Scope and Content Note
The papers of Bernt Balchen (1899-1973) span the years 1913-2005, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1928-1980. The collection is composed chiefly of Balchen's diaries and logbooks, research papers of his wife, Audrey S. Balchen, and a group of scrapbooks. The collection is arranged in the following series: Notebooks, Research File, Scrapbooks, Addition I, Addition II, and Oversize.
Most significant in the Notebooks series are Balchen's diaries and logbooks. The diaries date from the 1930s and 1940s and include entries pertaining to Balchen's association with Lincoln Ellsworth's Antarctic expedition, his work with the Norwegian Airlines, and the construction of an air base on Greenland during World War II. Many entries are in Norwegian. Prominent among the logbooks is Balchen's log of 1926 for the trimotor Fokker Josephine Ford. Balchen later cited this record of the performance of the plane to dispute Richard Evelyn Byrd's claim to have flown the same plane over the North Pole. The Notebooks series also includes autobiographical notes and writings pertaining to his activities in support of the Norwegian underground resistance during World War II.
The Research File contains papers generated by Audrey S. Balchen primarily after the death of her husband. It documents her administration of Balchen's papers and her research regarding his career. The file includes photocopies of many of her husband's papers with original items scattered throughout the file. Files relating to Richard Evelyn Byrd's North Pole expedition in 1926 contain correspondence with Byrd and Balchen's notes regarding the expedition and their later relationship. Other material related to the North Pole expedition is found in files pertaining to Richard Montague and to Balchen's autobiography, Come North with Me, which includes a photocopy of an early unpublished version of his memoirs. Another important file, the military file, contains photocopies of correspondence concerning his military career.
Oversize scrapbooks documenting the full extent of Balchen's professional life include newspaper clippings, printed matter, telegrams, copies of correspondence, and memorabilia.
Addition I contains a typescript of corrections and addenda for the biographical sketch "Bernt Balchen: An Outline of His Life," filed in the Research File. A transcript of an interview with Balchen conducted in 1972 by Ben Kocivar is accompanied by newspaper clippings, biographical material, photographs, and printed matter collected by Kocivar as background information for the interview.
Addition II consists of research files assembled by Audrey S. Balchen about Balchen's life and career. Included is material pertaining to Balchen's rescue operations in Greenland and operations in Scandinavia during World War II; files documenting Byrd's North Pole expedition in 1926 and Balchen's later involvement with the controversy surrounding it; material related to the 1927 translatlantic flight on the trimotor Fokker America; and miscellaneous papers. A microfilm reel contains notes for Balchen's autobiography and covers major events in his life before 1949.