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/mm2015086020
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 Lee McCardell, journalist and newspaper editor, were given to the Library of Congress by his daughter, Abby Martin, in 2015.
The papers of Lee McCardell were arranged and described by Amanda L. Loeb in 2016. The finding aid was updated in 2024 by Maria Farmer as part of a division-wide remediation project by the Inclusive Description Working Group.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Lee McCardell in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.
The papers of Lee McCardell 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, Lee McCardell Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Lee McCardell (1901-1963) span the years 1867 to 2009, with the bulk of the material dating from 1927 to 1963. The papers are in English and are organized into the following series: Pre-World War II, World War II, Post-World War II, Personal Writings, and Artifacts .
The Pre-World War II series consists of family and general
correspondence, writings, clippings, and other materials from McCardell's early years as
a journalist in Baltimore, Maryland, as well as his year-long stint working for
newspapers in New York and Paris. The bulk of correspondence is between McCardell and
then future wife Nancy Arnold during his time away from Baltimore. Letters exchanged
from New York describe personal and vocational matters. Letters from abroad describe
McCardell's arrival in London and crossing to Paris in 1928, and impressions of fellow
American journalists and expatriates, French cuisine, museums, jazz clubs, and theaters.
His last two weeks overseas spent traveling throughout Germany and Austria are also
described. General correspondence consists of letters from friends and correspondence
with publishers and magazines regarding his unsuccessful attempts to publish two novels:
The World War II series includes correspondence, writings,
clippings, photographs, and other materials from McCardell's work as a foreign
correspondent in Europe and North Africa from 1942 to 1945. Also included are materials
documenting a two week assignment reporting on the occupation of Iceland in August 1941.
Correspondence is primarily between McCardell and his wife and three daughters: Mary Ann
("Dah"), Abby, and Sarah Susan ("Tilly"). Correspondence with his daughters consists
mostly of picture postcards from places he travelled. In letters to his wife, McCardell
often expressed frustration at being away from his family, the uncertainties of his
travel assignments, and the difficulty of writing stories subject to army censors. His
letters from 1942 describe his experience covering basic training and combat drills with
the Twenty-Ninth Infantry Division before posting overseas. Letters from England
describe hardships in London during wartime, visits to the country with the air corps,
and competition among reporters and the challenges of transmitting stories by cable.
Letters dating from January 1944 describe moving through North Africa and Italy; the
battle of Monte Cassino and refugees from the monastery; and waiting for a ship back to
England at an undisclosed location. From June 1944, McCardell's letters describe the
Allied invasion of Europe and his experiences with the Ninth Air Force fighting in
France, including, flying passenger in a bomber over the Normandy beaches on D-Day, the
fall of Cherbourg to Allied forces, and catching a ride into Paris with members of the
French resistance ahead of authorized United States entry, becoming one of the first
American reporters to enter the liberated city. Other letters discuss the controversy of
his termination from the Ninth Air Force for failure to report exclusively on Air Force
activity, and subsequent reassignment to the U.S. Third Army for the remainder of
combat. Miscellany includes several photographs taken by McCardell in the field and
relayed to the
The Post-World War II series consists of correspondence,
writings, clippings, photographs, and other materials from McCardell's postwar career,
the bulk dating from 1945 to 1963. Included are materials from his appointments as chief
of both the London and Rome bureaus of the
The Personal Writings series consists of biographies,
diaries and notebooks, family history, novels, plays, poems, and short stories written
by McCardell and not printed in newspapers. The majority are unpublished works and date
from 1920 to 1963.
Artifacts in the collection consist of press ribbons,
armbands, and buttons, dated 1938-1939; a button reading
This collection is arranged in five series:
Correspondence, writings, clippings, and other materials from McCardell's early years as a journalist in Baltimore, Md., as well as his brief stint working for newspapers in New York and Paris.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein chronologically or alphabetically by name of individual or topic.
Correspondence, writings, clippings, photographs, and other materials from McCardell's work as a foreign correspondent.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein chronologically or alphabetically by name of individual or topic.
Correspondence, writings, clippings, photographs, and other materials from McCardell's continued career in journalism, including materials from his appointments as bureau chief in London and Rome.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein chronologically or alphabetically by name of individual or topic.
Biographies, diaries and notebooks, novels, plays, poems, and short stories written by McCardell. The majority are unpublished works and date from 1920 to 1963.
Arranged alphabetically by genre and therein alphabetically by title.
Press materials and a hat and goggles likely from World War II