55.67 Linear feet (106 containers: 92 legal size document boxes, 2 shoeboxes, 11 flatboxes, 1 large format folder)
5 Film reels (1 35mm, two 16mm, and 2 8mm films)
50.008 Cubic feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Film reels
Date:
1886-1969
Summary:
This collection contains Verville's personal papers. The material relates mainly to his various aeronautical concerns as well as his involvement with military aviation. The collection includes a large number of photos tracing the development of Curtiss aircraft and Naval Aviation, and especially documenting the design, construction, and flights of a replica of the Navy's first aircraft, the Curtiss A-1 'Triad', built under Verville's direction by the Bureau of Aeronautics to commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of Naval Aviation in 1961. Also included are a large number of blueprints and photos of Verville-designed aircraft, especially those developed by the Verville Aircraft Co. in 1928 - 1931
Scope and Contents:
Contents of this collection include blueprints, drawings, technical manuals, reference material, correspondence, financial information, event programs, photographs, newspapers and clippings, magazines, pamphlets, brochures, journals, books.
The researcher should note that the collection also contains 35mm, 16mm and 8mm films. These films are not included in the container list but a NASM Archives staff person can assist you regarding access.
Arrangement:
Organized into series:
SERIES 1: Correspondence
SERIES 2: Institute of the Aerospace Sciences (IAS) - Navy National Naval Aviation Meeting 1961 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Naval Aviation in San Diego CA featuring the A-1 Replica
SERIES 3: Technical Materials
SERIES 4: Drawings
SERIES 5: Other Papers
SERIES 6: Publications
SERIES 7: Photographs
SERIES 8: Scrapbooks, Oversize Materials
SERIES 9: Additional Material
This collection was arranged at the time of processing to better reflect its main areas of subject matter as there was very little original order preserved. Original folder titles were kept when they appeared; archivists' folder titles are in brackets. Archivist's description appears below folder titles.
Series 9 represents an accrual of documents found within the archive in 2024.
Biographical / Historical:
Alfred Victor Verville (1890-1970), aviation pioneer and aircraft designer, was responsible for a number of important inventions in aircraft design, including welded-steel-frame fuselages and retractable landing gear. He began work with the Curtiss Aeroplane Co in 1914 and, by the end of World War I had moved through a number of manufacturers, including Curtiss (1914), T-M Airplane Co (1915), General Airplane Co (1915-17), and Fisher Body Corp, Airplane Division (1917-18). In 1918 he became involved in military aviation at the United States Army Air Corp Engineering Division, McCook Field , OH (1918-25) and served as advisor to Colonel William Mitchell during his inspection trip to Europe (1922). In 1925 he co-founded the Buhl-Verville Aircraft Co (1925-27) before striking out on his own with the Verville Aircraft Co (1928-31). Through the 1930s and 1940s he acted in a number of capacities, including periods as a consultant (1932, 1939-41); at the Bureau of Air Commerce, United States Department of Commerce (1933-36); Douglas Aircraft (1937-38); Curtiss Wright Corp (1941-42), Snead Aircraft, Technical Division (1942); and Drexel Aviation Co (1942-45). In 1945 he served as a member of the Naval Technical Mission to Europe and later joined the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (1946-61). He retired in 1961, but continued to support aviation and aeronautics until his death.
Provenance:
Alfred Verville, gift, 1954
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of a cookbook entitled Operations Vittles.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of a cookbook entitled Operation Vittles that was compiled by the American Women in Blockaded Berlin and published by Deutscher Verlag in January 1949. It measures approximately 8.25 by 6.5 inches with 118 pages including front and back covers. The book includes recipes with each cook's signature, hand-drawn illustrations, images of cargo plane, and drawings created by German schoolchildren. The cover features a drawing of a zoomorphic aircraft stylized as birds dropping food and supplies to Allied troops depicted as a group of openmouthed people in a bird's nest.
Arrangement:
One item.
Biographical / Historical:
At the end of World War II when the Soviet forces blockaded West Berlin roads, the United States and its allies executed "Operation Vittles," also known as the Berlin Airlift. Cargo planes delivered 2.3 million tons of food and supplies to West Berlin. Compiled by the "American Women in Blockaded Berlin," the Foreign Service Officers and their wives created this cookbook that includes recipes that utilized the limited variety of food at their disposal through this period.
This cookbook was property of Colonel John C. Winget who served in the United States Army Air Corps at the Wright-Patterson Base in Dayton, Ohio during World War II. He graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Civil Engineering and was employed by Armco Steel in Middletown, Ohio. Because of his education and employment, he was called back to duty at the established Air Materiel Command now part of the United State Air Force. Colonel Winget acquired this cookbook during the Berlin Airlift of 1949. He went on to service during the Korean War and was honored in a 1952 ceremony in London, England. His name is also engraved on the Wall of Honor outside the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Provenance:
Ann La Porta, Gift, 2024, NASM.2024.0024.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
The Swoose: Odyssey of a B-17 Collection consists of materials collected during research by Herbert Brownstein, the author.
Scope and Content:
This collection consists of materials collected by author Herbert Brownstein during his research for the book The Swoose: Odyssey of a B-17. Fifty-four of the images collected were used in the book. These images feature the aircraft, its crew, its insignia, air fields where it was stationed and maps of the flights of The Swoose. Mr. Brownstein collected approximately six hundred additional photographs from former crew members and other sources which were not used in the book. Included among these are images of air bases including Milne Bay, New Guinea; Marreba, Australia; Clark Field, Philippine Islands; Port Moresby, New Guinea; Del Monte, Philippine Islands; Randolph, Texas; Wheeler, Hawaii; Brooks, Texas; and Kelly, Texas. Aircraft featured include the Bell P-39, Douglas C-47, Boeing B-17B, Boeing B-17G, North American B-25B, Curtiss P-40, North American N4J Pensacola Trainer, and Boeing B-17 Suzy-Q. Aviation field maps include those for Northeast Australia, Malaya, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the Philippine Islands. Individuals represented include Henry Godman, Weldon S. Smith, Lyndon B. Johnson, Frank Kurtz, Sir Charles Burnett, Brigadier General George Acheson and several group shots of crew. There are also histories of the 14th and 19th Bombardment Groups, operations, battle honor lists, damage reports, debriefing reports, and crew lists as well as periodical articles about the aircraft and its crew.
Arrangement:
The collection has been organized into three series:
SERIES 1: Photographs Used in The Swoose: Odyssey of a B-17
SERIES 2: Photographs Collected but not Used in The Swoose: Odyssey of a B-17
SERIES 3: Official Government Documents, Periodical Articles, Miscellaneous Material
Biographical/Historical note:
The Swoose was the name given to Boeing B-17D Flying Fortress serial number 40-3097 by Weldon H. Smith, one of its crew members. The aircraft flew four historic trans-Pacific flights: California to Hawaii, May 13-14, 1941; Sydney, Australia to Hawaii and back, May 17-30, 1942; and Brisbane to Washington, DC, August 4-12, 1942. It was stationed in the Pacific theater during the first two years of World War II (1941-1943) and was assigned to both the 14th and 19th Bombardment Groups. In the Pacific, The Swoose carried out bombing and transport operations in the Philippines, Java, and Australia. In 1943, the aircraft was stationed in Panama. The aircraft remained in service until 1953, when it was transferred to the National Air and Space Museum. In 2008, The Swoose was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Provenance:
Herb Brownstein, gift, 1994, 1996, 2000, 1994-0024
This collection consists of duplicate microfilm of individual aircraft records for the United States Air Force (USAF). The microfilm covers aircraft owned by the US Army Air Service, Army Air Corps, Army Air Forces, USAF, and the National Guard starting in July of 1923 and including those dropped from the active inventory before June 30, 1955. (Master films are held by the Air Force Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, AL.) Each record card consists of a complete record of aircraft transfers (duty locations) from acceptance until retirement. Duty locations do not include unit, only theater/air base.
Scope and Contents:
Beginning in 1951, the USAF began microfilming the IARCs for retired aircraft. The first group filmed were aircraft retired as of May 1951 (119 rolls of 16mm microfilm), with additional sections including retirements through September 1952 and records "out of file" (not present in the retired aircraft file) in May 1951 (6 rolls) and retirements through May 1953 and records "out of file" in September 1952 (3 rolls). In 1971 the USAF microfilmed the records through 1954 for aircraft not retired by May 1953 (approximately 70 rolls) and all active aircraft from 1955 through 1964 (89 rolls). Later these various film series were designated by the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA; Maxwell AFB, AL), which maintains the original records, as ACR (May 1951 retirements), OA (out-of-file records from May 1951, retirements through September 1952 and May 1953), AC (aircraft active as of August 1954), and ACA (1955-1964 records).
Records were organized by military serial number, although some records were missorted and therefore filmed out of order. The project only encompassed the main IARC files and as a result the records maintained by the 15th SCU were filmed only in a few rare cases. Similarly the records maintained by overseas SCUs were not filmed. Thus the IARC records for wartime aircraft, particularly those transferred out of the Continental United States, remain incomplete.
The NASM holdings of these records consists of duplicate copies of the ACR and OA series of films only, comprising 128 rolls of microfilm. NASM rolls are identified consistent with the AFHRA designation scheme. The following listing gives the roll identification (ACR- or OA- number), the serial number range, and any special notes relating to the particular roll. The note "NASM M###" gives the roll identification assigned by the National Air and Space Museum in the 1960s when all microfilm in the NASM collection was sequentially numbered regardless of collection; these numbers are included for historical purposes and are cross-referenced in M-number order in Appendix 1 (page 8).
For access to the AC and ACA series, contact the Air Force Historical Research Agency at:
Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1600 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into the following series:
Series I: Records for aircraft retired from USAF service through May 1951
Series II: Records for aircraft retired from USAF service through May 1951 (Out of file records)
Series III: Records for aircraft retired from USAF service May 1951 through September 1952
Series IV: Records for aircraft retired from USAF service September 1952 through May 1953
The NASM holdings of these records consists of duplicate copies of the ACR and OA series of films only, comprising 128 rolls of microfilm. NASM rolls are identified consistent with the AFHRA designation scheme. The follow listing gives the roll identification (ACR- or OA- number), the serial number range, and any special notes relating to the particular roll. The note "NASM M###" gives the roll identification assigned by the National Air and Space Museum in the 1960s when all microfilm in the NASM collection was sequentially numbered regardless of collection; these numbers are included for historical purposes and are cross-referenced in container listing notes.
Biographical/Historical note:
The United States Air Force and its predecessors1 have maintained a variety of records relating to the aircraft operated by the service. Beginning in 1923, the Air Service maintained individual records for each aircraft added to the inventory listing location and activity from its acceptance by the service until its retirement from the inventory. Such records have had a number of official names --Aircraft Master Record, Individual Aircraft Record Card (IARC), etc. --but are most commonly called "Aircraft History Cards." Originally, these records were manually compiled from unit inventories, morning reports, and so on, but the increased use of automated systems in the 1940s allowed automatic compilation and machine printing of the IARC entries after 1940.
IARCs do not record the entire history and activity of an individual aircraft. They do not include information about missions or crews, nor do they record exact locations or manners of loss. Rather, they serve as a compilation of the locations, transfers, and "controlling activity" (the unit responsible for reporting the aircraft) of the aircraft at a set time. The exact type of information and its manner of presentation changes over time and can be best described in chronological groups:
through c.1940
This period actually covers a variety of record card styles, but the data is hand-written or typed. The information follows the printed columns on the card. The information generally consists of reporting location, inventory date (month and fiscal year2), and flying time (both total and during the inventory period). The reporting activity is generally the base, rather than the unit. Transfers between bases are included as separate listings which include the authority for the transfer.
c.1940 --November 1942
During this period the USAAF switched to the use of electronic accounting machine (EAM) technology for inventory reporting and this allowed the automated compilation and printing of IARC data. The data and card presentation remains constant from the forms in use before the change, but the cards are machine printed, rather than hand written. Some data is abbreviated; location, for example, is given by a seven-character abbreviation.
November 1942 --April 1944
At the end of 1942 the responsibility for maintaining the inventory and individual aircraft status information was shifted from Headquarters, Air Materiel Command to one of several Statistical Control Units (SCU) within the Continental United States (CONUS) or overseas. IARCs were still prepared as before for newly-purchased aircraft and added to the main IARC file to track each aircraft from the factory to its initial assignment within CONUS or to an overseas shipping destination. The 15th SCU was responsible for tracking aircraft inventory and status information for aircraft within the CONUS and developed its own form for recording this data. The 15th SCU forms radically changed the data presentation --flying time was no longer recorded, some unit information was recorded for the first time, and location either appears as the abbreviations used previously or as a four-character shipping destination code. No effort was made to transfer 15th SCU data to the IARC master file, so that no activity was recorded on IARC cards during this period. Further, the inventory records on aircraft outside of the CONUS were maintained by SCUs in theater; as a result the entries on IARCs end with their transfer overseas, save for the final entry showing their removal from the inventory or until they returned to a CONUS location.
April 1944 --September 1949
At the beginning of this period, entries again appear on the main IARCs, although the concentration on CONUS-based aircraft continued until after the end of World War II. There are no records for aircraft transferred overseas once they leave the CONUS until they are dropped from the inventory, return to the United States, or until the reporting requirements changed after the end of the war. During this period the entries recorded a change in the status of the aircraft --either a transfer of station or a change in the usage of the aircraft. Entries record the reporting and other involved station and unit and the type, nature, and date of the change. The exact presentation of the data varies slightly over the period but generally involves a number of codes used to speed transmission of the data.
September 1949 and subsequent
Beginning September 1949, IARCs entries were printed in batches, giving rise to groups of entries followed by a "bookkeeping" line indicating the serial number and number of entries printed. The data presentation for each entry remains similar to the entries from the previous period.
During the machine-printed period (from 1940 on) IARC entries become more and more difficult to understand due to the increasing data density and the use of one- or two-character codes for a variety of information. The Museum staff is currently preparing a guide to understanding the USAF IARC, which will treat the various code groups and data presentations in greater depth.
1 Aviation Section, United States Army Signal Corps (1914-1918); United States Army Air Service (USAAS; 1918-1926); United States Army Air Corps (USAAC; 1926-1941); United States Army Air Forces (USAAF; 1941-1947); United States Air Force (USAF; 1947- )
2 Until 1976 the government fiscal year (FY) ran 1 July --30 June. Thus FY1941 ran 1 July 1940 through 30 June 1941.
Provenance:
Dept. of the Air Force, Transfer, unknown, XXXX-0461.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pia Marie Winters Jordan in memory of her mother, First Lieutenant Louise Virginia Lomax Winters, Army Nurse Corps; and her uncle, Sgt. Henry James Lomax, U.S. Army
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pia Marie Winters Jordan in memory of her mother, First Lieutenant Louise Virginia Lomax Winters, Army Nurse Corps; and her uncle, Sgt. Henry James Lomax, U.S. Army
During World War II, members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) ferried planes, towed anti-aircraft artillery training targets, flew tracking, simulated bombing missions, performed radio control, flight tested aircraft, gave instrument instruction and performed many other duties. Their work allowed more men to participate in aviation combat roles. Bernice Falk Haydu (1920-2021) was a member of WASP class 44-7. This collection contains yearbooks, membership rosters, songbooks, photographs, correspondence, etc. from her WASP career.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains documents from Bernice Falk Haydu's career with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Materials include yearbooks, membership rosters, songbooks, photographs, correspondence and calling cards, and Falk's civilian employee pass for Pecos Army Air Field.
Arrangement:
Arranged by type of material.
Biographical / Historical:
With the entry of the United States into World War II, many American women pilots longed to volunteer their skills to serve their country but were barred from flying for the US military due to their gender. Some American women pilots, including well-known racing pilot Jacqueline "Jackie" Cochran, had already offered their services to the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), ferrying aircraft from the manufacturers to and between air bases and freeing up male Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots for other duties. Cochran's experience with the ATA led her to lobby long and hard for a similar organization in the US. Initially, two organizations were formed to allow American women pilots to participate in the war effort. On September 10, 1942, the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), consisting of commercially licensed women pilots under the leadership of Nancy Harkness Love, was created as part of the US Army Air Corps' Air Transport Command. On November 16, 1942, a women pilot training program designed to supply pilots for the WAFS was begun under Cochran's leadership as the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD). Initially based at Howard Hughes Municipal Airport in Houston, Texas, the WFTD was soon moved to Avenger Field at Sweetwater, Texas. On August 5, 1943, the WAFS and the WFTD were merged to form the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), with Cochran as director of the WASP and its training division and Love as director of the ferrying division. Between November 17, 1942, and December 7, 1944, the 1,074 women who earned WASP wings flew 60 million miles for the US Army Air Corps. From light aircraft, the WASPs advanced quickly to fly every type of Air Corps aircraft in use at the time. Except for aerial gunnery and formation flying, these women received the same training as the male pilots. WASPs ferried planes, towed anti-aircraft artillery training targets, flew tracking, simulated bombing missions, performed radio control, flight tested aircraft, gave instrument instruction and performed many other duties. Their work allowed more men to participate in aviation combat roles.
Bernice Falk Haydu (1920-2021) was a member of WASP class 44-7. Known as Bee Falk at the time, she volunteered for the civilian Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in early 1944 because she loved flying and wanted to help the war effort. She trained for seven months at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, where she logged 210 hours in various aircraft. She went on to serve at Pecos Army Airfield as an engineering test pilot and a utility pilot before the WASP program was canceled in December 1944. After the war, she worked as a freelance flight instructor, ferry pilot, and later owned a Cessna dealership and flight school. Haydu served as president of the WASP alumni association, Order of the Fifinella, between 1975-78, spearheading efforts for recognition for the WASP. In 1977, the WASP were granted military veteran status. Haydu was one of three surviving WASP to stand beside President Obama in 2009 as he awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the WASP for their service during World War II.
Provenance:
Bernice Falk Haydu, Gift, 1987, NASM.1987.0077
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
An identification card issued to Kelsey by the United States Army Air Corps in 1938. The Indentification Card contains a photograph of Kelsey.
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Collection Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
The Frank and Dolores Becker papers contains materials from the Indian Association of America, Inc. as well as material regarding Frank Becker's work with Navajo Soldiers in the Army Air Corps during World War II. This includes a full run of the Indian Association of America's publication Smoke Signals, personal scrapbooks as well as a collection of phonographic records.
Scope and Contents:
The bulk of the Frank and Dolores Becker papers come from their years working for the Indian Association of America between 1949 and 1968 as president (Frank) and secretary (Dolores). This includes administrative materials such as articles of incorporation and dissolution, the constitution and by-laws, member lists, as well as meeting reports and notes. There is also a full run of Smoke Signals (1949-1961), the association's bi-monthly magazine edited by Dolores Becker.
In addition to materials regarding the Indian Association of America there are two copies of Frank Becker's book, Navajo Way and background information on his work at the Presbyterian Hospitality house during WWII teaching English and reading to Navajo soldiers. There are several photos of Becker and the Navajo soldiers he taught as well as an audio cassette of the recording in the Navajo language used in the classroom. The recording features Frank Becker in English and Roger Davis in Navajo and includes several prayers as well as general army instructions and general orders for interior guard duty.
There are also two scrapbooks in the collection. One was created by Dolores which includes drawings, poems and research she conducted on Native American culture. The second is a scrapbook of newspaper articles and clippings, many of them written by Frank Becker, on the Becker's activities with the Indian Association of America and other related Native American issues. Many notices of Frank Becker's speaking engagements are included in this scrapbook. Also included is the Becker's collection of phonographic records. These nine records, 10 inch (78rm) were produced by Tom Tom records, Canyon records and one by Victor and include a variety of Native American songs.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged in one series alphabetically. The phonographic records are listed at the end of the collection, also in alphabetical order.
Frank and Dolores Becker:
Frank Becker was born in New York City on April 24, 1907 to Frank and Thora Bregartner Becker. A Graduate from Stuyvesant High School and the New York Training School for teachers, Becker received a B.S. from NYU in 1942 and was awarded his degree the same year he was inducted into the Army Air Corps. Becker taught at P.S. 17 before and after WWII and later received a Masters of Arts Degree.
Though he started as a mechanic in the Army Air Corps in 1942, Becker was soon transferred to the 704th training group in Atlantic City, New Jersey to help organize a school for illiterate soldiers. Becker was tasked to teach reading, writing and arithmetic to a mixed group of students that included Greeks, Chinese, Navajo, Pima and Papago soldiers. The largest group of Native American soldiers Becker taught were Navajo. Because many of the Navajo soldiers could not speak English, Roger Davis, an elected leader to the Navajo Tribal Council and Presbyterian missionary, was sent to Atlantic City to act as an interpreter. Together, Becker and Davis made phonographic recordings of the Army Handbook in both English and Navajo. Davis assisted Becker for five weeks staying as a guest of the Presbyterian Hospitality House. Becker later wrote a book on his experiences working with the group of Navajo soldiers titled Navajo Way (1956). The experience also sparked a lifelong interested in the Navajo culture as well as awareness of many of the problems facing the Navajo community in regards to education and health.
Following the war, Becker visited Arizona and New Mexico with his family in in the fall on 1947. Frank had Frank met Dolores in the early 1940's through mutual friends and the two were married December 27, 1944. Dolores, born August 6, 1913, had passed the New Jersey bar in 1936 and had been practicing law in the juvenile court system. After meeting Frank she also took an active interest in Native American culture. The family visited Gallup, Window Rock and Indian Wells, where they visited with Roger Davis, making particular note of the schools they visited. On the return from this trip, Becker wrote passionately on the failing of the U.S. government to fulfill its obligations to the Navajo people, particularly in the area of education. Frank and Dolores both joined several organizations, most notably the Indian Association of America, dedicated to helping Native Americans advocating especially for WWII Veterans returning home and education. Additionally, Frank wrote many columns, letters to the editor and speeches on both his experiences teaching Navajo soldiers during the war as well current issues facing Native American communities. Dolores appeared on several TV shows in the 1950's directed towards younger audiences explaining Native American cultures.
Frank Becker died November 11, 1979 in Shokan, NY and Dolores died on March 6, 2010 leaving behind a daughter and a son.
Additional Information on Frank and Dolores Becker provided by their daughter Thora Becker.
Indian Association of America:
According to its constitution and by-laws, The Indian Association of America was originally founded in Denver, Colorado by Dr. Vincent "Red Fox" St. James and Dr. George C. Stagg in 1924. Red Fox, who claimed to be Blackfoot but whose origins are undetermined, had previously been a founder of the Tipi (Tepee) Order of America, an organization that blended ritual aspects closely related to Freemasonry with the pan-Indian movement dedicated to advocacy work for the welfare of Native Americans. The Indian Association of America mimicked this model with some of its stated objectives being; to promote better understanding between the races, to study the Indian cultures of America, to foster education for American Indians, to provide direct help in emergencies faced by American Indian communities, to protest laws detrimental to American Indians and to promote the observance of American Indian Day.
Though previously active, the Indian Association of America was officially incorporated in the state of New York in 1950 as a non-profit organization. Frank Becker took over as "Great Sachem," or President, in October of 1950 and led the organization until its dissolution in 1968. Its magazine, Smoke Signals, began publishing bi-monthly in June of 1949 with Dolores Becker serving as editor for the entirety of its run between 1949 and 1961. Frank Becker acted as a contributing editor and later as an advisory editor. The Indian Association of America formally dissolved in March of 1968.
Provenance:
Gift of Thora Becker, 2013.
Restrictions:
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Thursday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).
Due to their fragile nature, the AV materials in this collection are closed to researchers until they have been digitized.
Rights:
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or broadbast materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiarchives@si.edu.
Topic:
Indians of North America -- Periodicals Search this
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Frank and Dolores Becker papers, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pia Marie Winters Jordan in memory of her mother, First Lieutenant Louise Virginia Lomax Winters, Army Nurse Corps; and her uncle, Sgt. Henry James Lomax, U.S. Army
Photographs depicting Igorot and other Indigenous Philippine peoples at Camp Nichols (1929), relating to Manila's 1929 carnival, aerial views of the Philippines, and images of Mangyan, Moro, Bagobo, Bontoc, Ilocano, Ifugao, and Negrito people. The collection also consists of images of Mindanao, Luzon, and parts of China, including Nanjing, and a carbon copy of a press release by John G. Salsman about the Philippine tribal groups visiting Camp Nichols. The photographs may have been collected or made by John G. Salsman.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 2011-26
Location of Other Archival Materials:
Photographs collected by John G. Salsman can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in Photo Lot 75-73
