Scope and Content Note
The papers of John Franklin Osborne (1907-1981) span the years circa 1900-1983, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period after 1941. Although he worked as a reporter and writer for several newspapers and Newsweek magazine from 1927 to 1938 and as a free-lance writer from 1961 to 1968, Osborne's most important work as a journalist and editor was largely confined to two phases of his long career, each identified with the news magazine with which he was associated at the time. The first phase covers the period from 1938 to 1961 when he worked as a writer, editor, and foreign correspondent for Time, inc. The second, from 1968 until his death in 1981, began when Osborne joined the staff of the New Republic to write an analysis of Richard M. Nixon's presidency in a column entitled "The Nixon Watch," which was continued under the title "White House Watch" during later administrations. Records originating from both news organizations are contained in subseries in the Journalism File. The Time files contain correspondence and memoranda, drafts of published and unpublished articles and reports, notes and notebooks, dispatches, news cables, and research material. Osborne's field reports reflect the political and international repercussions of American foreign policy during and immediately following World War II, while his office files provide insight into the operations of Henry Luce's publishing empire. The New Republic files contain material similar to those of Time, including an important set of notes transcribed from Osborne's tape-recorded interviews and telephone conversations, and serve as source material for the study of twentieth century American politics as viewed through the office of the United States presidency. In addition to the files associated with Time and the New Republic, the collection also includes family papers, general correspondence, research and production material for Osborne's books and free-lance writings, and miscellaneous items.
As an editor and foreign correspondent for Time, Osborne reported many of the major events of the mid-twentieth century. A selection of the stories Osborne covered while stationed in London, Rome, Tokyo, New York, and Washington includes World War II reports from Europe and the London "blitz," the Communist takeover of China, and the Korean War. Osborne's files include dispatches, news cables, and memoranda. The geopolitical file, representing Osborne's collected notes and research material on specific countries and foreign policy issues, documents postwar international realignment, especially in the Far East.
In his role as adviser and editor, Osborne exchanged correspondence and memoranda with other top editors and decision makers throughout the corporate hierarchy of Time, inc., including Henry Luce. These exchanges outline various administrative and editorial policies and suggest the extent to which the company shaped its product through tight editorial control and a centralized world view. For some years, Osborne was a colleague of Whittaker Chambers on the staff of Time magazine. Reflecting on his relationship with Chambers, Osborne responded to John Chabot Smith's book, Alger Hiss: The True Story, in a controversial review published in the New Republic in April 1976. Material relating to the review and the relationship is located in the New Republic files.
In an effort to advance his career and broaden his opportunities for independent writing, Osborne left Time in 1961 to become a free-lance writer. The Books and Writings File contains correspondence, drafts, notes, and other material detailing the contract negotiations, research, and writing he pursued during this period. The series contains a large collection of notes and research material gathered in support of an intended, but unpublished, biography of James Forrestal. Similar files accumulated for prospective volumes on John F. Kennedy and Vietnam illustrate Osborne's research methods.
In 1968 Osborne became the White House correspondent for the New Republic. The collection contains drafts, notes and notebooks, and reference files produced and collected by Osborne while writing his regular columns, "The Nixon Watch," and "White House Watch." Although Osborne's columns chronicled the record of incumbent presidents from Richard M. Nixon to Ronald Reagan, his attention was drawn more closely to the study of the American presidency as an institution. It was the office of the presidency, more so than its occupant, that Osborne admired and sought to document. The New Republic files include full sets of drafts, proofs, and tearsheets for these columns, which were later collected and published as The Nixon Watch in annual volumes, 1970-1975, and White House Watch: The Ford Years, 1977. Material relating to these published volumes can be found in the Books and Writings File.
Despite his access to inside sources, Osborne preferred official documents and transcripts for his information. His work habits are further reflected in the set of notes, notebooks, and reference material he used in preparation for his columns. These materials are in the White House file, among the files of the New Republic . Although Osborne kept notebooks throughout his career to record both facts and impressions, his holograph entries are fragmentary and difficult to read. Of greater importance are his typewritten notes, which he categorized and filed both chronologically as a set and selectively within subject headings. In addition to research material, the notes include transcripts of personal and telephone interviews conducted by Osborne with a variety of administration officials and recorded by him on cassette tapes.
Correspondence and memoranda exchanged between staff members of the New Republic detail administrative decisions that influenced editorial policy at the magazine. Readers' reactions to his columns were always important to Osborne, and their letters, along with his replies to the more thoughtful responses, are contained in the New Republic files.