Personal correspondence: Mrs. W.V. Pratt and William V. Pratt, Jr., 1937 Apr 1-May 31

The William Veazie Pratt papers document Admiral Pratt’s active naval career from 1910 to 1933, and through his retirement until his death in 1957. They consist of official and personal materials that are especially important for an insight into the problems facing the U.S. Navy during the first three decades of the twentieth century. Included are materials on the Washington Naval Conference, 1921–1922; naval disarmament; U.S. naval policy in the 1920s and 1930s; and the Naval War College in the 1920s.

The bulk of the papers were acquired by the Naval War College Foundation from William Veazie Pratt, Jr., of Belfast, Maine, in four separate accessions made between 1968 and 1971. Photocopies of Pratt materials located in the Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C., and in the Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, Iowa, are also included.

The papers are divided into five series: Correspondence; Writings and Speeches; Miscellany; Copies of Pratt Papers in Other Repositories; and Conference and Committee Records and Reports.

Series I, Correspondence, 1901–1963 Series I is divided into three subseries: official, personal, and letters of Mrs. Pratt. Official correspondence consists of memoranda, telegrams, letters received, and copies of letters sent to naval officers, government officials, and civilian associates, 1910–1957. Prominent correspondents include Herbert Hoover, Henry Stimson, Charles Adams, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Josephus Daniels, Admiral Kishisaburo Nomura, and Admiral Henry A. Wiley. Topics of importance include Pratt’s naval career, retirement, naval parity, naval aviation, and American naval power.

Series II, Writings and Speeches, 1921–1956 Series II contains published and unpublished writings and speeches of Admiral Pratt. Unpublished writings consist of drafts of articles and book reviews on topics of national defense, naval ratios, naval command and administration, disarmament, and national and foreign policy problems. Another segment is poetry. Published writings consist of essays for Newsweek magazine written by Admiral Pratt during World War II, and articles on the Naval War College, disarmament, U.S. naval policy, and world peace published during the course of his naval career. Pratt’s speeches deal mainly with naval and international relations topics.

Series III, Miscellany, 1895–1963 Materials in this series include biographical data; newspaper clippings; newsletters; a draft biography of Admiral Pratt prepared by Felicia Hyde; invitations; Admiral and Mrs. Pratt’s will; photographs of family and career situations; and autographed books and pamphlets.