Scope and Content Note
The papers of James H. Doolittle (1896-1993) span the years 1919-1990, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1940-1960 and consisting of correspondence, speeches, writings, reports, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, awards, maps, photographs, and other papers relating chiefly to Doolittle's service in the United States Air Force. Doolittle had a long career as a civilian and military aviator, government official and adviser, and business executive, but he was most celebrated for directing and leading an air raid on Tokyo in the early months of World War II against Japan. The collection is organized into seven series: Correspondence File , General File , National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics , Speeches and Articles , Miscellany , Addition , and Oversize .
Included in the collection are military records of Doolittle and a large amount of photographs and printed material. In general, the correspondence contains routine discussions of business matters, hunting trips, social affairs, and reunions of the American fliers who attacked Tokyo in April 1942. Materials relating to the raid include a map of Japan signed by some of the participants, telegrams from Generals George C. Marshall and Henry Harley Arnold, a handwritten memorandum from Admiral Ernest Joseph King, and letters of thanks and appreciation from Admiral William F. Halsey and May Ling-Soong Chiang. Additional correspondents from the war period include letters from Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, Carl Spaatz, and Maxwell D. Taylor.
An addition to the papers includes correspondence, articles about Doolittle, and a photograph showing a formation of B-25s in dual mode. Most of the correspondence consists of short notes from Doolittle thanking Lee R. Magnolia for sending clippings related to aviation, aerospace, politics, whaling, and other topics.