Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm78027912
Collection material in English
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.
The papers of Nelson T. Johnson were given to the Library of Congress by Johnson in 1954. Additions were received as gifts from his wife, Jane Thornton Beck, in 1967, 1971, and 1987.
The papers of Nelson T. Johnson were arranged and described by Grover Batts in 1971 and revised and expanded by Grover Batts in 1975 and by Connie L. Cartledge in 1987. The finding aid was revised again in 2012. The finding aid was updated in 2023 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Nelson T. Johnson is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The papers of Nelson T. Johnson 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.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Nelson T. Johnson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Nelson Trusler Johnson (1887-1954) span the years 1916-1955, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1922-1954. Included in addition to personal correspondence are memoranda of conversations, engagement books and desk calendars, articles and speeches, and other material relating to Johnson's diplomatic service with the State Department in China, Australia, and east Asia from 1922 to 1952, including as ambassador to China and secretary general of the Far Eastern Commission. The collection is organized into seven series: Appointment Books , General Correspondence , Memoranda of Conversations , Subject File , Miscellany , Addition , and Oversize .
The main body of the correspondence begins with Johnson's departure for east Asia in 1922 as consul general at large assigned to inspect the District of Eastern Asia. Featured as backdrop to his career is an in-depth portrait of China during the early phase of the civil war between the Communist (Zhongguo gong chan dang) and Kuomintang (Zhongguo guo min dang) parties, 1926-1941, the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and the Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945. In addition, there is substantial correspondence documenting Johnson's service as United States minister to Australia during World War II and his service as secretary general of the Far Eastern Commission, 1946-1952.
Prominent correspondents include Edwin Sheddan Cunningham; John Foster Dulles; Joseph C. Grew; Stanley Kuhl Hornbeck; Roy Wilson Howard; Cordell Hull; Thomas W. Lamont; Miles Lampson, Baron Killearn; Owen Lattimore; Henry Morgenthau (1891-1967); and Francis Bowes Sayre (1885-1972).
The Addition series complements the main portion of the collection, including particularly a significant volume of correspondence with Stanley Kuhl Hornbeck and subject files relating to the Far East Commission.
This collection is arranged in seven series:
Bound volumes and loose appointment sheets.
Arranged chronologically.
Letters sent and received.
Organized into bound and unbound files and therein chronologically by year and then alphabetically by name of correspondent.
Memoranda of conversations with diplomats and others.
Arranged chronologically.
Correspondence and printed matter relating to the Far East.
Arranged by topic, assignment, or name of organization.
Book reviews, speeches, newspaper clippings, and material relating to diplomatic appointments.
Organized by type of material.
Correspondence, memoranda of conversations, a subject file, and miscellany, including speeches and writings, printed matter, reports, and other material.
Arranged by type of material.
Diplomatic appointment material.
Described according to the series and container from which it was removed.