Scope and Content Note
The papers of Thomas Otten Paine (1921-1992) span the years 1931-1992, with the bulk of the materials concentrated in the period 1960-1982. The collection documents Paine's engineering and administrative career with the General Electric Company and Northrop Corporation, his administration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during the first seven Apollo missions, and his membership and participation in professional, scientific, and educational organizations. Primarily consisting of correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes of meetings, drafts, and printed matter, the papers are organized into the following series: Personal File , General Correspondence , Government File , Corporate File , Professional Associations , and Miscellany .
The Personal File (1931-1992) contains appointment books, biographical and genealogical materials, and documents relating to Paine's naval service during World War II. Included is a copy of a personal journal recording Paine's participation in the demilitarization of Japanese submarine forces during the early days of the occupation of Japan. Also in the file is a bibliography representing over three thousand books in Paine's personal library relating to submarines and submarine warfare. Completing the series are family correspondence, material relating to Paine's membership in submarine veterans' organizations, and a few personal business papers of his father, George T. Paine.
The General Correspondence series (1955-1991) consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence between Paine and friends, colleagues, and the general public primarily relating to employment and professional opportunities, space and planetary exploration, submarine technology, and topics of a routine nature.
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, and other materials pertaining to Paine's work as deputy and acting administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are found in the Government File (1965-1991). Material in this section include comprehensive subject files relating to the Apollo missions, including the Apollo Eleven flight when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to set foot on the moon. Other papers in this section include chronological files of letters and memoranda by Paine and reading files containing correspondence, memoranda, reports, printed matter, and other material received by Paine on a daily basis.
The Government File also contains material pertaining to Paine's role as chairman of the National Commission on Space. Included are drafts and the commission's final report entitled Pioneering the Space Frontier. The series also contains correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to Paine's work on the Advisory Committee on the Future of the United States Space Program.
The largest segment of the collection is the Corporate File (1950-1992). Primarily comprised of correspondence, memoranda, minutes of meetings and reports, the series contains extensive files pertaining to Paine's long career with the General Electric Company and his work as president of the Northrop Corporation. General Electric files include documentation of his original research on fine-particle magnets and the innovative programs he instituted to develop lasers, medical electronic equipment, and electric vehicles. Northrop files are largely comprised of material relating to visits he made to foreign air force bases as president of the company. In the personal logbooks from these travels are narratives, photographs, and accounts of private discussions held with Bandar Bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia, Admiral Soong, head of Taiwan's armed forces, and officials from the Soviet Union. Also in the series are files pertaining to his membership on the board of directors of several space-related companies and to Thomas Paine Associates, a consulting firm started by Paine after retiring from Northrop.
The Professional Associations series (1945-1992) is mostly comprised of correspondence, memoranda, minutes of meetings, and reports pertaining to Paine's membership in professional, educational, and scientific organizations. Papers documenting his work as a member of the Engineers Joint Council constitute the bulk of the series. Included are numerous reports Paine helped prepare as a member of the Council's Engineering Research Committee. Also in the series are papers relating to Case for Mars conferences in which Paine and others promoted the exploration and colonization of the planet Mars.
Among the Miscellany (1947-1991) are handwritten notes by Paine, reports and drafts pertaining to his work as a research assistant at Stanford University, and drafts of books and screenplays by others regarding planetary and space exploration.
Prominent correspondents include Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Ray Bradbury, John Glenn, J. Herbert Hollomon, Thomas V. Jones, and Robert C. Seamans.