Memorabilia and mementos from U.S.S. Minnesota, cruise of the Great White Fleet, 1907-1908

The personal papers of Raymond A. Spruance, was donated to the Naval War College by Mrs. Spruance in 1970, only a year after the admiral's death. The collection contains eleven boxes of manuscript materials, along with memorabilia, including uniform items, medals, and Japanese Samurai swords. The papers focus, in the main, on the admiral's distinguished naval career, aspects of his ambassadorial appointnent, and his retirement years.

Series I, Correspondence, consists of letters relating to his position as Commander of the Central Pacific Force, 1943-1944; the Battle of Midway, 1943; official orders and copies of messages sent relating to duty assignments, 1906-1950; and letters received and drafts of letters sent regarding naval matters. Other correspondence focuses on the Naval History Division Spruance biography by V ADM Emmet P. Forrestel. Spruance was not a particularly loquacious person and was reluctant to commit his thoughts to paper, hence the correspondence series is limited in both scope and quantity.

Writings and speeches comprise Series II and Series III. Speeches consist of holograph drafts and typescripts given when Spruance was Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, President of the Naval War College, and in a retired status. His Naval War College thesis on Command, Naval War College lecture on Naval Tactics, notes made by Spruance for a book by E.B. Potter and the typescript of a 1965 Paris Match interview complete the writings segment. Spruance never published his own memoirs or wrote articles for publication.

Miscellany, Series IV, consist of a variety of materials, and forms the bulk of the coJlection. Published and unpublished articles, newspaper clippings, notes, programs, certificates, citations, diplomas and honorary degrees, and a number of scrapbooks containing photographs and clippings concerning World War II and Spruance's career as ambassador to the Philippines are included in this series. Much of it, however, consists of individual Navy photographs of World War II in the Pacific and photographs of the admiral and his family.