Scope and Content Note
Part I
Part I of the papers of Everett Strait Hughes (1885-1957) spans the years 1903-1956, with the bulk of the material dated between 1903 and 1929. Part I consists of correspondence, reports, and special orders supplemented by diaries, unpublished writings, and miscellaneous material. The material is organized into the following series: Diaries , Family Correspondence , General Correspondence , Special Orders , and Writings and Miscellany .
Hughes's diaries , though irregularly kept, are fairly comprehensive for the years covered. Diaries for the years 1940-1946, for example, used in conjunction with correspondence and orders for the same period, depict Hughes's activities during World War II. Prominent correspondents for this period include Mark W. Clark, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George Van Horn Mosely.
The series of family correspondence is extensive for 1903 to 1908, but becomes sporadic after that period, diminishing to only a few letters in the 1920s. Letters describe cadet life at West Point in the early years of the twentieth century. Diaries for 1904 and 1906, together with special orders for this period, supplement the family correspondence . The remainder of the correspondence documents Hughes's various assignments and military procedures, especially during World War II.
Part II
Part II of the Hughes Papers spans the years 1910-1975, with the bulk of the material dated during the periods 1918-1919 and 1942-1945. The papers consist chiefly of correspondence documenting Hughes's military service during World Wars I and II. Most of the letters were addressed to his wife, Kate, some with enclosures of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and letters that he received from individuals while stationed abroad. The material is organized into the following series: Correspondence and Miscellany .
Near the end of War War I Hughes was dispatched to France as a member of the American Expeditionary Forces. Correspondence for this period, 1918-1919, generally pertains to his assignment to dispose of surplus military supplies and ordnance as the European war operation ended.
The bulk of the correspondence in Part II was written from 1942 to 1945 when Hughes was assigned to command positions in the European and North African Theaters of Operations. The letters illuminate many personal and administrative situations witnessed by Hughes in the course of directing the supply operations for the Allied forces and serving as special assistant to the Allied supreme commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower. They include numerous references to the wartime activities of George S. Patton.
Correspondents include Levin Hicks Campbell, John W. Coffey, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Curtis Franklin, Charles Barry Goodspeed, C. Ralph Huebner, Bob P. Hughes, Bob W. Hughes, W. F. Hughes, Geoffrey Keyes, H. R. Kutz, Robert McGowan Littlejohn, John Porter Lucas, Frank McCullough, Beatrice Banning Ayer Patton, George Patton, Virgil L. Peterson, George S. Rogers, and Woodrow Wilson Storey.