Details

Subject(s)

• King, Ernest Joseph 1878-1956—Archives [Browse]
• United States Navy—History—20th century [Browse]
• World War, 1939-1945—Naval operations, American—Sources [Browse]
• Admirals—United States—Archives [Browse]

Series

Archives unbound [More in this series]

Summary note

A tough, aggressive officer, Admiral Ernest J. King was one of the most prominent Allied military leaders of World War II. In 1941, he was appointed commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet and as such oversaw the fulfillment of lend-lease programs to Great Britain and the Soviet Union. After the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, he was selected to fill the new billet of commander in chief, U.S. Fleet (COMINCH), assuming operational control of all American naval forces. In early 1942, Admiral Harold R. Stark resigned as chief of naval operations (CNO), and President Roosevelt signed an executive order naming King to serve as both COMINCH and CNO. King was also a member of the newly formed Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combined Chiefs of Staff, through which he played a pivotal role in the shaping of Allied grand strategy from the Arcadia Conference to Potsdam. This collections primarily contains records from the 1940s, of which the first series, correspondence and memorandums, makes up the bulk. The collection also contains: King's personal copies of the minutes of the Combined Chiefs of Staff meetings, 1941-1945 -- His speeches -- Agendas, minutes, and working papers for conferences between King and Admiral Chester Nimitz -- Studies of the office of the CNO and the Navy -- Postwar studies of logistics and supply systems -- Material on the postwar armed services unification controversy.

Notes

• Date range of documents: 1941-1946.
• Reproduction of the originals from National Archives (United States).

Contents

• Subcollections: Series I: Correspondence and Memoranda, 1918-1955
• Series II: Printed Volumes of the Minutes of Important Papers of High-Level Combined Military Conferences, 1941-1945
• Series IV: Agendas, Minutes, and Working Papers for Conferences Hel between Admiral King (Cominch-Cno) and Admiral Nimitz (Cincpac), 1942-1945
• Series IX: Miscellaneous Papers Relating to the B-36 Investigation, 1949-1950
• Series V: Studies and Charts Relating to the Organization of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 1941-1947
• Series VI: Studies and Charts Relating to the Organization of the Department of the Navy, 1940-1947
• Series VII: Studies and Reports Relating to the Naval Logistics and Supply Systems, 1946-1947
• Series VIII: Materials Relating to the Unification of the Armed Forces, 1940-1948
• Series X: Speeches of the Admiral King, 1945-1949
• Series XI: Miscellaneous Material, 1898-1948.

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OCLC

1416719553

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