conference on International Organization, United Films, 1 reel, approximately 575 feet 1945 April 25-June 26

film shelf

Film Reel 8: Arturo Toscanini Conducting Music of Giuseppe Verdi with the NBC Symphony, Jan Peerce, and the Westminster Choir, 1 reel, approximately 500 feet, undated

 

Oversize Material 1940-1954

Scope and Contents note

Contains OWI propaganda posters, newsmaps, and various periodicals, including overseas editions of American magazines and copies of foreign newsletters and newspapers from the war. Also included are a book on WWII air transport, a Japanese propaganda booklet, a World Health Organization newsletter, a UNCIO event poster, and a collage of items from Gahagan's experience at UNCIO.
box 8

Air Transport and the War 1940s

 

Periodicals 1940-1954

box 8

American Pictorial 1940s

Scope and Contents note

"Special edition of Victory Magazine published by the Crowell-Collier Publishing Company in cooperation with the U.S. Office of War Information." Includes seven copies of different editions in Arabic, Polish, English, Russian, and Afrikaans.
box 8

Arabic newspaper 1944 June 6

box 8

Country Gentleman, overseas service edition 1945 February

box 8

Esquire, overseas service edition, volume 23, number 2 1945 February

box 8

Free Philippines, Manila 1945

Scope and Contents note

Includes editions from May 18, May 19, and September 3.
box 8

L'espoir 1943 September

box 8

Life, overseas service edition, volume 18, number 7 1945 February 12

box 8

The Saturday Evening Post, overseas service edition, 1945 February

box 8

Le Soir 1943 November 9

box 8

South Pacific News Bulletin, number 40 circa 1945

Scope and Contents note

Includes information on the US landing in Luzon, Philippines; the defeat of the Japanese at Leyte, Burma; and other current news of the war in Europe.
box 8

WHO (World Health Organization) Newsletter, volume 3, number 10-11 1954 October-November

box 8

Yank: The Army Weekly, volume 2, number 15, 1943 October 1

drawer  mc33

Japanese propaganda booklet with illustrations 1940s

 

Newsmaps 1944-1945

Note

Newsmaps were created and distributed by the US War Department throughout World War II. They were published weekly and contained brief summaries of the week's military events on one side and a map of the world or areas of combat on the other.
drawer  mc33

"Week of October 11-18, 1944," 1944 October 23

drawer  mc33

"Week of May 22-29, 1945," 1945 June 4

Scope and Contents note

Features maps of Mindano, Foochow (Fuzhou), Tokyo, Okinawa, and other parts of the Pacific.
drawer  mc33

OWI posters 1940-1945

Scope and Contents note

Contains seven propaganda posters created during World War II. Topics include: increasing aircraft production, Indian independence, vacationing at home, and Filipino and American agriculture. Also includes a poster-sized copy of the Moscow Declarations in Italian. Contains material in English, Filipino, and Italian.
drawer  mc33

"UNCIO in Bohemia," poster circa 1945

Scope and Contents note

See also: United Nations File
drawer  mc33

UNCIO collage 1945

Scope and Contents note

Contains two photographs, along with various invitations to events during the UNCIO conference, mounted on cardboard. Also includes Gahagan's visitor and press passes to the conference.
 

Memorabilia circa 1942-1945

Scope and Contents note

Contains miscellaneous goods created and distributed by the OWI as a way of promoting the US and the Allied Forces to other countries during WWII.
box 7, folder 18

8.25" record on paper undated

Scope and Contents note

Two-sided gramaphone recording mounted on cardboard with needles attached. The recording is decorated with images of planes and Franklin D. Roosevelt with writing in Turkish.
box 9

Miscellaneous goods circa 1943

Scope and Contents note

Includes bouillon packets, soap bars, decorated paper cups, a chocolate bar, sewing kits, a small packet of cigarettes, matchbooks, small plastic clips, and paper fans with pro-American imagery and small booklets attached. Materials contain writing in English, Portuguese, French, Danish, Arabic, and Spanish.
 

Printed Matter 1942-1952, undated

Scope and Contents note

Contains booklets, magazines, and other printed matter produced during World War II. Included are items produced specifically for servicemen overseas as well as some government publications. For additional printed matter, see Oversize Material.
 

US government publications

box 7, folder 3

185,000 Warplanes, circa 1942

box 7, folder 4

Code of Wartime Practices, Office of Censorship 1943

box 7, folder 5

Design and Operation of United States Combat Aircraft, Office of War Information 1942

box 7, folder 6

Functions of the 5th Army Combat Propaganda Team, United States Army, Psychological Warfare Branch, 1944

box 7, folder 7

HEUTE: A New Illustrated Periodical for Germany, number 1, English translation, US Information Services undated

box 7, folder 8

Let Freedom Ring: The Struggle for a Peaceful World, Office of Public Affairs, 1952

box 7, folder 9

Pointie Talkie circa 1942-1945

Scope and Contents note

A pocketbook produced for airmen flying missions in the China-Burma-India Theater and the Western Pacific. It contains a list of English phrases with their Chinese character counterparts to be used in the event an airman was shot down over a Chinese-speaking territory. The airman would use the book to point to the phrases he wished to convey.
box 7, folder 10

The United Nations circa 1942

box 7, folder 11-12

U. S. A. 1943-1944

Scope and Contents note

A small booklet featuring articles from various American periodicals. Contains copies of several editions in English, Arabic, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, and Spanish.
box 7, folder 13

The Weapon of Ultimate Victory, circa 1943

box 7, folder 14

ABC's of Scapegoating, Harvard University, Department of Psychology, undated

box 7, folder 15

G.I. Comics, 1945

box 7, folder 16

Meet the Anzacs! by W. L. Holland and Phillip E. Lilienthal, American Council of Pacific Relations 1942

box 7, folder 17

Time, overseas service editions, 1943, 1945

Scope and Contents note

Contains two special editions printed for the armed forces from September 13, 1943 and February 12, 1945.