RIAMCO

Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections Online

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Bern Anderson papers (MSC-088)

Naval Historical Collection, U.S. Naval War College

686 Cushing Road
Newport, RI 02841-1207
Tel: 401-841-2435
E-mail: nhc@usnwc.edu
Website: https://usnwcarchives.org/

Inventory

Series I. Official Career Papers
1 box(es)

Series I, official career papers, 1920-1960, consists of naval orders, leave requests, change of duty papers, and registered publications slips for the period of Anderson's active duty career, 1920-1950, and his return to active duty after retirement, 1952-1960.

Arrangement: Folders in the series are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically by date.

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 1 Official Career Papers, Naval Orders, Leave Requests, Change of Duty and Registered Publications
1920-1923
Box 1, Folder 2 1924-1925
1924-1925
Box 1, Folder 3 1926-1927
1926-1927
Box 1, Folder 4 1928-1929
1928-1929
Box 1, Folder 5 1930-1932
1930-1932
Box 1, Folder 6 1933-1934
1933-1934
Box 1, Folder 7 1935-1937
1935-1937
Box 1, Folder 8 1938-1939
1938-1939
Box 1, Folder 9 1940-1941
1940-1941
Box 1, Folder 10 1942
1942
Box 1, Folder 11 1943
1943
Box 1, Folder 12 1944
1944
Box 1, Folder 13 1945
1945
Box 1, Folder 14 1946
1946
Box 1, Folder 15 1947
1947
Box 1, Folder 16 1948
1948
Box 1, Folder 17 1949
1949
Box 1, Folder 18 1950-1952
1950-1952
Box 1, Folder 19 1953-1960
1953-1960

Series II. Correspondence
1.5 box(es)

Series II contains Anderson's official and personal correspondence, including both letters sent and received between the years 1928 and 1960. Prominent correspondents include Samuel Eliot Morison, author of The History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Anderson, based at the Naval War College, was a research associate of Morison and wrote a draft of the New Guinea Operation for Volume VIII of the series. In addition, he aided in the preparation of Volumes IX through XIV. Their correspondence reveals the problems involved in researching and writing a multi-volume work of this scope. Other major correspondents include Robert Albion, Roger Pineau, William Emerson, Philip K. Lundeberg, John Heffernan, John D. Hayes, Captain Joseph K. Taussig, Admiral Ernest M. Eller and Captain Stephen W. Roskill, RN. Discrete correspondence files cover U.S. Naval Academy activities, Anderson's patent kn. an electro-magnetic cipher, his articles in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, his medals and decorations, a case of plagiarism regarding an article published in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings by a Navy enlisted man, and World War II matters.

Arrangement: Folders in the series are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically by date.

Container Description Date
Box 2, Folder 1 Correspondence, Letters sent
1952
Box 2, Folder 2 1953
1953
Box 2, Folder 3 January-December 1954
1954 Jan-Dec
Box 2, Folder 4 January-December 1955
1955 Jan-Dec
Box 2, Folder 5 July-December 1956
1956 Jul-Dec
Box 2, Folder 6 January-December 1957
1957 Jan-Dec
Box 2, Folder 7 1958-1960
1958-1960
Box 2, Folder 8 Correspondence, Letters Received
1950-1952
Box 2, Folder 9 1953
1953
Box 2, Folder 10 January-June 1954
1954
Box 2, Folder 11 January-December 1955.
1955 Jan-Dec
Box 2, Folder 12 January-June 1956
1956 Jan-Jun
Box 2, Folder 13 1957
1957
Box 2, Folder 14 1958-1959
1958-1959
Box 2, Folder 15 1960
1960
Box 2, Folder 16 Personal Correspondence
1928-1950
Box 3, Folder 1 Official Correspondence, Letters sent
1942-1958
Box 3, Folder 2 Official Correspondence, Letters Received
1934-1960
Box 3, Folder 3 Correspondence regarding submission of articles to USNIP. 4 Correspondence File on Dufton Case, 1930, Letters sent and Received
1928-1950
Box 3, Folder 4 Correspondence File on Dufton Case, Letters sent and Received
1930
Box 3, Folder 5 Correspondence File regarding the patent of Electro Magnetic Cipher equipment developed by Anderson and Donald W. Seiler
1934-1952
Box 3, Folder 6 Correspondence File, regarding World War II
1942-1943
Box 3, Folder 7 Correspondence File regarding World War II
1943-1944
Box 3, Folder 8 Recommendations for medals, citations and commemorations.
undated
Box 3, Folder 9 Correspondence File, Recommendation for Presidential Unit Citation
1947
Box 3, Folder 10 Correspondence File regarding European-Middle Eastern-African Campaign medal
1948
Box 3, Folder 11 Correspondence File regarding case of plagiarism of article "Air Sea Rescue off Halmeherd" in USNIP by Stephen J. Allen
1954

Series III. Subject Files
.5 box(es)

Subject Files, series III, contain maps, charts, naval messages and correspondence pertaining to Operation Hollandia, 1943-1944, along with correspondence, calculations and papers on measurements of visibility.

Arrangement: Folders in the series are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically by date.

Container Description Date
Box 3, Folder 1 Subjects File on Visibility Measurements
1931-1933
Box 3, Folder 2 Subjects File, Operation Hollandia; Correspondence
1944-1960
Box 3, Folder 3 Subjects File, Operation Hollandia; Maps, Charts and Cartoons
1944
Box 3, Folder 4 Subjects Files, Operation Hollandia, Naval Messages
1944
Box 3, Folder 5 Subjects File, Operation Hollandia, Invasion of New Guinea, SW Pacific
1944
Box 3, Folder 6 Message Books, M-210, Signal Corps, U.S. Army
undated

Series IV. Writings
2 box(es)

Series IV, writings, consists of Anderson's published and unpublished writings, including his Naval War College thesis, term papers at Harvard, articles published in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, manuscripts of his publications, and note cards and research source materials for his two books.

Arrangement: Folders in the series are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically by date.

Container Description Date
Box 4, Folder 1 Writings, Articles published in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings
1932-1950
Box 4, Folder 2 Writings, Articles published in U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings and Military Affairs
1951-1962
Box 4, Folder 3 NWC Thesis
1942 Dec
Box 4, Folder 4 Term Papers, The Geographical Distribution of US Foreign Trade
1951
Box 4, Folder 5 Typescript Copy of early version of By Sea, By River, entitled From Northern Shores.
undated
Box 4, Folder 6 Writings, Unpublished typescript entitled "High Commissioner to Turkey."
undated
Box 4, Folder 7 Unpublished Writings.
undated
Box 4, Folder 8 Research Source Materials on the Northwest Coast collected by Samuel E. Morison and used in Anderson's work on Vancouver.
undated
Box 4, Folder 9 Notes for book publication on the Civil War Navy entitled By Sea and By River.
undated
Box 4, Folder 10 Notes and research materials for By Sea and By River.
undated
Box 4, Folder 11 Civil War Naval Chronology, Navy Department.
1862
Box 4, Folder 12 Biographies of famous Naval Officers.
undated
Box 4, Folder 13 Bibliography on Political Geography.
undated
Box 4, Folder 14 Guide to the Writings of American Military History, Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army.
undated
Box 4, Folder 15 Staff Presentation, Problems of Leninism, Author unknown.
1948
Box 5, Folder 1 Research notes cards for published writings
undated

Series V. Miscellany
2 box(es)

Miscellany, the last series, contains diaries Anderson kept while on active duty, diplomas, citations, certificates, newspaper clippings on China, Navy Department pamphlets and career photographs, including shots of Alaska.

Arrangement: Folders in the series are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically by date.

Container Description Date
Box 6, Folder 1 Miscellany, Log from USS SWALLOW, Notes from
1919-1935
Box 6, Folder 2 Certificate of Satisfactory Service during WWII
1948
Box 6, Folder 3 Citation for Legion of Merit Medal
undated
Box 6, Folder 4 USNA Diploma, Class of
1920
Box 6, Folder 5 Pamphlet, Song and Drawing
undated
Box 6, Folder 6 Maritime and Naval History: An Annotated Bibliography by Robert G. Albion
1932
Box 6, Folder 7 Manchuria: Report by League of Nations Commission of Enquiry
undated
Box 6, Folder 8 Diaries
1925-1944.
Box 6, Folder 9 Photographs of Alaska
undated
Box 7, Folder 1 Miscellany, Scrapbook of Newspaper Clippings regarding China
1932
Box 7, Folder 2 Career Photographs
undated
Box 7, Folder 3 Navy Department Bureau of Navigation Case Instructions
1929-1936
Box 7, Folder 3 Department of Commerce Rules and Regulations prescribed by the Board of Supervising Inspectors
1936
Box 7, Folder 3 Notes on Communication Security prepared by Communication Division, Office of Chief of Naval Operations
1935
Box 7, Folder 3 The Stability of Ships and Damage control prepared by the Bureau of Construction and Repair
1931