Official Correspondence, Letters Sent, 1949 Oct 5-Dec 23

The papers, in the main, cover the period 1898-1987 and fully document his naval career and his retirement years. They are divided into six series.

Series I, family papers, consists of genealogical materials taken from Morgan City, Louisiana Archives on the Brashear and Lawrence families, a history of Morgan City, LA, and correspondence and newspaper clippings regarding the restoration of the Lawrence family cemetery in Bayside, Long Island. Correspondence, speeches and writings of various family members are found here too, as well as biographical and autobiographical materials on Admiral Eccles.

Correspondence, Series II, is divided into five subseries; Naval orders and career correspondence, personal correspondence, official correspondence, letters of condolence to Mrs. Eccles on the death of Admiral Eccles, and miscellaneous correspondence of others that was found in his papers.

Eccles' correspondence reveals aspects of his naval career, his many professional and intellectual interests and associations, and his study of military logistics. Major segments focus on his official naval orders and assignments, including his entrance into the U.S. Academy; his command of the USS JOHN D. EDWARDS; his assignment with CINCNELM; and his Naval War College and George Washington University associations. Other areas include the administration of the Advanced Base Section, Service Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 1944-1945 (this material is especially valuable because of its unofficial nature and the unique perspective it offers on life at the working level in the Advanced Base Section); the writing and publication of his four major books and articles; the education of military officers, specifically Naval War College education; the establishment of the Naval War College Logistics Department; the Ohio State University Defense Studies Program; the George Washington University Logistics Research Project; and civic and community affairs in which he participated. The fourth segment, correspondence of others, contains letters sent and received by Professor Vincent Davis and other civilian and military figures.

Most of his correspondence was directed to military men, political leaders and university professors. These include Vice Admiral Robert Carney, Admiral Arleigh Burke, Vice Admiral Lot Ensey, Vice Admiral Edwin Hooper, Commander John Tynan, Captain Edward K. Scofield, Colonel Fred Long, Admiral Thomas Robbins, Colonel Fred Gluck, Admiral Hyman Rickover, RADM Eugene La Roque, and Senators John Pastore, Claiborne Pell and John Chafee. Academicians include C.B. Tompkins, William Marlow, M.A. Woodbury, Vincent Davis, Theodore Ropp, William Reitzel, Daniel Howland, Sir Basil Liddell-Hart, Lady Katherine Liddell-Hart, B. Mitchell Simpson, Paul Schratz, Donald Marshall, George Griffin and Mark Stoler.

Series III, speeches and writings, is divided into two subseries: Eccles' speeches and writings and those of others. Rear Admiral Eccles gave numerous speeches to church and civic groups, military audiences and professional associations on logistics, political, national security and current affairs topics from 194 7 to 1983. Rough notes and outlines for speeches are part of this series, as well as lectures and lecture outlines on logistics given at the Naval War College between 1946 and 1980.

In terms of volume, writings are the most important part of this series, and of the collection itself. Eccles wrote voluminously throughout his lifetime on political and military affairs, international relations, the relationship of logistics, strategy and tactics, military theory, Vietnam, the art of war, nuclear weapons, disarmament, Star Wars and arms control. His writings include notes, drafts and typescripts of some of his major works: Operational Naval Logistics, Military Concepts and Philosophy and Military Power in a Free Society, published and unpublished articles, book reviews, letters to the editor, and notes on military, naval, political, educational, economic, environmental and social topics.

Subseries II, speeches and writings of others, contains materials written by military figures and prominent civilians. Speeches treat with military, logistics, national defense and national security topics. Published and unpublished articles and excerpts from works of leading statesmen, military analysts and academicians which Eccles consulted in the course of his own work complete this series.

Subject Files, Series IV, consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports and notes on all aspects and phases of logistics studies and programs both at the Naval War College and elsewhere; The Naval Research Logistics Quarterly; the Asiatic Fleet during World War II, including files on the USS JOHN D. EDWARDS and the Battles of Java Sea and Badoeng Strait; Eccles' CINCSOUTH and CINCNELM service; the publication of Milton Miles' A Different Kind of War; the Institute for Strategic Studies; the George Washington University and Ohio State University Logistics Research projects, with which he was associated; maritime strategy; and his electives courses on the Middle East, Military Theory, and Principles of Logistics.

Miscellany, Series V, contains published materials regarding the World War II Advanced Base Section, Service Force, Pacific Fleet; career photographs; citations and awards; certificates; programs; notices; newspaper clippings; conference materials; diaries; charts and graphs; slides; and schedules and invitations.

The papers of Herbert F. Rosinski, a prominent scholar in the field of defense studies and a longtime friend and colleague of Admiral Eccles, form Series VI. They are divided into three subseries: correspondence, 1955-1961; speeches and writings, 1939-1960; and miscellany, 1958-1962. The Eccles-Rosinski correspondence as well as Rosinski's own writings on defense, military strategy, seapower and the theory of war are the most important segments of this series.