The papers of Ira Clarence Eaker (1896-1987) span the years 1917-1989, with a large portion concentrated in the World War II period, 1942-1945. The papers consist of two parts processed at different times which document two distinct phases of Eaker's life. Part I treats Eaker's military career in the United States Army Air Corps (1918-1947). Part II relates to Eaker's activities after leaving the military, including those as an aviation industry executive, spokesman for the air force and air power, and as a syndicated newspaper columnist who wrote and lectured on national security issues. Eaker maintained contact with military associates throughout his life, and the themes of air power, aviation, and belief in a strong national defense are prominent throughout the collection.

Part I

Part I of Eaker's papers documents nearly every aspect of his long career in the United States Army Air Corps and is especially comprehensive for the World War II years, when Eaker organized and commanded the Eighth Bomber Command in England and commanded the Eighth Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, in the United Kingdom and the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) in Italy. Eaker led the first American B-17 bomber strike against German occupation forces in France, bombing Rouen in 1942. He was a key proponent of precision daylight bombing attacks on Germany's industrial war production, and in 1944 while commanding the MAAF he led the first shuttle bombing raid from Italy into Germany, landing in the Soviet Union after striking German targets. Eaker's final positions in Washington, D.C., as chief of air staff and then as deputy chief of army air forces involved demobilization of the air forces and planning for the creation of the air force as a separate branch of the military service.

The Diaries series contains typescript accounts of Eaker's activities in the military for the period 1942-1947, including his military service in World War II and his work in Washington until his retirement. The diaries include Eaker's daily schedule and record his flying time. Details are more official than personal.

The Personal File comprises Eaker's files relating to his military career prior to World War II. Personal correspondence and official documents depict the growth and promotion of military aviation. During the late 1920s and 1930s, Eaker was a pioneering aviator who made test flights and successful and unsuccessful attempts at aerial records. The files for March-May 1934 cover the period when the army air corps transported mail following the cancellation of commercial airmail contracts by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eaker commanded the operations of Air Mail Route 4, Western Zone.

The General Correspondence series contains correspondence of a personal and general nature for the period 1942-1950. The correspondence for the war years complements the official material in the World War II File.

Although material relating to World War II can be found in almost every series in Part I, the World War II File contains Eaker's extensive working files relating to his establishment of the Eighth Bomber Command in England in 1942 and his command of the Eighth Air Force in the United Kingdom in 1943 and the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces in Italy in 1944 and early 1945. Files for the Eighth Bomber Command and the Eighth Air Force document the American program of daylight strategic bombing of Germany and Eaker's close working relationship with the Royal Air Force. Topics covered in the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces files include the invasion of southern France, the strategic bombing offensive against German oil supplies, and shuttle bombing missions. Types of material include correspondence and memoranda between officers and military units, correspondence with families of missing aircrew men, bombing reports, and minutes of meetings.

The Subject File features notable events in Eaker's career as a pioneering aviator in the army air corps, including the Pan-American Goodwill Flight around South America (1926-1927), the refueling-endurance flight of the "Question Mark" (1929), and the operation of an air mail route in 1934 as well as flight records for his entire military career. Other material pertains to Eaker's activities with a variety of organizations relating to military and civil aviation.

The Speeches and Writings series contains articles, books, speeches, and associated material relating to speaking engagements. Principal themes are aviation, air power, and national security. In addition to articles and speeches prepared and delivered by Eaker, other speeches and articles seem to have been prepared by Eaker for such individuals as chiefs of the Army Air Corps James E. Fechet and Oscar Westover. Book files include sections on Army Flyer and Winged Warfare , which Eaker coauthored with Henry Harley Arnold.

Prominent correspondents in this portion of the collection include Henry Harley ("Hap") Arnold, Joseph K. Cannon, Winston Churchill, Jacob L. Devers, James E. Fechet, Barney M. Giles, W. Averell Harriman, Arthur Harris, Robert A. Lovett, John C. Slessor, Carl A. Spaatz, and Nathan F. Twining.

Part II

The second part of the Eaker Papers begins with diaries containing brief accounts of daily activities, including meetings and events. The Scheduling File and the appointments and phone messages in the Subject File complement this series by supplying similar information and lengthening the period of time documented.

The General Correspondence documents Eaker's activities following the Second World War. Correspondence from the late 1940s through the 1950s concerns his career with Hughes Tool Company and Hughes Aircraft Company, first in Houston, Texas, and then in California. Correspondence relates to social and philanthropic activities on behalf of the Hughes organization, as well as to Eaker's contact with wartime colleagues. Eaker also reviewed the script for the movie "Twelve O'Clock High," written by Bierne Lay and Sy Bartlett, who had served in the Eighth Air Force in Britain during the war. Beginning in 1957, Eaker was based in Washington, D.C., where he served as East Coast representative of Douglas Aircraft and later on the advisory board of Hughes Aircraft, using his access to Defense Department officials to learn about policy and future expenditures. Correspondence after the early 1960s often contains comments on Eaker's national security columns. Eaker maintained long-lasting correspondence with wartime friends and coworkers and the letters record their periodic reunions. Well documented is his close friendship with Carl A. (Tooey) Spaatz. Other prominent and frequent correspondents in this portion of the collection include Donald Douglas, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Hunter Harris, Houston Harte, Harris Hull, Glenn Jackson, Lyndon B. Johnson (1950s), Bierne Lay, Curtis LeMay, James Parton, Virgil Pinkley, Elwood R. (Pete) Quesada, Eddie Rickenbacker, Sir John C. Slessor, and John Hay (Jock) Whitney.

The Scheduling File records Eaker's activities in the period 1952-1982 in correspondence, agendas, and other material relating to speaking engagements, ceremonial events, trips, conferences, and board meetings. Frequent activities include attendance at Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) commanders' conferences, Air Force senior statesmen briefings at the Pentagon, visits to the Air Force Academy, lectures to classes at the Air War College of the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, and speaking engagements for the Air Force, civic organizations, and other groups. In the 1970s, Eaker and Arthur Metcalf of the United States Strategic Institute made several trips to Europe, where Eaker visited World War II acquaintances in Britain, including Sir Arthur Harris and Sir John C. Slessor. He was briefed at North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels, and visited Albert Speer, Hitler's minister of armament production, in Germany. In 1976, Eaker interviewed Speer about the air war in World War II and subsequently spoke and wrote about these conversations. Copies of Eaker's speeches are contained in the Speeches and Writings File.

Also in the Speeches and Writings File are copies of Eaker's articles, book reviews, syndicated news columns, and speeches. Major topics are aviation, air power, and national security. Eaker's newspaper columns span two decades, 1962-1980. First syndicated by the Copley News Service and then by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate of the General Features Corporation, the columns cover such topics as defense budgets, assessments of administrations from Kennedy through Reagan on national security issues, the Vietnam War, the military strength of the United States and the Soviet Union, the space program, the Middle East, and the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). Eaker's speeches focus primarily on aviation and national security. They also include recollections of military leaders such as James H. Doolittle, James E. Fechet, Benjamin Foulois, Nathan F. Twining, Oscar Westover, and businessmen such as Howard Hughes. Many of the books Eaker reviewed related to World War II and prominent individuals he knew, such as Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The Subject File contains correspondence, reports, minutes, clippings, and printed matter relating to Eaker's involvement with the air force and the Air Force Academy and organizations such as the Falcon Foundation, the Air Force Academy Foundation, and the Air Force Historical Foundation. Other files concern the Hughes Aircraft Company and Donald W. Douglas (1892-1981) and Donald W. Douglas (1917- ), of Douglas Aircraft, as well as Eaker's dealings with Congress during the early 1960s. Similar subjects are covered in the Subject File of Part I, with overlap between the first and second portions of the collection in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

The James Parton File consists of papers accumulated by Eaker's wartime aide and biographer covering the last years of the general's life. Correspondence relates to the preparation of Parton's book, "Air Force Spoken Here": General Ira Eaker and the Command of the Air . Since Eaker was in failing health during the preparation of the biography, 1984-1986, much of Parton's correspondence is addressed to Ruth Eaker. During these last years of Eaker's life, Parton helped by answering correspondence and assisting with the disposition of the general's medals, uniforms, and memorabilia.