Davis Bitton oral histories and autobiographies collection, 1966-2005
Table of Contents
Overview of the Collection
- Com
- Bitton, Davis, 1930-2007
- Title
- Davis Bitton oral histories and autobiographies collection
- Dates
- 1966-2005 (inclusive)19662005
- Quantity
- 4.25 linear feet, (5 boxes)
- Collection Number
- MS 0039
- Summary
- The Davis Bitton oral histories and autobiographies collection (1966-2005) contains transcripts of oral histories conducted as an assignment for History 110 at the University of Utah. The interviews cover a wide range of Utah history, politics, government, and every day life. Bitton taught history at the University of Utah from 1966 to 1995.
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English
Historical Note
Davis Bitton (b. 1930) taught history at the University of Utah from 1966 to 1995, the oral histories and autobiographies are the assignments turned in to him, by his students.
Content Description
The Davis Bitton oral histories and autobiographies collection (1966-2005) contains oral histories assigned to the students from Bitton's 110 history class. The subjects are broad, ranging from family reminiscences of the late nineteenth century to the bombing of Manchester, England, in World War II in box 1. Interviews that include Depression experiences in the West as well as several University of Utah provessors discussing their respective departments are included in box 2. Issues such as the advent of the council form of government in Salt Lake City to a woman who speaks of her near-death experience are in box 3. Box 4 contains interviews that run the gamut of private detective work, to war experiences, to raising a child with AIDS. Box 5 contains a bound collection of student autobiographies as well as family histories. Each history is identified with a brief summary of the content of the interview. If a collection is identified as "Life Experiences," that is because the subject is not concentrating on one event, but is giving a broad painting of life. Essentially, the collection is a microcosim of life in Utah, over almost 100 years. Examples of virtually every walk of life have been included and each box in arranged alphabetically and according to surname.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Boxes 1-4 were donated in 1997-2001.
Box 5 was donated in 2005.
Processing Note
Processed by Elizabeth Rogers in 2002 and Lindsey Moore in 2006.
Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.
Detailed Description of the Collection
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Barker to Williams
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Description: James L. Barker, interviewed by Glenna Barker
An interview with a Salt Lake City Commissioner.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 1 -
Description: Albert L. Bott, interviewed by Ward Mortensen
An interview with an Ogden City Comissioner.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 2 -
Description: Selvoy J. Boyer, interviewed by Kathryn Leilani
Experiences as a Utah state legislator (1939-1946), mayor of Springville, and president of the British Mission in 1946.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 3 -
Description: George Dewey Clyde, interviewed by Rodney J. Nelson
A governor of Utah (1957-1965) speaks about Depression influences on state government.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 4 -
Description: Veronica Colby, interviewed by Steven Zwisler
A discussion of the Nazi bombing of Manchester, England, from 1940 to 1942.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 5 -
Description: Roy Maughan Darley, interviewed by D. Michael Quinn
An early Mormon Tabernacle organist.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 6 -
Description: Carl Petersen Dea, interviewed by Leon Hales
The depression in Magna.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 7 -
Description: Charles E. Dibble, interviewed by Barbara Chapman
A professor of anthropology at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 8 -
Description: Robert L. Erdman, interviewed by Susan Detton
A professor in the Department of Special Education, speaks on mental retardation.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 9 -
Description: William A. Evans, interviewed by Louis Graham
Experiences in the mining camps of Mercur and Sunshine between 1896 and 1910.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 10 -
Description: Catherine Fratto, interviewed by Phil Notarianni
Italian culture and folklore in Utah.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 11 -
Description: Brewster Ghiselen, interviewed by Barbara Chapman
Ghiselen was an instructor in the English Department at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 12 -
Description: Jesse Marguarite Pace Graham, interviewed by Ruth R. Yeaman
Interviewed concerning the early history of her family in Utah.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 13 -
Description: Jesse D. Jennings, interviewed by Elva Smith
The founder and director of the Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 14 -
Description: Leroy J. Kimball, interviewed by James Leroy Kimball Jr.
The director of Nauvoo Restoration Incorporated.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 15 -
Description: Amarilla Hamblin Lee, interviewed by P. T. Reilly
Jacob Hamblin's last daughter discusses her life.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 16 -
Description: Otto Liebergesell, interviewed by Sister Christine Eheman
A German POW in World War II.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 17 -
Description: Claude D. Mangum, interviewed by Stephen W. Julien
Segregation and integration in the army during and after World War II.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 18 -
Description: John Benjamin Matheson, interviewed by David L. Crowder
A city commissioner from 1937-1949.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 19 -
Description: Vince Mayer, interviewed by John D. Sylvester
Experiences in Nigeria during the Civil War from 1968 to 1970.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 20 -
Description: S. S. Murthy, interviewed by Frank Thomason
An immigrant discusses the differences between India and America.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 21 -
Description: William W. Newby, interviewed by Ruth R. Yeaman
A professor of Zoology at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 22 -
Description: Gottfried Nuemann, interviewed by Lynn Jensen
A German soldier in World War II.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 23 -
Description: Waldemar P. Read, interviewed by David A. Moore
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 24 -
Description: Dorothy G. Snow, interviewed by Ruth R. Yeaman
A professor of English at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 25 -
Description: Thomas Soter, interviewed by Leonard Holman
A Greek immigrant in Utah.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 26 -
Description: Royal Swasey, interviewed by Kent Powell
Two parts: An interview about a cabin constructed at the head of Eagle Canyon and the horse business. Also, a reading by Eva Swasey from a journal kept by her husband in 1927.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 27 -
Description: Elizabeth Vance, interviewed by Peggy Hall
The field representative in the Anti-Discrimination Division of the State Industrial Commission.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 28 -
Description: Heinz Wagner, interviewed by Linda Wilcox
A German soldier's experiences in Leningrad during World War II.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 29 -
Description: Blair W. Walkington, interviewed by Judith Dieteman Cornell
Discusses the Division of Industrial Promotion for the State of Utah.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 30 -
Description: Ardean Watts, interviewed by Spencer T. Gould
Ardean Watts was the associate conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 31 -
Description: Mary E. Webster, interviewed by Ruth R. Yeaman
Webster was a Professor Emeritus of Speech at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 1, Folder 32 -
Description: J. H. Wheeler, interviewed by Raymond S. Wright III
Wheeler and his wife, Venus, discuss their youths in Utah and Idaho.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 33 -
Description: Calvin Whitehead, interviewed by Glenna Barker
The chief of police in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 34 -
Description: J. Claire Williams, interviewed by Thomas L. Owen
An attorney with the Union Pacific Railroad. The interview is concerned with an attempt to block the rezoning of a piece of property.
Dates: 1970Container: Box 1, Folder 35
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Atiya to Young
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Description: Aziz Atiya, interviewed by George Pence
An "ancient Egyptian" in America.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 1 -
Description: Carl Frederick and Bertha Beigle Buehner, interviewed by Doug Bradshaw
"The Story and History of Carl Frederick Buehner (1873-1935) and his wife, Bertha Geigle Buehner (1874-1935)."
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 2 -
Description: Jay J. Campbell, interviewed by Rex Lorenzo Christiansen
The Utah State Board of Education and its relationship to higher education.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 2, Folder 3 -
Description: Jefferson Fordham, interviewed by Ann Marie Dykstra
Recollections from a professor of law at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 4 -
Description: William Gonzales, interviewed by Steven Piott
Dr. Gonzalez was instrumental in founding the Chicano studies program at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1972Container: Box 2, Folder 5 -
Description: Frank R. Goodman, interviewed by David L. Washburn
A Mormon in Vietnam.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 6 -
Description: Joy Hasimoto, interviewed by Ron Rainger
World War II relocation experiences in Granada, Colorado.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 2, Folder 7 -
Description: George Herzog, interviewed by Ray K. Cunningham
He served as a prison guard at Fort Douglas during World War I.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 8 -
Description: Harvey and Norma E. Johnson, interviewed by H. Thayne Johnson
Recollections of Cotterel, Idaho.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 9 -
Description: Armanag and Arick S. Kerzerian, interviewed by Brian Winterowd
Immigrant perspectives on early Murray, Utah.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 10 -
Description: Friedrich Latendorf, interviewed by Norman J. Storrer
A German soldier on the Eastern Front in 1945.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 11 -
Description: Brigham D. Madsen, interviewed by David J. Singer
Experiences in the west during the Depression.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 12 -
Description: Keith T. and Bernice T. Mann, interviewed by Ann Marie MannDates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 13
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Description: Thomas Martin, interviewed by Susan Hanson
"A Life Worth Living."
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 14 -
Description: Joyce Matsuno, interviewed by John A. Pitts
Japanese-American perspectives on the West during and after World War II.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 2, Folder 15 -
Description: Charles William Mays, interviewed by Desiree Mays
"Charles William Mays, a Profile."
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 16 -
Description: Mayola R. Miltenberger, interviewed by Carol Clark
General secretary-treasurer of the Relief Society.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 17 -
Description: Lucille Olsen, interviewed by Robert D. Jensen
Recollections of an Ogden citizen.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 18 -
Description: Hans Ranglack, interviewed by Clint Bailey
A German soldier in World War II.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 19 -
Description: Clark Ronnow, interviewed by Stephan Moss
Experiences in prison.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 2, Folder 20 -
Description: Eldon M. Tolman, interviewed by Roland T. Astin
Experiences in a German prison camp during World War II.
Dates: 1971Container: Box 2, Folder 21 -
Description: Mary W. Warmuth, interviewed by Margaret Brady
The Humane Society in Utah.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 22 -
Description: Elizabeth Biehler Yearsley, interviewed by Sharon Pugsley
A Gentile in Abraham, Utah.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 23 -
Description: George Cannon Young, interviewed by Carol C. Madsen
An architect in Salt Lake City.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 2, Folder 24
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Afeaki to Thiriot
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Description: Paul Afeaki, interviewed by Jessica Millward
Former University of Utah "Runnin' Utes" center.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 1 -
Description: Lynn Anderson, interviewed by Glenn Anderson
A safari to Africa.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 2 -
Description: Jim Aumann, interviewed by Heather Brereton
A swim team assistant coach at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 3 -
Description: Roger Blake, interviewed by Charlotte Langston
A poet and his craft.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 4 -
Description: Brinton R. Burbidge, interviewed by Brooke A. Burbidge
Experiences as the chairman of the Bicentennial of the Constitution for the State of Utah.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 5 -
Description: Roger Candland, interviewed by Rebecca Candland
Discusses his parents, Guy and Sophrona Candland.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 6 -
Description: Jacqueline Clifford, interviewed by Chantal Vanessian
A professor of modern dance at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 7 -
Description: Elaine Elliot, interviewed by WillieAnn Bandy
The head women's basketball coach at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 8 -
Description: Ronald Esplin, interviewed by Michael Le
History professor at Brigham Young University.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 9 -
Description: Sydney Fonnesbeck, interviewed by Melissa Fonnesbeck
Discusses the advent of the City-Council form of government in Salt Lake City.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 10 -
Description: Howard Franklin, interviewed by Brittany Rickford
The president of the Utah All Breed Horse Association.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 11 -
Description: Don Fullmer, interviewed by Hud Fullmer
A Utah boxer discusses his career.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 12 -
Description: Emily Goehring, interviewed by John T. Roberts
Utah culture in the 1940s and 1950s.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 13 -
Description: Kenneth Dean Gray, interviewed by Kenneth J. Gray
Life experiences, including teaching in Huntington, Utah.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 14 -
Description: Reiner Groebs, interviewed by Richard Juluson
Life in East Germany during World War II, his escape after the war, and his arrival in Utah.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 15 -
Description: Lehi Milton Jones, interviewed by John R. Siddoway
A family history in Cedar City.
Dates: 1975Container: Box 3, Folder 16 -
Description: Howard J. and Mary Leone Green Layton, interviewed by Rick Thornton
"Life Sketches of Howard James and Mary Leone Green Layton."
Dates: 1975Container: Box 3, Folder 17 -
Description: Herbert B. Maw, interviewed by Thomas J. Moore Jr.
A prominent Utah politician.
Dates: 1978Container: Box 3, Folder 18 -
Description: Sam N., interviewed by Jomanna Dajany
Under guarantee of anonymity, discusses "near-death" experience.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 19 -
Description: Carl B. and Anna May Newton Shipp, interviewed by Milton P. Shipp
"The Life Histories of Carl Bingham and Anna May Newton Shipp."
Dates: 1975Container: Box 3, Folder 20 -
Description: Tui Sullivan, interviewed by Nancy Densley
Life experiences.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 3, Folder 21 -
Description: Richard Thiriot, interviewed by Layne Olsen
Early television in Utah.
Dates: 1992Container: Box 3, Folder 22
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Anderson to Yorgason
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Description: Alma Anderson, interviewed by Jason Smith
Life experiences.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 1 -
Description: LeGrand Baer, interviewed by Michelle Koopmans
Life experiences.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 2 -
Description: Henry Dale Bott, interviewed by Richard Clay Cawley
Naval experiences from 1955 through 1976.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 3 -
Description: Mary Lythgoe Bradford, interviewed by Devery S. Anderson
An editor at Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 4 -
Description: Kelly Call, interviewed by Kristen Call
A teenage drug addict's story.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 5 -
Description: Jewel Clemens, interviewed by Ed Hartley
An African-American woman's experiences in the Air Force during the 1960s.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 6 -
Description: Benjamin Mabey Fisher, interviewed by Karen Fisher Bridge
A Pearl Harbor survivor speaks of his experiences abord the U.S.S. Honolulu.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 7 -
Description: Norda Finlinson Gardner, interviewed by Elizabeth Greathouse
Live experiences.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 8 -
Description: Reita Hunt Hamblin, interviewed by Shawna Hamblin
Life experiences.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 9 -
Description: Sidney R. Henderson, interviewed by Michael Roach
President of the Tacoma Washington Mission.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 10 -
Description: Mary and John Holmes, interviewed by David Holmes
Growing up in Iowa.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 11 -
Description: Lienhard Hoppe, interviewed by Michael Hoppe
A German immigrant's experiences in 1953.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 12 -
Description: Grant Wallace Housley, interviewed by Edward K. Barker
Mostly concerns World War II, including a meeting with Generals, Douglas MacArthur and George C. Marshall.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 13 -
Description: Alan Jenkins, interviewed by Myrna Walton
The owner of several pawn shops in Salt Lake City, Utah, discusses his business.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 14 -
Description: Dick Johnsen, interviewed by Todd Kent
Experiences in Vietnam.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 15 -
Description: Doris Blanche Judkins, interviewed by Karen McNichol
The Depression in Ogden.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 16 -
Description: Andreas Kalt, interviewed by Dave Beagley
Gold medalist in the 1993 Utah Summer Games triathlon event.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 17 -
Description: Jeff Macleod, interviewed by Anita Feltenberger
Scottish cultural events in Utah.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 18 -
Description: Miyuki Maruka, interviewed by S. Cameron Beatty
"A Commentary on Japanese Society."
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 19 -
Description: Jennie Laverne Felton Miller, interviewed by Chadd Watson
Life experiences.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 20 -
Description: Margaret Moffat, interviewed by Jennifer Bezzant
Life experiences.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 21 -
Description: Peter Michael Nicholas, interviewed by Jenny Nicholas
An interview about the Coast Guard.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 22 -
Description: Elbert Peck, interviewed by Blake MurrayDates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 23
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Description: Kim Peek, interviewed by Frank Kimball
"The Rainman."
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 24 -
Description: Arlo Prisbrey, interviewed by Joanna Robbins
"Trucking History in Utah."
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 25 -
Description: Mildred Redd, interviewed by Shanette Despain
Surviving the Depression in Salt Lake City.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 26 -
Description: Scott Roach, interviewed by Kent McClannan
An instructor in rock climbing and mountaineering at the University of Utah discusses climbing in the West.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 27 -
Description: John Solis, interviewed by James David
A member of the 101st Airborne discusses the Gulf War.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 28 -
Description: Stephanie Spriggs, interviewed by Gregory William Pozan
A family lives with AIDS.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 29 -
Description: Tui Sullivan, interviewed by Jeff Rowland
A New Zealand immigrant discusses her life in America.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 30 -
Description: Camm Swift, interviewed by Susan Swift
A trip the the Amazon in 1980.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 31 -
Description: D. Cornell Thomas, interviewed by John D. Thomas
Life experiences of a teacher, a private detective, and a university professor.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 32 -
Description: Sariah Vellinga, interviewed by Kristie L. Cole
Notes cultural differences between the United States and Taiwan.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 33 -
Description: James Wolfe, interviewed by Ken Andersen
A mathematics professor discusses his career at the University of Utah.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 34 -
Description: Blaine M. Yorgason, interviewed by Tim Schulte
An LDS writer and his career.
Dates: 1994Container: Box 4, Folder 35
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Articles, Correspondence and Histories
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Description: "The Reformation in Current Ecumenical Perspective"Dates: 1966-2005Container: Box 5, Folder 1
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Description: CorrespondenceDates: 1970-1983Container: Box 5, Folder 2
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Description: Family HistoriesDates: 1978Container: Box 5, Folder 3
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Description: Student AutobiographiesDates: 1975-1978Container: Box 5, Folder 4
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Description: Oral HistoriesDates: 1975Container: Box 5, Folder 5
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Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- African American women air pilots--Interviews
- Ex-prisoners of war--Interviews
- Immigrants--Cultural assimilations--Interviews
- Immigrants--Utah--Interviews
- Latter Day Saint missionaries--20th century--Interviews
- Latter Day Saints--Utah--Interviews
- Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941
- World War, 1939-1945
- World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons
- World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, German
Personal Names
- Atiya, Aziz Suryal, 1898-1988--Interviews
Corporate Names
- University of Utah--Employees--Interviews
- University of Utah--Faculty--Interviews
Geographical Names
- Germany (East)--Social life and customs
- Germany--Armed Forces--Interviews
- Germany--Economic conditions--20th century
- Germany--Politics and government--1933-1945
- Germany--Social conditions--1933-1945
- Utah--Ethnic relations
- Utah--History
- Utah--Politics and government
- Utah--Social life and customs
Form or Genre Terms
- Family histories
- Interviews
- Oral histories
- Personal correspondence
