Scope and Content Note
The papers of Roland Herbert Shackford (1908-1998) span the years 1925-1981 with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1952-1979. The collection reflects Shackford's years as a journalist for the Scripps-Howard news agency as well as for other newspapers. Some material also sheds light on his family and personal life. Included are correspondence, memoranda, notes, notebooks, invitations, photographs, printed matter, and other material. The collection is arranged in five series: Correspondence, Research File, Subject File, Writings, and Miscellany.
The Correspondence, 1944-1980, consists of family correspondence and general correspondence. The family correspondence, 1947-1979, includes letters Shackford sent to and received from his family. He often wrote about the assignments he covered and his personal and professional assessment of social, political, and international events. He frequently described his evaluation of presidents, secretaries of state, other high-level government officials, and fellow journalists. The general correspondence covers the period 1944-1980. During the years 1967-1968, when Shackford was Asian correspondent for the Scripps-Howard newspapers, and 1969-1973, when he was foreign news analyst for the same organization, Shackford became an expert on China. Letters from government officials, editors, and other journalists express high regard for his writing on Chinese subjects.
The Research File, 1938-1968, consists of a variety of notes, correspondence, and other material related to the sources Shackford used to write his articles. Of particular interest are notes from off-the-record briefings with secretaries of state James F. Byrnes and John Foster Dulles.
The Subject File, 1925-1981, reflects some of the highlights of Shackford's career, such as his trip to Asia with Lyndon B. Johnson and his trip to China with Richard M. Nixon. Items of a more personal nature such as papers which relate to his education at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and his tenure as editor of the Harbour Square News, published by his condominium association in Washington, D.C.
The Writings, 1952-1979, are largely comprised of articles written for Scripps-Howard. This series covers Shackford's postwar journalism career. There are also several articles written after his retirement, as well as a folder of articles he hoped to publish.
The Miscellany, 1945-1979, contains notes, a notebook, an invitation to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, passports, and photographs. Of particular use is an index compiled by Shackford of articles he had written.
Significant and frequent correspondents include Frank R. Ford, Paul H. Kreisberg, Mike Mansfield, Carl Milton Marcy, Edward J. Meeman, Jack Steele, Walker Stone, and William H. Sullivan.