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Don Oberdorfer's Mansfield Biography Research Papers, 1918-2003

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oberdorfer, Don B. 1931-2015
Title
Don Oberdorfer's Mansfield Biography Research Papers
Dates
1918-2003 (inclusive)
Quantity
14.0 linear feet and 72 audiocassette tapes
Collection Number
Mss 590
Summary
The collection contains materials related to the research and writing of Oberdorfer’s book, Senator Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great American Statesman and Diplomat (Smithsonian Books, 2003).
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula. Most of audio in Series III is currently restricted pending review by the speakers or their family regarding appropriate access to the interviews. Contact Archives and Special Collections for details.

Languages
English, Japanese
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Biographical Note

Don Oberdorfer was born May 28, 1931 in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1952 and served as a United States Army lieutenant in Korea from 1953 to 1954. He began his journalistic career on the Charlotte Observer in 1955, becoming the paper’s Washington correspondent in 1958. He was a Washington editor at the Saturday Evening Post (1961-1965) and a national correspondent for the Knight Newspapers chain (1965-1968). During his twenty-five years at the Washington Post (1968-1993), he worked as a White House correspondent, Northeast Asia correspondent, and diplomatic correspondent.

Oberdorfer authored of five books and numerous newspaper and magazine articles. His books include Tet! (Doubleday, 1971; Da Capo Press, 1984) and The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Addison-Wesley, 1997). He retired from the The Post in 1993, then became the Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Adjunct Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University's Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. In 2006, he founded the U.S.-Korea Institute (USKI) at at the Nitze School, which he also chaired until 2013 when he became chairman emeritus. Don Oberdorfer died on July 23, 2015.

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Content Description

This collection contains materials related to the research and writing of Oberdorfer’s book, Senator Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great American Statesman and Diplomat (Smithsonian Books, 2003), which won the D.B. Hardeman Prize in 2003. The book is a biography of Mike Mansfield, a United States House Representative and Senator from Montana who also served as ambassador to Japan during the Carter and Reagan administrations. The collection provides access to the documents and other materials that Oberdorfer cites in his book, Senator Mansfield. The research materials include photocopies and summaries from books and articles about Mansfield and related historical topics, as well as primary documents gathered from archival repositories like the presidential libraries of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. The research materials provide glimpses into Mansfield’s personal life and public career through copies of correspondence, photographs, and other materials from the private collections of Mansfield family members.

The collection includes summaries of Oberdorfer’s conversations with Mansfield’s family, colleagues, and friends and some drafts of chapters from Oberdorfer’s book. Manuscript drafts and writings related to the book are filed with the research materials. The collection also contains recorded interviews with Mansfield and Mansfield's colleagues that Oberdorfer conducted as research for the Mansfield biography, as well as non-interview audio recordings related to Oberdorfer's research.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

Don Oberdorfer's Mansfield Biography Research Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.

Alternative Forms Available

All of the cassettes in Series II, most of the cassettes in Series III, and some of the cassettes in Series IV have been digitized for access and preservation purposes.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is divided into four series:

Series I: Research Files, 14.0 linear foot, 1918-2003

Series II: Audio Interviews with Mansfield, 21 audio cassettes, 1998-2001

Series III: Audio Interviews with Mansfield's Colleagues, 41 audio cassettes, 1998-2001 - RESTRICTED

Series IV: Audio Recordings, 10 audio cassettes, 1980-2000 and undated

Acquisition Information

Gift of Don Oberdorfer, 2004, 2005 and 2009.

Processing Note

The collection reflects Oberdofer’s original folder titles and arrangement. Original folders were replaced with acid-free folders. The processors added bracketed notations to folder titles for clarification.

The audio interviews that Oberdorfer conducted with Mansfield were identified as an oral history collection, Don Oberdorfer Interviews with Mike Mansfield Oral History Project and given collection number OH 391. This oral history project consists of twenty-one taped interviews with transcripts, and one additional transcript of Oberdorfer's initial meetings with Mansfield about the project. The audio and transcripts for this project are available online through ScholarWorks.

The audio interviews Oberdorfer conducted with other individuals about Mansfield were identified as an oral history collection, Don Oberdorfer Interviews about Mike Mansfield Oral History Project, and given collection number OH 460. This oral history project consists of forty-two taped interviews with Mansfield's colleagues, friends and family about his personal life and career.

Related Materials

Princeton University holds a collection of Don Oberdorfer’s papers related to another of his publications. The University of Montana's Archives holds the Mike Mansfield Papers (Mss 065).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

Form or Genre Terms

Titles within the Collection

  • Senator Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great American Statesman and Diplomat

Finding aid prepared by Jennifer Rusk
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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