Scope and Content Note
The papers of Morton Lyndholm Deyo (1887-1973) span the years 1911-1981 and relate to his career as a naval officer. The bulk of the collection dates from 1911 to 1954, corresponding to Deyo's career in the navy and his post-retirement speeches and writings on his experiences and naval topics. Deyo's papers are arranged in three series: Correspondence , Subject File , and Speeches and Writings File .
The Correspondence series (1925-1972), contains letters sent and received. Although largely unofficial in nature, the correspondence relates mainly to Deyo's career and other naval topics. The largest section dates from 1944 to 1945 when he was in command of task forces during World War II. Topics include the D-Day invasion of Normandy and the loss of personnel due to attacks by Japanese kamikaze planes on ships under his command near Okinawa, Japan. Military and political figures represented include Dwight D. Eisenhower, James Forrestal, Chester W. Nimitz, Harold R. Stark, and H. E. Yarnell.
A substantial portion of the Deyo Papers is arranged according to subject. This Subject File series contains biographical information, including orders to duty, files on specific duty locations and battle campaigns, reports and memoranda on military policy and naval tactics, and material on political and national security issues. The largest section relates to Deyo's activities in World War II in both the Atlantic and the Pacific theaters. Files on the Normandy invasion cover his commands of the naval bombardment of Utah beach and Cherbourg, France. Documents on the Pacific relate to his command of a bombardment group supporting the marines on Iwo Jima, command of a task force supporting the Okinawa campaign, and his direction of the landing of occupation troops and oversight of the demilitarization of Japanese naval vessels in parts of Japan following the Japanese surrender. Other files relate to the Asiatic Fleet and cover his service as operations officer on the staff of the commander in chief, based in Shanghai, China, during the Sino-Japanese conflict in 1937. In the files is a holograph poem written to Deyo in 1965 by Ogden Nash regarding the conflict. Nash sent the poem in response to Deyo's forwarding him a 1938 clipping regarding Nash's poem on the subject.
The final series is a file of Deyo's speeches and writings . Radio addresses and some of the speeches were given while he served as commandant of the First Naval District. Much of the writing dates from after his retirement, including narratives and stories about the Normandy invasion and kamikaze attacks during World War II. Original records from the events and accounts of other participants are included among the background material in these files.