Collection Summary
William Edward Riley
Papers
1941-1948
1941-1948
MSS14944
Riley, William Edward,
1897-
800 items
5 containers
2 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Marine Corps officer.
Correspondence, operation plans and reports, memoranda, notes, maps,
photographs, and other papers relating to Riley’s World War II service on the
staff of Admiral William Frederick Halsey, commander of South Pacific Area and
commander in chief of the United States Navy 3rd Fleet; invasions of the
Philippines and Ulithi (Micronesia); and United States Marine Corps and United
States Navy demobilization efforts after the war.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Forrestal, James, 1892-1949.
Halsey, William F. (William Frederick), 1882-1959.
Kinkaid, Thomas C. (Thomas Cassin), 1888-1972.
Leahy, William D.
Riley, William Edward, 1897-1970.
Royall, Kenneth C. (Kenneth Claiborne), 1894-1971.
Organizations
United States. Marine Corps--Demobilization.
United States. Marine Corps--Officers.
United States. Navy--Demobilization.
United States. Navy. Fleet, 3rd.
Subjects
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Micronesia.
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Philippines.
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--South Pacific Ocean.
World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations, American.
Places
Ulithi (Micronesia)
Occupations
Marine Corps officers.
Provenance
The papers of William Edward Riley, Marine Corps officer, were
deposited in the Library of Congress by the Naval Historical Foundation in
1968. An addition was received from the Naval Historical Foundation in 1976.
The deposit was converted to a gift in 1998.
Processing History
A preliminary description of the collection was prepared in 1971. An
additional item, received in 1976, was incorporated into the collection in
1997. The finding aid was revised in 2009.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of William Edward
Riley is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of William Edward Riley are open to research. Researchers
are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Security Classified Documents
Government regulations control the use of security classified material
in this collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish information
concerning access to and use of classified materials.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, William Edward Riley Papers, Naval
Historical Foundation Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of William Edward Riley (1897-1970) span the years
1941-1948 and consist of correspondence, memoranda, operation plans, reports,
speeches and speech material, maps, photographs, notes, printed matter, and
other material. The papers relate to Riley's World War II service on the staff
of Admiral William Frederick Halsey, commander of South Pacific Area and
commander in chief of the U.S. Navy 3rd Fleet; invasions of the Philippines and
Ulithi (Micronesia); and U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy demobilization efforts
after the war. Also included are copies of speeches by James Forrestal, William
Frederick Halsey, Thomas Cassin Kinkaid, William D. Leahy, and Kenneth
Claiborne Royall.
Arrangement of the Papers
The papers are organized into a subject file, arranged alphabetically
by name of person, topic, or type of material, and a miscellany file, arranged
alphabetically by type of material.
Container List
Container Nos.
Contents
1
Subject file
1
Armed services, unification,
1946-1948
1946-1948
1
Demobilization notebook,
1944-1947
1944-1947
(4
folders)
1
Hull, Cordell,
1948
1948
1
Leyete operations, Philippine
Islands,
1944
1944
1
Maps
1
Australia,
1942
1942
1
Bismarck Archipelago and
Solomon Islands,
1943, undated
1943, undated
1
Central Pacific and Philippine
Islands,
1944, undated
1944, undated
1
Germany,
1944
1944
1
Japan,
1944, undated
1944, undated
1
New Calédone,
undated
undated
1
New Guinea,
undated
undated
2
Southeast Asia,
1944, undated
1944, undated
2
Southwest Pacific area,
undated
undated
2
Yokohama, port,
1945
1945
2
Marine Corps tables of
organization, deviations,
1945
1945
2
New
Jersey (battleship), action reports,
1944
1944
2
Prisoner of war interrogation
report,
1945
1945
2
South Pacific operations,
1942-1944
1942-1944
(5
folders)
2
Third Fleet,
1943-1944
1943-1944
2
Ulithi Islands,
1944
1944
2
United States Atlantic Fleet,
organization of,
1948
1948
2
Yap Islands,
1944
1944
3
Miscellany
3
Article, "Why We Lost," by a
German commander,
1945
1945
3
Photographs, South Pacific
forces,
1944, undated
1944, undated
3
Printed matter
3
1941-1944
(8
folders)
4
1945
(9
folders)
5
1945
(3
folders)
5
1946-1947
(4
folders)
5
Speech file
5
Defensive combat,
1945
1945
5
Forrestal, James, Victory Day
statement,
1946
1946
5
Halsey, William Frederick,
duties of a theater commander,
1946-1947
1946-1947
5
Kinkaid, Thomas C., Victory in
Japan Day celebration,
1946
1946
5
Leahy, William D.,
1946
1946
5
Postwar military establishment
and manpower problems,
1947
1947
5
Royall, Kenneth C.,
1947
1947