Guide to the John B. Hattendorf collection of John L. McCrea papers, 1918, 1942-1953
(bulk 1942-1953)
Naval War College (U.S.). Naval Historical Collection
686 Cushing Road
Newport, RI 02841-1207
Tel: (401) 841-2435
email: nhc@usnwc.edu
Website: https://usnwcarchives.org/
Published in 2018
Collection Overview
| Title: |
John B. Hattendorf collection of John L. McCrea papers |
| Date range: |
1918, 1942-1953 |
| Creator: |
Hattendorf, John B. |
| Extent: |
.25 Linear Feet (1 half archival box, 1 oversize box)
|
| Abstract: |
Vice Admiral John Livingstone McCrea (1891-1990) served in the Navy from 1915 until his retirement in 1953. These papers include correspondence and photographs relating to his professional career and personal interests. |
| Language of materials: |
English |
| Repository: |
Naval War College (U.S.). Naval Historical Collection
|
| Collection number: |
MSC-356 |
Scope & content
This collection consists of correspondence and photographs relating to Admiral McCrea's professional career and personal interests. Of particular interest are photographs with President Franklin D. Roosevelt upon their return from the Casablanca Conference in 1943.
Access Points
Subject Names
Subject Organizations
Document Types
Subject Topics
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in alphabetical order by type.
Biographical Note
John Livingstone McCrea (1891-1990), son of Dr. Henry and Lilly Livingstone McCrea, was born in Marlette, Michigan on 1891 May 29. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1915, following his graduation from the United States Naval Academy, until his retirement in 1953 as a vice admiral.
Admiral McCrea served in both world wars. During World War I, he served in the battleship New York, which was a unit of the Sixth Battle Squadron and operated with the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea throughout the last year of the war. In the interwar period, McCrea served on a series of different ships and attended the U.S. Naval War College graduating in 1924. He also worked in the Office of the Judge Advocate General, Navy Department, and was the aide to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Harold R. Stark. He also served as naval secretary at the first meeting of the Combined Chiefs of Staff at the Arcadia Conference in December 1941.
At the start of World War II, he was appointed naval aide to the President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In this role, he accompanied the President to wartime conferences at Casablanca, Cairo and Tehran. He also established the White House Map Room and Shangri-La (current day Camp David). In August 1944, McCrea was promoted to the rank of rear admiral and assumed command of Cruiser Division ONE and a task force in the Aleutian waters in the North Pacific. Upon the death of President Roosevelt in April 1945, McCrea was recalled to Washington and served in various positions in the Navy Department, later rising to the rank of vice admiral.
McCrea retired from the Navy in 1953 and began work in the private sector. He worked as a vice president for client relations at John Hancock Life Insurance Company in Boston, retiring in 1966. Admiral John L. McCrea died on 1990 January 25 in Needham, Massachusetts.
Chronology
| 1891 |
|
Born May 29 in Marlette, Michigan |
| 1915 |
|
Graduated from United States Naval Academy |
| 1915-1919 |
|
U.S.S. New York (BB-34) |
| 1919-1921 |
|
U.S.S. New Mexico (BB-40); Aide to Admiral Hugh Rodman, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet |
| 1922 |
|
Executive officer, U.S.S. Ramapo (AO-12) |
| 1923-1924 |
|
Student at U.S. Naval War College |
| 1924-1926 |
|
Commander, U.S.S. Bittern (AM-36) |
| 1926-1929 |
|
Assigned to the Office of the Judge Advocate General |
| 1929 |
|
Bachelor of law degree, George Washington University |
| 1929-1931 |
|
Aide and flag secretary to the Commander, Special Service Squadron operating in Central American waters |
| 1932-1934 |
|
Aide to Orin G. Murfin, Judge Advocate General |
| 1934 |
|
Masters of law degree, George Washington University |
| 1934-1936 |
|
Navigator, U.S.S. Astoria (CA-34) |
| 1936 |
|
Promotion to Commander |
| 1936-1937 |
|
Executive officer of naval station and aide for civil administration, Guam |
| 1938-1940 |
|
Executive officer, U.S.S. Pennsylvania(BB-38) |
| 1940-1941 |
|
Aide to Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations; Naval secretary at the first meetings of the Combined Chiefs of Staff |
| 1942 |
|
Promotion to Captain |
| 1942-1943 |
|
Naval aide to President Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 1943-1944 |
|
Commander, U.S.S. Iowa (BB-61) |
| 1944 |
|
Promotion to Rear Admiral |
| 1944-1945 |
|
Commander, Cruiser Division One in attacks on Japanese installations in the Aleutian and Kurile islands |
| 1946 |
|
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations |
| 1948-1949 |
|
Deputy Commander, United States Pacific Fleet |
| 1949-1952 |
|
Director of Staff, Personnel Policy Board, United States Navy |
| 1953 |
|
Retirement from U.S. Navy |
| 1953-1966 |
|
Vice-president for client relations, John Hancock Life Insurance Co. |
| 1990 |
|
Died January 25 in Needham, Massachusetts |
Access & Use
| Access to the collection: |
Access is open to all researchers, unless otherwise specified. |
| Use of the materials: |
Material in this collection is in the public domain, unless otherwise noted. |
| Preferred citation: |
Author, "Title," Page or Date. John B. Hattendorf collection of McCrea papers, MSC 356, Box number, Folder number. Naval Historical Collection, U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I. |
| Contact information: |
Naval War College (U.S.). Naval Historical Collection
686 Cushing Road
Newport, RI 02841-1207
Tel: (401) 841-2435
email: nhc@usnwc.edu
Website: https://usnwcarchives.org/
|
Administrative Information
| ABOUT THE COLLECTION |
| Acquisition: |
Gift of Dr. John B. Hattendorf, 2018 March (Ms.Ac.2018.3). |
| Custodial history: |
Dr. Hattendorf purchased this collection from online auctions, 2018 March. |
| Processing information: |
This collection was processed in accordance with archival and local standards by Elizabeth Delmage, 2018 July. |
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| ABOUT THE FINDING AID |
| Author: |
Elizabeth Delmage |
| Encoding: |
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2018-11-07. |
| Descriptive rules: |
Describing Archives: A Content Standard |
Additional Information
Inventory
| Box 1, Folder 1 |
|
Correspondence: Robert B. Anderson, Secretary of the Navy
|
|
1935-05-30 |
| Box 1, Folder 2 |
|
Correspondence: J. E. Greenbacker, flag secretary of Commander Cruisers, U.S. Atlantic fleet regarding the U.S.S. Missouri (BB 63)
|
|
1950 Jan 30 |
| Box 1, Folder 3 |
|
Correspondence: Gaylord P. Haas, chairman of the Navy-Notre Dame Football Rally Party
|
|
1951 Oct 22-Nov 19 |
| Box 1, Folder 4 |
|
Correspondence: Vernon Huber, Governor of Samoa to the Secretary of the Navy (copy)
|
|
1948 Feb 24 |
| Box 1, Folder 5 |
|
Correspondence: Memorandum from Paul Hathaway, forwarding a copy of President Truman's 1949 Mar 14 letter to the Secretary of the Navy
|
|
1949 May 31 |
| Box 1, Folder 6 |
|
Correspondence: Memorandum from Chief of Staff, U.S. Army and Chief of Naval Operations (draft)
|
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1949 Mar 9 |
| Box 1, Folder 7 |
|
Correspondence: National Broadcasting Company
|
|
1945 |
| Box 1, Folder 8 |
|
Correspondence: New York Yacht Club
|
|
1946-1951 |
| Box 1, Folder 9 |
|
Correspondence: regarding baseball
|
|
1950-1951 |
| Box 1, Folder 10 |
|
Correspondence: regarding savings bonds
|
|
1945-1946, 1951 |
| Box 1, Folder 11 |
|
Photographs: Battleships at sea
|
|
undated |
| Box 1, Folder 12 |
|
Photographs: John L. McCrea
|
|
1942, 1944, and undated |
| Oversize folder |
|
Photographs: Oversize
General Note: Includes images of battleships at sea, sailors saluting Admiral Hugh Rodman, and sailors on the USS Mohican
|
|
undated |
| Box 1, Folder 13 |
|
Photographs: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his staff's return from the Casablanca Conference
|
|
1943 |
| Box 1, Folder 14 |
|
Photographs: Sailors at "Portal of the Past," San Francisco
|
|
undated |
| Box 1, Folder 15 |
|
Press release: Announcement of RADM Hewlett Thebaud's retirement and VADM McCrea's appointment as Commandant, First Naval District
|
|
undated |
| Box 1, Folder 16 |
|
Publication: British Admiralty. Supplement to the monthly Navy list showing organization of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Command, etc. (London: Harrison and Sons)
|
|
1918 Nov |
| Box 1, Folder 17 |
|
Transcription: Transcription of opinion by Mr. Justice Jackson, Supreme Court in regard for motions of leave to file petitions for writs of habeas corpus in the cases of Japanese convicted of war crimes
|
|
1948 Dec 6 |