Bern Anderson papers (MSC-088)

The Bern Anderson papers were presented as a gift to the Naval War College Foundation for deposit in the Naval Historical Collection by Mrs. Elizabeth Anderson, the admiral's widow, in December 1986. They consist of seven boxes, about 3 linear feet, containing materials documenting the admiral's naval career and his post-retirement career as a professional historian.

The collection is divided into five series, with career papers and correspondence bulking the largest. Series I, official career papers, 1920-1960, consists of naval orders, leave requests, change of duty papers, and registered publications slips for the period of Anderson's active duty career, 1920-1950, and his return to active duty after retirement, 1952-1960.

Series II contains Anderson's official and personal correspondence, including both letters sent and received between the years 1928 and 1960. Prominent correspondents include Samuel Eliot Morison, author of The History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II. Anderson, based at the Naval War College, was a research associate of Morison and wrote a draft of the New Guinea Operation for Volume VIII of the series. In addition, he aided in the preparation of Volumes IX through XIV. Their correspondence reveals the problems involved in researching and writing a multi-volume work of this scope. Other major correspondents include Robert Albion, Roger Pineau, William Emerson, Philip K. Lundeberg, John Heffernan, John D. Hayes, Captain Joseph K. Taussig, Admiral Ernest M. Eller and Captain Stephen W. Roskill, RN. Discrete correspondence files cover U.S. Naval Academy activities, Anderson's patent kn. an electro-magnetic cipher, his articles in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, his medals and decorations, a case of plagiarism regarding an article published in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings by a Navy enlisted man, and World War II matters.

Subject Files, series III, contain maps, charts, naval messages and correspondence pertaining to Operation Hollandia, 1943-1944, along with correspondence, calculations and papers on measurements of visibility.

Series IV, writings, consists of Anderson's published and unpublished writings, including his Naval War College thesis, term papers at Harvard, articles published in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, manuscripts of his publications, and note cards and research source materials for his two books.

Miscellany, the last series, contains diaries Anderson kept while on active duty, diplomas, citations, certificates, newspaper clippings on China, Navy Department pamphlets and career photographs, including shots of Alaska.

An appendix to other research sources indicates Naval War College archival record groups which contain materials written by Anderson, as well as a list of his published writings.