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Clay Blair Papers, 1575-1998

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Clay Blair, 1925-
Title
Clay Blair Papers
Dates
1575-1998 (inclusive)
1945-1998 (bulk)
Quantity
158.73 cubic ft. (368 boxes)
Collection Number
08295
Summary
Contains information about mid-twentieth century magazine publishing, U.S. World War II Pacific and Atlantic submarine operations, the marketing policies of book publishers, and seventeenth-century Spanish treasure fleets.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes,and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Clay Blair, Jr. (1925-1998) was born in Lexington, Virginia. He volunteered for submarine service in World War II. His career in journalism began when he started at Time-Life Corporation in 1949. During this time he also wrote well-received non-fiction books on Admiral Rickover, the atomic submarine Nautilus, and the hydrogen bomb. In 1957 he joined the Curtis Publishing Company as a correspondent for "The Saturday Evening Post." He advanced to associate director and was editor-in-chief of all the Curtis magazines. He left the Curtis Publishing Company in 1964 after a management conflict. In 1965 Mr. Blair became a free lance journalist and military historian. Among his many books on military history are "A General's Life" (Omar N. Bradley), "Return from the River Kwai," "Ridgeay's Paratroopers," "Silent Victory," "Macarthur," "The Forgotten War (Korea)," "Hitler's U-Boat War," and "The Search for JFK." In 1982 he was the Defense and National Security Consultant for "The Washington Times." Blair and his wife were working on a book about the history of the Code and Signal Section within the Office of Naval Communications at the time of his death.

Clay Blair, Jr. was born in Lexington, Virginia, in 1925. He is a well-known author and journalist. He volunteered for submarine service in World War II and was decorated with the Submarine Combat Insignia and the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Medal with three battle stars.

His career in journalism began when he started at Time-Life Corporation as a copy boy in 1949. He was promoted to correspondent and covered the Pentagon from 1950 to 1957. He was the first reporter to make a simulated combat mission in a B-47 bomber, first to ride on the submarine Nautilus, first to go through the sonic barrier in a plane, and first to be submerged in a submarine when it fired a missile. During this time he also wrote well-received non-fiction books on Admiral Rickover, the atomic submarine Nautilus, and the hydrogen bomb.

In 1957 he joined the Curtis Publishing Company as a correspondent for The Saturday Evening Post. He advanced rapidly to associate director and was editor-in-chief of all the Curtis magazines and a Curtis director when he left the Curtis Publishing Company in 1964 after a bitter management fight.

In 1965 Mr. Blair became a free lance journalist and military historian. Among his many books on military history are A General's Life (Omar N. Bradley), Return from the River Kwai, Ridgway's Paratroopers, Silent Victory, Macarthur, The Forgotten War (Korea), and Hitler's U-Boat War (Vols. I and II). He also wrote three novels and a biography, The Search for JFK. A hallmark of his books was his meticulous research.

In 1982 he was the Defense and National Security Consultant for the controversial newspaper financed by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, The Washington Times.

Clay Blair died in 1998 after a long illness. Blair and his wife were working on a book about the history of the Code and Signal Section within the Office of Naval Communications, the OP-20-G, at the time of his death.

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Content Description

Contains information about mid-twentieth century magazine publishing, U.S. World War II Pacific and Atlantic submarine operations, the marketing policies and the author - editor relationship, and the seventeenth-century Spanish treasure fleets. In addition to notes there are taped interviews with naval personnel, submarine logs, operational directives and reports. Information is included about early nearly every U-boat and commander. There is also biographical information about Blair, photographs (1900-1970s), research files and correspondence, and publicity files.

The Clay Blair, Jr. Papers contain valuable information about mid-twentieth century magazine publishing, U.S. World War II Pacific and Atlantic submarine operations, the marketing policies of book publishers and the author--editor relationship, and the seventeenth-century Spanish treasure fleets.

The extensive research files regarding the U.S. World War II Pacific submarine fleets provide information on the submarine war in the context of the larger war in the Pacific Theater. There is material regarding major surface sea battles and code breaking as well as submarine patrols and the fleet operations of Admirals Lockwood and Christie. In addition to notes there are taped interviews with naval personnel, submarine logs, operational directives and reports, biographical information on the submarine skippers, histories of the submarines, narratives by some skippers, and photographs. The research material from Hitler's U-Boat War contains much information about the submarine war in the Atlantic, especially from the German side. Information is included about nearly every U-boat and commander.

In the Curtis Publishing Company files there is material of special interest on the conflict between the advertising and editorial departments, editorial policy, internal operations, and the libel suits brought by football coaches Paul Bryant and Wallace Butts against The Saturday Evening Post. The papers provide an overview of the reasons for the decline of The Saturday Evening Post, once a major national magazine.

There are in depth research notes on the naval history of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with emphasis on the Spanish treasure fleets Armada de la Guardia de la Carriera and Nueva Espana Flota.

Research material for the book The Search for J.F.K. includes taped interviews with friends and associates of John F. Kennedy concerning his childhood, college years and early political career. In addition there are photographs, notes, and newspaper and magazine clippings.

There is also biographical information about Blair, photographs (1900-1970s), research files and manuscripts for many books and articles by Clay Blair, Jr. and Joan and Clay Blair, Jr., their published articles and books, personal and professional correspondence, and publicity files.

The research papers and final manuscript of A General's Life (Omar N. Bradley) by Clay Blair, Jr. are at the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013-5008.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at http://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu:8180/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~80~80.

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Administrative Information

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Loreley Moore, D.C. Thompson, Monte G. Kniffen
2006

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