Scope and Content Note
The papers of Lucius Claude Dunn (1885-1963) span the years 1902-1957, with the bulk of the items concentrated in the period 1918-1934. The collection documents Dunn's career in the United States Navy and his writing and research projects, particularly in the field of naval history. The papers consist of three series: Subject File, Writings and Compositions, and Scrapbooks.
The Subject File, 1902-1957, contains a variety of materials primarily documenting Dunn's military career. Included are correspondence, memoranda, reports, cablegrams, printed matter, and other materials relating to Dunn's various tours of duty in American and foreign waters. Records pertaining to his command of the Mindanao (gunboat) and Pillsbury (destroyer), part of the Asiatic Fleet's South China patrol, are particularly comprehensive. His weekly summary reports, which include personal observations and thoughtful analyses, provide valuable insights into the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, the activities and movements of the Chinese Communist party, and the general political and economic situation in China during the 1930s. These records were later illustrated by Dunn with photographs, calling cards, invitations, and other related materials.
Records documenting Dunn's actions in Nicaragua after Emiliano Chamorro seized power in 1927 are also quite extensive. Detailed and comprehensive daily reports chronicle Dunn's command of the McFarland (destroyer), part of the special services squad of Destroyer Squadron Fourteen's Scouting Fleet, charged with protecting American lives and property in the cities of Barro de Rio Grande and Principulco. Other files containing Dunn's observations and analyses include records documenting his tour of duty as aide and assistant to Adm. Albert P. Niblack with the United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters. Reports and correspondence by Dunn contain impressions and overheard remarks regarding the occupation of Fiume, Italy (now Rijeka, Croatia), by Gabriele D'Annunzio and detailed descriptions of a devastated Europe in the aftermath of World War I. The European Waters file, however, is incomplete. Official orders and memoranda were removed by Dunn to illustrate a journal entitled, "My European Cruise," found in the Writings and Compositions series of this collection. Researchers should examine the journal in order to obtain a comprehensive view of Dunn's tour of duty with Admiral Niblack.
Another important element of the Subject File consists of records documenting Dunn's shore duties. Of significance are correspondence, memoranda, and reports pertaining to his activities during World War I as inspector of storage batteries at the Bureau of Steam Engineering in Philadelphia. Dunn became a recognized expert in the field, and later published a book on the topic. The Subject File also contains correspondence, memoranda, photographs, and other materials that partially document Dunn's personal interests and activities. Correspondence between Dunn and naval colleagues, publishing companies, and newspapers shed light on his thoughts concerning the direction of his naval career and his interests in naval history, storage batteries, and music, but there is little information pertaining to his personal life and marriage to Dorothy Buckle. Prominent correspondents include Jeff Busby, John B. Earle, William S. Hill, Harry M. P. Huse, and Albert P. Niblack.
The Writings and Compositions series, 1912-1952 contains articles, lectures, short stories, manuscripts, research notes, related correspondence, and other materials written by Dunn. Most notable is "My European Tour," written during his tour of duty as aide and assistant to Adm. Niblack. This unpublished journal contains daily and weekly entries by Dunn describing his duties, personal activities, and impressions of Europe and its people and is illustrated with related correspondence and memoranda, photographs, postcards, invitations, dance and menu cards, and other personal memorabilia. Also included in the file is an unfinished memoir about Dunn's European cruise.
Dunn's extensive research notes and manuscripts pertaining to naval history are also significant. His particular interest in early naval cruises to China culminated in a manuscript entitled "Old China Hands," which, despite his efforts, was never published. Original musical compositions by Dunn are also found in this series. His scores, sheet music, and song lyrics feature nautical topics, and generally relate to his foreign travels and experiences in the navy. Also included are illustrative materials consisting of photographs, prints, and lantern slides used primarily in Dunn's lectures and naval history projects.
Scrapbooks, 1909-1937, comprising the final series in the collection, contain correspondence, newspaper clippings, postcards, photographs, and other materials relating primarily to Dunn's naval career, World War I, political and military activities in Europe and Asia, and other topics of interest. Scrapbooks pertaining to his early naval career contain official correspondence not duplicated in the Subject File.